It's the dawn of a new era in New York Rangers hockey. Today marked the day where Ryan Callahan was named the 26th Captain in franchise history. Callahan will be taking over the duties that were vacated by the ousted Chris Drury after his mid-summer buyout.
Callahan not only has earned the respect of his fellow teammates and people within the organization, but throughout the league. Players across the league have taken notice of what an impact Callahan truly provides on the Rangers.
Callahan will upgrade his role as assistant captain to the new voice of the team. Marc Staal will remain an assistant captain, and big time free agent acquisition Brad Richards will dawn the other assistant captain spot.
Ranger's General Manager Glen Sather spoke of Callahan in high regard. "Ryan Callahan embodies all the leadership qualities we seek from our Captain. He leads by example with courage and a tireless work ethic on and off the ice, which is why he is so deserving of this honor."
Even the opposition takes notice of Ryan Callahan. Recent free agent signing Mike Rupp talked about how when he played in Pittsburgh against Ryan Callahan and that he would someday want to be on his team because of his battle and work ethic.
If the Captain is supposed to lead by example, then there really isn't a better player to follow in their footsteps.
Brad Richards overtook Brandon Dubinsky for the final assistant captains spot. His long history with Tortorella and his success under his tutelage with hopefully be a calming voice in the locker room. A very quite-spoken man, Richards is yet another player that leads by example.
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