LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — It was an apt analogy, told in an apt setting.
Among the majestic Adirondacks and in the presence of the building that was the site of the iconic 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team’s gold-medal victory, the Rangers got a message about overcoming challenges from a world-renowned mountain climber, Ed Viesturs.
“He talked about climbing [Mount] Everest and all the challenges and working together as a team,” captain Ryan McDonagh told The Post. “So he did a great job putting it in perspective for a hockey team, how we have to pull for one another.”
That begins for the Blueshirts in earnest Thursday, when their regular season opens at the Garden against the Avalanche. But before that, they came up here for some team bonding. It started with a boat ride around the lake Sunday and the talk from Viesturs, followed by a full-team practice Monday at the rink just adjacent to the real Olympic rink — witnessed by hundreds of fans — and more team-bonding events later in the day and again on Tuesday before heading back home.
For a team that has had a lot of roster turnover the past two seasons, including a handful of core leaders leaving and youth being brought in, trips like this are even more important. This type of bonding gives birth to on-ice chemistry between more than just acquaintances off the ice.
“A great part of being ready is to know each other,” goalie Henrik Lundqvist said after he signed countless autographs. “Getting together as a group is such a big part of having a good season, connecting as a group and understanding what we need to do. So I like these types of trips, especially early on.”
Two alternate captains from last season are gone, with Dan Girardi having been bought out and Derek Stepan traded to the Coyotes. In are veteran additions such as Kevin Shattenkirk and David Desharnais, as well as young players like Filip Chytil and Anthony DeAngelo. It’s a lot of new faces for a team that retains its high postseason expectations.
“It’s our first road trip as a group and there are a lot of new guys, so it’s good to hang out,” Lundqvist said. “It’s about finding your role in the group, and in the dynamic. Because every year that dynamic changes.”
The history of the building was also poignant, as McDonagh pointed out how cool it was to see his teammates from all over the globe come together in a place that was so important to hockey in his native U.S., as well as in the history of the game.
“It’s always a special treat to come back,” McDonagh said, having been here for World Junior tryouts as a teenager, “see the name of the ’80 team and just realize what an important event happened in this building.”
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Lundqvist, who has played in two Olympics for Sweden, was dumbfounded that such a small town could host the international games that have become so enormous in scale. It was also a bit of salt in the wound for those realizing the NHL decided not to participate in this year’s games in South Korea.
But those issues were in the background of a scene that was devised to bring this group of Rangers together.
A big mountain sits in front of them, with a very different roster and the same end goal of winning the Stanley Cup.
Now that climb begins.
“There is a core group here for a long time, everyone knew each other, everyone was in on it all,” Rick Nash said. “But now, it’s new leaders stepping up, young guys become older guys. Just guys in different positions now, where something like this can bring a lot of positives.”