Put me in, Coach: Terry Ryan’s last hurrah

MONTREAL – The train left the station on Terry Ryan’s NHL career faster than he could board it.

Ryan’s time with the Canadiens lasted as many games as the number Montreal used to select the forward in the 1995 Draft, as the once-promising eighth-overall pick saw the weight of big-picture expectations derail his potential before it had the time to flourish.

One game here and another there, but eventually the St. John’s, NL native was sent on a one-way ticket to the minors, before hanging up his skates on his professional career in 2004. Then, some 20 years later – on January 14 – it saw a shimmer of light again. This time, in the ECHL with the Newfoundland Growlers.

The Growlers, nursing a flu outbreak and needing reinforcements for their game on that Sunday in January, called Ryan into action.

“We didn’t really have many players to choose from on the island. Not sure exactly how they came to him, but it was a cool story,” said Brock Caufield, brother of Habs forward, Cole, and one of 14 healthy Growlers that day.

With no direct access by land, Newfoundland offered few other names for substitutes, so after exhausting all other options – and with a little convincing from his buddies on the team – the 46-going-on-47-year-old was the Growlers’ answer.

“Looking back, I could have been more prepared. I mean, it worked out, but it was my birthday. I had a steak dinner, which was alright, but I had a lot of alcohol,” he said with a laugh of his inadvertent celebratory night on the town before finding out he would be making his big re-debut the following day.

During Ryan's playing days, a night out before a game might not have raised eyebrows, given the lax standards of the time. However, in today’s modern environment, which emphasizes mental, physical, and emotional preparation, he says, things were different. Although, some of those changes were easier to acclimate to than others.

“It was tailormade to whatever you want,” Ryan recalled of the equipment, resources, technology, and facilities. “The Newfoundland Growlers dressing room doesn’t have anything the Montreal Canadiens dressing room didn't have when I played there.”

As for the hockey itself, the game remains the game: power plays are still five-on-four, the dump-and-chase still exists, and you still need to score more goals than the opposition. But the style has changed. There are fewer fights, a little less clutching and grabbing and a lot more speed.

The Growlers lost to the Adirondack Thunder that day, but the result barely mattered to the 4,245 inside Mary Brown’s Center, and it’s hard to imagine the scoreboard was at the top of Brock Caufield and his teammates’ minds either. The 24-year-old said the team got to the rink three hours early to soak in the movie-like scene as much as possible.

“Terry’s a character. He’ll tell stories, and before the game he was telling us to just play and not worry about the whole situation with him being there and stuff. Obviously, it was a big day for people watching. It was pretty close to a sold-out crowd. People wanted to see him.”

Once-upon-a-time, fans flocked to see him play at the Forum in Montreal, too, albeit for a shorter stint than he would have liked. The Newfoundlander struggled to shoulder the weight of being a first-round draft pick – especially in a hockey-mad market like Montreal – and he ended up playing just eight games with the Canadiens without a point.

Despite the challenges he faced, Ryan, who grew up a die-hard Habs fan, appreciated his time with his childhood team.

“The way my career there ended up, a lot of people don't realize how much I loved it,” he said. “I really loved playing there, and I think that often gets lost in the cards.”

Canadiens’ assistant coach, Stéphane Robidas played with Ryan with the Fredericton Canadiens from 1997-1999.

“He’s a guy that loves life. That’s what I remember most from him,” recalled Robidas, reflecting on his memories of his former teammate. “He’s a guy who wasn’t afraid of anyone. On the ice, he plays a hard game but off the ice he’s a funny guy and loves to have fun.”

Chris Nilan and Réjean Houle are two other names Ryan admires. One, his former mentor, and the other the Canadiens’ general manager in the late '90s, with whom he didn’t see eye-to-eye at the time, but whom he’s since grown to love.

“I get it now. I'm older. There are two-way contracts,” he said of Houle’s managerial decisions. “He's a really nice guy. He took my daughter to her first NHL game last year and took us down to the alumni room. I talk to Reggie at least once a year.”

The one-time-Canadien-turned-actor in Hulu’s mockumentary-style hockey TV show Shoresy wishes his days with the Habs had come to a happier ending, but he stops short of having any regrets.

“I have no hard feelings whatsoever. I love my life. I think I could have played my cards differently. But what are you going to do? You’re going to fall back 10 yards and punt,” Ryan said, expressing acceptance of his fate.

And that’s what he did. The former Western Hockey League standout stayed close to the game he loves, playing internationally for Canada’s ball hockey team, while eventually venturing into new industries later in life. Ryan completed a Folklore degree at Memorial University, has played roles in multiple TV shows, and has written a book.

Through it all, he hasn’t forgotten his time in Montreal.  

“I’m still a Habs fan,” he assured. “It’s an honor to even sit in a restaurant on Ste-Catherine Street and talk about my time there. It was a little sour for a couple of years, but I was more mad at myself than anything. I still play alumni games with these guys now, and I do consider them my teammates for life.”

And on January 14 with the Newfoundland Growlers, he gained 14 more.