Ryan Callahan Tribute Video
Originally selected by the Storm in the 15th round … he came to Guelph as a 17-year-old in 2002 and earned Rookie of the Year. One year later, he was a key part of the 2004 OHL Championship and then drafted in the 4th round by the New York Rangers. The following season, he played for Team USA at the World Jrs, earned his first of two Storm Top Scorer awards and was named team MVP. In his final junior campaign, he added the OHL’s Overage Player of the Award and became just the third Storm player to break the 50-goal mark on his way to a franchise best 130 career markers.
After graduating to the pros, he made his NHL debut with the Rangers in November, 2006 and only four years later he was back on the international stage as he earned silver with Team USA in his first of two Winter Olympics appearances in the red, white and blue. To begin the 2011-12 season… Callahan became the 5th youngest captain in the club’s history. In March 2014 after 450 regular season games with the Rangers and 254 points, he was traded to Tampa Bay. With the Lightning, he made his first Stanley Cup final appearance in 2015 and was later named an alternate captain.
A leader in every sense of the word in Guelph… with New York and in Tampa Bay… he officially retired from the NHL with 757 regular season games and 386 points on December 30, 2020.
Joined by his wife Kyla and three children Charlotte, Evelyn and Dominic, we were honoured to recognize the career of Ryan Callahan, by raising his #24 to the Sleeman Centre rafters. Since moving to Guelph in 1991, our club has honoured the numbers of just two former players that were outstanding in Guelph, in the NHL and competed on the international stage. Yesterday, we were honoured to add Ryan to that list.
