Cretin
Derham Hall
THE
WHY RYAN
McDONAGH IS
ONE OF THE
NEW POSTER
BOYS OF
MINNESOTA
HOCKEY
BY AARON PAITICH
6
B
ack when he was a youngster,
Ryan McDonagh's two best
buddies made the Mounds
View A-Squirt team. Ryan
made the B team.
"I was the only one in our
close group that made the B-Squirt team,
and I remember how heartbroken I was,"
says McDonagh.
After the initial sting, he settled in and
focused on the season.
"And it turned out to be one of the most
fun years that I had," says McDonagh. "It
really jump-started me to stay positive.
My dad was real positive about the whole
experience. He just wanted me to have fun
and not stress out about it. I gradually got
better as it went on."
MINNESOTAHOCKEYJOURNAL.COM // FEBRUARY.2014
University
Of Wisconsin
In the past 14 years or so, he's gotten
quite a bit better. McDonagh is now a star
for the New York Rangers' blue line corps
and a 2014 U.S. Olympian. Not bad for a
former B-Squirt.
Separating longtime friends on different
sports teams can be a difficult experience,
especially when athletic ability is the
deciding factor. But every player develops at
their own pace.
The B-Squirt team was the right choice
at the time for McDonagh—and he was
better of because of it.
"Every player's goal is to make the top
team, but it's not always going to work
out," says McDonagh. "That was my first
experience of it in my first year of Squirts. I
learned from that."
PHOTOS: DAVID STLUKA; MICHAEL MURRAY PHOTORGRAPHY; USA HOCKEY;
SCOTT LEVY/MSG PHOTOS
MMODEL
cDONAGH
