Well I'm sure there are a number of people happy that the Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup on Friday night and I am one of them. Yeah there are the usual reasons for picking a team and cheering for them, but here is another one that every Spruce Kings fan should be proud of. With Mario Lemieux being interviewd on the ice, the CBC cameras found former Spruce Kings netminder Brad Thiessen hoisting the Cup after receiving it from Sidney Crosby.
I knew from talking with Brad that after his season with Northeastern ended and he signed with the Pittsburg Penguins that he went on to be a member of the black aces with the team. He participated in practices and traveled with the team all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. At the end of the game there were a number of players on the ice that won't see their names etched onto the holy grail of hockey and Brad Thiessen was one of them. What Brad does get is to sip champagne from the cup and know what a team has to go through to win the big prize in hockey.
Following that thrilling game seven final, I had a quick opportunity to speak with Ed Dempsey who has always been one of Thiessen's biggest supporters and followers. The pride in Ed's voice was unmistakable when he explained to me that this is why he coaches - to see those players that he had an opportunity to work with go on to bigger and better things. They don't come much bigger than this and the smile on Thiessen's face said it all.
Congratulations to Brad Thiessen ... oh and of course the entire Pittsburgh Penguins organization. There is no better game than the great Canadian game and for the Spruce Kings there is no bigger thrill then seeing one of their own hoist the Stanley Cup.
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