Ex-Rangers Defenseman Broke An Unspoken Rule After Joining the New York Rangers in 2015
Photo credit: Brad Penner-USA Today
Keith Yandle's recent interview with Spittin' Chiclets hilariously describes a situation with the New York Rangers in 2015, where he broke an unspoken rule with the team. The rule? Don't speak to Henrik Lundqvist on game days, for him, that didn't make sense.
Keith Yandle, in his prime, was better known as one of the best puck-moving blueliners in the NHL. He'd play 989 consecutive NHL games straight, just second to Iron Man Phil Kessel with 1,064.
Yandle played a stint in New York and was known for his humor and good personality, which endeared him to teammates.
In addition to his five 50+ seasons and 3 All-Star nominations, it wasn't his good humor or arrogance that got him in trouble.
He'd arrived in New York during the 2014-15 NHL season after a trade with the Arizona Coyotes, and didn't know the unspoken rules of the locker room at the time.
«I remember one of my first times in that area where the guys would eat at MSG, like a little lounge area, and Hank would come in wearing a three-piece suit looking like a dime with his headphones on and I was like, 'Hey, what's up Hank?!' and give him a high-five,» Yandle recounted on a recent Spittin' Chiclets podcast he co-hosts with Paul Bissonnette and Ryan Whitney. «And everyone is like 'You do not talk to him on game day.» And I'm like, 'Yeah, we do. We talk to him.'»
Lundqvist was opposite Yandle while the story was being told on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast, but neither would shed more light on the interaction afterward.
Needless to say, Yandle learned his lesson and kept cool while Lundqvist was "in the zone".
Lundqvist would, however, go into details on his thought process during that season, and why he needed to remain intense:
«I had days I don't think I spoke. I was quiet on game days,» he said. «I think I got better over the years but I was so in my head just thinking about the game and just kind of dealing with the pressure.»
Lundqvist grew even more reflective.
«I put a lot of pressure on myself and maybe sometimes a little too much. And that made me, maybe, a little intense at times.»
Lundqvist grew even more reflective.
«I put a lot of pressure on myself and maybe sometimes a little too much. And that made me, maybe, a little intense at times.»
Kind of ironic that being in your head would end up giving you a worse outcome after the fact.
Was Yandle wrong for attempting to be friendly to his new teammate, and superstar Lundqvist? No, but it doesn't hurt to learn the customs of where you're heading, whether it be Rome or MSG's locker room.
Yandle would turn out to be one of the better Rangers defenders that year and helped contribute to their Presidents' Trophy run in 2014-15.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
| POLL | ||
AOUT 1 | 35 ANSWERS Ex-Rangers Defenseman Broke An Unspoken Rule After Joining the New York Rangers in 2015 Do you have any weird rituals before hockey games, like goalie and analyst Henrik Lundqvist, a New York Ranger? | ||
| Yes | 15 | 42.9 % |
| No | 20 | 57.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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