Adam McQuaid is a warrior. He is what the prototypical Boston Bruins defenseman should be all about: with grit, courage in the face of adversity, all-around professionalism, class and the determination required to do all that it takes in order to achieve victory.
He reminds me of Gord Kluzak - and the two share many other traits, too, that she shouldn't share... You could add Bobby Orr and Cam Neely to this list -and maybe even Normand Léveillé, but that might be too extreme- as great players who got career-threatening injuries or conditions that shortened their stay in the NHL.
Adam is fortunately not there yet: he can and does continue to play, contributing in a big way to the Bruins' march to the Finals, successively besting Toronto, New York and Pittsburgh on their way to battle their virtual mirror image in Chicago... Having said that, the adversary does not have anyone comparable to the survivors and warriors that are Patrice Bergeron, Nathan Horton and Adam McQuaid indeed; all they have are kids like Toews and Kane and one of those Hossa hussies.
That doesn't even begin to compare with an Adam McQuaid who just recently survived the greatest scare any athlete could have: to be diagnosed with a horrible condition called Thoracic Outlet Syndrome that causes dangerous, potentially lie-threatening blood clots to form in his body. He underwent two emergency operations to remove these clots and then went immediately into an intense rehabilitation program to join his team on time for the January start of the shortened 2013 season.
Such dedication, perseverance and resilience indeed can only be applauded, admired and rewarded with the smallest honor the NHL bestows upon such remarkable players: the Bill Masterton Trophy, which has been won by Gord Kluzak and Cam Neely in the past for the exact same reasons, though neither of those two greats had faced life-threatening conditions: only career-ending ones...
The only other player worthy of the trophy is unquestionably Josh Harding, the netminder of the Minnesota Wild who has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and came back to play and lead his team after a 33-game hiatus for treatment.
And yet, and yet... The front runner for the trophy was Sidney Crosby with his concussion and broken jaw; or so it read like last May... Luckily, they regained their senses and awarded the trophy to the player dealing with the only thing worse than T.O.S. - M.S.
Adam McQuaid has a chance to win his second Stanley Cup in three years after being salvaged from a sinking ship called the Columbus Blue Jackets.
His warrior status was evident as he was seen writing his blog (and posting it at 2:44AM) after the Boston Bruins played a marathon triple overtime game one of the Finals against the Hawks. The fact that he displayed complete and absolute belief in himself and his teammates after the game ended the wrong way totally drives the point across: Adam is of that mettle that can only be aptly surmised as... the best. It makes no sense whatsoever to ever doubt that (or buy into the silly things put together by buffoons such as Jon Stewart back in 2011 to discredit the mettle of these champions: Jon Stewart would lose in the most pathetic way in a one-on-ne debate with Jack Edwards. And so would Colbert!) and Adam should be expected to be hoisting the Cup once again - exactly as he did back in 2011.
Hopefully it will not have to be in seven games again - but if so, then so be it!
Go Bruins - Go!
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