Ryan McDonagh achieved three notable milestones within the past year. Though receiving his finance degree at the University of Wisconsin may not seem on the surface to have much in common with reaching lofty plateaus in playing his 1,000th NHL game and blocking his 2,000th shot, they are byproducts of a man who does not know how to think of doing something halfway.
“Like anything, when you set yourself up to accomplish something, you want to fulfill that, finish the job,” said McDonagh, the Lightning’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. It is an award given to the player who “best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the game.”
Being responsible toward teammates is yet another quality that underscores the career of the 35-year-old defenseman, who returned to the Lightning last summer after two seasons in Nashville. McDonagh’s leadership and sacrifice on the blue line have been evident since he debuted with the New York Rangers during the 2010-11 season.
“It’s a huge honor,” he said, upon learning of the nomination. “To be recognized means a lot. It’s not just me. I have a great support cast with teammates, family, friends and I have been fortunate to have that since coming back here.”
McDonagh played in his 1,000th NHL game March 27 and five days later became the eighth player in league history to record 2,000 blocked shots. The art of blocking shots is something he became adept at during his three-year career with the Badgers.
“I practiced with the defensemen using tennis balls instead of pucks to (learn) technique,” he recalled. “I started my pro career with some great defensemen and a coaching style of (John) Tortorella that was instilled in you. It becomes second nature and guys feed off that.”
Uncle Knows Best
The St. Paul, Minn. native fed off his uncle’s guidance. Steve Walsh was a national championship-winning quarterback at Miami and played 80 games over 10 seasons with seven NFL teams.
“Understanding that you can’t control everything, the uncertainty out there in pro sports,” McDonagh said of the advice Walsh disseminated.
Certainly, McDonagh could not control getting dealt by the Montreal Canadiens, which drafted him 12th overall in 2007. The Habs sent the rearguard to the Rangers in June 2009 while he was still in Madison, and 18 months before his NHL debut.
“A hard lesson to learn, but a good thing to learn at a young age that there is a business side of things,” said McDonagh, who admired the athletic exploits of fellow Cretin-Derham Hall High alum, St. Paul native and Baseball Hall of Famer Joe Mauer.
Walsh knew what it took to persevere and traverse the ups and downs physically and mentally, something McDonagh took to heart.
“What you’re doing on a daily basis to keep getting better as an individual, keep rounding your game, getting bigger and stronger and letting things kind of take care of itself in that aspect,” he said. “There are definitely a bunch of highs and lows that you have to deal with and, more important than anything, he’s just been a reliable source of where to keep yourself, which is not easy to do in pro sports.”
Return to Tampa
McDonagh was initially acquired by the Lightning from the Rangers at the 2018 trade deadline in a deal that included J.T. Miller going to the Big Apple. Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper felt a defenseman of McDonagh’s caliber, both on the ice and in the room, could very well be the missing ingredient for a team that had been knocking on the door of something special, but had been unable to bust through.
“As we were up and down trying to get over the top, he was one of the guys we traded for, for that reason,” said Cooper. “It didn’t happen right away, but eventually it did.”
The 2018-19 season, McDonagh’s first full season in Tampa, resulted in the Lightning equaling what at the time were the most wins (62) in NHL history. Alas, the Bolts were bumped in the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Things quickly changed, though. Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021 and returned to the final in 2022. A month after the Bolts’ quest for a three-peat was denied by the Avalanche, McDonagh was traded to Nashville. After two seasons with the Predators, it was back to Tampa and the work address of 401 Channelside Drive.
“After three finals in a row, to get him back, I think has really helped solidify the defensive side of the game in so many different ways,” said Cooper, whose team leads the Eastern Conference and is fourth in the NHL with a 2.60 goals against. “Also, the mentality of our team. What a class act he has been. He’s a rare breed of warrior who has skill, he has brains. When you are around as long as he has been, you have some good qualities about you. Not only playing ability, but how you are as a guy and ‘Mac’ is top of the list.”
Taking care of his family is at the top of McDonagh’s list and returning to Tampa proved rather seamless. After all, most everything from schools to friends to those who occupy the home team’s dressing room at Amalie Arena represent a sense of familiarity and comfort.
“I knew my family would feel good about the situation,” said the husband of Kaylee and father of Falan, Murphy and Nola. “(Knowing my family is comfortable) definitely helps you first and foremost, being able to come to the rink not wondering how your kids are feeling at school and whatnot. That was the most important thing.”
Selfless Teammate
McDonagh’s numbers this season are eye-opening. He boasts a league-leading plus-40 while playing in each of Tampa Bay’s 78 games through April 9. His 150 blocked shots give him 2,010 for his career to tie him with Duncan Keith for seventh all-time. Two Stanley Cup are not too shabby, either.
“Such a leader for us,” said Brayden Point, who scored his 300th career goal the night McDonagh played his 1,000th game. “You noticed his presence when he left and you noticed it when he returned. He is a guy who has been through so much, has been in the playoffs so much, works hard every day and is sacrificing himself for the betterment of the team.”
Point’s comments in no small part sum up why Rangers general manager Glen Sather appointed McDonagh to succeed Ryan Callahan, who was dealt to the Lightning at the 2014 trade deadline, as team captain the following season. Wearing the ‘C’ for an Original Six franchise was an honor he did not take lightly.
“That was a huge honor and there were a lot of good players and great leaders in that locker room,” he said. “You understand the responsibility and you learn from it over the course of your career and things that you like, dislike, things that worked and didn’t work. Ultimately, it is about how you carry yourself each and every day and what you bring to the table each and every day at the rink.”
McDonagh, who has done much to promote cancer awareness throughout his NHL career, set a wonderful example in getting his degree from Wisconsin last spring. It was something those closest to him may appreciate before too long.
“A big thing when I was being recruited is that no matter where you are and what point you are in your life, you can come back and finish (your education),” he said. “It is something to tell your kids that when you set out to do something, you want to finish it. Hopefully, one day they can accomplish that themselves.”
