Once again, this village is abuzz with excitement and talk about Nick Spaling.
The 23-year-old Drayton native helped the Nashville Predators advance to the second round of the National Hockey League playoffs with a 4-1 series victory over the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round.
The Predators, who finished fourth in the NHL’s western conference, won game five over the fifth place Red Wings on April 20 and now face the Phoenix Coyotes in the second round.
Spaling, drafted in the second round (58th overall) of the 2007 NHL draft, splits time at centre and left wing. Thus far he has registered two assists in the playoffs, as well as a plus-three rating and over 15 minutes of ice time per game.
During the 2011-12 season, Spaling played in 77 games and tallied 10 goals and 12 assists for a career-high 22 points, to go along with 18 penalty minutes and 107 shots on goal. His previous best regular season points total was 14, which he registered in 74 games in the 2010-11 season.
In an interview with the Wellington Advertiser before the start of this season, Spaling expressed optimism for his team and said he is fully aware of the support he receives in Drayton and across the county, particularly during the playoffs.
“It’s kind of like the whole town is behind you,” Spaling said. “It’s always cool to get support from people back home when you’re so far away.”
Another local NHLer
Fergus native Jamie McGinn fell short of making the playoffs, as his new team, the Colorado Avalanche, finished in 11th place in the western conference.
On Feb. 27, the day of the NHL’s trade deadline, the 6-foot-1, 210-pound left winger was dealt to Colorado (along with prospects Mike Connolly and Michael Sgarbossa) from the San Jose Sharks, in exchange for Daniel Winnik, TJ Galiardi and a seventh-round pick in the 2013 NHL Draft.
McGinn established a torrid scoring pace after the trade, finishing the season with career highs in goals (20), assists (17) and points (37), to go along with 37 penalty minutes, 159 shots and 159 hits.
