Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Darren Raddysh has had a storybook year, marked by both career highs on the ice and personal challenges off it. From navigating his father’s cancer diagnosis to putting up a career-best season for the Lightning, Raddysh [https://www.nhl.com/lightning/player/darren-raddysh-8478178] is quick to credit the people around him. If there’s a theme to his career, it’s the resilience he’s shown at every turn. Raddysh spent five years in juniors, ultimately going un-drafted. During his fifth AHL season, he earned his first NHL opportunity with the Lightning. Nothing about his journey was easy, but all he wanted was to play. “There were times, I definitely didn’t know if I would get here. Just the love I have for hockey, and how much it revolves around my family, it means a lot to push through,” Raddysh said. “My dad and mom were always there, they always supported me. They would say, ‘No matter what happens you’re still going to be our kid. We’ll still love and support you.’” That message stuck with him. Knowing how proud his parents were and how happy his brother Taylor was when he got his first opportunity, meant everything. “There were a few times, maybe in the summertime, when you go to free agency or you’re trying to re-sign and the teams aren’t there or the opportunity isn’t there,” he said. “But if I played in the AHL my whole life, I was pretty content with doing that. But obviously, in the back of my mind, I wanted to get to the NHL.” © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/9435b0e6-80c4-408b-87c1-b76911866e21.jpeg] © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images “I give a lot of credit to (Hedman) and to the leaders of this team. They made me feel like I was part of it right away. Even if you were going (back) to Syracuse, when you did get called up, it was like you've been here for two or three years. They made it welcoming.” At the end of last season, Raddysh learned his father, Dwayne, had stage-four pancreatic cancer. The news was devastating. Darren and Taylor spent as much time with him as they could, flying out whenever breaks in the schedule allowed. Darren had hoped his father could attend a game, but by that point, Dwayne was no longer able to travel. Instead, he watched Lightning games from the family’s home outside Toronto. Knowing his father would want him to keep playing hockey has helped Raddysh push forward. “What’s gone on this last year, it’s been hard,” said Raddysh. “But I don’t think we would have done it any other way. I think just seeing what’s gone on, maybe it’s pushed us a little bit more, but I think that’s just the way our whole life has been. You always try to do it as best as you can, and you never want to have any regrets when you’re done.” “I think it’s just brought our family closer together,” he said. “It’s something that we’ve loved our whole life. Whatever we’ve done, hockey has been at the forefront. We’ve always had this to fall back on.” Raddysh missed only one game this season, on March 10, to attend his father’s memorial service. © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/52bec37a-9a08-4444-9480-d7bbf5704afc.jpeg] © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images In contrast to where he is now, Raddysh started the season as a healthy scratch in six of the Lightning’s first 13 games, continuing a two-year cycle of moving in and out of the lineup. On days he was out, he was the first to speak with reporters about what he needed to do to get back in. As the Lightning battled through a number of key injuries, an opportunity opened: Raddysh stepped in to bolster the team’s top power-play unit and he’s excelled at it. On Saturday, the 30-year-old set a new single-season goal-scoring record for Lightning defensemen, which was previously shared by Victor Hedman and Dan Boyle. Raddysh was quick to thank his teammates and coaches. He also credited the organization for giving him the chance to live out his NHL dream, the Lightning signed him to a two-way deal ahead of the 2021-22 season, when he played just four games. “You keep believing that if you just continue to work hard and continue to do the right thing, someone will notice,” he said. “I was very fortunate that the Lightning won the Cup that year, and Julien [BriseBois] was in a good mood, I guess. He took a chance on me and I got the opportunity. I’ve been very fortunate to be a part of this organization and play with a lot of good players around me.” Raddysh’s 10 power-play goals this season lead all NHL defensemen, and his 21 total goals are tied for fourth. Together, he and J.J. Moser have become one of the league’s most effective defensive pairings. “I know it was a tough start of the year for him, and not only was he trying to find his game, we were trying to find our game as a team,” said Lightning coach Jon Cooper. “It’s not too long ago when we only had one win in our first seven, but look at what the guys have done, and Raddy is a big part of it, especially when our power play was struggling early, and we moved him up top.” The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Raddysh was chosen by the Tampa Bay chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. “It means a lot,” he said of the nomination. “It’s been a lot of hard work. It took a long time to get here, and I’m very grateful and very thankful for the opportunity that I’ve been given here, and I try to make the best of it every day. I try and make sure I’m doing the right things, trying to help this team out as best as possible. So, to get recognized for this, it’s a huge honor, but a lot of credit goes to my teammates and to this organization.” A vote of the PHWA’s membership will decide the winner from among the 32 nominees, one from each NHL team.
