Thirteen seasons after making staggered debuts on Broadway, the three players at the heart of the Black-and-Blueshirt identity who returned the franchise to prominence are nowhere to be found on the ice.
That would be staggering, except for the fact you knew even way back then in 2006-07 that Ryan Callahan, Dan Girardi and Brandon Dubinsky would one day pay the price for the relentless and sacrificial way they approached each shift, never mind each game.
So, at age 34, Callahan was forced to retire this summer because of a degenerative back disease. Girardi, 35, retired before the season with hockey battle scars all over his legs, knees and ankles forming a roadmap of his career.