Daniel Girardi (born April 29, 1984) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Undrafted, Girardi played his first 11 seasons in the NHL with the New York Rangers organization.\n', '

During his junior career, he was a member of the London Knights team that won the 2005 OHL Championship and the 2005 Memorial Cup.\n', '

Although eligible in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, Girardi surprisingly went undrafted, as no NHL team felt he was a skilled enough player to play professionally, in spite of having a relatively good year in the Ontario Hockey League with 39 points in 68 games. Not to be discouraged, Girardi persevered and contacted several NHL teams for a tryout. The New York Rangers took a second look at Girardi and invited him to their training camp in the 2005–06 season. He eventually signed a free agent, two-way American Hockey League (AHL) contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers\' AHL affiliate, and began the 2005–06 season with the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL. Eventually, Girardi was called up to the AHL\'s Wolf Pack and while there, was signed to an NHL deal by the Rangers. Girardi was called up by the New York Rangers on January 27, 2007, after an injury to Rangers defenceman Darius Kasparaitis, and made his NHL debut that night in a 2–1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers. Girardi remained in the NHL for the remainder of the season, playing in 34 games and recording 6 assists. He also played in 10 playoff games, going pointless as the Rangers lost in the second round 4–2 to the Buffalo Sabres.\n', '

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