Wolves newcomer Motzko knows what it takes
Chicago Wolves general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff doesn't question whether every player wants to win. He just doesn't think everyone is willing to do what it takes.
As the Wolves looked for a final piece to their roster before Tuesday's NHL trade deadline and Thursday's AHL Clear Day, Cheveldayoff sought a player who had a multidimensional offensive game along with winning experience.
Joe Motzko fit the criteria.
In a move made with the Wolves in mind, the Atlanta Thrashers traded goal scorer Alexandre Giroux to the Washington Capitals on Tuesday for Motzko.
Aside from having a diverse offensive game at right wing -- he had 21 goals and 48 points at Hershey this season -- Motzko brings that winning background Cheveldayoff sought.
Motzko has played twice in the Calder Cup Finals, and last season he was part of the Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup team.
"The experience you gain playing in a series where winner takes all, having played in June, having the commitment with your friends calling you to go to the beach because their season is lone gone, it's important to have guys who you know are willing to make those sacrifices," Cheveldayoff said. "Those sacrifices are more than a regular person understands.
"Not everyone is willing to make those sacrifices. I know there are people who know what it takes to win. It may sound the same, but it isn't. That's why people who have won championships probably will win multiple ones."
Motzko has seen firsthand exactly that. Whether it's been the AHL or the NHL, the same ingredients are needed to win a cup.
"It's consistency throughout each shift and each period," Motzko said. "It's easy to say that. Everyone says they want to take a puck in the mouth and keep the intensity high. I got to see the best players in the world doing that. I saw what it takes day in and day out to make a playoff run."
Although Motzko got to play in only three playoff games with the Ducks, he took the Stanley Cup home for a day like anyone else on the roster. After spending the morning allowing the community of Bemidji, Minn., to take pictures of the Cup, he took it to his parents' house for the rest of the day and had a party.
"It was unbelievable," he said. "It's every hockey player's dream come true. Sometimes I still don't believe it."
Regular-season showdown: The Wolves have proved to be the best team in the Western Conference through 75 percent of the regular season.
The Providence Bruins have done the same in the Eastern Conference.
On Sunday at the Allstate Arena, the Wolves (84 points) and the Bruins (85 points) will meet the second and final time. The Bruins got the best of the Wolves for the first time with a 4-3 win Dec. 7 at Providence.
"It's great that the opportunity is there for it to be an intriguing game," Wolves GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said. "From our standpoint, we know we're going in and playing a very difficult team."