Ashley Messier builds hockey legacy with sights on PWHL, Olympics
9h ago
Mark Messier is her distant cousin, but this Sask. hockey product is carving her own path.
Chris Kunitz was one of those typical Saskatchewan hockey players:
Humble, hard-working, popular with his teammates and appreciative of where he was from, always acknowledging the coaches, families and volunteers who helped him get to the National Hockey League. When he won a Stanley Cup, he would bring it home to share it with those people.
Kunitz played minor hockey in Regina and junior in Melville before advancing to Ferris State. Undrafted, he ultimately played for five NHL teams in 15 seasons, winning four Stanley Cups. He was often a linemate with Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby, with whom he won an Olympic gold medal in 2014.
There aren’t many Saskatchewan hockey players with more laurels. Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey from Floral, won four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings. Fellow Reginans Bob Turner and Terry Harper each won five Stanley Cups, all with the Montreal Canadiens.
Saskatoon’s Brayden Schenn, Wilcox’s Jaden Schwartz and Regina’s Tyler Bozak just won their first Cup with the St. Louis Blues and brought it home to Saskatchewan. Now they have a chance to catch Kunitz, who just retired to take an off-ice job with the Chicago Blackhawks.