Chicago Blackhawks' Versteeg proud papa
TAMPA, Fla. - On his way to practice Monday, Kris Versteeg got that phone call he knew was coming and he couldn't wait for: He was about to become a dad for the first time.
The Blackhawks proceeded to whisk him off to Toronto, where Jaxson James Versteeg was born Monday at 1:02 a.m, Central time.
"They did everything for me," Versteeg said. "It's amazing what the Blackhawks do for their players."
Versteeg, who flew in Tuesday, one day after the team, then got another treat as he was inserted into Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final in place of Bryan Bickell (day to day, upper-body injury). Versteeg's last game action came in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals against Anaheim.
He ended playing just 9:32, the lowest total for any non-defenseman, and suffered two of the biggest hits of the game. The first came with about 6:30 left in the second period when Versteeg plunged head first into the goal pipe. Adding insult to injury, Versteeg was given a two-minute minor for interference.
"Yeah, that was a little ugly," Versteeg said, "but I had to collect my thoughts there and go on with the game."
A few moments after that, Versteeg was blasted into the boards by Ondrej Palat.
Before the game, Versteeg sat at his locker and had that permanent smile new moms and dads often find themselves wearing after the birth of their first child.
"You always hear people talk about it, and now finally being a part of it, it's special," he said. "I kind of compared it, in a different way, when you win a Stanley Cup.
"It's almost like you're in shock. You can't really understand what's going on and you can't comprehend it until you kind of take a step back. Four or five hours later when you got to finally hold him, it was pretty remarkable."
TVR close:
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Wednesday that there is "a very good chance" rookie defenseman Trevor van Riemsdyk will play in the Stanley Cup Final.
Van Riemsdyk hasn't played in an NHL game since fracturing his kneecap in November. Currently coming back from a wrist injury, TVR told the Daily Herald last week that he thinks he will be able to help the Hawks despite the long time off.
Asked about a player stepping into the Cup Final as the first postseason game of his career, fellow defenseman Johnny Oduya said: "That would be very tough, obviously. (Good) thing for him is he's a smart player. I don't doubt that he has the ability to do it, but of course it's going to be a little bit of a different feel and adjustment for him."
Tip-ins:
The team that wins Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final has prevailed 77 percent of the time (58 of 75). The Hawks won Game 1 in both 2010 and 2013 en route to their two recent titles. … Duncan Keith, with 17 assists, became the first defenseman to record that many in one postseason since Brian Leetch had 23 for the Rangers in 1994, according to Elias Sports Bureau. ... Chris Kontos scored 4 goals in Tampa Bay's first game as a franchise, a 7-3 win over the Blackhawks on Oct. 7, 1992. That goal total has only been matched once in franchise history, on Jan. 18, 2014, by Martin St. Louis.