A St. Paul homecoming for Ryan McDonagh

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- On the Cretin-Derham Hall High School baseball team that won the state championship in 2007, the designated hitter was none other than . . . Ryan McDonagh.

"I had separated my shoulder during hockey season; I played centerfield before that," the 22-year-old defenseman recalled Tuesday before his first visit to Xcel Energy Center as a Ranger. "Much respect for the DH," he said with a smile. "Played all my life, love the sport."

But McDonagh, a St. Paul native, also won the Minnesota state hockey championship in 2006, moved on to the University of Wisconsin and is forging a career in the NHL. That's why about 80 of his family members, friends and former coaches were here to watch him face the Wild Tuesday night.

"I'm familiar with the building because I played in high-school tournaments here and some college games, so the rink itself isn't new," he said. "But there'll be a lot of energy and emotion with a lot of family and friends and coaches who worked so hard to get me where I am today. I can't thank them enough."

McDonagh was one of three Minnesota youngsters sharing a homecoming at Xcel. Center Derek Stepan, 21, who was born in Hastings, also attended Wisconsin.

In fact, two years ago on this day, they helped the Badgers to a 5-3 victory here over St. Cloud State, clinching the NCAA West Regional. Defenseman Stu Bickel, a little older at 25, was born in Chanhassen, a small town southwest of the Twin Cities, attended the University of Minnesota and played one season for the Golden Gophers.

McDonagh, however, a former Mr. Hockey -- an award to the best high school senior in the state -- didn't choose that route.

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"That's the team [Gophers] you dreamed of playing for, that's the team on TV every Friday and Saturday night," said McDonagh, a former first-round pick of the Canadiens. "But when I had the opportunity to choose a college, I wanted to find the right spot. Wisconsin had everything I was looking for in a school, the coaching staff, the tradition, the passion for winning."

No one held any grudges for bypassing the Gophers for a rival.

"They're all happy for me," he said. "My high school coach [Jim O'Neill, who attended the game] played for the Gophers, and he was 100 percent supportive. It seems like everybody you know has a strong bond, but they want to see people have success."

Stepan, who played here against the Gophers, but not in high school ("We lost to McDonagh's team. He knows not to go there and put salt in the wound.") didn't offer any advice. "He played here quite a bit, he knows what to expect."

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Stepan is the Rangers' fourth-leading scorer with 47 points; McDonagh has a team-high plus-24 rating, 171 blocked shots, and six goals and 21 assists.

Bickel, who played in 45 games with the Gophers in 2007-08 before he signed a free-agent deal with the Anaheim Ducks, was thrilled to be able to say hello to his family in person. "You don't get a lot of opportunity to do that during the season," said the rugged Bickel, one of this year's surprises. "But I'm not going to change anything as far as my game-day routine."

Just being home was enough.