Chicago Blackhawks left wing Bryan Bickell has a big fan in former Hawks star Eric Daze. There are many similarities in size, position, somewhat in style of play to some extent.
During my exclusive conversation with Daze (more from that here) I asked Daze what he thought of the current Blackhawks team and if there’s anyone on the current side that reminds him of himself when he played the game.
“Obviously I like to watch the big guys, I like to watch Bickell with the Hawks, I would love to see Bickell shoot more I think he’s got an awesome shot,” said Daze.
“I always root for the big guys on the team and I see a little of myself in that.”
Eric Daze will hit the ice again for a celebrity hockey game on Thursday, Feb. 5, at 5 p.m. “Unite on the Ice” is an evening of celebrity hockey and open skate benefiting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. (More info on the event here)
The Hawks are currently in fourth place in the Western Conference with 64 points. Here’s what Daze had to say about how far they could go in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“I love this team. I think they’re still the team to beat and it’s going to take a really special team to beat them four times in a series.”
“It’s going to be a really tough task for any team.”
In the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs, Bryan Bickell finished with 17 points, scoring 9 goals including the game-tying goal in the Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. His strong play is credited as one of the major factors behind the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup that year.
On June 30, 2013, Bryan Bickell re-signed with Chicago for four years, $16 million. Thus far, he has 21 points (9 goals, 21 assists) on this season.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital, eBay, Google News and CBS Interactive Inc. You can read Banks’ feature stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and listen to him on KOZN 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)