CALGARY -- Thunderous checks, and plenty of them, have forward Michael Ferland gaining plenty of attention.
But there's something more important that he'd like to be known for: sobriety.
Ferland, who turned 23 on Monday, has been sober for nearly 13 months.
"I think about that every day," Ferland said. "A year ago today, I was in rehab. I didn't think I would be playing in the Stanley Cup Playoffs right now."
It's not hard to imagine a different, darker path for Ferland.
A year ago, he was rehabilitating a knee injury sustained around Christmas in practice with the Abbotsford Heat in the American Hockey League, then Calgary's minor-league affiliate.