Junior Girardi played as a forward at the
Atom level but was encouraged to switch to defence once he started Pee-Wee after struggling to score. At the age of 15, Girardi competed with the Junior B
Welland Cougars in the
Golden Horseshoe Junior Hockey League. During an
exhibition game before the
2001–02 season, Girardi suffered a
lacerated spleen following a hit along the boards. The injury caused him to become
jaundiced and lose weight. Girardi missed two-thirds of the season to recover He spent the remainder of the season with the Storm and was honoured with their Most Improved Player award. In the
2003–04 season, Girardi was named an assistant captain for Guelph and set new career highs with eight goals and 39 assists. Girardi recorded two goals and 17 assists in the playoffs en route to his first
J. Ross Robertson Cup. After Girardi and the Knights won the for J. Ross Robertson Cup, Brown invited Rangers director of player personnel to watch his performance against
Sidney Crosby in the
2005 Memorial Cup tournament. Despondent by his lack of success, Girardi considered enrolling at
Brock University and playing for the
Brock Badgers ice hockey team. Between February 24 and March 4, Girardi maintained a six-game scoring streak, including four multiple-point games. He spent the remainder of the season in the AHL and finished with eight goals and 30 assists over 63 games. As such, he was named to the American Hockey League All-Rookie Team at the conclusion of the season. As a free agent, Girardi signed a two-way NHL contract with the Rangers on July 1, 2006.
New York Rangers (2006–2017) Girardi began the
2006–07 season with the Wolf Pack in the AHL after playing in two exhibition games with the Rangers. By January, Girardi ranked second among all AHL defensemen with 21 points and was named to the 2007 AHL All-Star Classic. However, he was unable to participate in the All-Star Game as he was called up by the Rangers on January 25, following an injury to
Darius Kasparaitis. Girardi subsequently made his NHL debut on January 27, in a 2–1 win over the
Philadelphia Flyers. He played 11:58 minutes of ice time in the game and earned a minor penalty for interference. He recorded his first two NHL points, both assists, on February 17 against the Flyers. Girardi spent the remainder of the regular season with the Rangers and tallied six assists through 34 NHL games. His defensive efforts were recognised by fans who voted him the Rangers' rookie of the year. He also represented the Rangers in the
2007 Stanley Cup playoffs but remained pointless through 10 games. in January 2011. Shortly after rejoining the Rangers for their
2007–08 season, Girardi scored his first NHL goal on October 18, 2007, against the
Atlanta Thrashers. After tallying eight goals and 14 assists through 60 games, Girardi signed a two-year, $3.1 million contract extension with the Rangers on February 17, 2008. He finished the season with 10 goals and 18 assists to rank second among Rangers defencemen in points. Girardi and the Rangers began the
2008–09 season with a winning 7–2–1 record. By mid-November, Girardi was tied for fifth in points and third in assists among all NHL defencemen. However, the Rangers struggled as the season continued and they fell out of a playoff position with 21 games left in the season. As such, head coach
Tom Renney was replaced with
John Tortorella in February 2009. Under Tortorella, Girardi shifted away being used in a more offensive role to being used in more "defense-minded" situations. With this method, the Rangers qualified for the
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs and Girardi finished the regular season with four goals and 18 assists. Girardi's defensive struggles continued into the
2009–10 season and he was publicly criticised by Tortorella for his lack of consistency. While Girardi's play began to improve through November, Tortorella split him up from Staal in December. Girardi signed a four-year, $13.3 million contract with the Rangers on July 9, 2010. For the
2011–12 season, Girardi was named an interim alternate captain for the Rangers while Staal was recovering from
post-concussion syndrome. In Staal's absence, Girardi led all NHL skaters in average ice-time, averaging nearly 28 minutes per game. Rangers fans launched a write-in campaign and earned him a roster spot. During the
2012–13 lockout-shortened season, Girardi was named an interim alternate captain for the Rangers a second time while Marc Staal was recovering from an injury. During the
2013–14 season, on February 28, Girardi signed a six-year, $33 million extension with the Rangers. He was named an alternate captain for the Rangers for the remainder of the season when captain
Ryan Callahan was traded at the
NHL trade deadline to the
Tampa Bay Lightning. Girardi's solid defensive play in the playoffs was a key part in the Rangers' run to the
2014 Stanley Cup Final, where they lost in five games to the
Los Angeles Kings. Girardi became a permanent alternate captain during the
2014–15 season, and spent most of the season on the Rangers' top defensive pairing with his former partner Ryan McDonagh. Girardi's solid defensive play that season led to the Rangers winning the
Presidents' Trophy, as well as a run to the Eastern Conference Final, where the Rangers lost to the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games. Girardi suffered an injury in Game 1 of the first round series after taking a puck to the face. In the offseason, Girardi and Staal underwent ankle surgery but were expected to recover in time for the
2015–16 season. Girardi started the 2015–16 season strong, contributing to a 14–2–2 start to the 2015–16 season for the Rangers. Midway through the season, however, the Rangers production began declining, with many critics blaming Girardi for the slump. He missed the final five games before the NHL paused for the holiday break, and later revealed it was due to a crack in his right kneecap. Although the Rangers qualified for the
2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, they were eliminated in the first round after five games. Girardi played Game 1 of their first round series, but sat out of the next game due to a "whole body injury." Girardi returned to the Rangers lineup for Game 5, where he recorded his only point of the playoffs. Girardi returned to the Rangers lineup for the
2016–17 season but was swiftly reinjured in a mid-October game against the
St. Louis Blues. Shortly after recovering, Girardi suffered an illegal hit to the head during a contest against the
Boston Bruins but remained in the game. Bruins forward
David Pastrňák was later suspended two games for the hit. Due to a decline in play and salary cap considerations, Girardi's contract was bought out by the Rangers on June 14, 2017.
Tampa Bay Lightning (2017–2019) On July 1, 2017, Girardi signed as a free agent a two-year, $6 million deal with the
Tampa Bay Lightning. Girardi finished the
2017–18 season playing in 77 contests with six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. In game 4 of the second round in the
2018 playoffs against the
Boston Bruins, Girardi scored an overtime goal on Bruins' goaltender
Tuukka Rask to give the Lightning the win and a 3–1 series lead over the
Boston Bruins. The Lightning would eventually defeat the third-seeded Bruins in game five for a 4–1 series victory before getting defeated in seven games by the second-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion
Washington Capitals in the third round, one win short from reaching the Stanley Cup Final after initially building a 3–2 series lead along the way. Girardi would end the playoffs playing in all 17 games with two goals and an assists for three points recorded. Girardi recorded four goals and 12 assists for 16 points in 62 games for the
2018–19 season as the Lightning would end the season winning their first
Presidents' Trophy as the regular season champions for the first time in franchise history. In the
2019 playoffs, Girardi was held pointless in all four games played as the Lightning would unexpectedly get swept in the first round by the eighth seeded
Columbus Blue Jackets. After going unsigned through the 2019 off-season, Girardi announced his retirement from hockey on September 20, 2019. Girardi retired 30th in playoff games played by a defenceman, and as the all-time leader in shots blocked, having blocked nearly 2,000 shots in his career (the league did not begin tracking blocked shots until 2005). ==Personal life==