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There’s just one question left in this unforgettable, loop-de-loop of a hockey season.
Flyers or Blackhawks?
Tough toss-up around these Stanley Cup final-viewing parts.
Do you root for Chicago, who looks like it’s forging a west-of-Pittsburgh dynasty? Or Philly, the obvious team of destiny.
Do you hoot and holler for Strathroy native Brian Campbell, whose return from an Alex Ovechkin-induced broken collarbone has helped the Hawks at the right time?
Or how about a shout out to Londoner Jeff Carter, the Flyers star, who broke his left foot, came back, broke his right ankle, and returned in time to snuff out the Habs.
He’s Chumbawumba Carter — he gets knocked down, but he gets up again — crawling his way to the Cup final in vintage Philly fashion.
“We had two games against the Flyers to end their season,” New York Rangers forward Brandon Prust, the Londoner and ex-Knight, said. “We won the first one, then lost the shootout in the second one and they’re in. There’s a lot of what-ifs after that happens.”
Obviously, Prust is picking the Windy City. In (Original) six. And there’s a lot to like at the Madhouse on Madison.
David Bolland, for instance.
St. Thomas native son Joe Thornton may think “little” Bolland is annoying but there are legions of Knights fans who love the guy’s grit and goal scoring.
On the way to slaying San Jose, someone tried to anoint the Hawks centre — so perfect at perturbing opponents — the new Dale Hunter.
The REAL Dale Hunter, his old London Knights coach, stepped off his tractor for a bit Tuesday to break down all things Bolland.
“You see Thornton slashing him and when you see one of the Sedin twins (Henrik) in Vancouver pushing and shoving him, that’s when you know you’re getting under a guy’s skin,” Hunter, the long-time maestro of on-ice mischief, said. “David not only shuts down the other team’s top centre, he scores, too. I had him on the penalty kill. Good defensive player — and he scored 60 goals for us.”
He’s the poster boy for the player Hunter tries to develop.
“If you can’t play defence, then you’re not going to play in the NHL unless you’re Wayne Gretzky or someone like that.”
There’s no easy way to shut down Chicago’s Pat Kane, another of Hunter’s big-time gunners. “You watch him come after the cycle and that’s hard to defend. Pat’s a highly-skilled guy. He’s not the biggest but he’s well-balanced, hard to knock down. In the Olympics, I was watching him in that gold medal game and thought, ‘Holy moley, they better put a checker on him or he’s going to score the winner against Canada.”
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This time, that job falls to Philly’s Michael Leighton, the best zero-to-hero goalie story going.
“A Petrolia boy,” Hunter, a proud Petrolia boy himself, said. “You look at his story. He never gave up. What was he — waived through the league four times? That’s unbelievable, and he kept going.
“And (Knights assistant) Jacques Beaulieu coached him. Small world, isn’t it?”
Tiny, really.
The sturdy Flyers blueline in front of Leighton boasts some depth, including former Knights captain Danny Syvret.
“He’s the seventh D right now,” Prust said. “Someone gets hurt and he’s in there.”
Philly almost always starts its exhibition season in London. The ownership is intertwined with the John Labatt Centre. Heck, the Knights once drafted Comcast-Spectacor president Peter Luukko’s son.
Former Knights Josh Beaulieu, Pat Maroon and Zac Rinaldo are in the Flyers’ system. Akim Aliu and Danny Bois belong to the Hawks.
And the Flyers captain is none other than ex-Kitchener Rangers star Mike Richards, who once fought Corey Perry at centre ice at the end of a playoff game.
“Philly probably underachieved all year — they got (Chris) Pronger to win,” Hunter said, “but it shows you anything can happen in hockey. They’ve proved it.”
Bolland will probably be in charge of shutting down Richards. Ex-Knight vs. former Ranger — picture perfect after London and Kitchener staged a seven-game goal-fest in this year’s OHL playoffs.
“I’ve played in the Philly and Chicago rinks,” said Prust, the former Calgary Flame and Phoenix Coyote, “and it’s going to be a great atmosphere in both. Really loud. But Chicago, I remember what it was like, you’re sitting on the bench and you can feel a chill go down your spine.”
The best chill, though, is the feeling of champagne being poured over your head after the Cup is won.
Some of these local stars will get that first chance.
Who will it be?
Flyers or Hawks?
ryan.pyette@sunmedia.ca
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