advertisement

Stan’s the man as Hawks construct a winner

BOSTON — You can’t blame Scotty Bowman for feeling like a proud papa.

Not after all his son has been through rebuilding a Stanley Cup winning team and being criticized frequently along the way.

“To win two Cups at his age? He’s going to be 40 on Saturday,” Scotty Bowman said. “He’s made tough decisions and they’re not always popular, but you have to make those decisions based on what’s right, not on emotion.”

And this time no one say can it’s not Stan Bowman’s team.

“He’s made some great picks, like (Andrew) Shaw and (Brandon) Saad,” Scotty said. “This team has had to make a lot of changes and I’m really proud of the job Stan has done.”

In 2010, much of the credit was given to Dale Tallon, and rightly so, but he wasn’t alone in building a Cup-winning team, just as Stan Bowman wasn’t alone this time.

“It’s a team victory,” said Al MacIsaac, assistant to team president John McDonough. “They gave one individual all the credit last time and it just doesn’t work that way. It’s an insult to the 100 people involved in this from Rocky Wirtz all the way down to everyone.”

It probably feels to a lot of the Hawks personnel as though this time they won’t have to hear from the critics as they did three years ago.

“Do I feel better? Absolutely,” MacIsaac said. “We had to go through so much this season to get here, and I’m so proud of what the players did and the coaches and everyone who had a hand in this.

“To win twice in four seasons is not easy in this league. It’s not easy to win once. It’s incredibly hard to do and those guys on the ice who fought for this deserve it. I’m amazed at what they’ve overcome.”

For his part, Stan Bowman still refuses to make it about him.

“I don’t let any of that get to me,” Bowman said of the criticism. “You can’t let any of that influence you. You just have to do what you think is best for the team now and in the future.

“We’ve done and we’ll continue to do that. Praise or criticism, that won’t change.”

With another Stanley Cup on his resume, Bowman will probably get some long-awaited praise.

“It doesn’t matter,’’ Bowman said. “See that Cup there? That’s all that matters.’’

Images: Blackhawks vs. Bruins, Game 6

Images: Blackhawks Fans React

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.