Ryan Callahan, one of the most beloved players in Guelph Storm history, almost finished his OHL career as a London Knight.
Callahan, who will be at the Sleeman Centre Saturday to be honoured in a pre-game ceremony and see his jersey lifted to the rafters, could have ended his junior career in Knights' green and gold, not Storm crimson and white.
The Storm's all-time leading goalscorer was offered the opportunity to go the Knights at the trade deadline in 20005.
The Knights were wheeling and dealing as they prepared to host the Memorial Cup, picking up Storm players Dan Girardi and Adam Dennis in separate deals. They also wanted Callahan.
"I was sitting in Dave Barr's office, the coach and GM at the time, and London was interested in picking me up," Callahan remembers. "They had a really good team and were hosting the Memorial Cup. But thankfully for Barrsy, he asked me my opinion and if I wanted to go. Truthfully, I wanted to be in Guelph. I loved it there. I just loved the city of Guelph, the organization and my billets.
"I told him I'd rather not be traded if possible."
Callahan stayed and the Knights ended up acquiring Danny Fritsche from the Sarnia Sting instead.
Callahan is glad he chose Guelph, both at that trade deadline and earlier he was deciding on his hockey future as a 17 year old 15th round draft pick from Rochester, N.Y.
He said the Royal City helped shape him as a player and a person and will always have a place in his heart for the city.
"Guelph is such a huge part of making me who I was, not only on the ice, but off the ice as well," said Callahan, now 37.
"You go there as a 17 year old and it kind of forms who you are as a person. To have this honour back in Guelph where I built my foundation and allowed me to live the life I've lived in the NHL. It's really special."
A year later he chose Guelph over playing in the American Hockey League.
Callahan had the opportunity to play in the AHL, but the New York Rangers, who drafted him, were only offering an AHL contract and Callahan wanted an NHL deal.
"First and foremost I wanted to prove to them I deserved an NHL deal and secondly I knew I was going back to a very good team, I was captain there, and I felt very comfortable about going back to Guelph and having a very good year and earning an NHL contract," he said.
Callahan's journey from 15th round OHL pick to NHL star is Stormland folklore, a symbol of what a player can achieve no matter where they are initially drafted.
Callahan recalls how he ended up in Guelph.
His then-agent was friends with then-Storm coach Jeff Jackson.
"He told Jeff Jackson that I had interest playing in the OHL so I think they picked me as a favour to my agent in the 15th round," Callahan said.
"I was at the Select 16 tournament for USA Hockey when the draft was going on and I still remember sitting in a hotel room watching the draft on the internet with my dad. I was so excited that I went to Guelph because I knew they were a good organization and had a good team.
"In the back of my head I knew that if I decided not to play college hockey I'd like to play there."
No scholarship offers in the initial signing period confirmed what he knew in his heart, that he wanted to play in the OHL.
After a year of tier II hockey, he played the next four for the Storm.
He would go on to play 299 regular season and playoff games in Guelph, totalling 151 goals and 287 points. Callahan is one of only four Storm players to ever score 50 goals in a season, netting 52 in the 2005-06 season.
Callahan would then go on to play 878 games over 14 seasons in the NHL with New York and Tampa Bay.
Add it all up and it's easy to see why his jersey will hang from the Sleeman Centre rafters beside fellow Storm greats Jeff O'Neill and Todd Bertuzzi.
"I'm really looking forward to it. It's been a while since I've been back, i'm really excited to see a lot of people," Callahan said, adding he has plenty of friends and family coming from Rochester and will be reconnecting with lots of old teammates.
"It's a huge honour. When I got the call a couple of months ago, I was blown away. When you go through your career, you don't really think about accolades or jersey retirements, you're just trying to have success and win games. Now that my career's over, looking back at it, to have this honour is just amazing."
These days the father of three (Charlotte, 10, Evelyn, 8 and Dominic, 5) is working as an analyst on ESPN's NHL broadcasts. He makes the five-hour drive each week from his Rochester home to ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., plus some colour work at games that takes him on the road here and there.
"I've really enjoyed this side of it. It keeps me involved in the game and I like talking hockey and I like watching hockey, so it's kind of a natural fit."
Saturday's game, against the Kitchener Rangers, starts at 4 p.m.
