Hockey fans know all about some of the best Canadian players in the NHL playoffs. Connor McDavid of the Oilers, Nathan MacKinnon of the Avalanche and Mitch Marner of the Maple Leafs are just a few of the talented Canadians on the quest for the Stanley Cup.
An underrated Canadian from Langley, BC who not enough people are talking about in the NHL playoffs is Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore.
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You should get familiar with Shea Theodore from the Golden Knights because he is an underrated defenseman who makes a big impact on the ice when he’s on his game. This year is Shea Theodore’s fifth season with the Golden Knights, and he was drafted in the 1st round, 26th overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2013 NHL draft.
Perhaps what makes Theodore underrated the most for me is his vision on both ends of the ice. The offensive talent he has might be what he is known for the most, but he has a two-way play style that you can observe when you pay close attention to him on the ice. Theodore is often overlooked on the Golden Knights because of the other star power they have, like players such as Mark Stone, Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo.
(Pexels / Tony Schnagl)
Just unlike any player that might be considered underrated in sports, Shea Theodore appears to be fine with not being always under the spotlight. There was one time, however, when Theodore was all over the news, but it was for a story off the ice which caught everyone by surprise.
At the end of the 2019 season Theodore was taking a routine blood test when it was discovered he had stage one testicular cancer. The news was unexpected to say the least, but the “butterfly effect” that led to Shea taking that blood test is what makes this story so crazy.
(Pexels / Martin Lopez)
Shea Theodore was invited and accepted an invitation to play for Canada in the 2019 World Championships. After claiming his silver medal Shea and his teammates had to all take blood tests. High levels of a hormone called hCG were found and this led to Theodore’s diagnosis. Shea Theodore made a full recovery and was cancer-free after a surgery only three months later. If that blood test didn’t happen, they wouldn’t have got the early detection and the cancer could have gone unnoticed for who knows how long.
I hope Shea Theodore gains the respect he deserves throughout the 2023 playoffs and for his career going forward. Shea is an underrated player that has gone through a lot to get to where he is in Vegas today, and you can’t help but root for the Langley native to succeed.