Winning Stanley Cup with Hurricanes would be ‘super special’ for Blake, father

LAS VEGAS -- Jackson Blake has plenty of people cheering for him during the Stanley Cup Final, from his family to boisterous Carolina Hurricanes fans.

And his father, former NHL forward Jason Blake, is right there at the forefront.

“He’s loving every bit of it,” Jackson said. “He wouldn’t miss a game, that’s for sure, especially in the (Stanley Cup) Playoffs. He’s having fun and it’d be super special to win so we can enjoy it together.”

Blake had a hand in bringing the best-of-7 series against the Vegas Golden Knights back to Carolina tied 2-2 with his first goal of the Cup Final at 3:28 of the first period in a 5-3 win in Game 4 at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday.

It’s a best-of-3 situation to win the Cup starting with Game 5 at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC). 

Blake has played a significant role for the Hurricanes throughout their playoff run. As part of their second line with left wing Taylor Hall and center Logan Stankoven, Blake is tied for the team lead in scoring with 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in 17 games. Hall has the same numbers.

As much as Blake wants to celebrate a championship with his dad, he also wants to win for veteran players looking to win for the first time. That includes Hall, who’s in his second season with the Hurricanes, as well as those who have been with Carolina for an extended time, including forwards Sebastian Aho (10 seasons) and Jordan Martinook (eight), defenseman Jaccob Slavin (11) and goalie Frederik Andersen (five).

Carolina is in the Cup Final for the first time since 2006, when it won its only championship. It has advanced to the Eastern Conference Final four times since Rod Brind’Amour took over as coach in 2018-19.

“Obviously, us young guys and the guys who are new to the Canes, we all want to win so bad,” Blake said. “But we want to do it for those guys who have been here -- guys who have been through the ups and downs here and have fallen short, have come close but fallen short.

“We want to do it for those guys because it means so much to them. They deserve it; they’ve done everything for the program and done everything for this organization. So, we’re going to work for those guys for sure.”

Jason Blake had 486 points (213 goals, 273 assists) in 871 regular-season games with the Los Angeles Kings, New York Islanders, Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks. He played 11 postseason games but never reached to the second round.

Watching his son get to this point has been incredibly special. It’s also kept him on edge. 

“I thought playing was hard and I got to live out my dreams, but this is way, way, way more stressful, to watch your kid play,” he said with a laugh. 

“It’s funny … I sit in the stands, and I have a buddy in Raleigh, and he comes to the games too. He’s a family friend of ours. He tries to talk to me during the game and he knows by now -- don’t even talk to me, don’t look at me. I’m watching the game. We can talk after the period. I don’t say much during the game, but my heart rate is about 200 and I’m on the edge of my seat the whole game. It’s almost like a workout, but it’s stressful. It’s way more stressful.”

If Jackson is feeling any stress on the ice, it hasn’t been evident. The 22-year-old may only have two NHL seasons under his belt, but he’s playing like a veteran. His coach and teammates especially admire his work ethic.

“When he first came into the League, the first time I saw him, and then he had a summer (working out), came back and he was just night and day,” Brind’Amour said. “He put the work in. I saw him on a daily basis do that, but sometimes those guys who work hard, you lose the fact that they’re very talented. 

“If he wasn’t such a hard worker, you’d say he’s an amazing player because he has such skill. He has a combination. This is a little bit of his coming-out party because we’re playing at this time, but I think he’s just scratching the surface.”

Martinook cited Blake’s shiftiness and ability to take the puck from opponents. Blake had 30 takeaways in the regular season and has 10 in the playoffs.

“He’s got such a quick stick, and I don’t know how many takeaways this guy has, but it feels like every shift he’s going to take it away,” Martinook said. “And obviously he’s so slippery, you can’t really hit him.

“Sometimes you’re watching and you’re like, ‘Oh no, don’t go there ‘Blaker,’ but then he finds a way out of it. It’s so impressive to watch the way he plays and honestly all three of them have that mindset in them, that line but seeing Blaker come in from two years ago to now, the fact he’s made this jump is incredible. I think it speaks volumes of him as a person and as a player to be able to I guess develop that quickly in the best league in the world.”

As for the chemistry of his line, it probably helps that Blake and Stankoven have known each other since they were kids. Growing up, the two usually played against each other, Blake for a team in his native Minnesota; Stankoven in his home Canadian province of British Columbia. 

“He was always shifty and crafty like he is now; he was actually smaller than me, if you can believe that,” the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Stankoven said to laughs.

Blake is now 5-11, 185.

“He was always feisty and always one of the best players on the ice,” Stankoven said. “Now we’re teammates and obviously he’s grown a lot. He’s a special player and it’s funny, going back and looking at those spring hockey tournaments, playing against each other, they were always competitive games.”

Jackson is close to achieving something the Hurricanes haven’t done in 20 years, something he hasn’t done yet and something that eluded his dad during his career. It’s been a special ride for the family, especially father and son. 

“I just keep telling him, ‘Just embrace it,’" Jason said. “These are opportunities that come once in a lifetime for people, so embrace every moment of it and have fun doing it. Don’t get too high, don’t get too low -- just have an even keel and just every shift go out there and do what you do and be your best.

“The only thing you can control is yourself, how you play and how you work. I think he’s done a heck of a job and I’m very proud of him.”