Thoughts on Game 7

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 | Feedback | Print Entry

Raise your hand if you thought 37-year-old Trevor Linden would be among the very best players on the ice in Monday's decisive game between the Canucks and Stars. I didn't think so. Linden netted the game-winner when his power-play deflection pin-balled through the pads of Dallas stopper Marty Turco and trickled over the goal line.

But the experienced pivot did more than just get the game-winning goal; he battled hard on each shift, leading by example. You can't ask for more than that.  
 

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider
  • E.J. Hradek E.J. Hradek

    E.J. Hradek is a senior writer at ESPN The Magazine, joining the staff prior to its launch in 1998. He began covering hockey as a writer/editor for Hockey Illustrated in 1989. The following year, he beat the Stars to Dallas (by three years), taking over as the editor of Beckett Hockey Monthly. When the Stars finally did arrive in Big D, he hosted a weekly hockey radio show and tried (unsuccessfully) to convert ESPN's Skip Bayless to the greatest game on ice.

    In 1996, Hradek left Dallas, but not the Stars. Relocating back to the New York area, he became a part-time pro scout for the club, seeing more than 100 NHL/AHL games for each of the next two seasons. The scouting gig was a great learning experience, offering a different view of the game.

    Hradek grew up in Tuckahoe, N.Y., about a 40-minute train ride from New York City. Despite the proximity to the Rangers, Hradek embraced the Islanders when the expansion franchise debuted in 1972. Eight years later, he was part of the sellout crowd at the Nassau Coliseum that witnessed the Islanders' first Stanley Cup championship.


Subscribe

RSS RSS Feed

Recent Updates

Archive

More