16 OHL grads in Stanley Cup Finals
By Paul Krotz/OHL
The Ontario Hockey League will once again play a part in the Stanley Cup Finals this season with a total of 16 graduates competing for hockey’s ultimate prize.
Regardless of the outcome, several OHL grads will hoist Lord Stanley following the best-of-seven battle between original six rivals Boston and Chicago with nine OHL alumni listed on the Bruins’ active roster and seven former OHL players on the Blackhawks.
The road to the Finals for both teams has been paved by OHL grads. The Blackhawks, who last won the Stanley Cup in 2010, defeated the defending champion Los Angeles Kings in the West Final with former London Knight Patrick Kane scoring the series-winning goal in double overtime to complete the Game 5 hat-trick.
“Right now I think it’s almost like I’m in a different zone, like in the Twilight Zone or something,” Kane said following the game he called the best of his career. “I’m kind of out of it. It’s definitely a good feeling, though.”
Adam McQuaid, another OHL grad, scored the series-winning goal for the Bruins in a 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to complete the four-game series sweep of the East Final to lift the Bruins to the Finals for the second time in three years following their Stanley Cup win in 2011.
“I think first and foremost, we’re obviously trying to be solid defensively,” said McQuaid, the former Sudbury Wolves defenceman who had one goal in 32 regular-season games but two in the playoffs. “It obviously feels good. It feels good to be able to contribute that way when you don’t normally.”
Of the 16 competing grads, the matchup features four players that competed in the OHL within the last four seasons including Red Tilson Trophy winner Tyler Seguin who already has a Stanley Cup on his professional resume winning with the Bruins in his rookie campaign. The Bruins also boast former CHL Defenceman and Scholastic Player of the Year Dougie Hamilton who began this season with the Niagara IceDogs.
The Blackhawks roster includes last year’s OHL Most Sportsmanlike Player of the Year and current Calder Trophy nominee Brandon Saad of the Saginaw Spirit, along with sophomore Andrew Shaw who captured an OHL Championship with the Owen Sound Attack two seasons ago.
The men behind the bench of the championship contenders are also OHL alumni both graduating from the Windsor Spitfires program as captains just a few years apart. Blackhawks Head Coach Joel Quenneville, a Windsor native, played for the Spits from 1975-78 before Bruins Head Coach Claude Julien joined the team for his first of three seasons in Windsor from 1978-81.
OHL grads competing in 2013 Stanley Cup Final:
Boston Bruins (9):
Gregory Campbell (Plymouth Whalers/Kitchener Rangers 2000-03)
Kaspars Daugavins (Toronto/Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors 2006-09)
Dougie Hamilton (Niagara IceDogs 2009-13)
Nathan Horton (Oshawa Generals 2001-03)
Chris Kelly (London Knights/Sudbury Wolves 1997-2001)
Adam McQuaid (Sudbury Wolves 2003-07)
Daniel Paille (Guelph Storm 2000-04)
Tyler Seguin (Plymouth Whalers 2008-10)
Shawn Thornton (Peterborough Petes 1995-97)
Chicago Blackhawks (7):
Bryan Bickell (Ottawa 67’s/Windsor Spitfires 2002-06)
Dave Bolland (London Knights 2002-06)
Daniel Carcillo (Sarnia Sting/Mississauga IceDogs)
Ray Emery (Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 1999-2002)
Patrick Kane (London Knights 2006-07)
Brandon Saad (Saginaw Spirit 2010-12)
Andrew Shaw (Niagara IceDogs/Owen Sound Attack 2008-11)
For more information on the Stanley Cup Finals please visit www.nhl.com.
