A valuable contributor to two Stanley Cups and an aspiring rapper Chicago didn't know it had, Kris Versteeg was a special breed.
Before he spit verses and busted rhymes of his own at the Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup championship rally — and sang Macklemore's "And we danced" at the 2015 celebration with Joakim Nordstrom — the speedy winger had 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists) during the 2009-10 regular season. He tagged on an impressive 14 points (six goals, eight assists) to help the Hawks hoist the Cup in 2010.
Versteeg also had strong numbers the prior year with 53 points; 22 goals, 31 assists, the latter of which lead all rookies, in the regular season. He was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team for the 2008-09 season.
He had 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in the 2009 playoffs before Chicago was eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Final.
The Lethbridge, Alberta, native was selected in the fifth round at No. 134 overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2004 NHL Draft. The Bruins traded Versteeg to the Hawks on Feb. 3, 2007, for forward Brandon Bochenski. Versteeg made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks on Nov. 22, 2007, against the Calgary Flames.
Versteeg was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs three weeks after the Hawks won the Cup in 2010. He also played in Philadelphia again and spent parts of three seasons in Florida with the Panthers before being traded back to Chicago for Jimmy Hayes and Dylan Olsen on Nov. 15, 2013. He had 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) during the 2014-15 season and a goal and an assist in the 2015 playoffs.
After being traded to Carolina following the Hawks' 2015 championship, Versteeg also spent time with the LA Kings and Calgary Flames. He returned to the Chicago area this year to captain the Blackhawks' AHL affiliate the Rockford IceHogs for six games before asking to have his contract terminated.
NHL
The forward was honored with "One More Shift" before the Dec. 15 game against the Minnesota Wild this year.
Versteeg, now 33, is the only NHL player to score a goal at Wrigley Field (Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2009), Soldier Field (NHL Stadium Series vs. Pittsburgh Penguins on March 1, 2014) and the United Center, doing it all with the Blackhawks.
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