BOSTON – There might not be a better tradition in all of sports than the presentation of the Stanley Cup to a captain after his team has won a championship.
So what would it take to force Jonathan Toews to sit out for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final on Monday night?
The Chicago Blackhawks captain seemed to make a strong statement about his intention to play by staying on the bench during the third period of Saturday’s 3-1 victory over the Boston Bruins. He even appeared to ask coach Joel Quenneville for some shifts — a wish that was not granted.
However, with the series moving back to TD Garden there was a hint of optimism that Toews would be able to take part in Chicago’s potential Cup clincher.
“Jonny is doing much better today,” Quenneville said Sunday afternoon. “He’s progressed. We’re optimistic that he might be playing tomorrow night.”
Toews was shaken up after taking a hard hit from Bruins defenceman Johnny Boychuk in the second period. There were at least two other occasions in the game where he endured big bodychecks as well.
Whether the 25-year-old suits up or not, he would be eligible to accept the trophy from commissioner Gary Bettman if the Blackhawks were able to close out the championship series. But you can be sure it wouldn’t quite be the same if he did it after sitting out.
“You guys know Jonny,” said Chicago winger Patrick Sharp. “I’m sure he’ll find a way to be back.”
With so much on the line, who can blame him?
The status of Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron was a little murkier. He was taken to a Chicago hospital with an undisclosed injury on Saturday night and Claude Julien was extremely tight-lipped about his status a day later.
In fact, the Bruins coach indicated that Bergeron was being hampered by a “body” injury.
“He’s a guy that’s day-to-day, and day-to-day is really good news to me,” said Julien.
Bergeron has arguably been Boston’s top performer during these playoffs and leads the team with three goals in the Stanley Cup final. His absence would be particularly tough because it would likely lead to a significant shuffling of the forward lines with both Carl Soderberg and Kaspars Daugavins drawing in.
However, the Bruins were preparing for an elimination game as though they wouldn’t have Bergeron in the lineup.
“He does everything right, basically, especially on the faceoffs,” teammate Bard Marchand said of Bergeron. “He’s such a great faceoff guy and it really gives us the opportunity to start with the puck a lot. He’s very tough to play against defensively and he’s been doing a very good job at playing against their top guys.
“Definitely (leaves) a void there, and he’s scored a few very big goals. A big loss.”
It’s no coincidence that both teams are dealing with significant injuries at this stage of the year. The 48-game regular season was crammed into 99 days and the playoffs have featured their typically high level of desperation.
Boston’s Nathan Horton and Chicago’s Marian Hossa are also believed to be playing hurt in the final. Others no doubt have bumps and bruises as well.
The fact that both Toews and Bergeron were uncertain for Game 6 leant an even higher level of unpredictability to this unpredictable series. The gold-medal winners with Team Canada at the Vancouver Olympics are both highly accomplished players and finished first and second in voting for the Selke Trophy this season.
“I think any coach in the league, any player in the league, would like to have those guys on their team,” said Sharp. “They take pride in taking faceoffs, playing well away from the puck, making their linemates better, both big parts of the locker-room.”
With the Stanley Cup in TD Garden on Monday night, both will want to be nowhere else but the ice. In the final days of any NHL season, playing through pain is the norm.
“Everybody has got an ice bag here or there or everywhere,” said Quenneville. “But they’ll do whatever it takes to get out on the ice. I think that being aware of what they’re capable of and trying to maximize their effectiveness and efficiency based on what they can give you.”
In the case of Toews and Bergeron, the Blackhawks and Bruins might end up taking whatever they can get.