Many pro athletes find out their trade fates through Twitter nowadays, but former Rangers captain Ryan Callahan remembers finding out he was dealt from the Rangers while watching TV with his teammates in 2014.
Callahan, who spent the first eight seasons of his NHL career with New York, was a likely trade piece during the 2013-14 season, and Callahan looked back on that day when he joined Zach Gelb on Monday.
“It came to trade deadline day,” Callahan remembered. “We had a pregame skate and then I was actually sitting in the training room watching TSN’s TradeCentre with a bunch of my teammates. Sure enough, Bob McKenzie popped up on the TV and said ‘I think we’ve got a breaking deal, Marty St. Louis for Ryan Callahan.’”
Callahan said the mood in the room quickly turned into a somber one, as he and his teammates realized this was the end of an era after 450 games and 132 goals with the Blueshirts.
“It got really quiet in the room, to be honest with you,” Callahan said. “Nobody really knew what to say. But that’s part of the business. Guys knew there was a good chance I was gonna get moved that day.”
The awkward silence didn’t last long, as almost right after McKenzie announced the trade on TSN, Callahan was on his way to speak to Rangers general manager Glen Sather.
“Almost simultaneously, the training door opened and it was one of our PR guys and he said ‘Glen Sather would like to see you in the lounge.’ I guess I found out originally from the TV, but right after that I sat down with [Slather] and he informed me I was going to Tampa.”
Callahan went on to play six seasons with the Lightning before being dealt to the Senators in 2019, though injuries prevented him from ever suiting up in Ottawa. After he was dealt by New York, the Rangers and Martin St. Louis marched to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup appearance in two decades. Callahan could have been a part of that special run, but the two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract extension before the deadline.
“Long story short, there’s contract negotiations going on that whole year, and it came down to the wire where we agreed on the money on the deal, they just wouldn’t give me a no-trade or a no-move clause, which I wasn’t comfortable with I had a young family at the time,” Callahan said.
“It was a very tough day for me though. I had a lot of emotions. I wanted to stay in New York, I loved it there. It was emotional for my teammates and me. It was hard to say goodbye to them.”
Listen to Callahan's full interview with Zach Gelb below!
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