Chicago Blackhawks: Kris Versteeg’s retirement brings back memories
The Chicago Blackhawks had many important role players during their dynasty. Kris Versteeg is certainly one of them during two Cup runs.
The Chicago Blackhawks have had some legendary players come through. The fact of the matter is those elite players are allowed to turn into legends thanks to the play of their teammates. Role players are very important to teams winning the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League. The Hawks have certainly have had plenty of those types of players when they were a modern-day hockey dynasty.
Kris Versteeg was one of those integral parts of the Blackhawks’ very impressive run. He wasn’t a superstar player like Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, or Duncan Keith but he was still very important. He was a good player to have because of the fact that he could play anywhere in the lineup. He was best suited for a third-line role on any team he was on. He scored anywhere from 15-20 goals multiple times which is glorious for a role player.
Versteeg announced his retirement from the National Hockey League on Wednesday. It was a long time coming because he really wasn’t able to stick in the NHL anymore but while he was in his prime he was a great player. He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 and 2015. He was sent away for salary cap reasons in the middle but his re-acquisition went a long way in helping this team become a dynasty in 2015.
In his 11 year NHL career, five of them were spent with the Blackhawks. In 294 career games with Chicago, he had 68 goals and 96 assists for 164 points. Versteeg is one of those guys who will also be remembered for his play that doesn’t involve his numbers. He was one of those guys who played so hard despite being a little guy. He worked so hard every shift and it helped him make a great NHL career. He was there before they won any Cups so when you remember any of the days that made people have hope for the Hawks, Versteeg was apart of it.
Hot. The Chicago Blackhawks could draft some defense this year. light
Versteeg is also a sign of what you need on a hockey team. There are players on the Blackhawks right now that have much more size, speed, and skill than Versteeg but they are far less impactful because of their work ethic and toughness. They need to find themselves some players of that caliber for the modern-day team. Congrats to Kris Versteeg on an incredible career.