WCHA Alums Factor in NHL's 2008 Stanley Cup Championship, Post-Season League Awards
June 13, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
MADISON, Wisc. - A banner 2007-08 season for Western Collegiate Hockey Association alums in the National Hockey League, which included four former skaters as part of the Stanley Cup-winning Detroit Red Wings, concluded on the evening of June 12, when Jason Blake, Tom Gilbert and Jonathan Toews were honored at the NHL Awards Show, held at Elgin Theatre in Toronto, Ont.
Blake (Moorhead, MN), a forward who played at the University of North Dakota from 1995-99, received the NHL's Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. A member of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Blake produced 52 points (15g, 37a) and ranked fifth in the league in shots on goal with 329 while playing in all 82 regular season games after being diagnosed before the season started with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a treatable form of cancer. The Masterton Trophy is named after former University of Denver player Bill Masterton, who died on Jan. 15, 1968 after an injury sustained while playing in a game for the Minnesota North Stars. Blake is the second straight WCHA alum to receive the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy with former University of Minnesota player Phil Kessel of the Boston Bruins being named in 2007. Other WCHA alums who have received the award include Tony Granato (San Jose Sharks/University of Wisconsin) in 1997 and Glenn `Chico' Resch (Colorado Rockies/University of Minnesota Duluth) in 1982.
Gilbert (Minneapolis, MN) and Toews (Winnipeg, MB) were both named to the 2007-08 NHL All-Rookie Team. A defenseman for the Edmonton Oilers who played at the University of Wisconsin from 2002-06, Gilbert produced 13-20-33 while playing in all 82 games this past winter as a regular on defense. His 33 points ranked second among rookie defensemen and he played an average of 22:11 per game to rank second among all NHL rookies and was on the ice more than any other Oiler. Toews, a forward who played for the University of North Dakota from 2005-07, amassed 54 scoring points (24g, 30a) in 64 games for the Chicago Blackhawks, leading all NHL rookies in both goals scored (24) and power-play goals (7) and was third in points. He scored a goal on his first pro shot on goal on Oct. 10, 2007 (vs San Jose), had a point in each of his first 10 NHL games, and missed more than a month after suffering a mid-season knee injury.
Four WCHA alums - Chris Chelios (University of Wisconsin, 1982-83), Dallas Drake (Northern Michigan University, 1988-92), Mark Hartigan (St. Cloud State University, 1998-2002) and Brian Rafalski (University of Wisconsin, 1992-95), added their names to the Stanley Cup last month as members of the champion Detroit Red Wings. Chelios (Chicago, IL) played in 69 regular season games (3-9-12) and 14 playoff games. It was his third Stanley Cup championship (also with Montreal in 1986 and Detroit in 2002). Drake (Trail, BC) played in 65 regular season games (3-3-6) and 22 playoff games (1-3-4) and earned his first Stanley Cup ring after 17 NHL seasons. Hartigan (Fort St. John, BC) played in 23 regular season contests (3-1-4) for the Red Wings and four playoff games (0-1-1) while earning his second straight Stanley Cup (also with Anaheim in 2007). Rafalski (Dearborn, MI), meanwhile, played in 73 regular season games (13-42-55) and all 22 playoff games (4-10-14) in earning his third Stanley Cup (New Jersey in 2000, 2003).
Two WCHA alums - Ryan Malone (St. Cloud State University, 1999-2003) and Jarkko Ruutu (Michigan Tech University, 1995-96) - were members of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins, who lost to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final series, four games to two.
One other WCHA alum - Tony Granato (University of Wisconsin, 1983-87) - factored in headlines when he was named head coach of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche on May 22. Granato (Downers Grove, IL), who produced 535 points (264g, 271a) in 852 NHL regular season & playoff games with the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks, had previously served as the team's head coach from 2002-04, compiling a record of 72-33-17-11 to give him the top winning percentage (.647) among coaches in franchise history. He joins fellow WCHA alum Dave Tippett (University of North Dakota, 1981-83) of the Dallas Stars as current NHL head coaches.
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