Top 3 NHL veterans to root for in the Stanley Cup Playoffs
By Jasmine Yen
Here are 3 very deserving NHL veterans to root for in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
There are star NHL players that everyone knows who never won the Stanley Cup. Marcel Dionne, Jarome Iginla, Roberto Luongo, the list goes on. These players have had incredible NHL careers, but one thing that always follows them is the fact that they’ve never won the Stanley Cup.
There are many active veterans in the league now who are trying desperately to check off the last item on their NHL list. Whether your favorite team is out of the running or you like a feel-good story, these three veterans are ones to root for.
3. Jason Spezza
More from Puck Prose
- Detroit Red Wings 2023 Rookie Camp Has Plenty of Ups and Downs
- This Columbus Blue Jackets rookie doesn’t want to be forgotten
- 2 trades the Boston Bruins must make to secure the Stanley Cup
- 3 reasons the Avalanche won’t win the Stanley Cup in 2024
- This is a big year for Alex Turcotte and the Los Angeles Kings
17 years in the NHL. 2002 was when Jason Spezza joined the Ottawa Senators. That same year Denzel Washington won Best Actor for his performance in Training Day. He’s been in the league for a while but has yet to win the Stanley Cup.
Last summer, he signed a league-minimum deal with his hometown team, the Toronto Maple Leafs in the hopes that he can check the last box off his NHL career.
He’s become a fan favorite and his teammates have appropriately given him the nickname “Vintage”. He’s been a great team player throughout his entire career and I’m sure that there aren’t just Leafs’ fans that are rooting for his success.
2. Henrik Lundqvist
Henrik Lundqvist has been through it all. 15 seasons with the New York Rangers, 11 postseason appearances but he has yet to win his first-ever Stanley Cup. He sat patiently through the Rangers’ rebuild and watched his friends get traded away all while continuing to be an ultimate team player and setting a good example in the locker room.
At 38 years old he can already see the new crop of promising goaltenders that the Rangers have at their disposal. He has just one year left on his deal after this season and there is no other team that Lundqvist should win the Cup with other than the Rangers. He’s been nothing but pure class for 15 years and really deserves to be rewarded for his career.
1. Patrick Marleau
Patrick Marleau is one of those players that seems to be loved by fans of all teams. When he eventually retires, he will always be remembered as a San Jose Shark but he has a chance with the Pittsburgh Penguins to finally win his first-ever Stanley Cup.
Marleau has been on the hunt for the Cup for 22 years and shows no sign of stopping until he wins. At 40 years old he continues to prove that he can keep up with the young and fast NHL and has been an ageless wonder. The hockey world is dying to watch Marleau’s longevity pay off with a Cup and he’s one of the special players that everyone is rooting for.