Bryan Bickell's Unforgettable Impact

Bryan Bickell was one of those players who could be described with one word. Grinder. Whatever role was needed out of him, that was the role he was going to go out on the ice and play for you. Players who give effort like he did night in and night out are hard to come by.

The Blackhawks certainly saw that something special in Bickell because they would draft him in the 2nd round of the 2004 NHL draft. Prior to his time in the NHL, Bickell spent time in the OHL playing for the Ottawa 67's. 3 of those seasons he was able to surpass 20 goals. But it became very clear that his role was not going to be primarily scoring goals. Now obviously he still found the back of the net at times (we all remember 17 seconds), but more often than not it was the non goal scoring dirty work that he would do instead. Along with that, his leadership during the cup years were vital. By 2010, Bickell had been in the league 3 years already. Which may not seem like a long time, but it goes a long way for a team that had a lot of good but inexperienced players. Veteran leadership is always helpful in making that transition to the NHL as smooth as possible for the younger players.

Even though he was known for being a grinder, he still had very decent numbers in his time with the Blackhawks. In the 384 games he played with Chicago, he amassed a total of 135 points with 70 assists and 65 goals. Without a doubt, one of the more solid players the Blackhawks could have had at that time. Because he played the role the Blackhawks needed, and he played it well. Will his jersey be in the rafters? Probably not, and no one should be upset about that. But his contribution to the three Stanley Cups will not be forgotten.