Wednesday, June 26, 2013

College Players Help Chicago to Second Cup in Four Seasons


The Stanley Cup, claimed in dramatic fashion by the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night in a 3-2 win in Boston, will once more host several names that once dotted NCAA rosters.

Team captain Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) was again the first Blackhawk to lift the Cup after recording three goals and 11 assists for 14 points this spring. He also tallied a goal and an assist in the Game 6 clincher, including the primary assist on the tying goal with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Toews also captained Chicago, this year’s President’s Trophy winner for the best regular-season record, to the 2010 NHL title.

Duncan Keith (Michigan State) will again get his name on the Cup after contributing two goals and 11 assists to this year’s Chicago run, and this time around shared the moment with his six-week-old son, Colton (shown above).

Patrick Sharp (Vermont) and Viktor Stalberg (Vermont), both former Catamounts, will also be engraved onto the chalice this fall, with Sharp joining Keith and Toews as a two-time winner with the Blackhawks. He led Chicago with 10 goals and added six assists this postseason, while Stalberg contributed three assists.

Also receiving the honor will be Nick Leddy (Minnesota), who played in all 23 Chicago playoff games this spring, and Ben Smith (Boston College), the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four MVP, who played in one game in the Final. Brandon Bollig (St. Lawrence) saw action in five playoff contests this spring, but skated in 25 regular-season outings, which qualifies him to have his name on the Cup in the lockout-shortened campaign, according to SI.com.

Jimmy Hayes (Boston College) and Jamal Mayers (Western Michigan) did not play enough regular-season games or appear in the Final to qualify to have their names put on the Cup, although Mayers was on the ice at TD Garden to hold it aloft.

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