Halfway through the 2008-09 season, then-rookie forward Blake Wheeler of the Bruins was being mentioned as an NHL rookie of the year candidate. But then, whether it was the rigors of the 82-game schedule, nagging injuries he never made public or simply being a rookie, reality came crashing down on Wheeler.
The 2004 fifth overall pick was drafted by Phoenix but never signed with the Coyotes. He was signed as a free agent by the Bruins last summer. And after the midway point last season, he would never really recover his scoring touch, battling through an 11-game scoreless streak in February and March and another 12-game scoreless streak that included eight games in the playoffs.
Reached by phone at his summer home in his native Minnesota, Wheeler reflected on his up-and-down season and seems to have learned from his struggles.
"I learned that throughout the year you will have your ups and downs," Wheeler said. "It's an 82-game season and you're going to have peaks and valleys. You really just have to take it day by day and game by game, not getting too high or too low.
"You have to realize that you will come out of it and find your way again," he continued. "You can't press too much and put too much pressure on yourself, because that's when you get into trouble. I think I was doing that too much at the end and that's why I struggled."
Bruins head coach Claude Julien gave the rookie winger every chance he could to snap out of his late-season funk. But with his team trailing 3-1 in the second-round series against Carolina, Julien finally felt the time had come for Wheeler to take a step back from the game. The rookie watched things from above as a healthy scratch for Game 5. Fellow rookie Byron Bitz stepped up his game and Wheeler never saw the ice again in the seven-game loss to the Hurricanes.
But just as he did during those three games and in the aftermath of the season, Wheeler refused to gripe and took that experience as a valuable lesson, praising Julien — the eventual Jack Adams Award winner — for his coaching job.
"He never allowed us to get too far ahead of ourselves," Wheeler said of Julien. "It was always a day-to-day atmosphere and we were never allowed to worry about the next game but rather the game at hand.
"An 82-game season can definitely wear on you and when you come to the rink and shorten things up, approach things by what you can control and focus on the opponent that night, we went into a lot of games with control and confidence. I learned a lot from Claude and the way he prepared us."
Throughout the season, Julien stressed that Wheeler needed to make more use of his 6-foot-5, 205-pound frame and be a physical presence on every shift. This summer, Wheeler has done his best to add to his already large physique and plans to have opponents thinking twice every time he takes to the ice.
"I'd like to be more physical," Wheeler said when asked what aspect of the game he's focused on improving. "I think I did a good job of winning battles in the corners and creating turnovers and producing offense that way, but if I could use my body more and be more physical, creating space for my linemates, I think that makes me more effective.
"That's the name of the game for a big guy like me," Wheeler went on to say, "and I am going to try and focus on that. Being able to create that time and space will help create more chances for my linemates and me and being more physical will get guys looking over their shoulders when I'm out there."
Despite sitting out the Bruins' final three games of the playoffs, Wheeler really soaked up the experience and can't wait for another chance to play for the Cup.
"It's crazy how you can play 82 games and it comes down to a seven-game series," Wheeler said. "That becomes your life and your job depends on it. You have to eat, breath, drink and sleep that series. You become totally engulfed in it. The atmosphere in the building and in the dressing room is amazing and going through it makes you want to experience it more. Watching on TV after we lost was the hardest part. Knowing that we should be there or could be there is going to make us want to go further this season."
For now, Wheeler will get in some final workouts with some fellow Minnesota alumni with whom he has been practicing all summer. One former Gopher — and a current teammate that Wheeler has seen a lot of this summer — is forward Phil Kessel. While Wheeler couldn't comment on Kessel's well-publicized contract stalemate with the Bruins, he did report that Kessel's recovery from offseason surgery for a torn rotator cuff is progressing nicely.
"I talk to Phil all the time and have seen him a lot and I can tell you that he is doing much better," Wheeler said. "He is mending and he seems to be on schedule."
Wheeler is looking forward to skating with Kessel again, but for now he is excited to get back to Boston and skate with the rest of his teammates.
"I'll be there really soon," Wheeler said, "and I'm looking forward to getting camp going. The summer was quick but I am ready and excited for the season to get going."
