Two Former Rangers Continue To Clown Derek Stephen Over Broken Jaw Incident From 11-Years Ago
Photo credit: Sportsnet
Former New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan had an incident 11 years ago while facing the Montreal Canadiens. He'd break his jaw in Madison Square Garden, and wouldn't receive any sympathy from his teammates, including Ryan Callahan that night afterwards.
On May 22, 2014, Stepan received a brutal, open-ice hit by former teammate Brandon Prust. The hit from the 1st-period would level him and break his jaw.
Montreal Canadiens doctors weren't sure that his jaw was truly broken, despite X-rays proving otherwise.
An awkward and unbelievable situation all around.
Stepan appeared on the podcast Morning Cuppa Hockey and revealed that both Prust and former Captain Ryan Callahan aren't letting up on the hit.
«[Prust] was another one that was at the alum game [recently], him and 'Cally' kept pulling up the video and breaking it down. 'He barely touched you Step. Like, dive a little bit more!' Stepan shared with a laugh.
Prust was not penalized on the play. However, he was suspended two games by the League. And Stepan missed Game 4 following surgery to repair his jaw. Stepan returned in Game 5 wearing a full face shield and scored two goals in a 7-4 loss to the Canadiens, fueling the fire that he wasn't hurt as badly as the Rangers contended.
«It was what it was,» Stepan said. «But the best part of it was Cally, he's just relentless this guy. Every angle of that hit. 'I think you got hit in the shoulder, Step.'
Prust was not penalized on the play. However, he was suspended two games by the League. And Stepan missed Game 4 following surgery to repair his jaw. Stepan returned in Game 5 wearing a full face shield and scored two goals in a 7-4 loss to the Canadiens, fueling the fire that he wasn't hurt as badly as the Rangers contended.
«It was what it was,» Stepan said. «But the best part of it was Cally, he's just relentless this guy. Every angle of that hit. 'I think you got hit in the shoulder, Step.'
Callahan wouldn't be present, nor would he take part in the New York Rangers' run to the playoffs, which gave Stepan plenty of ammo when Callahan decided to chirp him on the hit.
«I'll be telling stories about that run and then I'll be like, 'Oh right. You weren't there Cally!»
Derek Stepan and Brandon Prust: The Aftermath
All in all, while Callahn would be sent to the Tampa Bay Lightning, who wouldn't experience a Stanley Cup Run until 2015, and would be demolished by the juggernaut Chicago Blackhawks at the time.
Stepan would revel in the victory first, despite suffering the same fate.
Stepan would later reveal during the podcast that Prust was the first to reach out to him after the surgery, which shows he truly cared about his friend, despite his intentions on the ice.
The brutal hit has kept the group of friends chirping at each other to this day, and it's all in good fun, despite everything. Good friendships are stronger than a lot, including a broken jaw.
Previously on NYRangersInsider
