The moment hit Justin Dowling after warmups Friday as he walked through the tunnel at loanDepot park and thought about the historic franchise he was about to debut for.
There, Dowling was, at 35, getting another chance in the NHL.
There he was, five years after being a healthy scratch when the Stars hosted the Winter Classic, actually in the lineup for an outdoor game. There he was, after more than 650 AHL games, 173 NHL contests and plenty of nights in the press box during a 15-year career, back at the level he always believed he could reach again.
Dowling never thought that last season would be his final one. If anything, logging 52 games and then appearing in the Devils’ playoff series proved he could still be serviceable. But he understood the situation when he inked a two-year deal with the Rangers.
