Seth Jones cherishes his earliest hockey memory: watching the 2001 Colorado Avalanche win the Stanley Cup when he was just six years old. He was in the stands at the Pepsi Center, witnessing the iconic moment Joe Sakic handed the trophy to Ray Bourque.
“There`s not a lot of more special moments, I think, we`ve seen in this league,” Jones reflected. He believes that specific event was a pivotal moment for him and many other children in the Colorado area, sparking their interest in playing hockey.
Fast forward to today, and Jones is now participating in his first Stanley Cup Final as a member of the Florida Panthers. His acquisition by the Panthers in a significant trade from the Chicago Blackhawks surprised much of the hockey community.
Jones has discussed the reasons why his time in Chicago wasn`t the ideal fit and how he successfully adjusted after joining Florida`s team, who were the reigning Stanley Cup champions at the time of the trade. Former NHL defenseman Ed Jovanovski noted how Jones`s performance improved significantly following the move, becoming a key player for the Panthers during their current playoff run to the Final. Jovanovski echoes the sentiment captured in the article`s title: winning, he suggests, “cures all.”
Neville Woodall