Kane was the No. 1 overall pick and, oddly, could have been a Flyer if the 2007 lottery balls had bounced the right way. The Flyers were the worst team in the league that season, but Chicago ended up with the No. 1 overall pick and took Kane. Philadelphia ended up with James van Riemsdyk.
If Kane and Jonathan Toews are the Ferraris of the Chicago forwards, Patrick Sharp is the sturdy pickup truck.
Sharp, who scored his fourth goal of the series last night, had his career and his life changed the December day in 2005 when he was traded by the Flyers to Chicago for Matt Ellison and a third-round pick. Sharp has emerged as one of the leaders; his acquisition viewed as the kick-start to the franchise's dramatic turnaround while Ellison plays in Russia.
It's a onesided deal today, but at time, Sharp could not grasp coach Ken Hitchcock's defensive style and became tradeable even after helping the Phantoms win the AHL's 2005 Calder Cup. Current Flyers Jeff Carter and Mike Richards were on that team, as was current Blackhawk Ben Eager.
"It's pretty neat that I've won two championships and they've both been on this ice," he said through intermittent tears. "I owe the Flyers a lot. They did a heck of a lot for my career as a player and I'm really thankful they gave me the opportunity to develop in Chicago."
Sharp, who attended Vermont, will marry his college sweetheart Abby Banever in July. Banever graduated from the University of Pennsylvania's nursing school.
"[Getting traded] was hard at the time because we didn't know what the future held," Banever said. "But when we got to Chicago our lives turned around."
Similarly, Kane's life changed last night. That goal will be in one of those poignant Stanley Cup commercials, if he hasn't been already.
