The 2009 Stanley Cup fiinals will feature a rematch of last year’s final with Detroit and Pittsburgh squaring off once again. I don’t really mind the fact that these two teams will meet since thier is so much exciting talent on both squads, but it would have been nice to see some different teams vying for Lord Stanley’s cup. I, for one, would have enjoyed watching the Chicago Blackhawks (a team I predicted would make the finals back in October) represent the Western conference, but they ran into a loaded Detroit team. The Hawks have a plethora of young stars and any hockey fan with a brain knows that Chicago’s best years are ahead of them.

For Badger fans, there is one reason in particular to jump on the overcrowded Blackhawk bandwagon: Adam Burish. In 2006, Burish captained the Wisconsin hockey team and led them all the way to a National Championship. The Madison native assisted on both goals in the championship game against Boston College and was the epitome of a leader over the course of his collegiate career.

Burish had enourmous success with UW, but the ninth round draft pick knew what his role would be at the next level. He is your typical “glue-guy”, a scrappy, high energy player who sacrifices his body and simply out-wills opponenents. Burish has accepted his role as a checker and sometimes even an agitator (just ask Jarome Iginla) and has fit in nicely with the Blackhawks. He was never the type of player to win any skills competitions anyway.

Simply put, Burish is a winner. He knows what it takes to win and although he may not score 30 goals anytime soon, he is the kind of guy you need to win a championship. Toews and Kane will continue to get all the attention and guys like Burish will continue to score timely goals while wearing opponents down. Burish is a true Badger who brought UW an unforgetable national championship and he has made Badger fans proud with the hard work he has shown in the pros. I encourage Badger fans to keep an eye on Burish because I just get the feeling that he has another championship in him. He just better be ready to hoist a slightly heavier trophy.