Excellent mentors

CHICAGO - During his time with the Blackhawks, Phillip Danault had the opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade in the faceoff dot from one of the best in the business.

It was former Canadiens forward Yanic Perreault.
Perreault, who played three seasons with the Canadiens in the early 2000s, has been working for Chicago since 2013 as a development coach and faceoff specialist.
"It was really Yanic who helped me improve that aspect of my game. We'd often train together," explained Danault.
And, the former Blackhawks first-rounder, who was selected 26th overall in 2011, made sure to retain those lessons learned from Perreault, who is widely considered an all-time great at taking draws.

His statistics in that department certainly support that contention.
During his 12 NHL campaigns, the former Habs centerman took no less than 10,128 faceoffs and won 6,192 of them. That equates to an impressive 61.1% faceoff winning percentage.
He also had his best season in the faceoff dot with the Canadiens in 2003-04, finishing the year by winning 65.2% of his draws.
Consider that Perreault also won 61% or more of his faceoffs during 10 of his 12 season after 1997-98. That season, he won 55.3% of his faceoffs - the lowest percentage of his career.
The Sherbrooke native was equally good during the playoffs, compiling a faceoff winning percentage of 61% before hanging up his skates.
Perreault also won 64.3% of his faceoffs during his final NHL campaign with Chicago in 2007-08.
It's safe to say that Danault couldn't have asked for a better mentor to help him hone this all-important aspect of his game.
Another good example
The current edition of the Blackhawks also boasts a player on its roster that isn't too shabby in the faceoff circle.
Captain Jonathan Toews currently ranks second in the League among all players who've taken at least 500 draws this season. He has a 58.2% faceoff winning percentage. Only Ryan O'Reilly of the St. Louis Blues is ahead of him at 61%.

During the 32 games that Danault played with Chicago, Toews taught him a very important lesson.
"He's a great leader. Whether he's a superstar or not, it's his work and his dedication that make him successful. That's what I learned from him during my time there," explained Danault.
The Canadiens' No. 24 also believes that Toews is a perfect example for any player to follow.
"His desire to win and compete. He competes every night and he hates losing," mentioned Danault. "He's a pretty complete player, defensively and offensively. He's also great on faceoffs. He's a real role model for me."
For his part, Danault is quite good on draws, too. He currently ranks 15th in the League among players who've taken at least 500 faceoffs this season, coming out on top 51.7% of the time in 559 faceoff matchups.