University of Minnesota Athletics
Martin, Kessel Advance to Conference Finals
5/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Info
MINNEAPOLIS (GopherSports.com) - Gopher Hockey will feature two alums in the NHL Stanley Cup Conference Finals as Paul Martin and Phil Kessel are now eight wins away from claiming the Stanley Cup.
An All-American at Minnesota and a two-time NCAA champion, Martin has made the Stanley Cup playoffs in each of his 12 NHL seasons and is making his second appearance in a conference final (first in the Western Conference Final after playing in the Eastern Conference Final with Pittsburgh in 2013). The defenseman has helped the San Jose Sharks reach the Western Conference Final in his first year with the team and has now helped three different teams earn Stanley Cup playoff berths (New Jersey, Pittsburgh, San Jose).
Among Gopher alums, Martin ranks second all-time in NHL playoff assists with 38, third all-time in NHL playoff points with 43 and third all-time in NHL playoff games with 97. Only Neal Broten (135 games, 63 assists, 98 points), Mike Ramsey (115 games) and Paul Holmgren (51 assists) rank higher than Martin among Gopher Hockey alums.
Likewise for Kessel, who will play in the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in his career in his first season with the Pittsburgh Penguins and has also led three teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs (Boston, Toronto, Pittsburgh). The forward is in the midst of his best playoff run, scoring 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in 11 games to pace the Penguins roster. Kessel has 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 33 career playoff games and ranks fourth among Gopher Hockey alums in playoff goals.
-Pride On Ice-
