I have made it no secret that I am a champion of Jaroslav
Halak. When he joined the St. Louis Blues I was excited to see what he could
do. Since then he has grown as a goaltender and gave so much of himself to St.
Louis and her fans. He began Halak’s Heroes which invited children who are
battling cancer and other diseases that are life-threatening to attend a Blues
game with their families in a penthouse suite. The suite was donated by Camp
Rainbow, Friends of Kids with Cancer, H.I.S. K.I.D.S., Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society, Make-A-Wish Foundation and The National Children’s Cancer
Society. Halak’s tenure in a St. Louis
Blue’s sweater ended abruptly when he was traded in a blockbuster deal to the
Buffalo Sabres with teammate Chris Stewart for Ryan Miller and Steve Ott.
Four days later, after reporting to Buffalo, he is on the
move again to the Washington Capitals. I was disappointed when Halak left St.
Louis. But I was heartbroken that he would not be making a play-off run to
prove himself to his new team and fans. Now, if the Capitals can pull it
together and gain momentum coming into the home stretch, Halak just might have
a chance to play in the play-offs. I wondered why the Capitals were in the market
for a goaltender when they desperately needed defense. Halak is a goaltender
who relies heavily on his defense for the first period until his nerves settle down
and he gets into a groove. Hopefully, head coach Adam Oates and his coaching
staff can shape a productive offense and a well-disciplined defense to help
Halak in his quest for a Stanley Cup.
Has Halak found a new
city to call home? For the remainder of the 2013-2014 season it would seem so.
I will remain a fan and a supporter of Jaroslav Halak and wish him much success
with his new team. St. Louis has lost an amazing asset and Buffalo never gave
him a chance. It will be wonderful to see him settle in and shine while with
the Capitals.
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