NHL names Tomas Vokoun first star of the week
The National Hockey League has named its three stars of the week for the week of October 11 – 17, and the recipients of the honour are all very deserving.
The first star was goaltender Tomas Vokoun of the Florida Panthers, who turned aside 89 of 91 total shots he faced, putting up a 2-1-0 record in the process. His two wins were a pair of
back-to-back shutouts against the Calgary Flames and the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Panthers are off to a good start this season, and Vokoun’s terrific play has been a major factor in that.
Right-winger Marian Hossa of the Chicago Blackhawks was the second star, scoring four goals and a pair of assists for a total of six points in four games. The Hawks, who are the defending
Stanley Cup champions, had a relatively shaky pre-season that saw their results fluctuate greatly. However, the team has put the results of the exhibition games behind them, going 3-1 last week.
Earning the third star was centre Ryan Getzlaf of the Anaheim Ducks. Last week, he led all NHL players by scoring two goals and six assists for eight points in a four-game stretch that
saw the Ducks put up a record of 2-1-1.
At the beginning of the 2010-11 season, Getzlaf donned the ‘C’ as Anaheim’s newly-installed captain. He takes over from veteran defenceman Scott Niedermayer, who retired during the off-season.
Both players were part of the Ducks team that won the Stanley Cup in the 2006-07 season.
Vokoun and the Panthers have begun their season with a great start, although experts have predicted them to finish out of postseason contention once again.
The Blackhawks are looking to defend their Stanley Cup title, and with talented players like Hossa in their line-up, they may be able to repeat as champions. Getzlaf is hoping to lead
the Ducks to another championship, and perhaps this will be the season that he does it. Only time will tell.
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