from Eric Duhatschek of the Globe and Mail,
Chicago’s win sets up an intriguing final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, a young up-and-coming team that probably reminds the Blackhawks of where they were back in, say, 2009, when their extraordinary run of playoff success started. Back then, Kane and Toews were just a couple of newbies, highly touted young players who had their whole professional lives in front of them.
How would that go? Who could really say?
But now, eight years into their respective careers, the answers have flooded in, and they are among the most decorated players of their generation. Toews, at 27, has two Olympic gold medals on his résumé, a world junior championship, plus two Stanley Cup championships, with a decent chance at winning a third. Kane, 26, took home silver Olympic medals when Toews won gold, but has been integral in the Blackhawks’ rise too – from a sorry, poorly run organization to one that hums along on all cylinders, willing to take bold steps and big chances to win in the now, because championships are what matters in pro sports, not close calls.
Next year, Toews’s and Kane’s salaries rise by about $4-million (U.S.), which will create new salary-cap headaches for general manager Stan Bowman. So time may be of the essence.
“We’ve had some good accomplishments in here, some things to be proud of, but at the same time, who knows if these opportunities are going to come around this often?” Kane acknowledged. “We thought we were right there last year and didn’t get the job done. This team learns from different experiences and different mistakes and tries to incorporate that.”
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