A Game Seven loss in mid-May to the San Jose Sharks stung a little more for Nashville Predators center Mike Ribeiro. He wanted to do more. He should have done more.
A healthy scratch in Games Three and Four of the Round Two series, the veteran center's furthest trip into the postseason in eight years didn't go how it was supposed to. Didn't go how he wanted it to.
Two points in 12 playoff games in 2016 were the numbers suddenly being used to define Ribeiro's season. Not the 50 he recorded in 81 regular-season games, good for the third-highest total by a Preds forward, and the 10th occasion in his 18-year career he'd hit at least the half-century mark. But the Montreal native knew he'd overcome the sudden spiral in his career, because that's what his career was. Too small to play in the NHL, too one-dimensional to consistently produce, too old to still compete. He'd heard them all before, and he'd challenged the narrative forced upon himself every time.
Ribeiro Meets Offseason Challenge Head On
Forward Focused on Defense, Faceoffs During Summer
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