The Chicago Blackhawks came into training camp with a burning determination fueled by their loss to the Los Angeles Kings in the Western Conference Final last season.
That defeat was particularly painful, as it came in overtime of the seventh game on a shot from the Kings' Alec Martinez that deflected by Corey Crawford and brought down the curtain on Chicago's season.
Within moments, hours and days of that defeat, coaches and players started preparing for the 2014-15 season. Nobody associated with the team prepared with more determination than forward Kris Versteeg.
After being reacquired by the Blackhawks in a trade with the Florida Panthers (along with Philippe Lefebvre for forward Jimmy Hayes and defenseman Dylan Olsen) early in the 2013-14 season, Versteeg never displayed the form he had in the Blackhawks' 2010 championship run. He scored 20 goals and 44 points that year and contributed six goals and eight assists during the playoffs.
Last year, Versteeg was still recovering from 2013 ACL surgery, and he was also troubled by nagging injuries. As a result, his skating and overall play suffered.
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Article written by Steve Silverman
Kris Versteeg’s Unexpected Scoring Spark Key to the Chicago Blackhawks’ Surge
December 11th, 2014 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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