Vol. I, No. 70
Two game mirrored each other tonight. Both went to OT. The boys from Manitoba and the men from Illinois emerged triumphant.
In Manitoba, the Brandon Wheat Kings took on the Calgary Hitmen in the Memorial Cup semi-final. At the end of three periods, the score was tied 4-4. The favored WHL champion Hitmen were supposed to come out on top. They had beaten Brandon every time they met during the regular season. Not tonight.
In front of the home crowd, the black and gold Wheat Kings scored in OT. They move on to face the Windsor Spitfires on Sunday, to compete for junior hockey's biggest prize - the Memorial Cup. This is the path to the NHL for many players. Win a Memorial Cup, and draft prospects can change.
Further to the east and south, at the United Center in Chicago Illinois, the San Jose Sharks kept their Western Conference game close through three periods. They scored a tying goal against the Black Hawks in the third period. The game ended regular time, tied 2-2.
In OT, the Big Buff scored on Evgeny Nabokov. Chicago's netminder Antti Niemi made 44 saves against the Sharks The Hawks now have a commanding 3-0 series lead. Don't expect another 4-game comeback (like Philadelphia's dismantling of the Boston Bruins). Chicago is playing to eliminate a 59 year drought with the Stanley Cup.
The measure of Chicago's success is that Jonathan Toews earned a point in his 12th straight playoff game. This string broke the Blackhawks team record set by hockey legend Stan Mikita, the leading NHL center of the 1960s, teammate of Bobby Hull and a member of the 1961 cup-winning Hawks. Toews' performance puts him in the lead for the Con Smythe trophy, if the Hawks continue their winning ways.
At the time of his retirement in 1980, Mikita was the NHL's second leading scorer; only Gordie Howe had more points. Mikita was in the crowd tonight, elated at the new Blackhawk success. Toews is destined to become the Hawks leading scorer. It has been an amazing year for him, including his strong performance for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He has been with the Hawks for only three years and is already the team captain. This is a super star in the making.
At the time of his retirement in 1980, Mikita was the NHL's second leading scorer; only Gordie Howe had more points. Mikita was in the crowd tonight, elated at the new Blackhawk success. Toews is destined to become the Hawks leading scorer. It has been an amazing year for him, including his strong performance for Team Canada in the 2010 Winter Olympics. He has been with the Hawks for only three years and is already the team captain. This is a super star in the making.
The Hawks are one win away from their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1992. The Wheat Kings are two days away from playing for junior hockey's biggest prize.
Hockey Rules.
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