THE TATTLE OF HASTINGS: New York Rangers’ goaltender Garand talks new contract, plans to stick with big club

Jonathan Quick was the No. 2 behind Rangers’ starting netminder Igor Shesterkin last season. Quick retired at the end of the campaign, his exodus appearing to give Garand the inside track on the backup job.

The goaltending depth chart became more crowded on Wednesday (July 1).

New York acquired Joonas Korpisalo from the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2028 fourth-round draft pick and forward Kalle Vaisanen.

Korpisalo, 32, played in 31 games for the Bruins last season, recording a 14-9-6 record, 3.15 goals against average and .894 save percentage.

Garand spoke to Marty Hastings of CFJC Today for the latest instalment of the Tattle of Hastings.

The interview, which has been edited for length, took place on Monday [June 29] in Kamloops.

MH: With your debut, how were you feeling in the hours leading up to that game?

DG: A bit of everything. Obviously, really excited when I found out that I was getting called up and going to get the opportunity to actually play. And then, a little stressful phoning my family and trying to get them all set up to come out.

I got in a couple practices and honestly just felt really excited, really ready to go. That was a really fun game. It sucks to not get the win, but it was a dream come true to play and I thought I played pretty well.

MH: Pretty well is an understatement. You were outstanding. It must have been a relief or a weight off of your shoulder to play so well in your debut.

DG: I felt pretty ready for it. I felt like I waited quite a long time. So, I always just told myself that whenever I do get that opportunity, if it ever comes, that I was going to be ready for it. I feel like I executed on that pretty well. I just tried to make the most of the opportunity that I got.

MH: You played in two more games, got two wins and had 0.948 save percentage. How do you sum up as a whole how the year went?

DG: Really good. I just tried to make the most of that opportunity that I got. Obviously, I’m really thankful to get that opportunity and to showcase myself and what I’m capable of and hopefully, set myself up in a good spot moving forward and planning on playing there full-time next year. It was really good to get that taste and kind of see what the NHL is all about and to do really well with it is encouraging to me and very motivating for this summer to push and be ready to go this fall.

MH: With your path to the NHL, you’ve had to spend some time in the minors. How much more rewarding is it, just having gone through the path that you did?

DG: A lot. You see a lot of guys who come in and they get to play in their first or second year pro. And for me, it took me all the way to the end of my fourth year. It felt like a really long time. I think that did benefit me. Like I said, I felt really ready to go and really utilized my time in the minors to develop and build my foundation and build a strong game that can translate to that next level. I wouldn’t change my path for anything. It did feel really good to finally get an opportunity and do well and prove some people wrong.

MH: You had a bit of a wait, I think four days from when you were told you were going to start to when you started. Some family came out and so did [Blazers’ goaltending coach] Dan De Palma. What was it like to have Dan there?

DG: It was awesome. Other than my parents, he was the one guy that I wanted to be at my game. He pulled quite a few strings to get there. It was very last minute and the travel was tough, so credit to him. He’s been a guy who’s really been with me my whole journey, since I came here as a 15-year-old in Kamloops. He’s my best friend today, someone I really wanted to be there, so for him to come out just made that night even more special.

MH: Standing next to you right now, you don’t seem like a short, small guy, but that’s maybe why you had to go through a bit more than other goaltenders, that sort of stigma that not-the-biggest goaltenders go through. Do you feel like you’ve had to prove yourself double because of that?

DG: Maybe a little bit. You never know. Obviously, different people have different opinions. For me, I always say that it doesn’t matter your height. It’s almost maybe even harder if you’re a bigger guy because it’s harder to move and maybe you’ve got some more holes on you. There are advantages to being short and there are advantages to being tall, as well. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter. Your job is to stop the puck. And if you can do that and make saves, then it doesn’t matter how tall you are.

MH: New deal for you. Two years U.S. $1.75-million. What does it mean to you to sign that contract?

DG: It was really nice. Obviously, a nice reward after how the season went and I’m very excited for the next two years. It was nice for them to get it done early. Last year, I had to wait a little bit longer. I think it was the end of August. This year, it was done before July 1st free agency. Credit to them. They did a really good job and worked really well with my agent.

MH: Any new purchases?

DG: Not yet. We’re just going to save it for now.

MH: I think most outsiders and most media folk would say it looks like you have the inside path to be the backup in New York. How do you see it?

DG: Maybe. I mean, there’s an open spot next year, for sure. Obviously, like there is every year, there is going to be competition. For me, I just focus on myself. I believe in myself and know what I’m capable of. So, it’s just about going in there and doing my thing and executing. My plan is to be there full-time next year. That’s what I’m focused on right now.

MH: What are your plans for the summer, with hockey and recreation?

DG: A bit of a good balance of both, training and trying to hang out with friends. I’m a big golfer, so I like to spend my time doing that when I’m not training. Right now, the training the group is me, Luke Toporowski, Joe Hicketts and Logan Stankoven. We train up at the TRU gym with Kevin Brechin and I also train with Koz [Greg Kozoris] a couple times a week. So, with that and ice times with Dan, as well, that’s how I divide my summer. [Kamloops] is a perfect spot for me to come back and train and have fun before the season gets started.

MH: Logan’s a Stanley Cup champion now. Have you had a chance to talk to him and has he invited you to the Stankoven pool party yet?

DG: I’ve talked to him a couple of times. Yeah, he’s been at the gym. We saw each other this weekend, as well. It’s a really cool accomplishment. For us in our profession, it’s the ultimate achievement, so it’s pretty cool to see him do that and I’m super proud of him for sure. Still no invite to the pool party, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem.

TATTLE NO. 1

Garand spoke to CFJC Today following the 2025-2025 campaign.

Click here to see that Tattle of Hastings segment.

by Marty Hastings

THE TATTLE OF HASTINGS: New York Rangers’ goaltender Garand talks new contract, plans to stick with big club

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