Derek Stepan had spoken about how his audition for the U.S. Olympic team was more than just the first 41 games he played for the Rangers this season — that it was a four-year tryout, and in that time, the 23-year-old center had banked enough goodwill to hopefully represent his country.
Following the Winter Classic in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Wednesday evening, that sentiment turned out to be true, as the national team was announced and Stepan joined Blueshirts teammates Ryan Callahan and Ryan McDonagh on the squad that will travel to Sochi, Russia, for the Olympics next month.
“It’s a great honor,” Stepan said on a conference call. “I wasn’t sure if I was going to be there or not, and it’s something that I’m very grateful for.”
After the Maple Leafs had beaten the Red Wings 3-2 in a shootout while it snowed on a world-record hockey crowd of 105,591 in Michigan Stadium, a group of children in Team USA sweaters lined up along the blue line, and then dramatically skated forward to reveal the names and numbers of the squad. Think about how a bubble player such as Stepan felt — as he had not been contacted prior to that ceremony.
“I hadn’t heard anything yet, so I was starting to think that I wasn’t going to be there,” Stepan said. “But as I was watching the kids, it was a pretty cool way to find out for me.”
The Rangers and Blues were the two most-represented teams, as they both had three players make the team. Callahan, 28, was the only one of the Rangers that played on the 2010 team that won a silver medal in Vancouver, and he likes the way this team has taken shape.
“It looks like we’re going to have a fast group, on the big ice surface, which I think is good,” Callahan said. “With that many talented players on the team, I think we’re going to have a good shot.”
Callahan is injured with a sprained MCL in his left knee, having missed the Rangers’ past nine games. Though Callahan said there was no update on his status, it’s likely the Blueshirts captain will return either Friday in Pittsburgh against the Penguins or Saturday in Toronto against the Leafs, as the Rangers placed forward Taylor Pyatt on waivers Wednesday.
For McDonagh, his place on the team was assumed to be a lock all season, but that didn’t change the way nerves affected the 23-year-old defenseman from St. Paul, Minn.
“You truly never know,” McDonagh said. “I remember watching the 2010 one and imagining what it would be like to play in the Olympics, to represent your country. So now I have that opportunity, and I’ll try and do the best with it.”
There is one overriding Olympics story the players are trying not to think about, and that is the instability in Russia. In addition to a newly passed anti-gay law, recently there were fatal bombings in the city of Volgograd.
“I definitely think there is a little bit of concern,” Callahan said. “It’s human nature to follow what’s going on in the news, especially recently what’s happened over there. … In the back of your head, you’re thinking about it, but I don’t think it takes away from the excitement or the privilege of representing the country.”
Islanders forward Kyle Okposo did not make the team, despite the fact he is 12th in the league in scoring, second among U.S.-born players. He joins Senators forward Bobby Ryan, former Ranger and current Blue Jacket Brandon Dubinsky and the Wild’s Jason Pominville as the other notable players left off the roster.
Also not making it was Devils goalie Cory Schneider, who was passed over in favor of the Red Wings’ Jimmy Howard. There were no Islanders or Devils on the roster.