Getting your player ready...
Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk had a chance to develop slowly, playing behind and learning from Detroit Red Wings stars such as Steve Yzerman.
“It helped me when I got here,” Zetterberg said Saturday.
The Chicago Blackhawks couldn’t afford to do the same with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, banking on them to contribute when they made their NHL debuts last season as teenagers.
Kane and Toews led Chicago to the playoffs for the first time since 2002 — and into the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1995.
Game 1 is today in Detroit.
The Associated Press
