The first of July, the opening of the National Hockey League's free agency period, marks the beginning of another 11-month journey for glory for each of the league's 30 clubs. Every year at this time, general managers scramble to improve their respective franchises in hopes of seeing their own captain holding the coveted Stanley Cup high above their head at the end of the next season, in place of Chicago's Jonathan Toews.
As evidenced by the new Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks, teams must be deep at the centre position if they have any hopes of hoisting hockey's greatest prize come June.
With the phenomenal 22-year-old Toews leading the corps, with who is amongst the NHL's premier second line centres in Patrick Sharp behind him, followed by three-time Stanley Cup champion and brilliant defensive forward John Madden in the third slot, the Blackhawks organization clearly understood that being strong up the middle is a key step in the right direction for teams hoping to be crowned as hockey's elite.
For general managers looking to emulate the Chicago model, at the start of July, Montréal Canadiens' pivot Tomá ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nik Leighton
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June 13th, 2010 by Nik Leighton Leave a reply »
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