His love of hockey as a youngster may have been ignited by our late Hartford Whalers but Avon’s Ben Smith has used the work ethic he learned from his parents and brothers to carve out a career in the NHL. Smith has three points in seven playoff games this spring and has made some key plays for the Blackhawks, who rallied from a 2-0 deficit to eliminate the St. Louis Blues, 4-2 in the first round.

Smith has a goal and two assists in the last five games. He had an assist in Chicago’s 5-2 win over Minnesota in game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals.

In the first round against St. Louis, Smith had a goal in Chicago’s 3-2 OT win in game 5. In game 4, he had two good scoring opportunities in overtime and fed Patrick Kane, who went the length of the ice for the game-winning goal in a 4-3 OT victory. And Smith was right there on the doorstep of the crease, looking for any potential rebound off Blues goalie Ryan Miller.

In the Minnesota series, Smith already has blocked five shots and he has blocked nine in the last four games. The Hawks have a 2-0 lead in the series after Sunday’s 4-1 victory.

“To win a Stanley Cup, you need 25 guys,” Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook told ESPN The Magazine’s Craig Custance. “Smitty’s been unbelievable for us this year, throughout the whole season. … He’s been huge in different aspects, killing penalties, standing in front of the net on the power play when needed, doing all the little things that you need players to do to win.”

Read more to see how the Whalers and his family have made a difference in Smith’s life and hockey career.

ESPN The Magazine, May 3: Smith is tuning up for the playoffs