Us Rangers fans are perpetually deprived of content with the players. We ask, but we never receive. Outside of your run-of-the-mill media availabilities or quick interviews with ESPN or TNT, access to the players is tough to come by. We cherish “Off The Boards With The Ryan’s” because we know just how rare that inside look is.
I can certainly understand how guys want to focus on their game and not get caught up in the circus that New York can be.
What I certainly can’t understand though, is James Dolan. You’re going to have to take my word for what I’m about to say, because I have negative proof of this claim and don’t love the guy as it is.
There’s reason to believe James Dolan, CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment, doesn’t allow current Rangers to partake in any sort of outside media, that isn’t exclusively produced by MSG Networks or the NHL. Why? I have no idea.
We pad his pockets year after year, paying exorbitant prices to see our favorite hockey team play at the Garden. We pay a small fortune for the humble meal of a beer & a hot dog. Living in/around NYC is expensive enough as it is. You’d think we get a little kickback, at the very least, in the form of a simple green light for players to express themselves and appear on popular shows or podcasts. Alas, the Grouch won’t have it.
Dolan’s Vendetta
It seems as though the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast is atop the Grouch’s list of forbidden media outlets. I’m not sure if he has history with any of the hosts, if he doesn’t like the affiliation with Barstool Sports, if he’s not a fan of their boisterous style or whatever else. Maybe Chiclets can confirm or deny.
You’d think Dolan would see the business opportunity – beloved current Rangers as guests on the show to have some fun, market themselves and indirectly promote the wider, behemoth brand of the New York Rangers. After all, regardless of his or anyone else’s opinion, Spittin’ Chiclets is hugely successful with a thriving podcast and several other lucrative business verticals.
I’ve been tuning in for years and lament the fact that us listeners never hear from guys currently on the team. The only exception I can remember is Ryan Reaves, when he was a Ranger. He joined the show for a hot second from his car, and I don’t remember exactly, but I think it was just to clear up a comment he or Biz made on TNT. Biz tried to ask some further questions, but Reaves said something to the effect of not being allowed to divulge any information. Nudge nudge, wink wink. Somehow, the Grouch was able to intimidate even one of the league’s most revered enforcers in Reavo.
I remember Sean Avery was a guest on Spittin’ Chiclets several years back, plus Keith Yandle, Scott Gomez, more recently Dan Girardi and as of just yesterday, the newly retired Derek Stepan! Highly recommend checking out the full show here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGp_-J7gHfs. The Stepan interview is quick, but super enjoyable, from 1:07-1:30.
Derek Stepan, Man Of The People
I have such fond memories looking back on Derek Stepan as a Ranger from 2010-2017. He burst onto the scene with a hat trick in Buffalo in his NHL debut and then went on to be a key contributor down the middle for perennial playoff teams. He also had a knack for coming up clutch in the big moment.
I’ll also never forget the courage he displayed in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals against the Montreal Canadiens. The guy broke his jaw in Game 3, missed Game 4 to undergo surgery, but then demanded to be put back in the lineup for Game 5, with a clunky protective contraption on his helmet.
Funny enough, it was former Ranger, Brandon Prust, who delivered the blow that broke his jaw. When asked about it, Stepan was the bigger man and took the high road.
“I’m not going to hold it against [Prust]. He finished his check,” Stepan said after the series-clinching win. “He feels bad about it. He knows it was late. We move on from there.”
With all the above context, you might say Stepan was tough as nails, a workhorse, a gritty hockey player and an expectational leader. You’d be right – he’s all of those things, without question, but he’s also way more of a common man than I realized before the interview.
Stepan confirmed that head coach Alain Vigneault once referred to him as having the body of a professional bowler. When asked about his questionable off-season training habits, Stepan was forthcoming in the most relatable way.
I totally thought he’d say something to defend himself there, but then admits to doing the bare minimum. He also wasn’t shy to disclose the fact he missed Ryan McDonagh’s Cup parties for tee times at the golf course. Stepan is retired, he’s got nothing to lose at this point and willing to laugh at himself. What a legend.
Derek Stepan, Aspiring General Manager
It’s always interesting to me to see what NHLers do after their playing days are over. Some guys get involved in media, others dive into business, some seemingly drop off the face of the earth.
For Stepan, he shared with Spittin’ Chiclets that he’s very much interested in pursuing a career as an executive. Stepan is a Minnesota native and Bill Guerin, the Minnesota Wild GM, is his neighbor. They struck up conversation and he’s now working with Bill this season in some sort of shadowing capacity.
“Bill was generous enough to give me an opportunity, I’m really excited about it. It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’ve kind of already poked my head in, here and there, it’s cool to see the other side of it,” Stepan said.
Stepan also added he’s made a point to chat with opposing team’s execs whenever possible and ask a quick question or two. Smart guy. Apparently, he’s been getting the word out during his playing days on his interests in management and jokes he’ll be more effective as an executive than he was a player.
It’s all fun and games until 2030, when he inevitably robs the Rangers in broad daylight, as the mastermind behind a blockbuster deal for a division rival.
Derek Stepan, Torts Whisperer
The couple stories he shared on playing under John Tortorella were gold. I wish Step had more time to reminisce on some more.
In the 2010-2011 season, it wasn’t totally clear Stepan would be around for the long haul after getting called up. Then, after the hat trick debut, Tortorella called Stepan into his office to congratulate him in true Torts fashion.
“Well, you bought yourself 20 more games, kid.”
From then on, Torts threw him over the boards in every situation. Stepan had nothing but good things to say about the sometimes polarizing head coach and the confidence he instilled in him.
People forget one of Torts’ all-time great media moments was defending Stepan, after a dirty hit by Brooks Orpik of the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 playoffs.
Stepan admitted to being his disciple of sorts, because he was young and didn’t know any better. Anything Torts asked for on the ice, Stepan blindly obliged.
He stayed out of the dog house, where veterans often frequented, as they had their own ideas of how things should be done and weren’t going to fall in line so easily. Shoutout to you, Marián GáborÃk.
Stay Tuned To Step
It’s great to hear from Stepan in good spirits and I’m excited for what’s to come for him in the front office. The possibilities are endless, with the amount of connections made and friendships forged over his 13 year NHL career. God knows it won’t be in New York, if James Dolan is still around and holding a phantom grudge, due to the way Stepan looked at him in passing over a decade ago.
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