Friday, May 13, 2016

Captains, Ex-Badgers Clash in WCF

Pavelski, Backes and Elliott lead impressive group of alums in San Jose-St. Louis series.

Captains, Ex-Badgers Clash in WCF
Ten years ago Joe Pavelski (left) and Brian Elliott (right) led Wisconsin to the NCAA championship.

A former NCAA hockey player will pose alongside the Clarence S. Cambell Bowl as former Minnesota State star David Backes and former Wisconsin star Joe Pavelski have led their teams to the NHL’s Western Conference final as team captains.

Pavelski – a San Jose Shark who shares the league lead in playoff goals with 9 – will stare down former Badger teammate Brian Elliott, the goaltender for the St. Louis Blues. Ten years ago that pair led the Badgers to the NCAA championship as the team’s leading scorer and the nation’s top goaltender.

The Sharks and Blues have featured 11 NCAA alums in their lineups, representing nine schools. Five of the players won NCAA titles in college, with Paul Martin (Minnesota 2002 and ’03), Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University 2009) and Paul Stastny (Denver 2005) joining Elliott and Pavelski.

More on the San Jose-St. Louis matchup from an NCAA perspective:

  • Six of the alums – three on each team – were team captains in college (Justin Braun, Paul Martin, Tommy Wingels, David Backes, Colton Parayko and Kevin Shattenkirk).
  • Colton Parayko is currently completing his coursework to finish his degree from Alaska; teammate Backes completed his Minnesota State degree two years ago.