The Waiting Game

Tommie Lee
Jul 17, 2014
2 min read

Summer is here, and absolutely no one is thinking about hockey.

That is, except for a sick few of us, and those who are desperate to show they have what it takes to skate with the big boys. They get a chance to start showing their stuff in mid-July thanks to a little thing called Prospect Camp. Some of the names are familiar: Kent Simpson and Mac Carruth, the goalies for the AHL team in Rockford.

Some of their teammates are there, like Mathieu Brisebois and Phillip Danault and Alex Broadhurst, who are still struggling to make the right impression and catch the big break. There are also fresher faces like last year’s first round pick Teuvo “I’m-the-only-one-people-are-talking-about” Teravainen, the rambunctious Nick Schmaltz and Luc Snuggerud, and others that still have that new-pick smell.

These names are not important. Okay, maybe Teuvo’s is. The rest are unlikely to have an opportunity to show their stuff with the big guys anytime soon except in a practice jersey. They have colleges to play for, and minor league teams like Rockford to develop their game in.

What’s important about these prospects is what they represent. Collectively, they are a powerful well the team can dip a bucket into as needed. They’re an immense pool of talent that just gets deeper and stronger, working their way up the system. This week’s scrimmages had everything…including fighting. These are hungry young men who want to play for Chicago. They are leaving it all on the ice during camp, and will do so again in South Bend come September (IF they have earned an invitation, that is.)

In other future news, a press conference to celebrate the re-upping of Jonathon Toews and Patrick Kane was held on Wednesday, where Team President John McDonough called the dynamic duo “two of the symbols of the renaissance of the Chicago Blackhawks.” Vice President/GM Stan Bowman talked about how they lead the team on and off the ice.

Captain Toews joked about how he and Kane were roommates on the road for five years, and that it was a good thing that situation changed or they might not have been sitting there. Kane described himself as humbled to share the ice with one of the greatest players in the league today, and called Toews “probably the greatest leader” in the league.

Regarding his own role as Captain, Toews said that being part of a group that wants to win every day makes his leadership role a lot easier. He also said being on a team without Kane…would be weird. Bowman said that the team is thrilled to have both players, pointing out that most teams “would kill to have one of them.”

We are a lucky fan-base, indeed.

Go Hawks.