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Paul Kukla Kukla's Korner

Published on Sunday, January 24, 2021

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A “Prove It Year” For Bobby Ryan

from Sean Leahy of NBC Sports,

Bobby Ryan entered the 2020-21 NHL season with one goal in mind.

The 2005 No. 2 overall pick had an up-and-down final few years in Ottawa, culminating in last season where he took a leave of absence from the Senators to deal with an alcohol problem. He returned and recorded a hat trick in his first game back home. His comeback saw him be named the winner of the 2019-20 Bill Masterton Trophy, which is awarded “to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.”

While the comeback was memorable, it also signaled the end of his time with the Senators. With the team transitioning towards youth, they bought out the final two years of his contract. In October, he signed a one-year deal with the Red Wings.

Ryan is long-past the early days of his NHL career where he was a four-time 30-goal scorer. But now healthy, in body and mind, he went to Detroit for the chance to turn things around.

“For me, this was a ‘prove it’ year,” he said, “an opportunity for me to take the step that I should have taken years ago but hadn’t been able to because of outside stuff.”

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