OTD: Captain Serious Wins Conn Smythe
June 9, 2010. The Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, PA. With the game tied at 3 at the 4:06 mark of overtime, Patrick Kane fired a shot at the net from an impossible angle which gave the Blackhawks their first Stanley Cup in 49 years. The unquestioned leader of that team? None other than Captain Serious himself, Jonathan Toews.
At just 22 years and 41 days old, Toews became the second-youngest player (behind 20-year-old Patrick Roy) and the youngest skater - in history to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy en route to his first of three Stanley Cups. He also became the youngest captain to capture the Cup.
Toews' 29 playoff points tied a franchise best for a single postseason and ranked second among all players that year behind Philadelphia's Danny Briere (30). The Hawks captain rode an incredible 13-game point streak into the Stanley Cup Final, where he added three more assists against the Philadelphia Flyers.
His defining moment came two rounds earlier. Toews torched the Vancouver Canucks with a hat trick and five points on the road in Game 4 to give Chicago a 3-1 series lead. The Blackhawks eventually won that matchup in six games and Toews recorded 12 points in the series.
Kane could have won the Conn Smythe as well with 28 points during the postseason, including eight in the Cup Final. Balloting for the Conn Smythe is conducted by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association.
| POLL | ||
Who should have won the Conn Smythe in 2010? | ||
| Toews | 56 | 46.3 % |
| Kane | 46 | 38 % |
| Niemi | 19 | 15.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
