Flyers salute Cup winner Timonen

Minutes after the final game ended last June, Chicago captain Jonathan Toews could have handed the Stanley Cup to any of several Blackhawks veterans.

Instead, the first player he gave it to was Kimmo Timonen, who had played all of 16 games with Chicago after being acquired from the Flyers.

Timonen was that respected.

Toews said some of the veterans like the since-traded Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Keith Duncan agreed that Timonen - who played sparingly last season after a bout with blood clots - should be the first player to get the Cup from the captain.

"I went to him at the morning skate . . . and told him we were going to give him the Cup first," Toews said. "That got the blood pumping…