The Chicago Blackhawks host Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals Saturday, looking for their first NHL title since 1961. Chicago is led by captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and burly Dustin Byfuglien.
Jonathan Bryan Toews (pronounced /ˈteɪvz/; born April 29, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and team captain for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL), and is currently the youngest full captain in the National Hockey League. He was selected by the Blackhawks with the third overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Blackhawks in 2007–08 and was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy as NHL rookie of the year. The following season, he was named team captain, becoming the third youngest captain in NHL history at the age of 20. Toews competes internationally for Team Canada and has won gold medals at the 2005 World U-17 Hockey Challenge, 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships, 2007 World Championships and 2010 Winter Olympics, a tournament in which he was named Best Forward.
Patrick Timothy Kane Jr. (born November 19, 1988) is an American professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks selected him with the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Dustin Byfuglien (pronounced /ˈbʌflɪn/ “Bufflin”) is a star player for the Chicago Blackhawks (born March 27, 1985). Originally a defenseman at the start of the 2007–08 season, he was moved to a right wing position to give the team a larger body near the net, an experiment that has proven successful. The forward excelled in his third professional season, becoming the first Rockford IceHogs player to earn the American Hockey League’s Player of the Week award, when he scored one goal and had five assists in four games. Byfuglien had seven points in eight games with Rockford. Byfuglien earned a recall on November 3 to the Chicago Blackhawks and never returned to the IceHogs. He had a goal in his first shift with the Blackhawks in the 2007–08 NHL season on November 3 against the St. Louis Blues and recorded his first career hat trick (three goals in one game) against the Phoenix Coyotes on November 30. He finished tied for fifth on the team with 19 goals and 36 points in his third season with the team, all while making a transition to forward throughout the campaign. On May 23, 2010 he became the first player to score three game winning goals in one series, as Chicago defeated San Jose in four games, helping them advance to the Stanley Cup Final.