New York Rangers forward Derek Stepan had his, erm, “Stepan Matteau” moment when he scored the 2-1 OT winner against the Washington Capitals in Game 7.
Still, if you ask his Rangers teammates, he’s done more than score a memorable goal. The praise goes high for his larger body of work in that tight series.
“I thought Stepan was the best player all series,” Kevin Hayes said, according to WFAN’s Sean Harnett.
Hartnett reports that Chris Kreider backed that up, pointing out that Stepan was making “little plays” before this huge one drew all that attention.
It’s no surprise that Stepan received “The Broadway Hat,” although one wonders if some of the logic follows that the Rangers probably get tired of handing it over to Henrik Lundqvist so often:
#NYR @DerekStepan21 all smiles with the Broadway Hat after his OT series winner!! pic.twitter.com/2shewoWMVL
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) May 14, 2015
Here’s Stepan’s take on Wednesday’s big Game 7 win.