Calgary Flames Rookie Named NHL Second Star Of The Week
By Luke Ryan
In a week where he put away six goals in three games, it’s no great surprise that Calgary Flames rookie Sam Bennett finds himself labelled as second-best in the league.
In any other given week, this might have resulted in the NHL first star, but the Calgary Flames rookie was pipped at the post by Chicago Blackhawks superstar, Patrick Kane. Kane netted four goals and notched three assists, including a hat-trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
That is the level of competition that Sam Bennett was up against for this award, yet he still placed second. The third star was Los Angeles Kings center Anze Kopitar; so it’s clear the Calgary Flames player finds himself in quite rarefied and esteemed company.
Not bad for a player that had prior to the week been on an eighteen game goalless streak for the Calgary Flames.
Head coach for the Calgary Flames, Bob Hartley said in an interview with the Calgary Sun’s Scott Mitchell, “Sammy was real good. Really, really good, he played as well as he was playing before in the three zones, and got rewarded. You can see, he’s a kid and he found the candy bag. He got one, got four and right now he’s digging in.”
“Sammy was real good. Really, really good.” – Bob Hartley (Calgary Sun)
A four-goal game against the Florida Panthers may well be seen by future generations of Calgary Flames fans as the night Sam Bennett truly arrived.
The promise had been there and so had the hype, but on that one night he showed a deft touch, soft hands and sheer determination to be the key factors to his ever-improving game. In fact, you could argue it was him that led the Calgary Flames team to victory that night and not the more veteran presences on the team.
It’s been a bit of a roller-coaster to reach this point for Sam Bennett but finally for both himself and the Calgary Flames, the rewards are starting to come.
Goes to show what working hard and being determined can achieve. Here’s hoping that Sam Bennett can maintain this high level of form as the Calgary Flames knock on the door of that last Pacific Division playoff spot.
Next: Flames Goaltending Situation Continues To Intrigue
What did you think of Sam Bennett’s week? Was he unlucky to be sandwiched between two superstars in Kane and Kopitar? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.