Cheechoo guns for more NHL glory with San Jose

Originally published in Eishockey News in 2006

By Lucas Aykroyd

Jonathan Cheechoo more than tripled his goal production from his rookie NHL season (9) to his sophomore year (28), but that didn’t make the San Jose Sharks winger a household name. Yet when Cheechoo racked up 56 goals to win the Rocket Richard Trophy as the league’s top goal-scorer in 2005-06, beating out Jaromir Jagr, Ilya Kovalchuk, and Alexander Ovechkin, he truly put his remote hometown of Moose Factory, Ontario on the map.

Of course, Cheechoo’s success stemmed from the passing prowess of his linemate, Joe Thornton, acquired from Boston in November 2005 in exchange for Marco Sturm, Wayne Primeau, and Brad Stuart. The question on everyone’s mind now is whether the 26-year-old can maintain that special chemistry with his superstar center and keep filling the net this season.

San Jose defenseman Christian Ehrhoff has faith in Cheechoo: “56 goals is a pretty high standard in this league, but he’s out there every night getting good chances. It’s tough to take him out of the game, because Joe always finds his stick. He likes his one-timers, but he’s also tough in one-on-one battles. He’ll get his goals, and hopefully he can repeat what he did last year or even get more.”

“Cheech really gets himself ready for the games,” added forward Marcel Goc. “He knows where the scoring areas are, where to go for good shooting opportunities.”

The 185-cm, 91-kg sniper showed his ability in a 6-4 loss to Edmonton on October 12, scoring his sixth career hat trick with wicked shots reminiscent of his boyhood idol, Jari Kurri.

For Cheechoo, it’s still hard to imagine that he scored more goals in one season last year than legends like Mark Messier (50), Brendan Shanahan (52), or Joe Sakic (54) ever did in their best campaigns.

“It was pretty crazy. It was just amazing last year. Joe helped me out a lot. Ever since he came over, we just seemed to click.”

Cheechoo has adapted well to the new NHL’s style. In the past, he was criticized for poor skating, but his off-season training program in San Jose has changed that.

“I’ve been trying to bring my speed up to par and get my body into the shape I wanted so that I could compete on every shift,” he said. “This summer, I went running about six days a week, sometimes twice a day. It’s pretty grueling, but in the end it pays off.”

Those runs included hour-long jogs to build endurance and short sprints ranging from 10 to 400 meters to build fast-twitch fibers. On a related note, Cheechoo also admires the conditioning and work ethic of his two German teammates.

“Goc has come a long way,” said Cheechoo. “He does a lot of little things well out there. He’s one of our top penalty-killers. Maybe he was more of an offensive star in Germany, but here he plays well defensively. His ability to play in his own end will earn him more ice time.”

And Ehrhoff? “He struggled at times last year, but he’s been pretty steady so far this year. He’s got so much speed, and his great shot makes him an asset on the power play. He can just wire the puck. He’s also good at getting back for pucks quickly and moving them up to the forwards. He joins the rush late, and it’s tough to defend against.”

In February, Cheechoo signed a five-year contract extension worth $15 million US. The Sharks are banking on the notion that he too will remain tough to defend against.

But numbers, like his 2006 NHL-best 11 game-winners, don’t tell you everything about this young man. A member of the Cree Nation, he’s very proud of his native Indian heritage.

“A lot of native children look up to me back home in Moose Factory. They’ll always come up to me and ask for autographs. I take fishing trips up there sometimes, and it’s amazing how excited the people are to see me. Growing up, I was that way too when an NHL player was around. I know how they feel. I’m proud to represent our nation and do whatever I can to help the kids out.”

Whether he scores 56 goals again or not, Jonathan Cheechoo’s future as a Sharks sniper and maybe even a Team Canada member looks bright.