Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Conn Smythe Hat Trick
Six former college players helped lead the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup championship, with goaltender Jonathan Quick becoming the third straight collegian to capture the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
Quick, who played two seasons at UMass and is the first Minuteman to get his name on the Cup, follows in the footsteps of Tim Thomas (Vermont) and Jonathan Toews (North Dakota) in winning the Conn Smythe. He is the fifth former college player to win it, joining those two plus Brian Leetch (Boston College) and Joe Nieuwendyk (Cornell).
Quick – who could also follow Thomas as the Vezina Trophy winner (he is a finalist) – compiled one of the best playoff runs by an NHL goaltender in history. He posted a 16-4 record, a 1.41 goals-against average, a .946 save percentage and allowed only seven goals in the six games of the Stanley Cup Final series. He posted three shutouts along the way.
Teammates marvel at his efforts.
“It’s kind of strange for us because we see him in practice every day,” defenseman Rob Scuderi, a Boston College graduate, told NHL.com. “Just like with any great player I’ve been fortunate to play with, they do more great things in practice than you’d ever see in a game. It’s not really a shock to any of us. It’s great to see him playing so fantastic and at such a high level every night, but it’s not a shock to any of us who are in the room.”
More Collegians
Scuderi and Matt Greene, a North Dakota product, tied for second among Kings defensemen at +9 for the playoffs. The Los Angeles defense had a heavy college influence, with Alec Martinez (Miami) and Willie Mitchell (Clarkson) also among the top six.
Up front, former Maine star Dustin Penner finished the playoffs with 11 points in 20 games, including the overtime goal that sent the Kings to the final round.
The Cup is a third championship in 12 years for Scuderi, who won the NCAA title as a senior at BC, then claimed the 2009 Stanley Cup as a Pittsburgh Penguin.
From the Top
Several former college players contributed to the Kings’ efforts in the front office, led by Dean Lombardi. The team president and general manager played at Elmira College and the University of New Haven.
Lombardi’s front office staff includes Jack Ferreira (Boston University) and Nelson Emerson (Bowling Green). The team’s co-director of amateur scouting, Mark Yannetti, played at both Brown and Williams, while the scouting staff includes Steve Greeley (Bostoni University), Mark Mullen (Boston University), Mike Donnelly (Michigan State), Tony Gasparini (Minnesota Duluth) and Bob Crocker (Boston University).
Correction: This article initially omitted Steve Greeley from the list of former collegians on the Kings scouting staff.