It’s not very often that sports guys like Brendan and I get a chance to see a local guy overcome the odds and take home the hardware.
So when I watched Cochrane’s Justin Dowling lift the American Hockey League Calder Cup over his head for the first time from my twitter account as I sipped margaritas in Palm Springs, it was what we call in the business, a “Cinderella story.”
Not only because I was loaded and in some nice summer heat, but because soon, the Texas Stars would all be loaded too and celebrating a well deserved win.
‘Local guy try’s out with multiple National Hockey League teams after getting passed over in the NHL draft, only to be snubbed by the hometown Flames and their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat.’
He’s now a signed prospect of the NHL Dallas Stars and doing well in his second season with their AHL affiliate.
It’s a story the Mighty Eagle has been following, along with myself and Brendan, for a few years now, and so it was a pleasant surprise to see the Texas Stars, Dowling’s current AHL team, pick him up from the minor leagues where he worked hard with the Idaho Steelheads to hone his craft.
He said in interviews with the Eagle that he was going to come back from the minors hard, he was going to prove to everyone that he was a top skill player who could not only make it, but thrive at the next level.
He did that and much, much more.
His regular season was great. He put up 47 points in the 74 games he played, but playoffs were where Dowling proved his worth.
Fourteen points in 14 games, dishing off beautiful passes, and as his coach, Willie Desjardins, told the Eagle he was pretty good in the room too. Helping lead the team by example through hard work and determination.
A young career of hard work and determination have all paid off for Bow Valley High School alumni Dowling and a better story couldn’t be written.
Congrats Dowls, enjoy the summer off.
