By MIKE FINNEY
The Wilmington (DE) News Journal
http://www.delawareonline.com/sports
June 21, 2009
Mark Eaton has had his share of ups and downs throughout his somewhat nomadic eight years as a player in the National Hockey League.
So Eaton, a Wilmington native and Dickinson High graduate, wasn't taking anything for granted as the clock slowly ticked down on the Pittsburgh Penguins' 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 12.Eaton made sure that he took a couple of deep breaths and just tried to hang on to the end.
And when that clock finally ran out and the horn blared, Eaton's lifelong dream of hoisting the Stanley Cup -- perhaps the most famous trophy in all of sports -- was fulfilled.
Eaton is the first player from Delaware to have his name inscribed on the Cup.
"It has just been a dream week," Eaton said Friday. "Playing in and winning a Game 7 is something you dream about as a kid, and to finally be able to accomplish it and hold the Stanley Cup above my head ... it really was an unbelievable feeling.
"Actually the full extent of it all hasn't really sunken in. It's kind of a blur right now. Just thinking that I grabbed the Stanley Cup and I skated with it. It's all almost surreal."
Eaton didn't know if he would get this chance, especially after missing most of the past two seasons due to wrist and knee injuries.
So he made sure to savor the moments in Game 7.
"We definitely stressed it out at the end, that's for sure," he said. "It was just more holding your breath and watching the clock."
Eaton's father, Bill, and mother, Sandi, traveled from their home in Deep Creek, Md., to Pittsburgh before Game 7.
They went to Eaton's house, where they picked up their daughter, Amy, who was staying at her brother's house after watching Game 6. Together, they drove to Detroit in hopes of watching Mark Eaton take part in history.
They were not disappointed.
"It was a dream come true, there's no question about it," Bill Eaton said. "We were fortunate enough to make it to Detroit. It was pretty much a last-minute decision because Mark came into a couple of extra tickets.
"This was a dream come true more than any of us had a right to expect. We're just so happy for him because he reached the pinnacle of his sport and profession."
Finally, all of those long days of taking Eaton to and from hockey practices had paid off in a spectacular way.
"We never really minded," Bill Eaton said, about helping his son chase his hockey dream. "He went from local teams in Wilmington to Philadelphia when he played with the Little Flyers.
"During his last two years in high school, he played in New York. My wife would make the three-hour trip on a Friday afternoon and he would play on the weekend.
"You could say it was a labor of love."
Eaton, 32, served as a valuable catalyst during the Penguins' run to a title.
The defenseman scored four goals and recorded three assists in Pittsburgh's 24-game playoff run. He matched the total number of goals he scored during the regular season.
None of that came as a surprise to Jerry Truitt, who coached Eaton with the New Castle County Hawks in a youth league.
"Our coaches were forced to make him play defense because other teams wouldn't play us with him on offense," said Truitt, of Elkton, Md. "The other players were like cones on the ice to him."
Truitt has watched from afar as Eaton has crafted his game in the NHL.
Eaton broke in with the Flyers in 1999-2000, and also played for Nashville before coming to Pittsburgh for the 2006-07 season.
"Mark is a steady blueliner who doesn't make mistakes with the puck. Plus, he can carry it out and is a good passer," Truitt said. "He isn't the most physical defenseman, but because he is such a good skater he's very hard for a forward to get around.
"If you watch when he blocks shots he pops right back up. A lot of guys are like throwing a dead duck on the ice when they go down to block."
Eaton was on pace for a memorable season in Pittsburgh two years ago. But he was sidelined with a knee injury and underwent surgery before missing the final 46 games.
Still, he will gladly take the pain in exchange for this season's unforgettable ending.
In keeping with tradition, every player and coach on the Penguins will get the Stanley Cup for a day during the offseason. Eaton isn't sure what he is going to do with the Cup, but said he likely won't bring it to Delaware. He said he will probably have a low-key family affair at his home in Pittsburgh.
"I'll probably just spend the day with my family and friends when I get the Cup," said Eaton, who attended former teammate Colby Armstrong's wedding in Atlanta this weekend. "Nothing too big."
Eaton visits Wilmington periodically to visit his sister, Amy, and two nephews. He plans to attend a wedding in Delaware this summer.
Many people assume Eaton's lifelong goal was to play for the Flyers, since he grew up in Wilmington, but that was not the case.
His father was a longtime Pittsburgh fan, and that Steel City mentality rubbed off on his son.
"I was the only one from my family not from the Pittsburgh area," Eaton said. "When I was growing up I followed the Steelers and the Penguins.
"I grew up a Penguins fan, and it made it more special when I won the Stanley Cup as a member of their team. I guess you can say to all of those Philadelphia fans that I got the last laugh."
Eaton also knows that few things compare to winning the Stanley Cup.
"It's going to be a tough event to top," he said. "Now you have a taste for it. You know it's something you're going to want to try to experience again.
"I'll just try to enjoy it until we go back to training camp, and then we'll try to do it all over again. That's really all you can do."
Additional Facts
MARK EATON FILE
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-2 Weight: 204
Shoots: Left
Born: May 6, 1977, in Wilmington
High school: Dickinson
NHL career:
'06-'07-present: Pittsburgh
'00-'01 to '05-'06: Nashville
1999-2000: Flyers
Goals: 20 Assists: 42
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