Saturday, February 28, 2015
Andrew Shaw-The Kid from Ameliasburgh
There was an element of euphoria
around the B B & T Centre in Sunrise, Florida before the start of the game
last Thursday night. The Chicago Black Hawks were in town to face the Florida
Panthers. Earlier in the day, it had been announced that the Panthers had
traded the New Jersey Devils a couple of draft picks to land Jaromir Jagr. Jagr
will enter the Hall of Fame once he retires, and he may become the most
prolific scorer ever, depending on his desire to play more hockey. He did not
dress for the game, but remained out of sight in the bowels of the arena.
That state of excitement was quickly
diminished once the puck was dropped, for two reasons. More than seventy per
cent of the fans at the game began a chant of “Let’s Go Hawks” as the game
began. In many sections, seat after seat was occupied by a fan wearing a Hawks’
sweater. Secondly, with just over three minutes gone in the period, Andrew Shaw
pasted a Panther defender against the boards in the Panther corner, stole the
puck, and fired a perfect centering pass to Teuvo Teravainen. The Finn made no mistake,
firing the puck past Roberto Luongo. Game winning goal, before most of the fans
had taken their seats.
Great Shaw fans from the Quinte Area
There were many Shaw fans in
attendance, which one could tell by the number of folks who had shelled out
their hard-earned dollars for the Black Hawk red sweater. I spoke with two of
them between the first and second periods. “He is my favourite player,” Phil
Harvey told me as he scooped up his fries and pop. “He never quits, always
works so hard.” Lee Deller, also a fan from the windy city, seconded the
motion. “Shaw is such a scrappy player. We love his determination.”
Steve and Jodi Knack, with Andrew Shaw
After the game, Jody and Steve Knack,
also from Chicago, had a chance to meet with the kid from Ameliasburgh.“It is
such a thrill to meet some of these guys in person,” Jody stated. “We never
get a chance like this to see the players up close. This is a moment we will
remember forever.”
The Shaw contingent was bolstered by
a large group of fans from the Quinte area, roughly ten percent of the
population of Metro Tweed. Doug and Darlene Shaw were also on hand, making the
event a family affair. It was perfectly evident that Andrew appreciates the
support he gets from family and friends, beaming for the twenty odd minutes he
had before the bus rolled away. The Hawks had a date in Tampa Friday night. Unfortunately, that did not go as well. They were shut out by the Lightning, 4-0.
Jonathan Toews, explaining the situation.
When asked about the trade deadline,
and how players respond to it, Jonathan Toews was more than tactful, and very
polite. He explained that trades were part of the process, and that he could
understand why some players were a little anxious at this time of year.
Several of the other Hawk players also
enjoyed a moment with friends, and family. Most Northern folk arrive here for
the weather, and a great NHL game is treated as a bonus. None of us spent much
time scraping our windshields after the game.
The Hawks were pressed at the end of
the game as the Panthers pulled Luongo for an extra attacker. With the heat on,
Shaw iced the puck with 1:54 left in the game. Coach Joel Quenneville called a
timeout, to rest the boys on the ice. A minute later, Saad stole the puck and
fed Hossa at centre ice. Hossa deliberately hesitated for several seconds,
spotted Toews on the wing, and fed a perfect pass to his captain. Toews made no
mistake, firing the puck into the yawning cage.
The Panthers hope to benefit from the
Jagr deal this year. They are in the hunt for a playoff spot, and he could be
the spark plug to ignite them to that plateau. And then, folks, the other
season begins. Anything can, and often does, happen at that point.
James Hurst
Sportslices.blogspot.com
February 27, 2015
# posted by James Hurst @ 11:02 AM 
