Former Blackhawks center Colin Fraser underwent a trade he never saw coming when he was dealt to the Kings. He's since blogged about the experience, what it's like playing in Los Angeles, and the excitement of being only one game away from winning the Stanley Cup--again.
Fraser was traded to Edmonton by the Blackhawks after the 2010 season. He played 67 games with his new team, recording three goals and two assists.
At the end of the 2011 season, the Oilers were prepared to complete a trade between Ryan Smyth and Gilbert Brule, but the deal never worked out. So instead, Fraser was thrown into the mix.
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"The day I was traded I called my dad and I said, 'I was traded to the Kings.' He asked me how I felt and I said, 'Good, because we have a chance to win.'They had just traded for Mike Richards. They had a good roster. Playing against them in previous years, I knew they were a good team."
But a foot injury ailed him from the start. Fraser was deemed 'unable to play' by Los Angeles' medical staff and he was recommended surgery. After undergoing an operation and getting back on the ice Day 1 of training camp, Fraser made a full recovery and earned a spot on the Kings' roster.
Now the Kings are one game away from winning the Cup for the first time in their 45-year history. Fraser remembers going through these same feelings in Chicago.
"I was with the Chicago Blackhawks when we won the Stanley Cup in 2010, but I wasn't playing during the Cup Final. I was watching Game 6 with Adam Burish, Bryan Bickell, and a few of the other extra guys," Fraser said. "When we were leading in the third period, we went down to the dressing room to put our gear on and Philly ended up tying the game late in the third.
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"Then we were watching the overtime in the dressing room, and when we won we just ran straight out onto the ice to celebrate. We all had our moment and got to hoist the Cup and skate around with it. It was crazy. It was one of those moments that you grow up dreaming about."
Los Angeles is still dreaming about that moment. Fraser and the rest of his teammates will be battling for that experience on Saturday night in Game 5.