After spending one year away from hockey, former NHL defenceman Dan Girardi is joining the Buffalo Sabres in a player development role according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet.
BUF is hiring Dan Girardi in a player development role. Great hire...972 NHL games for an undrafted player.— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) December 31, 2020
Girardi, 35, went undrafted after spending parts of five seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Barrie Colts, Guelph Storm, and London Knights. He won the OHL championship with Guelph during the 2003-04 season, before winning it the next year (2004-05) with the London Knights. Girardi was a member of the Knights' Memorial Cup winning team in 2005, which a couple of years ago was named the CHL Team of the Century.
Following a very successful junior hockey career, Girardi was signed to a two-year entry-level contract by the New York Rangers, where he spent parts of eleven seasons, being named an alternate captain for six of those years. Following his time with the Rangers, Girardi signed a two-year contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, and at the end of his stint with the Bolts, he announced his retirement from the league.
In 927 regular season games, Girardi had 264 points (56 G, 208 A), 315 penalty minutes, and was a +78. In 143 career playoff games, he tallied 36 points (8 G, 28 A), 42 penalty minutes, and was a +/-0.
