CNY Hockey Player From Baldwinsville In The Stanley Cup

If you are a hockey fan and from CNY you'll recognize the name, Alex Tuch. This young man was destined for big things in the NHL and it's taken all his effort both on the ice and off.

During the summer Alex Tuch works clinics with one of his Syracuse youth hockey coaches, Scott Montagna. Conditioning drills that include goal line to goal line sprints. He'll watch silently as the youngsters peel off a couple of feet shy of the far line cutting short their loops. Tuch explains the reason why he has the players do the full drill and not just 80% of the distance in the sprint.

What's the payoff for all the extra effort? Winning a race to a loose puck? Finishing on the forecheck? Maybe playing in the NHL and winning the Stanley Cup. His coach, Montagna, coached Tuch from ages 8 to 15. "He was always on point and understood you put in the extra effort it would always pay off. He could probably take a shortcut or two and been really good. But I think the sense he's going to be a dominant hockey player is because of his mindset. He gets it."

All this effort has taken Alex within four wins of getting his name on the Stanley Cup. The series started Monday and Alex and Las Vegas have taken the first win.

[syracuse.com]