How Ryan McDonagh has grown into role as Rangers captain

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Ryan McDonagh has come back home again to this twin city in which he was born, raised, grew up and was married.

He has come back home as a Ranger for Thursday night's match against the Wild, the opportunity to play in front of family and long-time friends, "still something special," as he said following Wednesday's light practice.

But this time, there is a difference. This time, for the first time, McDonagh comes home with the captain's "C" on his jersey that he has worn since the start of this season.

Sometimes — make that all of the time — it is easy to forget McDonagh is just 25 and only in his fifth season in the NHL and as a Ranger. That reflects how mature and polished he was the moment he joined the team on Jan. 7, 2011.

But McDonagh has grown this season, even if it has not quite been the best of his career. His offensive numbers are down from last year, from 14 goals and 29 assists (43 points) to seven goals and 20 assists (27 points). His role on the power play has diminished, and he hasn't hit the high notes quite as often, even if he has saved the best for the latter part of the season by elevating down the stretch.

At the same time, McDonagh has grown into the captaincy of one of the NHL's best teams.

And he has developed in the role after experiencing growing pains early this season.

"I think there's been a natural progression for me into the role, but it took me some time to figure out a few things," McDonagh told The Post. "I needed to identify when it was the right time to step up and say something, and when it was the right time to stay quiet.

"And at the same time, I had to make sure that I was focusing the right way going into a game," No. 27 said. "I had to realize that I didn't have to do everything and that I didn't have to play the perfect game or make the perfect play because I was the captain.

"I probably put a little bit too much pressure on myself. The guys could see it. And they picked me up."

McDonagh's learning curve — and his season — was interrupted by the left shoulder separation he sustained in a Nov. 1 game against the Jets on a check from Evander Kane that sidelined the top pair left defenseman for 11 games. And if he seemed he wasn't quite himself upon returning, McDonagh on Wednesday admitted that he really hadn't been.

"It took about seven or eight games to really get over it and get back to feeling normal on the ice," McDonagh said. "That might not seems like a lot of time, but it's a pretty good chunk of the season."

It took time for McDonagh, and it took time for the Rangers to hit their stride. It took until Dec. 8 — or about when the captain returned to full strength — for the Blueshirts to kick it into a consistently high gear, an overtime victory that night over the Penguins marking the start of an astounding 35-8-3 run that propelled the team to elite status and to the top of the East.

Ryan McDonagh has sevn goals this season.Photo: Christopher Pasatieri

"It takes time for a team to create an identity," McDonagh said. "We're a speed team, everyone recognizes that and that's become a big part of our identity from the outside looking in, but our speed goes both ways.

"Our foundation and our mind-set has been on defense, probably even more than last year," he said. "We stress numbers back, our forwards are so conscientious on the back-check, and I can't remember that ever being better. That allows the D to keep a good gap, and so we can go with speed with our transition.

"We're all committed to this style. We're all committed to our structure and our roles."

John Tortorella, who preceded Alain Vigneault behind the bench, was committed to defense-first hockey, and the Rangers got to the conference finals after finishing with the East's best record in 2011-12. But it was so different. Then, the focus wasn't on making plays out of the D zone, and it wasn't on developing and maintaining constant pace with instant turnarounds.

But that's not the biggest difference between the teams—and the coaching philosophies—as identified by McDonagh. For while Henrik Lundqvist is the name above the title on the marquee, this Broadway production is a collaborative effort.

"The most significant change is that we use everybody. We don't shorten the bench the way we did then," he said. "As a player, you want to be given the opportunity to contribute, no matter what the role is.

"When you see your teammates put into position to succeed in their roles, and I mean all of your teammates, that's the way that trust is built within the team," McDonagh said. "This coaching staff uses everybody and gives everybody the opportunity to contribute.

"We don't have issues in here over our roles or our ice time," he said. "We have a winning atmosphere, and a very unselfish group. Everybody is in, and a lot of that starts with the way the coaching staff puts its trust in us."

Management and the coaching staff put its trust in McDonagh to assume the captaincy.

His teammates maintained their trust in him even as he felt his way through the start of the season.

"With the veterans we have and the guys who have way more experience than I do, I didn't want to come in and exceed my limits," he said. "But my teammates and our leadership group couldn't have been better or more supportive of me.

"I owe these guys, but at the same time, we're all here for each other. It's a loose group and a fun group, and I'm proud to be part of it."

And so McDonagh comes home. Home to St. Paul while feeling at home as the captain of the Rangers.

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