We ’ ve had a mix of games , including some where we almost want to forget about them , and then there are some games where we ’ ve done a really good job of bouncing back
Based on his Chicago Blackhawks winning three Cups in the last six seasons , Jonathan Toews would be the easy pick and safe wager of local products to win it all again . With his club surging at the conclusion of the 82-game regular season and trying to outduel the Minnesota Wild for the Central Division title , Chicago appeared to be hitting their stride at the appropriate time .
However , they were not without their struggles . Back in January the ‘ Hawks were striving for more consistency ; something their captain indicated was still a work in progress .
“ We ’ ve had a mix of games , including some where we almost want to forget about them ,” says the 28-year-old former standout with the Bantam I Winnipeg Warriors . “ And then there are some games where we ’ ve done a really good job of bouncing back .”
Of course , what else would you expect from a veteran-laden squad - a group that seemingly knows when to find another gear in their game by the date on the calendar ?
The ‘ Hawks past performance sheet and their finish to the regular season should be two strong indicators as to why they ’ ll be considered one of the favourites in the Western Conference to capture another NHL title .
However , the beauty of living in a hockey-rich province is there are usually plenty of other Manitobans that aspire for the same objective as Toews and fellow Blackhawks ’ forward Jordin Tootoo ( Churchill ) at this time of year .
In the West , players like Calgary ’ s Micheal Ferland ( Brandon ) and Michael Stone ( Winnipeg ), Minnesota ’ s Ryan White ( Brandon ), St . Louis ’ Alex Steen ( Winnipeg ), Ryan Reaves ( Winnipeg ) and Joel Edmundson ( Brandon ) and Nashville ’ s Cody McLeod ( Binscarth ) and Colin Wilson ( Winnipeg ) will all take an equal shot at becoming National Hockey League championships later this year .
In fact , for Wilson his game has rounded nicely into a clutch postseason performer with the Predators . The 27-year-old just completed his eighth season with Nashville which includes five playoff appearances with the franchise .
In the last 20 playoff games he ’ s has amassed 10 goals including last year where he helped the Preds advance to the conference semifinals with nearly a point-per-game pace ( 5-8-13 , 14 games ). It ’ s that type of production that has earned him the nickname “ Playoff Colin Wilson ”, a new handle he takes in stride .
We ’ ve had a mix of games , including some where we almost want to forget about them , and then there are some games where we ’ ve done a really good job of bouncing back