From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 24

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 24 covers the career of superstar center and captain Jonathan Toews. 

Jonathan Toews was born on Winnipeg, Manitoba on April 29th, 1988. He began his career playing for Shattuck-St. Mary's in Midget AAA Minnesota hockey, where he had forty-eight goals and sixty-two assists in sixty-four games during the 2004-2005 season. Toews also represented Canada West in the U17 international tournament, where he had eight goals and four assists in six games to guide Canada to the gold medal in his age sixteen season. In 2005-2006, Toews joined the University of North Dakota, and registered twenty-two goals and seventeen assists in forty-two games. At the end of the season, he was drafted with the third overall selection in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft to join the Chicago Blackhawks. He also represented Canada again in the World Junior Championships, supplying two assists in six games, helping Canada to the gold medal. Toews remained at North Dakota in 2006-2007, potting eighteen goals and twenty-eight assists in only thirty-four games. He was again a representative of Canada in the World Junior Championships in 2007, where he notched four goals and three assists in six games, as Canada again won the gold medal, and he was named to the tournament all-star team. Toews also played for Canada in the World Championships, and scored two goals and five assists in nine games, with Canada taking the silver medal. Toews made the leap straight out of college and to the NHL to play with the Blackhawks in sixty-four games, where he had a line of twenty-four goals and thirty assists. He was nominated for the Calder Trophy as the rookie of the year, but lost to teammate Patrick Kane. In the 2008 World Championships, Toews had two goals and three assists in nine games, and Canada again won the gold medal. For his strong leadership presence in the locker room, Toews was rewarded with the Blackhawks' captaincy prior to the 2008-2009 season. He responded with a full eighty-two game season in which he scored thirty-four goals and thirty-five assists in the regular season, and another seven goals and six assists in seventeen playoff games. He was selected to his first NHL All-Star Game during the season as well. Toews' real star-making season came in 2009-2010. In the NHL, he had twenty-five goals and forty-three assists in seventy-six games during the regular season. He also signed a large, five-year contract in late 2009. He was selected to represent Canada at the 2010 Winter Olympics as a member of the host team in Vancouver, Canada. In  the Olympics, Toews had a goal and seven assists in seven games. For his performance, Toews was named to the Olympic All-Star team, as well as being named best forward for the tournament. With the Blackhawks in the postseason, Toews played in all twenty-two games, where he registered seven goals and twenty-two assists as the Blackhawks captured the Stanley Cup. To top off the fabulous year, Toews also earned the Conn Smythe trophy as playoff MVP. His honors through his career gave him entry into the Triple Gold Club, as a World Champion, Olympic Champion, and a Stanley Cup Champion. His Conn Smythe trophy was distinguished as he was the second-youngest to win the trophy, and the youngest captain to do so. He also was the sixth player to win Olympic Gold and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Toews followed up the magnificent year in 2010-2011, as cover athlete on EA's NHL 11 with a line of thirty-two goals and forty-four assists in eighty games played in the regular season, as well as one goal and three assists in seven playoff games. He was selected to play in his second All-Star Game in 2011 as well. In 2011-2012, Toews supplied another twenty-nine goals and twenty-eight assists in fifty-nine games during an injury-shortened season. The injury prevented Toews from playing in his third All-Star Game, despite having been selected to do so. He had two goals and two assists in six games during the postseason as well. Toews was somewhat vocal as a leader during the lockout in 2012, representing the NHLPA as negotiations between the union and the league struggled. In the shortened season of 2013 that followed, Toews potted twenty-three goals and twenty-five assists in forty-seven games during the regular season. Then, Toews was criticized for a lack of production in the playoffs, where he had just three goals and eleven assists in twenty-three games. Luckily for the Blackhawks, Toews' strong offense was not needed, as depth scoring helped pave the way for the Blackhawks to win their second Stanley Cup in four years. Toews remains the quiet and strong leader of the Blackhawks young core, and likely will for years to come.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 23

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 23 looks at all-around strong center Dave Bolland.

Dave "The Rat" Bolland, was born on June 5th, 1986, in Mimico, Ontario. He began his playing career in 2000-2001 with the Toronto Red Wings of the Greater Toronto Hockey League, where he scored seventy-nine goals and sixty-seven assists in ninety-five games played. Bolland played a shorter schedule in 2001-2002, recording thirty-five goals and thirty-five assists in thirty-six assists for the Red Wings. During his time, he guided the Red Wings to an OHL Bantam championship. During the Ontario Hockey League selection process, Bolland was picked by the London Knights. Bolland joined the Knights in 2002-2003, scoring only seven goals and ten assists in sixty-four games, followed by two goals and an assist in fourteen playoff games. His role expanded in 2003-2004, when he posted a line of thirty-seven goals and thirty assists in sixty-five regular season games, in addition to three goals and ten assists in fifteen playoff games. In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, Bolland was selected early in the second round as a Chicago Blackhawks pick. Bolland again improved in 2004-2005, to the tune of thirty-four goals and fifty-one assists in only sixty-six games played. The Knights were again in the playoffs, and Bolland supplied another eleven goals and fourteen assists in eighteen games, helping to guide the Knights to an OHL Championship and a Memorial Cup berth. In four games during the Memorial Cup, he added one goal and two assists, which helped the Knights secure the Memorial Cup. Other players of note on the Knights team include Marc Methot, Dan Girardi, Brandon Prust, Rob Schremp, and Corey Perry, as well as coach Dale Hunter. In addition, Bolland was an OHL all-star for the season. Bolland continued to show growth in his fourth and final season in London, potting fifty-seven goals and seventy-three assists in fifty-nine games, a nutty 130 points altogether. In the playoffs, he kept a high points pace with fifteen goals and nine assists in fifteen games. For his efforts, he was named a First Team All-Star and received the Jim Mahon Memorial Trophy as the right winger with the highest point total. In 2006-2007, Bolland turned professional, being assigned to the Norfolk Admirals, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Blackhawks. In sixty-five games, Bolland had a respectable seventeen goals and thirty-two assists, as well as four assists in six playoff games. He played in one NHL game, against the Vancouver Canucks, but went without a point. Bolland followed the change in AHL affiliates to begin the 2007-2008 season playing for the Rockford IceHogs. In sixteen games, Bolland notched six goals and four assists, but was pointless in seven postseason games. He joined the Blackhawks in thirty-nine games during the year as well, and had four goals and thirteen assists. His pesky playing style earned him the nickname of the Rat, with his ability to get under opponents' skins being a primary reason for the moniker. Bolland stuck in the NHL for 2008-2009, appearing in eighty-one games with a line of nineteen goals and twenty-eight assists. He also had four goals and twelve assists in seventeen playoff games. Bolland was limited in playing time with injuries during the 2009-2010 season, scoring just six goals and ten assists in thirty-nine games, but blossomed in the playoffs with eight goals and eight assists during all twenty-two games of the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run. Bolland survived the salary purge after the 2010 Cup victory and remained with Chicago for 2010-2011, where he showed up to score fifteen goals and twenty-two assists in only sixty-one games, another low total for the oft-injured Bolland. In the playoffs, he supplied another two goals and four assists in six games. He showed improved durability in 2011-2012, playing seventy-six games while scoring nineteen goals and eighteen assists, followed by a postseason with three assists in six games. Bolland chose not to play during the 2012 lockout, and appeared in thirty-three of forty-eight games in the truncated 2013 season, with a line of seven goals and seven assists. In the playoffs, his contributions continued to be modest through the first twenty-two games, with only two goals and three assists. With only fifty-nine seconds left in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals, and just seventeen seconds after teammate Bryan Bickell tied the game, Bolland made a big contribution. Bolland snuck the second of two quick goals past Tuukka Rask to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead, and as the final minute ticked down, the goal not only clinched the Stanley Cup but also etched itself into the record books. This was the latest in regulation time a Stanley Cup winning goal had ever been scored. While having been a vital part of both Blackhawks' Stanley Cup championships in 2010 and 2013, Bolland was unable to survive this salary purge, as his slightly declining statistics and questionable durability were traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for a second and fourth round pick in 2013 as well as an additional fourth round pick in 2014 at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 22

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 22 looks at unheralded winger Bryan Bickell.

Bryan Bickell was born on March 9th, 1986, in Bowmanville, Ontario. He began his playing career at age fourteen in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, playing with the Toronto Red Wings in the 2000-2001 season. Here he had twenty-four goals and twenty-six assists in sixty-eight games. Bickell stepped it up in the 2001-2002 season, playing in sixty-five games and recording thirty-one goals and forty-one assists. Bickell then joined the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67's in the 2002-2003 season, potting seven goals and ten assists in fifty regular season games, followed by five goals and three assists in twenty-postseason games. Remaining with the 67's in the 2003-2004 season, Bickell potted twenty goals and sixteen assists in fifty-nine games, followed by a postseason with three goals in seven games. In the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, he was selected in the second round by the Chicago Blackhawks. He continued to improve in the 2004-2005 season, notching twenty-two goals and thirty-two assists in sixty-six games for the 67's, and then he had five goals and twelve assists in twenty-one postseason games. The 67's were the runners-up in the OHL, but since the Memorial Cup host team had defeated them, they were selected to represent the OHL as well. He had one assist in four games in the tournament, which saw Ottawa finish third. Bickell took his game to another level in 2005-2006, recording twenty-eight goals and twenty-two assists for the 67's before being traded to the Windsor Spitfires to play in another twenty-six games, where he had seventeen goals and sixteen assists. In the playoffs, he had five goals and five assists in seven games. Bickell was then assigned to the American Hockey League affiliate of the time for the Blackhawks, the Norfolk Admirals, for the 2006-2007 season. Here, he notched ten goals and fifteen assists in forty-eight games, and went pointless in two playoff games before a promotion to the NHL. With the Blackhawks, he scored two goals in three games. The Blackhawks changed AHL affiliates for the 2007-2008 season, meaning Bickell was sent down to the Rockford IceHogs instead of the Admirals, and with Rockford he had nineteen goals and twenty assists in seventy-three games, before adding another two goals and three assists in twelve playoff games. He again was called to the NHL, but went without a point in four games. Bickell's 2008-2009 season was cut short with injuries, but in his forty-two games with the IceHogs, he posted a line of six goals and eight assists, followed by a postseason of two assists in four games. He split time in 2009-2010 between Rockford and Chicago, playing in sixty-five games with the IceHogs to the tune of sixteen goals and fifteen assists before a promotion during the stretch run. In the NHL, he supplied a modest three goals and one assist in sixteen games. He also dressed in four playoff games, recording a single assist. The Blackhawks went on to win the Stanley Cup mostly without him, and they gave him a championship ring despite him not having his name engraved on the Stanley Cup. Bickell stuck with the Blackhawks full time in 2010-2011, playing seventy-eight games with a line of seventeen goals and twenty assists, followed by two goals and two assists in five playoff games. He struggled a bit in 2011-2012, playing in seventy-one games with just nine goals and fifteen assists, as well as two goals in six postseason games. Bickell did not play during the 2012 lockout, and returned for forty-seven games in the truncated 2013 season, posting similar numbers in nine goals and fourteen assists in significantly less game time. More importantly, over twenty-three playoff games, Bickell notched nine goals and eight assists. The most notable of these goals came in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, as Bickell put one past Boston Bruins goaltender Tuukka Rask with less than two minutes left in regulation, tying the game. Seventeen seconds later, the Blackhawks took the lead and about a minute later, they won the Stanley Cup for the second time in four years, with Bickell having taken center stage this time in helping them to the championship. Bickell was rewarded with a four-year, $16 million contract before free agency began. However, his contract meant the departure of Dave Bolland and Michael Frolik to save salary cap space.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 21

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 21 looks at clutch defenseman Brent Seabrook. 

Brent Seabrook was born on April 20th, 1985, in Richmond, British Columbia. He began his playing career at age fifteen in the PIJHL with the Delta Ice Hawks in the 2000-2001 season, where he scored sixteen goals and twenty-six assists in forty-two games played. He was selected by the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL Bantam Draft and joined then near the end of 2000-2001, playing in four games and going without a point. He remained with the Hurricanes in 2001-2002, and recorded six goals and thirty-three assists in sixty-seven games during the regular season, before registering another goal and assist in four playoff games. Seabrook posted similar number in the 2002-2003 season, notching nine goals and thirty-three assists in sixty-nine games. His play earned him a chance to represent Canada in the World U18 Championships in 2003, where he had three goals and three assists in seven games, helping Canada win the gold medal. Seabrook was on the radar to be drafted in the NHL, and the Chicago Blackhawks made it happen by picking him fourteenth overall in the first round of the 2003 NHL Entry Draft. Returning to Lethbridge in 2003-2004, Seabrook notched twelve goals and twenty-nine assists in sixty-one games. He was again selected to play for the Canadian National Team, this time at the World Junior Championships, where he posted one goal and two assists in six games as Canada claimed the silver medal. Seabrook played his final season in Lethbridge in 2004-2005, with a line of twelve goals and forty-two assists in sixty-three games, as well as a goal and two assists in five postseason games. The Blackhawks elected to assign Seabrook their American Hockey League affiliate at that time, the Norfolk Admirals, for the end of their season. Seabrook was without a point in three regular season games, and recorded just one assist in six games in the playoffs. He again represented Canada at the World Junior Championships, passing three assists in five games as Canada again took the gold medal. In 2005-2006, Seabrook finally arrived in the NHL, and had five goals and twenty-seven assists in sixty-nine games for the Blackhawks, an impressive debut that made him an essential part of the new core of players. Seabrook was selected to represent Canada in the 2006 World Championships, but he went without a point in eight games. He slumped a bit in 2006-2007, playing in eighty-one games but only posting a line of four goals and twenty assists. In 2007-2008, he was united with the Blackhawks' other star defenseman, Duncan Keith, on the top pairing, and responded with nine goals and twenty-three assists while playing in all eighty-two games. Seabrook notched eight goals and eighteen assists in 2008-2009, and the Blackhawks finally made the playoffs, where he added a goal and eleven assists in seventeen games, showing his ability to produce when it was most necessary. The 2009-2010 season was especially impressive for Seabrook, as he tallied four goals and twenty-six assists in just seventy-eight games during the regular season. He had also been called to represent Canada at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, and while he did not receive hefty playing time, he had one assist in seven games and was on the gold medal winning host team. Then, in the playoffs, Seabrook provided four goals and seven assists over twenty-two games as the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, and he was on the ice for the winning goal. Seabrook found new riches in the 2010-2011 season, posting nine goals and thirty-nine assists for a career high forty-eight points in eighty-two games, which earned him a five-year, $30 million contract mid-season. In the playoffs, he added one assist in five games. Seabrook posted nine goals and twenty-five assists in seventy-eight games for the 2011-2012 season, as well as one goal and two assists in six playoff games. He elected not to play during the 2012 lockout, and returned for the truncated 2013 season by appearing in forty-seven games for the Blackhawks, notching eight goals and twelve assists. In the postseason, he added three goals and one assist in twenty-three games, but the most important one game in overtime of Game 7 in the Western Conference Semifinals. Having had a goal waved off due to a questionable offsetting minors penalty call in the dying minutes of the third period, the Blackhawks came out with a chip on their shoulder against their bitter rivals, the Detroit Red Wings. Just over three and a half minutes into the extra time, Seabrook fired a shot from the left point that beat Jimmy Howard and sent the Blackhawks to the Western Conference Finals. This was as close as they had been to elimination in the postseason, and a month later they came out as Stanley Cup Champions for the second time in four years, with a lot of credit on Seabrook's season saving goal as their turning point.

From Cradle to Cup: The Story of the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks, Part 20

From Cradle to Cup will be a series running throughout July 2013 looking back at players on the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks roster for their Stanley Cup-winning campaign. Part 20 looks at rookie winger Brandon Saad.

Brandon Saad was born on October 27th, 1992, in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. He began playing in the MWEHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets at the age of fifteen in the 2007-2008 season. In twenty-six games, he had eleven goals and nineteen assists. He joined the Mahoning Valley Phantoms of the North American Hockey League for the 2008-2009 season, scoring twenty-nine goals and eighteen assists in forty-seven games. For his performance that season, he was named a First Team All-Star and Rookie of the Year in the NAHL. Saad then played for the United States National Team Development Program in a World U17 tournament, scoring six goals and five assists in seven games, earning him a spot on the Tournament All-Star team. He remained in the development program in 2009-2010, playing for their team in the United States Hockey League, where he posted twelve goals and fourteen assists in twenty-four games, leading the USHL in goals and points. In another thirty-nine U18 games with the Program, Saad recorded seventeen goals and fifteen assists. He was named to the U18 National team to play in the World U18 Championships, where the United States won the gold medal. Saad contributed three goals and three assists in seven games. Saad joined the junior ranks in 2010-2011, playing with the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League in fifty-nine games, scoring at a pace of twenty-seven goals and twenty-eight assists. In the playoffs, he supplied another three goals and nine assists in twelve games. Saad was drafted in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft as a second round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks. Saad returned to Saginaw in 2011-2012, appearing in forty-four games while putting up monster numbers of thirty-four goals and forty-two assists. In the playoffs, he played in twelve games with eight goals and nine assists. For his performance in the OHL, Saad was named First Team All-Star and received the William Hanley Trophy for most sportsmanlike player. He also earned a late-season promotion to the Blackhawks, and went without a point in two regular season games. In the playoffs, he played in two more games and had a single assist. Due to the lockout in 2012, Saad was assigned to play in the American Hockey League with the Rockford IceHogs, the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate. Here he had eight goals and twelve assists in thirty-one games before the end of the lockout. Saad made the Blackhawks out of the shortened training camp and played in forty-six games of the truncated 2013 season, scoring ten goals and dishing seventeen assists. Saad also played in every postseason game, notching one goal and five assists in twenty-three contests. Saad was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team, was nominated as a finalist for the Calder Memorial Trophy for Rookie of the Year, and at the end of the playoffs won the greatest prize of all, the Stanley Cup. In doing so, the Syrian-American Saad became the first Arab-American to win the Stanley Cup. Not too bad for his first full season in the NHL.