A year after the Chicago Blackhawks dominated the regular season and postseason and became the Stanley Cup champions the Hawks find themselves on the outside looking in. The defending Stanley Cup champions started the season slow after letting key contributors walk away via free agency or traded away to cut costs. The Blackhawks were in a financial hole after the season and needed to reevaluate the team and key players were shipped away at bargain prices. The likes of Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd and Antti Niemi were a huge part of the championship and that has been proven throughout this rough season for the hawks. The article more specifically talks about how the Blackhawks were facing a two goal deficit after a poor first period in St.Louis. Jonathan Toews, the teams captain and Stanley Cup MVP, let the team know the time is now to reclaim the season and make a run for the playoffs. "He doesn't say a lot, so certainly when he does it means an awful lot. I walked through and I just know he was saying what he needed to say, and a couple of other guys said it, too." was a quote from their assistant coach filling in for an ailing Joel Quenneville. Chicago would come out and score 4 goals in the second period to claim the lead and eventually win the game. Being a captain in the NHL is different from every other sport and I thought this article was great to show the kind of leadership that came from one of the youngest captains in hockey.
-John Knauer
http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2010020892
No comments:
Post a Comment