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Worth the wait Providence's Eric Manlow finally reaches summit
By Josh Goldfine, Special to CNNSI.com Eric Manlow kept the dream alive in the back of his mind. On the endless bus rides that plodded through Wheeling, Peoria, and towns stretching from coast to coast, Manlow still had that feeling he would one day be playing on hockey’s greatest stage. A month ago, that dream became a reality. Chicago’s second-round pick in the 1993 draft after two impressive seasons for Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League, Manlow endured a difficult transition to the pro game after capturing a Memorial Cup (OHL) title with Detroit in 1995. The Stirling, Ontario native tallied just 17 points in 75 games for Indianapolis (IHL) in ’96-’97. He then averaged a point-per-game for a half-season in Columbus (ECHL) before spending a difficult half-season in Baltimore, where he had just 12 points in 36 games. The 6-foot-190-pound center bottomed out with an unimpressive 8-11-19 season in 60 games for Indianapolis in ’97-‘98, ending his Blackhawk tenure. “Chicago just didn’t go my way,” he says. “You start to see the business of hockey. I don’t have any bitterness. You see how guys get moved around. You just can’t think about it. Once you start thinking, you’re in trouble.” Now, Manlow was on his own. He hooked on with Florida (ECHL) at the beginning of the ’98-’99 season and played well before a more impressive IHL stint in 51 games with Long Beach (9-19-28). Manlow’s career really started to come back this past season. Back in Florida for a second straight year, Manlow had 38 points in his first 26 games before joining Providence (AHL), where he placed sixth on the team with 33 points despite playing in just 46 games. He then led the team in playoff scoring, with 14 points in as many games as the “Baby Bruins” advanced to the Calder Cup semi-finals. Amidst the coast-to-coast moves and the constant worrying about his next paycheck, Manlow knew that something would eventually come together for him. “You always have to keep a positive mindset,” he says. “Always focus on the dream.” For a player who had the “career minor leaguer” label practically stitched to his jersey less than a year earlier, Manlow’s career was on the way back. In July, he signed a two-year deal with the Bruins. “He worked for that contract,” says Providence coach Bill Armstrong. “He just saw an opportunity to succeed and took advantage of it. This is a guy who was cut three times this past season. He didn’t have any money, so we kept him around, and it worked out for him.” Manlow certainly has not disappointed in the first half of this season with Providence. He has 49 points, second-best in the league, and a league-high 38 assists through 32 games. In Monday’s All-Star Game, he scored the go-ahead goal late in the third period to cap a four-point night and lead the Canadian All-Stars to an 11-10 win over the PlanetUSA team. Manlow’s career came full circle a month ago, when he was summoned to Boston to make his NHL debut against the Flyers. “We had a game that night in Providence, and I just got home from a morning skate to have a pre-game meal,” Manlow recalls. “I got a call from Coach Armstrong saying that I had been called up and to be in Boston by five o’clock. My wife and daughter had already gone home to Nova Scotia for the holidays, so they didn’t see the game. But, everyone from home watched on TV.” The 25-year-old Manlow, who stuck with the Bruins for six games (0-1-1) and is stuck behind a pair of talented centers (Jason Allison, Joe Thornton) in Boston, acknowledges that his career has not been an easy ride. “I appreciate things more now,” says Manlow. “I’ve had a long road all over the map in a lot of different leagues, and I’ve been patient.” Seven years and thousands of miles away from being a top prospect in the Blackhawks system, Manlow is ready to test his skills as a Bruin.
Q&A with Eric ManlowWhat is your favorite off-ice activity? In the summer, golf. I don’t even keep score most of the time. I just go out and have fun. In the winter, just spending time with my family. Before I was married, it was just killing time during the season. Now that I’m married and on the road a lot, I like to be with my family when I am home. How do you feel overtimes should be decided? Shootout or sudden death? Sudden death. The fans like the shootout, but it becomes too individual. You’ve played for nine teams in five leagues in your career. Do you have a favorite spot? They’re all different. The weather in Long Beach was great all year long, and Indianapolis and Providence are both great hockey cities. What, to you, constitutes a perfect day? Just spending the day with my family. The three of us [wife Heather and daughter Kaitlyn] would just go out, enjoy the outside and have some fun.
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