Ryan Callahan Injury: Update on Rangers Star's Shoulder

The New York Rangers might be without their captain for the foreseeable future, as Ryan Callahan injured his left shoulder last month.

UPDATE: Thursday, Feb. 7, at 12:44 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Great news for Rangers fans as Ryan Callahan (shoulder) will play tonight, according to New York Daily News' Pat Leonard.

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UPDATE: Thursday, Feb. 7, 11:05 a.m. ET by Donald Wood

According to Rangers insider Andrew Gross, New York star forward Ryan Callahan has returned to practice:

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 1:08 p.m. ET by Patrick Clarke

New York Rangers star Ryan Callahan is reportedly pleased with his shoulder recovery according to Rangers beat writer Andrew Gross (via Twitter):

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UPDATE: Monday, Feb. 4, at 12:32 p.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Ryan Callahan shed light on his current injury situation, according to the New York Rangers' official Twitter account.

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UPDATE: Monday, Feb. 4, at 11:10 a.m. ET by Brandon Galvin

Encouraging news for Rangers fans as Ryan Callahan is taking part in non-contact practice by skating on the ice for the first time since injuring his shoulder, according to The Record's Andrew Gross.

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UPDATE: Thursday, Jan. 31, at 12:50 p.m. ET by Timothy Rapp

Callahan is looking on the bright side of life, via the Rangers' Twitter account:

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 3:55 p.m. ET by Timothy Rapp

Breathe easy, Rangers' fans—the injury isn't all that bad, according to Andrew Gross of The Record:

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UPDATE: Wednesday, Jan. 30, at 2:35 p.m. ET by Timothy Rapp

Brad Richards and coach John Tortorella commented on the injury to Callahan on Wednesday afternoon, via Blueshirts United. We start with Richards:

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"Hopefully it's short-term and he comes back quickly," alternate captain Brad Richards said of Callahan's injury following practice at the MSG Training Center on Wednesday. "Obviously the mood around here is that we want him back as soon as possible. He's a big part of every part of the game—power play, penalty kill, and 5-on-5—but that being said we have to push on, it's part of the game. Hopefully he is back soon."

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And now for Torts:

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"Every team goes through injuries," explained head coach John Tortorella on Wednesday. "When you lose a top guy like (Callahan) that shuffles your lineup. But people get moved up and they get an opportunity. How the (dressing) room is conducted and how (the players) accept responsibility and accountability certainly does help when you do lose a player like this."

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From Andrew Gross of The Record:

Callahan actually scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal in the second period, and the Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 2-1. But the injury occurred in the third period while in a scrap with Max Talbot.

With the Flyers swarming the net, Callahan took issue with Talbot. The two dropped gloves and were about to exchange blows when Callahan instead dropped to the ice. Here's what it looked like:

It certainly doesn't look good for Callahan. And while the Rangers can't simply cave in if he misses time, he will surely be missed.

From Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News:

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"He's our leader and it's tough to see him go off the ice like that," defenseman Marc Staal said. "I'm still not sure exactly what it is or how bad it is, but he didn't come back obviously. So for a guy like that not to come back, it must be pretty substantial."

Callahan plays on the Rangers' top power-play unit, their top penalty-killing unit and their second line. Without him for more than the final 15 minutes, the Rangers nearly self-destructed.

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On the season, Callahan has two goals and is averaging 20:01 minutes of ice time per game. He is fresh off a 2011-12 season that saw him set career highs in goals scored (29) and total points (54), and expectations were high that he would improve on those marks this season.

Now, the hopes are that this injury will be only be a minor one, and that he'll only miss a limited amount of time. A lot of fingers will crossed in New York on Wednesday.