As is tradition around these parts before the playoffs, we ask you Who Is Your John Druce?
For those who don’t know, John Druce was a middling third-liner, only cracking 20 goals once in his career in the late 80s and early 90s. However, in the ’90 playoffs he exploded for 14 goals in 15 games, becoming the term for a player who shockingly becomes a playoff hero.
So who is it for this year? I hesitate to put Bryan Bickell on this list who has made something of a career of being a Baby Druce the past four years. Brandon Saad is already a star, so he can’t be on the list. But we’ll do our best. Who’s your John Druce?
As is tradition around these parts before the playoffs, we ask you Who Is Your John Druce?
For those who don’t know, John Druce was a middling third-liner, only cracking 20 goals once in his career in the late 80s and early 90s. However, in the ’90 playoffs he exploded for 14 goals in 15 games, becoming the term for a player who shockingly becomes a playoff hero.
So who is it for this year? I hesitate to put Bryan Bickell on this list who has made something of a career of being a Baby Druce the past four years. Brandon Saad is already a star, so he can’t be on the list. But we’ll do our best. Who’s your John Druce?
In the Hawks’ quest to make me look like a Grade-A moron (because that’s totally the only reason they’re doing it, duh), tonight wasn’t as authoritative as the win over the Kings or the measure of testicular fortitude that the comeback over Winnipeg was. It actually had the feel, if you’ll excuse the comparison, of how the Jordan Bulls went about wins in their heyday. An early thrust to see if they couldn’t end that one early, and when that didn’t work sort of biding their time until a short, unstoppable burst towards the end of the game that ends proceedings.
While the Hawks didn’t smother the Canucks in the 1st, they were certainly more in control and would have gotten out of it with a 1-0 lead or more if they hadn’t hit a post and THOU WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED didn’t serve up an equalizer like a virgin to a volcano. The Canucks were much improved in the 2nd without looking a constant menace, and because they didn’t take advantage it only took the Hawks two 3rd period minutes to cinch this one.
Anyway, let’s do it:
vs. 
FACEOFF: 7:30pm Central
TV/RADIO: CSN, NBCSN elsewhere, Sportsnet Up there, WGN 720
IF YOU KNOW THE NAME OF THE KING OR QUEEN BEING MURDERED: The Royal Half
Guess we’ll find out pretty quickly if last night was some sort of watershed point late in the season or a blip in an otherwise uninterrupted downward trajectory, Rents. The L.A. Kings saunter on in to the UC tonight, for their first and only visit this season and first since things went a tad pear-shaped last June 1st.
