Chicago Blackhawks: Marcus Kruger was a great team player

The Chicago Blackhawks have had some legends come through over the last decade, but one player was very underrated in what he brought to the team.
The Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup three times in six years which would be considered the greatest stretch in team history. You know about how guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, and Niklas Hjalmarsson contributed to the success and were all recognized as the core of the team. There were also lots of players who played smaller roles in helping the team win.
Marcus Kruger was one of those players for the Hawks for a long time. He was a major factor in winning two of the three cups in the type of game he plays. He wasn’t an offensive superstar or anything as in 520 career games he had 38 goals and 85 assists for 123 points. The way he played in his own zone, however, was something to behold and he did lots of little things to help Chicago win that doesn’t necessarily show up on the score sheet.
Kruger was also a part of one of the biggest goals in Blackhawks history. He got the puck back to Johnny Oduya who shot the puck before it was tipped by Michal Frolik and then banked into the net by Dave Bolland to win the Stanley Cup for the Blackhawks in 2013. He didn’t get an assist on it but getting it to the point was pivotal and the goal never happens if he doesn’t do that.
It came out that Kruger was leaving the National Hockey League to go play professional hockey in Switzerland for the ZSC Lions. He is 29 years old and was coming off one of his least productive seasons he has ever had. The unrestricted free agent decided to move on and go play in the Swiss league and he should find some success playing there.
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The Blackhawks were lucky to have Kruger during his prime years because he was the ultimate role player. He did all the little things that helped the team win a couple of Stanley Cups. His number 16 isn’t going to get retired but he will always be remembered fondly by his teammates and fans.