do you ever think about how ej was a disgraced first overall pick traded to the worst team in the league and went on to become a cornerstone defenseman for a crop of young talent to build themselves around
how people said val would never be nhl material because his old team didn’t know what to do with him and has since transformed into one of this season’s most consistent forwards
how frankie sat out two years on injury and was always doubted as a legitimate starting goalie and has returned in excellent form including getting a playoff shutout against the league’s best forward duo
how naz has spent his entire career brushing off racism and violence and things haven’t been magically fixed but at least now he knows an entire fan base will show up with signs and cutouts and war paint ready to stand behind him
how bowen’s career was derailed by a slew of head injuries and wondered if he’d ever play hockey again only to return and play a crucial part in his team’s success
how jj planned to retire last offseason because no team wanted to take him and now he’s playing in a stanley cup final for the first time in his 16-season career
do you ever think about how the colorado avalanche’s found family dynamics are so strong because at its core this is just a ragtag group of guys who were down on their luck that are firing on all cylinders ready to give everything for each other because they were finally given a chance
a small and incomplete excerpt from the long post (more research is needed to fully complete it, and i’m a bit behind. but if you want to know why he should be the captain, this is why he should be the captain).
Ok hear me out you’re a first overall pick who’s entire career trajectory was destroyed by a single tragic injury. traded to a wet pathetic mouse of a team. built a new team around yourself and some weird Swedish 18 year old. underperform be called a draft bust figure out your place and anchor yourself to it. stand back up from nothing build from nothing watch your friends and teammates request trades away because they think they can do better elsewhere watch your friends and teammates get traded away even though they wanted nothing more than to stay. be the rock the foundation the stability for the young fast superstar talent the new players (who you used to be who you could have been who you can never be) but be there so they can anchor themselves on something reliable something strong. be the anchor to a new team coming back time and time again coming back from injury coming back from heartache coming back always always always coming back