Ryan McDonagh is the 27th Captain in Rangers history, but wait there’s more!

Anthony Scultore Updated: Jan 29, 2022

In a surprise evening announcement, the New York Rangers have named Ryan McDonagh their 27th captain in team history.

OFFICIAL: #NYR announce @RMcDonagh27 is the 27th Captain in team history! Full Story https://t.co/Ks2IzGkxYX #CforMcD pic.twitter.com/kgXZsY542y

— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 7, 2014

There is really no shock here as the writing has been on the wall since Ryan Callahan was traded last March. What was a surprise to most (but not me), was the Rangers announcing 4 alternate captains as well.

OFFICIAL: Dan Girardi, Martin St. Louis, Marc Staal, and Derek Stepan #NYR alternate captains. https://t.co/Ks2IzGkxYX pic.twitter.com/R85cOsyd9V — New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 7, 2014

Just 3 days ago on Twitter, yours truly was mulling over an idea and tweeted it to our followers:

I wouldn’t be surprised if the Rangers went with 1 CAPTAIN and 4 Alternates. 2 for Home and 2 for away. Last time they did that – 1994.

— FullTilt Rangers (@NYR_FullTilt) October 3, 2014

At the time, I didn’t mention who the 4 alternates would be, but in all sincerity I was thinking Rick Nash instead of Derek Stepan.

In 1994, Adam Graves and Brian Leetch wore the A’s at home, while Kevin Lowe and Steve Larmer wore them on the road. My guess is Girardi and Stepan will be the A’s at home (when Stepan is healthy), while MSL and Staal will wear them on the road.

Back to the captain. Glen Sather released a statement as conveyed by BlueshirtsUnited.com –

“Ryan McDonagh exemplifies what we want a New York Ranger to be,” Sather said. “He has earned the respect of his teammates through his commitment to excellence, both on and off the ice, and the passion with which he plays on a consistent basis. He is the ideal choice to lead our team as its captain.”

Big Mac is also the 4th youngest captain in team’s history and the 3rd consecutive American born to hold it. (Chris Drury and Ryan Callahan respectively). Ryan is also the first defenseman to hold the honor for the Blueshirts since Brian Leetch.

We at FullTilt Rangers would like to join his teammates and legion of fans to say congratulations on the honor.

Congrats to @RMcDonagh27 for being named captain of @NYRangers. Well deserved and he’s going to be a great leader for many years!

— Martin St Louis (@mstlouis_26) October 7, 2014

Congrats @RMcDonagh27 ,new captain of the @NYRangers! Camp is over, look forward to start this week!

— Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist30) October 7, 2014