New Tampa Bay Lightning defensman Dan Girardi a good fit for his new team as he faces his old team

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
November 1, 2017

BRANDON – Dan Girardi spent the first 12 years of his professional career with the New York Rangers.

On Thursday, he will see the Rangers on the opposite side of the ice for the first time as the New York Rangers pay a visit to Amalie Arena on Thursday to face Girardi’s new team.

There will be emotion.

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”I think that game (at Madison Square Garden) will be different when I go back there but [tonight] is still going to be weird,’’ Girardi said. Thursday “I will go see the trainers and say hi to them, they have been a big part of my life for 11 years. Definitely going to be interesting. They are trying to find their game so they are going to be playing hard. We’re playing well right now. I’m going to try to get all my hellos in (Thursday) morning and game time get back to business.’’

Girardi landed in Tampa Bay after the Rangers bought out the remaining three years on his contract in June, thereby having his ties cut from the only organization he’d ever know at the professional level.

When Girardi signed a new two-year deal with Tampa Bay on July 1, he quickly pushed his Rangers’ days behind him and moved on quickly to integrating himself with the Lightning. That started in August as he moved his family to the area and immersed himself in his new surroundings, hoping to adapt to new surroundings and experiences as quick as possible.

”Everything is different,’’ Girardi said. “It’s a new practice rink. A new game rink. At the start of the year we were [in Brandon] a lot and we only worked out at the game rink a couple of times before the season opener. So it was definitely weird being there for a game. But I was here early enough in August and practicing with the guys. It was fine. Everyone’s been helpful from the owner to the very last guy. It’s been a very easy transition.’’

On the ice it’s been a transition as well as Girardi is no longer asked to be the minute-muncher on the backend and tackling the tough defensive assignments on a nightly basis. Instead, the Lightning have tasked the 33-year-old with being a lower-pairing defender to come in and help keep pucks out of the net.

Girardi enters Thursday averaging 16:30 of ice time. His 27 blocked shots are 11 more than anybody else on the Lightning while he plays nearly four minutes per game on the penalty kill.

After being looked at by the analytical crowd as a free agent bust from the moment he signed his contract with the Lightning, Girardi has come in and provided his new team with everything they expected of him when he was signed.

”When you get to the end of the year (last season) and we have a core of players we are looking to build around, what did we need?,’’ Lightning head coach Jon Cooper said. “Our penalty kill was a little inconsistent last year, so you want somebody who can help you out with that. Check that box off. Look for somebody who has been in the league, knows the players. Check that box off. Somebody who is a proven leader in the room and a team guy. Check that box off. Then you are looking at Dan Girardi.

“That’s what he has done with us and we couldn’t be happier to have him.’’

For someone who only knew one organization before arriving in Tampa Bay, it’s been a seamless transition.

”My job is to be really good defensively and if I can contribute on offense it’s great,’’ Girardi said. “But they brought me in to play defense. They wanted to shore up the defensive zone and we’ve done a pretty good job of that so far. This has been a great fit for me so far and I’m really enjoying my time here.’’

It doesn’t hurt having a couple of former teammates around in Anton Stralman and Ryan Callahan from his days with the Rangers when the three of them were teammates.

For Stralman, Girardi looks like the same player he saw in New York.

”He’s like he’s always been,’’ Stralman said. “He’s one of those guys I have the utmost respect for, the way he plays the game. He plays it hard, the right way. He’s definitely a flashy guy and maybe not the best skater, to be honest, but his mentality is always team first, the way he sacrifices his body. And he’s a smart player, he knows the D zone extremely well, he knows the situations and tends to be in the right spot.’’

Callahan played with Girardi for a decade going back to their days with Guelph in the Ontario Hockey League. Even as many suggest Girardi is an analytic nightmare on the ice, Callahan still sees the same type of player he’s always known.

”I think he’s been great,’’ Callahan said. “I think sometimes when you get under that microscope everybody tries to pick apart your game as much as possible. Sometimes you get away from that and relax a little bit. He still plays the way I remember, blocking shots, making the first pass, very good defensively, so I haven’t noticed him losing a step.”

Though there was one thing Callahan didn’t know about Girardi the player until he had to play against him – he can be hard to play against.

”I guess I didn’t realize that until I got here and played against him,’’ Callahan said. “The way he works every shift and he makes you earn what you get in the offensive zone. For me, a guy who likes to go in front of the net and battle a little bit. Playing against the Rangers and having battles against him you realize why he’s so effective.’’

Which is exactly what Girardi has been with his new team.

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