Former Badger to play for Stanley Cup
May 26, 2010 | Men's Hockey
May 26, 2010
MADISON, Wis.--Though the end of May is usually a prime time to get outside and enjoy the warm temperatures and bright sun, this time of year signals something else for hockey fans.
It's Stanley Cup Finals time, and one former Badger has a chance to raise the cup for the first time in his career.
Adam Burish and his Chicago Blackhawk squad swept the San Jose Sharks in the teams' best-of-seven series to advance to Chicago's first Stanley Cup Final since 1992. The Blackhawks are 12-4 thus far on the quest to the Stanley Cup, and Burish has appeared in 12 of those games. Champions of the Western Conference, the Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia Flyers stand in the way of Burish and his first-ever Stanley Cup title.
While at the University of Wisconsin, Burish played four years and collected 74 total points. The Madison, Wis., native captained the 2006 national championship squad. The forward has proven he can step up when the stakes are high, as he assisted Robbie Earl's (Minnesota Wild) and Tom Gilbert's (Edmonton Oilers) goals in the Badgers' 2-1 national championship victory over the Boston College Golden Eagles.
Burish is still in the final stages of recovery of a torn ACL that he suffered in September, which cost him a large portion of the season. However, the right-winger seeks to contribute in any way he can and add himself to a very prestigious list of hockey players to have won both a collegiate national title and a Stanley Cup.
As previously mentioned, in the Western Conference Semifinals, Burish's squad busted out the brooms in the team's sweeping of the Sharks. With the Blackhawks' victory in the series, two other Badgers saw their Stanley Cup runs fall one series short.
Burish's former teammate Joe Pavelski was one of them. The Badgers' leading scorer in the team's national title season in 2006, Pavelski saw his memorable season with San Jose come to a close Sunday afternoon. In the Sharks' playoff run, the Plover, Wis., native became the first player to tally three-straight multi-goal games in the playoffs since Mario Lemieux did it in 1992. The center finished the 2009-10 season with 68 points.
With the Sharks' defeat, another former Badger saw his season come to an end. Pavelski's teammate on the right wing Dany Heatley's quest for a Stanley Cup also ended. Heatley, who skated with the Badgers from 1999-2001, tallied 113 points with Wisconsin in just two seasons. The 2009 NHL All Star tallied 85 points in 86 games this season for San Jose. Earlier this year, Heatley also helped Team Canada bring home a gold medal in the Vancouver Olympic Games.
The Philadelphia Flyers do not possess any past Badgers in the Stanley Cup Finals on the other side of the bracket. Though Burish is the only former Badger in contention, Wisconsin boasted seven former players in the 2009-10 NHL Playoffs.
Brian Rafalski (Detroit Red Wings), Ryan Suter (Nashville Predators), Brian Elliot (Ottawa Senators) and Davis Drewiske (L.A. Kings) round out the seven. Drewiske, a Hudson, Wis., native, joined Burish and Pavelski in UW's 2006 national title campaign.
So, look past the beaming sunlight, shake off the beads sweat from the humidity and tune into the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals as Madison's very own Adam Burish looks to hoist the cup. The best-of-seven series kicks off on Saturday, May 29, at 7 p.m. (CST) in Chicago on NBC.
Be sure to check back to UWBadgers.com to follow the progress of all of your favorite past Badgers and their progressions at the next level.
