Apparently all it took to get the Blackhawks' power play working was the return of Jonathan Toews.

The team captain returned from a six-game layoff to recover from a concussion and was on the ice for two third-period goals with the man advantage. Toews scored the second of the two, and they led to a solid 4-1 victory Monday over the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center.

Until the third-period explosion, the Hawks had converted on three of their previous 33 power plays, a streak stretching back to the Oct. 15.

It was 1-1 when Troy Brouwer scored on the first power play 93 seconds into the third period. Toews' goal followed at 5:04, thanks to a good bounce off the boards.

''I was coming out of the corner, and the puck happened to pop out,'' Toews said. ''For the first game back it was nice to get a break like that.''

Andrew Ebbett's first goal as a Hawk -- he was picked up on waivers from Anaheim on Oct. 17 -- completed a big third period that provided an encouraging start to a four-game homestand.

The Hawks started the season 7-3-1 but were 1-2-1 in four games entering Monday. The power-play unit was 2-for-20 in those games and 4-for-35 at home, ranking 28th in the league in that category until going 2-for-3 on Monday.

''A lot of the games we lost the last couple weeks were low-scoring games, and we struggled on the power play so that could have been the difference in those games,'' Toews said.

Troy Brouwer was on the scoresheet more than Toews, getting two assists in addition to his game-winner. Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp also assisted twice.

In addition to regaining Toews, who played more than 19 minutes and won 13 of 20 faceoffs, the Hawks benefitted from the return of fourth-line tough guy Ben Eager. Out 13 games with a concussion, he got into a brief first-period skirmish -- an quick indication that he'll be a physical presence again.

''Both those guys can help us in a lot of ways,'' coach Joel Quenneville said of Toews and Eager.

''It's never fun to sit out,'' Eager said, ''and it seemed like I'd been out forever. I'd just been showing up at the rink and not doing much, so I was excited to be back.''

And the Hawks were excited to have him against a team that was 3-0-1 in its previous four road games.

''They're a good team, and we played a very good game across the board,'' Quenneville said. ''This is an important stretch for us, an opportunity to get some momentum back.''

The Hawks, 0-1-1 in two road games last week after a five-day break, got on the scoreboard first on a pretty play. Keith retrieved the puck in the Hawks' zone, sent it to Brouwer streaking down the middle and Brouwer shoved it to John Madden on the right side. His backhander got by Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick 64 seconds into the second period.

Anze Kopitar's 14th goal and league-leading 28th point tied the game 9:10 into the period. The play started with Drew Doughty shooting from the blue line. Hawks' goaltender Cristobal Huet was screened, but the puck hit him. That created an easy rebound for Kopitar to poke the puck in.

It was Huet's first career win over the Kings. He had lost two starts and had a 4.03 goals-against average against them before stopping 17 of 18 shots Monday.

BLACKHAWKS 4, KINGS 1

The Blackhawks lost Marian Hossa and Adam Burish to surgery before their first regular season game. Now they’ve got their first surgery patient of the regular season.

Coach Joel Quenneville announced that second-line center Dave Bolland would undergo back surgery following the team’s practice on Tuesday. The surgery was scheduled for Tuesday night, but the Hawks offered no other details.

Bolland had missed the last two games, but it had been clear since before training even started that he had a health problem.

Last season’s Bolland’s first full one in the NHL, he played in 81 of 82 regular season games and all 17 playoff games and was a big part of the Hawks’ run to the Western Conference finals. Even then, however, he was coping with a back problem on a daily basis.

Signs that it had become more serious surfaced before training camp opened in September when Bolland was held out of a golf event for fear he might do damage to his back. He also was held out of much of training but did start the season in the lineup. He missed the third game with a sore back, then played the next 11 before going down again.

Even when he was playing it was obvious Bolland wasn’t himself. He had two goals, four assists, 14 penalty minuts and was a plus-3 in his 13 games. Last season he scored 47 points and was a plus-19 while contributing to both the power play and penalty kill units in addition to his five-on-five play.

Jonathan Toews’ return to the lineup on Monday alleviated the immediate loss of Bolland. With Toews centering for the top line, the second line could have either John Madden, Andrew Ebbett or converted winger Kris Versteeg in the middle. Colin Fraser remains as the center on the fourth line.

The Hawks’ next game is Wednesday night against Colorado at the United Center.

The health report on second-line center Dave Bolland isn’t encouraging. ‘‘He hasn’t made any progress,’’ coach Joel Quenneville reported Monday after the morning skate. Bolland missed his third game and has been off the ice for four consecutive days with back problems. He’s still listed as day-to-day, but Quenneville said Bolland is on ‘‘a slower program — just more rest right now.’’

With Jonathan Toews and Ben Eager back in the lineup, Jordan Hendry was no longer needed as a fill-in winger on the fourth line. Normally a defenseman, Hendry was the Hawks’ lone healthy scratch. He had played in the previous seven games.

The crowd of 20,293 extended the Hawks’ string of sellouts at the United Center to 61, including the postseason.

The Hawks entered the game leading the NHL with a 10.5 shot differential (33.2 shots per game against 22.7 allowed). Since 2005-06, one team, the 2007-08 Detroit Red Wings (10.9), had a better shot differential over an entire season.

The Hawks and Kings entered the game ranked 1-2 in the NHL in shots allowed. The Kings had allowed 26.1 per game.

Even with Toews missing six games, the Hawks ranked second in faceoff winning percentage (53.8) entering Monday. Toews ranked fourth at 61.1 and John Madden ninth at 56.6. Colin Fraser got his percentage over 50 by winning 9 of 10 draws in the shootout loss Friday at Colorado.

Marian Hossa’s Hawks’ debut is still about three weeks away, but the best-paid player in franchise history is making an impact during his recovery from shoulder surgery. ‘‘He enhances the skill level and the pace of our practices,’’ Quenneville said.

Before the game, the Hawks hosted an equipment drive to benefit Inner City Education Program and AHAI Diversity Hockey, with Chicago Steel players and their coach, ex-Hawk Steve Poapst, collecting the gear. The Steel will host a similar drive Nov. 20 at The Edge in Bensenville before a game against Waterloo.

The Rockford IceHogs, the Hawks’ top farm team, endured an American Hockey League-record seven-game road winless streak before winning at Abbotsford on Saturday. Now the IceHogs, who played 12 of their first 17 games on enemy ice, play six in a row at the Rockford MetroCentre, beginning on Friday against Texas.

Corey Crawford, who was edged out by Antti Niemi as the Hawks’ backup goaltender in training camp, has a challenge at Rockford. Backup Joe Fallon has a dazzling .963 save percentage over his last three games.

Jonathan Toews and Troy Brouwer scored power-play goals in a 3:31 span early in the third period Monday night, leading the Chicago Blackhawks to a 4-1 victory over the Los Angeles Kings.

Toews had been out with a concussion since Vancouver's Willie Mitchell leveled him on Oct. 21. The Blackhawks lost three of six games without their captain, who had a team-high 34 goals last season.

Anze Kopitar scored his 14th goal for the Kings, tying injured Washington star Alex Ovechkin for the NHL lead. Although Los Angeles ranks third in the league with 58 goals, it has scored only once in each of its last two games, both losses. The losing streak followed a 6-0-2 stretch that put the Kings near the top of the Western Conference standings.

The Blackhawks held the Kings to 18 shots, including two in the third period.

It was a 1-1 game until 1:33 of the third period, when Brouwer, standing to the right of goalie Jonathan Quick, deflected Patrick Sharp's pass into the net.

At 5:04, Sharp poked the puck away from defenseman Matt Greene in the left circle and Brouwer fed Toews, who scored on a backhander from the slot.

Toews, who also was on the ice for Brouwer's goal, energized a Chicago power play that had converted on only three of its last 33 attempts. The Blackhawks had scored only four man-advantage goals at home all season.

Andrew Ebbett, claimed off waivers from Anaheim last month, scored his first goal with the Blackhawks with 10:40 to play.

John Madden gave Chicago a 1-0 lead 1:04 into the second period. Kopitar tied it about eight minutes later when he scored on a rebound after Cristobal Huet had kicked aside Drew Doughty's shot from the point.

Kopitar leads the league with 28 points. He and linemates Ryan Smyth and Justin Williams have 51 points in their 13 games together.

NOTES: The victory gave the Blackhawks a 73-72-21 lead in the all-time series against the Kings. ... Blackhawks LW Ben Eager was activated from injured reserve after missing 13 games with a concussion. ... It took Kopitar 50 games to get his 14th goal last season. ... Blackhawks C Dave Bolland was out with a back injury.

It wasn't a done deal after practice Sunday, but Jonathan Toews and Ben Eager are poised to return to the Blackhawks' lineup for the game tonight against the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center.

Dave Bolland is another matter. The second-line center couldn't skate with the team for the second consecutive day because of his chronically sore back. Coach Joel Quenneville said Bolland is ''still day-to-day,'' but shutting him down for either a lengthy rest or surgery is looming as an option.

''We'll see. That's not where we're at right now,'' Quenneville said.

Kris Versteeg again would move from wing to center if Bolland can't play.

Toews, who has missed six games while recovering from a concussion, skated with linemates Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp and worked on the power play.

''It'll be a game-time decision, but the good thing is I'm getting better every day,'' Toews said. ''I'm pretty confident. I felt good on the ice. It didn't take too long to get my conditioning back.''

''He looked better and ratcheted things up to a different level,'' Quenneville said. ''We'll see how he is in the morning.''

Toews could find no negatives after the workout Sunday.

''I like to think I can do it all,'' he said. ''I've got my energy back. After a couple weeks off it takes awhile to get your rhythm back, and it definitely feels like it's back. Today was a big step, for sure.''

The Hawks need their captain, though not as much as they did two seasons ago when he missed 16 games with a sprained knee. The Hawks were 5-9-2 without him and wound up missing the playoffs by three points.

During his absence this season, the Hawks went 3-2-1, but their offense suffered. With Toews playing in the first nine games, the Hawks scored 31 goals. Without him in the last six they've scored 12. The power play converted seven of 34 chances before Toews was flattened by Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21. Since then, the Hawks are 3-for-27.

''It's one of those things that snowballs,'' Toews said of the power-play slump. ''It's little details when you don't see results. It just takes a little push here and there. For us, it's just about putting one in there and not forcing things too much. Hopefully, I can contribute to getting this back on track.''

Eager, also a concussion victim, missed the last 13 games but returned to practice before Toews. He rejoined the fourth line, with linemates Colin Fraser and Tomas Kopecky, and handled contact situations well.

''Ben felt real good, and there's a good chance he'll play tomorrow,'' Quenneville said.

The game against the Kings starts a four-game homestand, and the Hawks need to pile up some points before embarking on a six-game road trip to conclude November. After facing the Kings, the Hawks face the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday and the San Jose Sharks on Sunday.

''We'll take it one game at a time,'' Quenneville said. ''We've got to take advantage of playing at home and get some momentum back in our game.''

Stan Bowman will attend his first NHL general managers meeting this week in Toronto as the Blackhawks' GM. The groundwork for trades often is created at the meeting, but after the Hawks went 8-4-1 in October, it didn't seem Bowman would be very interested in tweaking his roster.

But after two road losses in November, during which the Hawks will play eight road games, things might be different. The Hawks have a potential problem that won't be fixed by waiting for center Jonathan Toews and wingers Ben Eager and Marian Hossa to return from injuries.

Dave Bolland, the second-line center who helps the club in many ways, has a nagging back problem that is being closely watched. Last year, Bolland's first full season in the NHL, it hardly was noticeable; he played in 81 regular-season games and all 17 playoff games.

Then something happened. Coach Joel Quenneville said there was ''no defining blow,'' but Bolland's back wasn't right before training camp started. The club even kept him out of a golf outing a week before camp.

Bolland was off the ice for much of camp. On Oct. 8, he was held out of a game at Detroit, and Quenneville has given Bolland frequent days off from practice. He still had to miss the 4-3 shootout loss Friday at Colorado.

It was fortunate that Bowman was able to claim Andrew Ebbett off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks early in the season. Bowman wanted Ebbett to bolster the fourth line, which was missing Eager (concussion) and Adam Burish (knee surgery). Ebbett has been a center most of his career, but the Hawks believed he would be a capable winger as well.

There's no telling if they were right because soon after Ebbett put on his Hawks sweater, Toews went out with a concussion that has sidelined him for six games. Ebbett moved from the fourth line to the second, and Quenneville has praised his work there even though he hasn't tallied a point in seven games as a Hawk.

Toews might be back for the game Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings at the United Center, but that wouldn't alleviate the Hawks' concern at center. Bowman has been filling only winger spots in his call-ups (Bryan Bickell, Jack Skille, Jake Dowell), so there must not be a center candidate at Rockford. Now might be the time to start looking for one.

The Hawks have other problems. Their power play needs help, with Dustin Byfuglien's goal at Colorado only the third with the man-advantage in the last 34 opportunities. Overall, the Hawks have sputtered offensively with Toews out, scoring only 12 goals in the six games he has missed compared to 31 in the nine he has played.

Eager's return, also expected this week, should improve the Hawks' toughness, which has been lacking on occasion in the 13 games Eager has missed. And, of course, Hossa will be back soon. But there is the danger of expecting him to carry too big of a load too soon. The Hawks don't want that.

So, for the time being, Bowman should be on the prowl for another center -- maybe even one who could help on the power play, just in case.

DENVER -- The Blackhawks and Colorado Avalanche appear destined to play long games. They went nine rounds into a shootout in the Hawks' first game at the United Center this season before the Hawks pulled out a victory, and Friday the shootout went eight tension-packed rounds.

The Avalanche took this one 4-3, with Chris Stewart making the decisive conversion before Dustin Byfuglien shot wide on his attempt to send the shootout to a ninth round. The Hawks couldn't feel too bad. They salvaged a point against the top team in the Western Conference without their top two centers.

It was bad enough that the Hawks had to play their last six games without top-line center Jonathan Toews. On Friday, they also had to do without second-line center Dave Bolland, who has been nursing a sore back.

The point pulled the Hawks even with Columbus for the lead in the Central Division.

''In a shootout anything can happen,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Our guys played hard. They did a lot of good things.''

Toews, recovering from a two-week layoff caused by a concussion, skated for the third straight day during the morning skate but still wasn't ready for game duty. Neither was fourth-line winger Ben Eager, also a concussion victim, who missed his 13th straight game. Quenneville said Toews and Eager could return to the lineup in one of the home games this week.

Bolland's back ailment has been a seasonlong thing, and more substantial treatment might be needed.

''We'll see. There was no defining blow,'' Quenneville said of Bolland's most recent flareup. ''We'll see how he is on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes he has some good days.''

With Toews and Bolland out, the Hawks used Kris Versteeg as a center along with John Madden, Andrew Ebbett and Colin Fraser. Bryan Bickell was called up from Rockford to fill a winger's spot.

Quenneville opted for rookie Antti Niemi in goal, his first game since Oct. 21. Cristobal Huet started the previous five games.

''There's no controversy with us,'' Quenneville said. ''Huet had a nice stretch with back-to-back games and Niemi played well every time he was in there. This gives him a good chance.''

The Hawks staked Niemi to a two-goal lead in the first period, with Byfuglien scoring on their first power-play opportunity and Duncan Keith tallying off Versteeg's feed from behind the net. Versteeg also had a helper on Byfuglien's goal. Patrick Kane assisted on both of the first-period scores.

Ryan O'Reilly cut the lead in half when he scored during a scramble in front of Niemi with 1:22 left in the period. David Jones tied it with a short-handed goal 7:43 into the second.

Jones' shorty, in which he skated around Byfuglien before putting the puck past Niemi, started a horrid two minutes for the Hawks.

Just as that power play was ending, the Avalanche scored again, O'Reilly getting his second goal on a breakaway in which he scored off his own rebound. Then Niemi toughened, and the Avs' lead didn't last long. The Hawks rallied for a 3-3 tie on Andrew Ladd's tap-in. The play started with Sharp blasting the puck from the left circle and Anderson leaving a bad rebound that set up Ladd.

''[Niemi] battled. He stood his ground when Colorado came at us pretty hard,'' Quenneville said.

After a scoreless third period and overtime, the Hawks took the lead in the shootout when Kane converted as the second shooter. Niemi couldn't stop Colorado's third man, Marek Svatos, and there was no further scoring until Stewart's game-winner.

AVALANCHE 4, HAWKS 3

]]> Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:01 CST http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1870752,CST-SPT-hawknt07.article http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1868529,CST-SPT-hawk06.article
Dominating vs. Phoenix? That was so last year
Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:01
BY LEN ZIEHM lziehm@suntimes.com


Phoenix Coyotes' Peter Mueller (88) scores against Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet.
(AP)

COYOTES 3, BLACKHAWKS 1

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Blackhawks owned the Phoenix Coyotes last season, winning all four meetings and outscoring them 13-1 in the last two.

That was last year.

In the first meeting of this season Thursday night, the Hawks -- showing signs of rust from a five-day break from games and hampered by a feeble power play -- were soundly beaten by the Coyotes 3-1 at Jobing.com Arena.

Plagued with financial problems that led to declaring bankruptcy, the Coyotes now are owned by the NHL. They no longer have the legendary Wayne Gretzky as their coach, either.

''But they're a better team -- deeper, balanced,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''They've got a mobile defense and good goaltending.''

''They're a different team -- different players, different coach [Dave Tippett] -- but by no means did we play our best game,'' Hawks defenseman Cam Barker said.

No doubt about that.

Going 0-for-6 on the power play, the Hawks didn't score until the Coyotes had all their goals. After losing six straight to the Hawks over two seasons, the Coyotes boosted their record to 10-6-0 this year -- even though their fans haven't responded to the improvement. They had 5,855 for a Monday game against Los Angeles and a half-filled arena (10,362) Thursday.

Phoenix lost 4-1 at Colorado on Wednesday night while the Hawks waited for the Coyotes to get back in town, but they came more ready to play than the Hawks did. The Coyotes' schedule overload (they're in the midst of playing 10 games in 17 nights) didn't show up in the first period, when Phoenix took a 2-0 lead and silenced the Hawks on three power plays.

Hawks defenseman Brent Sopel slipped in the left circle 2:54 into the game, allowing Martin Hanzal to put the Coyotes ahead with a shot inside the far post against goaltender Cristobal Huet, who started his fifth straight game. Peter Mueller's rebound goal on Hanzal's shot off Huet's pads made it 2-0 11:55 into the game.

The second period wasn't much better. Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane failed to convert on breakaways 25 seconds apart in the third minute, and the Coyotes made it 3-0 on Scottie Upshall's shot from the left circle seven minutes later. But the Hawks got on the board on Kris Versteeg's short-handed goal three minutes after that with a steal and feed by Kane setting it up.

Otherwise, the Hawks were a lethargic bunch following their second-longest break from games this season. The only longer one will be in February, when the NHL pauses for the Winter Olympics.

''[The five-day break] didn't help,'' Quenneville said. ''Our game had holes in it technically and energy-wise. A couple delays in switches slowed us down a bit. That can happen.''

''But we score on half our opportunities, and it's a different game,'' Versteeg said. ''Realistically, last year we could have come back on them, but this year they're more aware defensively. They're a hard team to play against.''

The Hawks had hoped to have captain Jonathan Toews available. He was on the ice for the second consecutive day at the morning skate but ended up a scratch for the fifth straight game while recovering from a concussion. His status for tonight's game in Denver against the Avalanche is uncertain.

''Every day gets better, but I've only been two days back on the ice, so it's more than about feeling good,'' Toews said. ''I feel great out there. I feel like myself -- but when you're off two weeks, you've got to get your legs back. We'll take it day-by-day, just as we have for the last couple weeks. Today was better than yesterday, and hopefully tomorrow will be the same.''

Ben Eager, who missed his 12th straight game after battling a concussion, skated in the morning as well, and the Hawks should get him back soon, too.

''Eager needs more contact, but he's very, very close,'' Quenneville said. ''I like their progress. It's very encouraging.''

The Blackhawks’ first fathers trip has been fun, according to all reports halfway through the event. The Hawks contingent arrived in Phoenix on Tuesday with 18 of the players’ fathers and one grandfather (Duncan Keith’s) in the group. They enjoyed a golf outing, then a group dinner and some pool time before the game in Phoenix. ‘‘It’s exciting having them part of the trip and experiencing our everyday lifestyle,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said. ‘‘It’s been fun meeting new people and getting to know everybody better. And everybody should be proud to play in front of their dads.’’ The dads also will take in the game tonight in Denver.

With Jonathan Toews and Ben Eager still not ready for game action, defenseman Jordan Hendry spent another game as a part-time left wing. General manager Stan Bowman called up Bryan Bickell, Jack Skille and Jake Dowell from Rockford earlier in the season to fill the void but denied the use of Hendry was related to salary-cap considerations. ‘‘It’s not a money thing,’’ Bowman said. ‘‘It’s hard when guys don’t play. We wanted to get [Hendry] into the lineup, and this was an opportunity to do that.’’

Despite two shaky back-to-back showings two weeks ago, Cristobal Huet entered Thursday’s game with the seventh-best goals-against average (2.29) in the NHL, and the Hawks led the Western Conference in goals against (31).

The Hawks hoped getting back on the road would improve their power play. At 9-for-52, the Hawks had dropped to 19th in the NHL’s power-play rankings, but they were 5-for-17 in their previous road games.

No longer are the Hawks the least-penalized team. After being assessed just 90 penalty minutes in their first 10 games, the Hawks took 66 PIMs in the three games leading into the trip to Phoenix. That knocked them down to 11th in penalty minutes per game.

The Coyotes roster included four former Hawks — Adrian Aucoin, Jim Vandermeer, Radim Vrbata and Robert Lang.

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- October went just fine for the Blackhawks. They were in first place in the Central Division at the end of the month for the first time since 1992, and they did it with Marian Hossa and Adam Burish out, Ben Eager missing 11 games, Jonathan Toews four, Brent Seabrook two and Dave Bolland one. That's a lot of injury time for so early in the season.

The Hawks got a boost when Toews skated for the first time at practice Wednesday, but his availability for the game tonight against the Phoenix Coyotes won't be determined until the morning skate.

In November, though, we'll find out a lot more about this promising team. The schedule gets much tougher, in large part because of the traditional two-week road trip necessitated by the circus taking over the United Center.

The Hawks have had a winning record in November only three times since 1998, including a 6-4-2 mark last season. The game tonight is the first of eight road games this month. Only four games are at home.

The competition is going to be better right off the bat. Neither the Coyotes nor the Colorado Avalanche, the Hawks' opponent Friday, made the playoffs last season, but both are riding the hottest goaltenders in the NHL. Entering Wednesday, the Coyotes' Ilya Bryzgalov had a league-high three shutouts, a .930 save percentage and a 1.78 goals-against average. The Avalanche's Craig Anderson, the former Hawk, led the league with 10 victories, and his other stats were similar to Bryzgalov's (.936 save percentage, 2.11 GAA).

''Those two guys are probably the MVPs of the league right now,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

The Coyotes are a great story. The team had financial problems and filed for bankruptcy. There was a failed attempt to move the team to Hamilton, Ontario, and Jerry Reinsdorf was among those who made an offer to purchase it before the NHL took over the franchise last week. Wayne Gretzky resigned as head coach in training camp and was replaced by former Dallas Stars coach Dave Tippett. Still, the Coyotes got off to a 9-5 start entering Wednesday.

''[Tippett] did a nice job in a tough situation,'' Quenneville said. ''He put the focus on the ice level, and they've handled that. It must've been a tough training camp, but sometimes you can feed off that and find motivation from playing against all odds.''

The Avalanche also changed coaches, replacing Tony Granato with Joe Sacco, and found a hot goalie.

''From where they were at, I don't think anybody thought of them as a playoff team when the year started,'' Quenneville said, ''but there's a lot of skill and speed on that team.''

General manager Stan Bowman admits it could be a telling month for the team.

''We had the benefit of playing at home for the most part, and we got off to a good start,'' he said, ''but now it's going to get more difficult.''

Tuesday was all about fun and family for the Blackhawks. Departing from their normal travel routine, they took a morning flight from O'Hare to Phoenix, with their fathers on board. In the afternoon they conducted a scramble golf tournament at a Scottsdale resort, the first of several activities planned for the five-day trip that includes games against the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday and the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.

Other NHL teams have held such fatherly ventures, but this was the first for the Hawks. President John McDonough and new general manager Stan Bowman put the trip together, and they invited all rostered players -- even injured ones like Marian Hossa and Adam Burish who are a significant time away from playing in games.

''It's a great opportunity for everybody,'' said coach Joel Quenneville, who experienced a similar trip while coaching the Avalanche. ''It's going to be a fun week, a special, proud moment for everybody.''

Bowman's father Scotty is the Hawks' senior advisor, but Stan Bowman said that had nothing to do with the Hawks getting involved with the project.

''No, he didn't make me do it,'' said Stan Bowman, ''but I got to spend a lot of time with [father Scotty] at last year's playoffs and I really enjoyed it. I'm sure our players will as well.''

In addition to the golf outing and the two games, the fathers will be part of two group dinners and also be on hand at today's practice.

''They'll get to experience everything we do -- going on the road, to different cities,'' said defenseman Cam Barker, whose father is a retired police officer from Winnipeg who now teaches interrogation techniques to college students.

''It's going to be fun for them, and it'll be fun for us spending some time with our dads during the season.''

''It'll be exciting,'' said winger Kris Versteeg. ''We've never done anything like this before. It's going to be cool having all the fathers see their kids up close and personal and in action.''

It's not like the fathers haven't seen their sons play in games before, but this is different.

''My dad's been there since Day 1,'' said Versteeg. ''He coached me a couple years and that didn't work out very well because any time he told me to do something I'd do the opposite.''

''We got a lot of feedback from our players on this,'' said Bowman. ''It was hard to coordinate because a lot of things go into it. We started working on it last year, and spent a lot of time on it last summer.''

Bowman's not worried that the fun aspects might hamper the Hawks in the first two road games of a November that's filled with travel.

''They'll be fine. They'll probably be eager to put on a good performance for their dads,'' he said.

The Blackhawks always have maintained that Jonathan Toews is ''day-to-day'' with concussion-like symptoms, but he still hasn't returned to the ice.

He missed practice Monday at the United Center, and if he misses the next workout Wednesday in Phoenix, he'll have been off the ice for two weeks since he absorbed a thunderous hit from Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21.

''Every day you're hopeful he can get on the ice and be part of it,'' coach Joel Quenneville said.

The Hawks face the Coyotes on Thursday and the Colorado Avalanche on Friday in Denver.

Quenneville had predicted that Toews' injury would be ''short term,'' but two weeks might be stretching that a bit and the progress report doesn't sound as encouraging as it once did.

''As the days go on it fluctuates a little bit, so it's tough to say,'' Quenneville said. ''Sometimes [recovery] takes time. That's where we're at.''

The Hawks have dealt with two other injuries similar to Toews' already this season. Ben Eager, who returned to practice this week, missed 11 games and probably will miss a couple more before he's cleared for full contact. Brent Seabrook, also injured Oct. 21, missed two games.

Though he has participated in off-ice team activities and will travel with the Hawks this week, Toews hasn't been very active and hasn't faced the media since stumbling off the ice against the Canucks.

''He does basically some workouts to find out if he can ratchet it up. That dictates where we're at,'' Quenneville said. ''We're still optimistic that it's short term. That's why we keep saying it's on a day-to-day basis.''

General manager Stan Bowman also said he's ''not too concerned'' as Toews' injury time increases.

''Hopefully he'll be back soon, and it is a day-to-day thing,'' Bowman said. ''These things can turn around quickly. Certainly if it lingers a long time, you'd begin to get worried.''

In the Hawks' last game, a 3-2 victory Friday over the Montreal Canadiens, Andrew Ladd flattened Matt D'Agostini with a hit that sent the Canadien to the dressing room and kept him out of the lineup the next night. The NHL hasn't suspended Ladd, and the Hawks don't expect him to be punished.

NHL general managers likely will discuss hitting at their meeting next week. The Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin, the Carolina Hurricanes' Eric Stahl and the Florida Panthers' David Booth also are among those out.

''With all the things that have happened, it's good to have dialogue,'' Bowman said. ''I don't think it matters who gets hurt. Nobody wants to see players get injured, but hockey is a physical game and has been for a long time.''

It has been especially physical in the last couple of weeks.

''There's been a lot of big hits,'' Quenneville said. ''We all like the contact and physicality of our game, but there' s a fine line or balance to be reached.''

NOTE: The Hawks will depart today for Phoenix, with the players' fathers joining the team. There will be no practice today, only a golf outing, and several other social events have been scheduled for the trip.

The Blackhawks have always maintained that Jonathan Toews is ``day to day’’ with his concussion-like symptoms, but the team captain’s time off the ice has dragged on.

He missed Monday’s practice at the United Center and, if he misses the next workout -- on Wednesday in Phoenix, that’ll be two weeks off the ice since he absorbed a thunderous hit from Vancouver defenseman Willie Mitchell in an Oct. 21 game at the United Center.

``Every day you’re hopeful he can get on the ice and be part of it,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said after the last practice prior to this week’s road trip that takes the Hawks to Phoenix and Denver. The Hawks visit the Phoenix Coyotes on Thursday and the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.

Quenneville had predicted that Toews’ injury would be ``short-term,’’ but two weeks might be stretching that a bit and the progress report doesn’t sound as encouraging as it once did.

``As the days go on it fluctuates a little bit, so it’s tough to say,’’ said Quenneville. ``Sometimes (recovery) takes time. That’s where we’re at.’’

The Hawks have dealt with two other injuries similar to Toews’ already this season. Ben Eager, who returned to practice this week, missed 11 games and will probably miss a couple more before he’s cleared for full contact. Brent Seabrook, injured on Oct. 21 -- in the same game as Toews, missed two games.

Though he has participated in off-ice team activities and will go on this week’s road trip Toews hasn’t been very physically active and hasn’t faced the media since stumbling off the ice in the Vancouver game.

``He does basically some workouts to find out if he can ratchet it up. That dictates where we’re at,’’ said Quenneville. ``We’re still optimistic that it’s short-term. That’s why we keep saying it’s on a day to day basis.’’

General manager Stan Bowman also said he’s ``not too concerned’’ as Toews’ injury time increases. ``Hopefully he’ll be back soon, and it is a day to day thing,’’ said Bowman. ``These things can turn around quickly. Certainly if it lingers a long time you’d begin to get worried.’’

Toews’ injury is just one of a number around the NHL that have sidelined top stars recently. Washington’s Alex Ovechkin, Carolina’s Eric Stahl and Florida’s David Booth are also among those out, and Booth was sidelined following a hit from Mike Richards of Philadelphia. As was the case with Mitchell’s hit on Toews, no action was taken on Richards’ hit on Booth.

In the Hawks’ last game, a 3-2 win over Montreal on Friday, the Hawks’ Andrew Ladd flattened Matt D’Agostini with a hard hit that put the Montreal player out of the game and kept him out of the lineup the following night. The NHL has made no suspension ruling on Ladd, either, and the Hawks don’t expect one to be forthcoming.

But, in part because some of the injured players are high-profile ones, the NHL general managers will likely discuss the hitting issue at their upcoming meeting next week.

``With all the things that have happened, it’s good to have dialog,’’ said Bowman. ``I don’t think it matters who gets hurt. Nobody wants to see players get injured, but hockey is a physical game and has been for a long time.’’

But it’s especially been so in the last couple weeks. ``There’s been a lot of big hits,’’ said Quenneville. ``We all like the contact and physicality of our game, but there’ s a fine line or balance to be reached.’’

In a departure from their normal routine the Hawks depart early today for Phoenix with the fathers’ of the players coming along. There’ll be no practice, only a golf outing, today and several other social events have also been built into the trip.

Concussion is a word rarely uttered in the hockey world, but Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville used it without reservation in describing the problems that kept Ben Eager on the sideline the last four weeks.

Eager went through his first full practice with the Hawks on Sunday and still was reluctant to use the ''C'' word.

''It wasn't so much a concussion as it was leftover effects from last year's long playoff run and not having that long a summer,'' Eager said. ''I didn't feel right when I came back, and I felt I needed some time off.''

Eager played in the first two regular-season games in Europe but said that had no bearing on his health problems.

''I tried to play through it, but I didn't feel myself,'' he said. ''I want to be 100 percent when I'm out there, and taking some time off was the smart thing to do.''

Quenneville could see that Eager wasn't himself in the preseason.

''His level of play wasn't what it was last year, and we found out why,'' Quenneville said. ''He said it's day and night since where he was at the start of training camp and where he is today, so hopefully it doesn't re-occur. It's a big hurdle he crossed, and it's nice that he's feeling better.''

Concussions are strange things. Jonathan Toews is experiencing similar symptoms since taking a hard hit from the Vancouver Canucks' Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21 and hasn't returned to the ice. Eager, who insisted he had ''an upper-body injury,'' has a history of them.

''You just don't know,'' Quenneville said. ''[Concussions] can be tricky. Sometimes there's reasons why [they occur], but we don't know them.''

The Hawks' fourth line of Eager, Colin Fraser and Adam Burish might have been the best in the NHL, with Eager and Burish providing the toughness the team badly needed.

''I'm a physical player and try to bring some energy,'' Eager said. ''Last year our line played in the other team's end a lot, and on those nights when our team needed a little lift, we were able to give that.''

This season has been another story. Not only has Eager been out, but Burish won't play until March after suffering a serious knee injury in a preseason game. Fraser has played with several different wingers in the first 13 games, and his line hasn't been nearly as effective as it was last season.

Having a healthy Eager, who scored a career-high 11 goals last season, should help the cause.

''I'm pretty close to 100 percent,'' Eager said. ''I've just got to work on my conditioning a bit and get my skating legs back.''

Quenneville said it would be ''overly optimistic'' to think Eager could play in the next game, Thursday at Phoenix.

''We've got to get some contact in him before we give him the green light to play,'' Quenneville said, ''but I liked the way he skated. He's feeling way better, so that's a good sign.''

NOTES: The Hawks haven't heard from the NHL regarding a possible suspension for winger Andrew Ladd. He injured the Montreal Canadiens' Matt D'Agostini on Friday with a hard hit. ''I don't expect to hear [from the NHL],'' Ladd said. ''It was a hard hit but a clean hit.''

• Marian Hossa practiced with the full team for the second time as a center for wingers Ladd and Kris Versteeg. ''On a need basis, he was there,'' Quenneville said. ''He looks good no matter where he plays.''

• The Hawks lead their division at the end of October for the first time since the 1991-92 season.•

Fifty years ago today, hockey changed forever.

On Nov. 1, 1959, Jacques Plante became the first NHL goalie to wear a facemask, beginning the end of an era in which goalies -- including Blackhawks legend Glenn Hall -- did things that are incomprehensible today.

Not only did Hall not wear a mask, but he played in an NHL-record 503 consecutive games. Most of those -- 363, in fact -- came with the Hawks, his team from 1957 to 1967.

''Playing all those games for how many years in a row -- every minute without a mask -- and facing Bobby [Hull] in practice,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Wow! That was a different level. That stat is probably one of the most amazing things in hockey.''

While Hall and a few others played on without masks, Plante's decision to use one revolutionized the sport. The NHL is spotlighting Plante's debut with a mask in recognition of the positive changes it brought to the game.

The Hawks started playing in 1926. Their goalies, as well as those on other teams, faced pucks without masks for more than three decades, though there was one brief exception. Clint Benedict of the Montreal Maroons wore a leather half-mask for a few games in 1930 to protect an injury to his nose and cheekbone.

But goaltending became an increasingly dangerous profession, and the advent of masks was inevitable. Plante had worn a rudimentary mask in practice with the Montreal Canadiens, but coach Toe Blake wouldn't let him wear it when the games counted because he was afraid it would impair Plante's vision.

But during a game Nov. 1, 1959, between the Canadiens and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, a shot by the Rangers' Andy Bathgate sliced Plante from the corner of his mouth through his nostril. The game was delayed for 20 minutes while Plante received treatment. Teams didn't have backup goalies then, and Plante declared he wouldn't return to the ice unless he could wear a cream-colored Plexiglass facemask. Without a backup, Blake had no choice but to let him.

Until then, no goalie had facial protection from the pucks that came his way every practice and every game. Once Plante went with a mask, others followed. Now it's illegal to play without one.

''Those men were brave,'' Hawks goalie Cristobal Huet said. ''I feel pretty lucky nowadays to have the protection we have. Even in the 1980s, goalies weren't protected as well as we are now. Shots are coming really heavy now, so we really need that.''

Huet said he has no doubt what would happen if he didn't have his mask.

''I'd be dead right now,'' he said.

Wolves general manager Wendell Young, a former goalie, said he was glad masks were standard equipment when he started playing.

''That's why I keep my good looks,'' he said. ''I know I wouldn't have been a goalie if it wasn't for masks.''

Masks have changed considerably since Young put one on for the first time.

''We didn't have great masks back then, but at least we had something to protect us,'' he said. ''We had the old helmets with a screen in front. I borrowed a mask from my brother to wear in a game once, and it was just a piece of plastic.''

Young wore the helmet with the screen into his NHL days in the 1990s.

''Then I took a shot that actually broke the bar, and our team's trainer said I'd better switch over,'' Young said. ''I'm lucky I did.''

Young said he frequently spoke to children about goaltending.

''I told them that the puck comes in at 100 mph and that their parents drive the highways at only about 60 mph, and it was my job to get in front of those pucks,'' he said. ''I must have faced a million shots, and a good 5,000 times I was hit in the head. But the puck never broke the mask.''

Masks no longer are made of plastic, of course. Now they're made of composites and are molded to fit the goalie's face. They also are painted with all kinds of designs.

''I can remember getting a custom-made mask, and they had to make a mold of my face while I was breathing out of a straw,'' Young said. ''It took the guy 40 hours to make it, and it was expensive -- about $2,000. Now I'd guess they cost about $1,000.''

Young admitted he once considered playing without a mask for historical purposes.

''At the end of my career, I actually thought of doing one shift without my mask so I could say I was the last goalie to do it,'' he said. ''But now when a goalie's mask comes off, the [referee's] whistle blows and the game is stopped.''

The Blackhawks washed away the bad taste of a shutout loss at Nashville in a hurry. They concluded the first month of the season with a rousing 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in one of those rare matchups of NHL Original Six franchises Friday night at the United Center.

Patrick Sharp's blast with 4:10 left in the third period decided this one with Patrick Kane his setup man. Kane slipped Sharp a pass from the right boards and Sharp one-timed it past goaltender Carey Price.

''He really put that one home with some force,'' teammate Kris Versteeg said. ''And it got the monkey off his back somewhat because he hadn't scored in a few games.''

Sharp had gone six games without a goal before Friday's game-winner.

''Sharpie always finds a way to get open, and to put the puck in his wheelhouse was great,'' Kane said.

Coach Joel Quenneville suggested it might be ''the biggest goal of the season,'' given that it provided a victory to savor through a five-day stretch until the next game, which is Thursday in Phoenix.

There was more to this game than the one big shot, though. Cristobal Huet was rewarded a start against the team that traded him following three strong performances, and he earned the win despite a somewhat shaky second period.

''Every time the coach tells me to play I'm ready for it,'' Huet said. ''But it was great to play against that jersey.''

Then there was the thunderous hit by Andrew Ladd on Montreal's Matt D'Agostini that set the tone just 3:48 into the game. Ladd wound up getting a game misconduct, but he earned respect.

''He's a tough guy. He can really fight and really hit,'' Versteeg said. ''It was nice to see him run someone over.''

''It looked like a clean hit, and it pumped up the crowd and pumped up the team,'' Kane said.

The Hawks staked Huet to the early lead on Versteeg's power-play goal 11:57 into the game.

Versteeg banked the puck off a Montreal defenseman while trying a centering pass to Sharp from behind the net.

The lead grew to 2-0 midway through the second on another goal with the man advantage. Cam Barker scored from the left circle on a play that started with Kane getting the puck along the right boards and passing to Versteeg behind the net.

Huet wasn't so sharp in the latter stages of the second, however, as the Canadiens came back to tie the game. Mike Cammalleri cut the lead in half, slipping the puck between Huet and the near post from close range 15:55 into the period. Former Hawk Travis Moen got the equalizer with just three seconds left in the period.

Sharp's goal, though, made everything right, and left the injured Jonathan Toews and Adam Burish to lead the victory celebration for a sellout crowd of 20,807.

Toews and Burish were dressed for celebrating, each wearing Halloween outfits that couldn't be missed. Burish was dressed in a baby blue suit while Toews' suit was apricot.

''We needed that after a tough loss last night,'' Versteeg said.

Giving up a two-goal lead wasn't what the Hawks wanted, but the end result was.

''We don't see Montreal too much,'' Kane said. ''We want to enjoy this as much as we can.''

BLACKHAWKS 3, CANADIENS 2

Patrick Sharp scored with 4:10 left to give the Chicago Blackhawks a 3-2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens on Friday night.

Set up by Patrick Kane's centering pass, Sharp ripped a shot from between the circles past Carey Price to hand the Canadiens' their fifth straight road loss.

Kris Vertseeg and Cam Barker each had a goal and an assist. Barker's power-play goal was only the Blackhawks' second in their last six games.

Cristobal Huet stopped 20 shots in his fourth straight start and beat the Canadiens, one of his former teams, for first time in three games.

Montreal's Mike Cammalleri and Travis Moen scored 4:02 apart late in second period to erase a 2-0 Chicago lead.

Huet played on back-to-back nights for the first time this season. He made 26 saves in a 2-0 loss at Nashville on Thursday night, and has been sharp in his last four starts.

Price made 33 saves in his first start since Oct. 17, a 3-1 loss to Ottawa. Jaroslav Halak had made five straight starts since then, winning the first four before a 6-1 loss at Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews missed his fourth straight game because of concussion-like symptoms.

Toews hasn't resumed skating after absorbing a crushing open-ice hit from Vancouver's Willie Mitchell in the third period of a 3-2 loss to the Canucks on Oct. 21. The Chicago star is listed as day-to-day.

Versteeg scored the only goal in the up-tempo first period, with 6:14 remaining. His centering pass from behind the net hit the right skate of Montreal defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron and deflected past Price.

Chicago's Andrew Ladd knocked Montreal's Matt D'Agostini out of the game with an open-ice hit at the Canadiens' blue line 3:48 into the first. It appeared Ladd slammed D'Agostini in the chin with his shoulder, but referees Stephane Auger and Dan O'Halloran assessed Ladd with an elbowing major and a game misconduct.

Huet made several close-in saves to hold off an extended Montreal flurry midway through the second. Chicago coach Joel Quenneville called a timeout at 9:32 in an attempt to regroup his team.

The move helped.

Montreal's Hal Gill went off for hooking at 9:46. Nine second later, Barker's screened power-play goal from the left circle made it 2-0.

Goals by Cammalleri and Moen late in the second tied it at 2.

Cammalleri cut it to 2-1 with 4:05 left in the period. He beat Huet from the low edge of the right circle after Jaroslav Spacek's shot from the blue line deflected off Chicago's Brian Campbell in front of the net.

Moen took advantage of one of Huet's few lapses to tie with 2.1 seconds left in the period. His wrap-around attempt from right side of the net squeezed in between Huet's left skate and the post.

Huet made a point-blank stop on Guillaume Latendresse midway through the third to maintain the tie.

NOTES: The Canadiens visited the United Center for ths first time since Oct. 18, 2006, when they lost 2-1. Friday night's game was the only this season between the two "Original Six" rivals. Montreal beat Chicago 4-1 last March in the only 2008-09 game between the teams. ... Chicago LW Ben Eager missed his 11th game because of a concussion, but skated earlier in the day for the first time since sustaining the injury. "He skated well," Quenneville said. "It was encouraging today." The Blackhawks don't play again until Thursday night at Phoenix. Quenneville said Toews and Eager will make the trip with the team.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Blackhawks had beaten the offensively challenged Nashville Predators twice already, and Cristobal Huet gave them another great game in goal Thursday night. This time, though, the Hawks just didn't have it.

Joel Ward's power-play goal in the second period was all it took to beat them, even though Jerred Smithson added an empty-netter in the final seconds in the 2-0 loss. And there were other considerations that make this defeat more puzzling.

The Predators were without two of their best players and had played on the road the night before. Go figure.

Nashville's Sommet Center may have been the quietest building the Hawks have played in this season, but they have a history of struggling there. The Predators own a 10-4-3 edge on the Hawks on their home ice since the 2005-06 season.

The Hawks had put at least 30 shots on goal in nine of their previous 11 games, but they had only 22 Thursday, and Predators goalie Pekka Rinne had little trouble stopping them all.

''We didn't create a lot of traffic in front of the net, so he could see every shot,'' Hawks center John Madden said. ''We didn't get dirty in front of the net. That was probably the difference.''

''[Rinne] is a big goalie, and if he sees the puck, he's going to make the saves,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

Winning the first two games against their Central Division rivals wasn't a factor, the Hawks claimed.

''We certainly didn't take them lightly,'' said winger Patrick Sharp, discounting the Hawks' 3-1 and 2-0 victories in their previous games against Nashville. ''They were coming off a big win [at Minnesota on Wednesday]. It's tough when you get shut out, but we've got another game [tonight].''

To get back on track tonight, the Hawks will have to handle the tougher Montreal Canadiens at the United Center.

The Predators have played without captain Jason Arnott (arm injury), a longtime Hawks nemesis, most of this season, and they were further short-handed as Martin Erat, who scored the only Nashville goal in the teams' first two meetings this season, was a late scratch with a lower-body injury.

Only good penalty-killing kept the Hawks from falling behind in the first period in a matchup of the two least penalized teams in the NHL. Nashville was the least penalized, averaging only 8.8 minutes in the box, and the Hawks were second at 9.9. But they took six penalty minutes in the first period. Nashville, though, couldn't cash in.

At least not then.

The Predators, who have the NHL's worst power play, converted with the man advantage after Cam Barker was sent off for cross-checking. Ward notched his first goal of the season, redirecting Francis Bouillon's pass from the left circle past Huet 14:53 into the second period. Nashville had been 0-for-15 on power plays on their home ice before Ward connected.

The Predators wrapped up the win on Smithson's empty-netter with 3.9 seconds left.

''Nashville played solid, and we didn't seem to come out with the urgency we needed,'' defenseman Duncan Keith said.

PREDATORS 2, BLACKHAWKS 0

With Brent Seabrook recovered from a concussion, the Hawks had seven defensemen in their lineup for the first time, using Jordan Hendry up front instead of making the usual call-up of a winger from Rockford. Hendry had played in three previous games but strictly as a D-man. Hendry was needed on the blue line, though, as Niklas Hjalmarsson was injured after getting hit by a puck in the first minute of the second period. Hjalmarsson went to the locker room for treatment but was back on the ice before the period was over.

Jonathan Toews, still recovering from a concussion, didn’t make the trip and missed his third straight game. He isn’t likely to play in tonight’s home game against Montreal either because he didn’t skate Thursday.

The Hawks’ previous two games with Nashville did wonders for goalie Cristobal Huet’s confidence. He had struggled in starts against Calgary and Colorado but worked himself out of a potential slump with 3-1 and 2-0 wins over the Predators. ‘‘I never felt out of a groove,’’ Huet said. ‘‘I just didn’t have the results I wanted. But those were good games for me, something I could build on to get my confidence and everybody else’s.’’ Huet, though, won’t declare himself confident just yet. ‘‘I’m careful of the words I’m using,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s one shot at a time. That’s how I’m approaching it.’’

Because of back-to-back scheduling, it’s likely rookie Antti Niemi will start in goal against Montreal, one of Huet’s former teams. ‘‘It’s fun playing against Canadian teams, especially Montreal with me having played there three years,’’ Huet said. ‘‘But it’s definitely more fun when you win those games.’’

Niemi was tied for ninth-best goals-against average in the NHL (2.07) entering Thursday’s games.

The Hawks went into Thursday’s game leading the NHL in three categories: best home record (5-2, tied with five others), power-play ranking on the road (5-for-12, 41.7 percent) and fewest shots allowed per game (22.3, more than four fewer than nearest-rival Phoenix at 26.5).

In an unusual bit of scheduling, the Hawks faced Nashville for the third time in 15 days, and they’ll meet three more times in December. The Central Division rivals will be done playing each other — at least in the regular season — after their meeting at the United Center on Dec. 27.

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews missed his fourth straight game because of concussion-like symptoms, sitting out Friday night against Montreal.

Toews hasn't resumed skating after a crushing open-ice hit from Vancouver's Willie Mitchell on Oct. 21. Toews is listed as day-to-day.

"The progress hasn't been exactly where we wanted it," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "There's been some progress, but at the same time, we're just waiting to see."

After Friday, the Blackhawks don't play again until Thursday night at Phoenix, followed by a game the next night at Colorado.

Quenneville said Toews will make the trip with the team.

"We've got the weekend here and a couple of days next week," Quenneville said. "Hopefully we can get him back on the ice and back out there."

Toews, in his third NHL season, has a goal and four assists in nine games. Last season, the 21-year-old center had a team-high 34 goals, and added 35 assists.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Pekka Rinne made 22 saves for his first shutout of the season and fifth overall, and Joel Ward scored on a second-period power play in the Nashville Predators' 2-0 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

Jerred Smithson added a short-handed empty-net goal with 3 seconds left to help the Predators beat the Blackhawks for the first time in three games this season.

Ward scored with 5:07 left in the second period. Francis Bouillon sent the puck in front of the net from the lower edge of the left faceoff circle, and Ward, stationed in front of the crease, redirected it past goalie Cristobal Huet.

NOTES: Chicago's Brent Seabrook was back in the lineup following what was believed to be concussion-related symptoms. ... Nashville's Martin Erat was scratched because of a lower-body injury. ... The Predators have scored a power-play goal in each of their last two games.

Not only are the Blackhawks coming off two impressive victories, they're getting healthier.

Defenseman Brent Seabrook returned to practice Wednesday at Johnny's Ice House, and prized free-agent acquisition Marian Hossa worked out with the team for the first time. Seabrook expects to play tonight at Nashville.

Seabrook and captain Jonathan Toews took hard hits in the Hawks' loss Oct. 21 to the Vancouver Canucks. Both experienced concussion-like symptoms, and Toews remained off the ice Wednesday.

Seabrook, though, believes he's over his problems after missing two games.

''I got hit in the neck, and it sort of rattled my brain a little bit,'' he said. ''I just had headaches, but not exactly headaches. I felt pressure when I'd get up or walk. I had to wait for that to subside, and once it did I could work out.''

Seabrook had played in 223 consecutive games before his injury, the longest streak of any active Hawk and the third-longest among NHL defensemen. He has seven points in nine games and is plus-5.

While the team had Tuesday off, Seabrook went through his own workout without experiencing any symptoms. There were no problems after the workout Wednesday, either.

Only a failed psychological test with team physicians could keep Seabrook out of the game tonight.

''[The team doctors] will still talk, but as far as I'm concerned, I'm ready to go,'' Seabrook said. ''They're looking after my best interests, to make sure I'm fine. I'm looking at playing tomorrow, but it's their decision.''

Coach Joel Quenneville also expected Seabrook to return to the lineup, but Toews didn't make the flight to Nashville and is doubtful for the home game Friday against the Montreal Canadiens. Quenneville wouldn't rule him out, though.

''We'll see. He's still day-to-day,'' Quenneville said. ''With that kind of injury, you just deal with it and time will tell. You can't prognosticate. It's case-by-case.''

Hossa's return isn't expected until Nov. 25 at San Jose, and that's only a tentative target date. After signing the biggest contract in franchise history -- 12 years for $62.5 million -- Hossa underwent shoulder surgery July 24. His first workout with the team came a bit ahead of schedule.

''We thought it'd be Saturday or Sunday, but the guys won't be practicing here soon,'' Hossa said.

With games the next two nights, the Hawks likely will take the weekend off, then leave early for back-to-back games next Thursday and Friday in Phoenix and Dallas. Hossa will resume skating alone, which he has been doing for more than a week.

Hossa didn't take any contact Wednesday. He took part in some passing and light shooting drills.

''For it being my first time, it felt pretty good,'' he said. ''You've got to pace yourself. You can't get too crazy right away. I can tell that I don't have much power yet, but practicing with the guys gives you a little confidence. It puts a smile on your face, and you feel a little better.''

''He looked good,'' Quenneville said. ''Usually when a guy hasn't skated or has been skating on his own and then comes back [to the team], it slows down drills. But he speeded them up. He has the speed, the presence, the quality, the skill. He did a lot of different drills. It was a good first step for him.''

The Afternoon Sports Club has a new weekday feature for you. It's very simple: We give you two personalities in the news, and you tell us who you'd rather have lunch with.

Who would you prefer to sit and converse with for an afternoon? Ask them anything you want. Listen to their stories. Give them a piece of your mind. It's your choice.

Yesterday, 61 percent of you said you would rather have lunch with Marisa Miller than Derrick Rose. I guess swimsuit and lingerie talk would be more interesting than cross-over dribbles.

Today's luncheon guests: Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro or Blackhawks' coach Joel Quenneville?

Vote in the poll (brown bagging it is not an option), and leave comments below if you'd like. We'll pick up the tab.

The Blackhawks’ medical report showed a decided upgrade Wednesday when Brent Seabrook and Marian Hossa returned to practice at Johnny’s Ice House.

Seabrook had been battling concussion-like symptoms since getting kicked in the face in a game against Vancouver last Wednesday. He worked out on his own on Tuesday, when the rest of the team had the day off, and joined his team on the flight to Nashville after going through Wednesday’s workout. The Hawks expect Seabrook to play in Thursday night’s game against the Nashville Predators.

Hossa, meanwhile, went through his first practice ever with the Hawks. He signed a 12-year $62.8 million contract on July 1 but then underwent shoulder surgery three weeks later. He had skated on his own for a week before joining his teammates. Hossa, however, won’t be in the lineup for awhile. The target date for him to play his first game is Nov. 25 at San Jose. Hossa didn’t travel with the team to Nashville.

Captain Jonathan Toews, however, remained off the ice and will miss at least the Nashville game. He took a hard hit from Vancouver’s Willie Mitchell last Wednesday and is also nursing concussion-like symptoms. Coach Joel Quenneville still lists Toews as day to day and wouldn’t rule him out of Friday’s home game against Montreal.

It's much too early to tell if the Blackhawks made the right decision last summer in signing Marian Hossa to a long-term contract and allowing Martin Havlat to move on to the Minnesota Wild.

The decision didn't look like a bad one Monday night, though, when the Hawks shut down Havlat en route to a 3-1 victory at the United Center.

Havlat was a minus-2 and got off only one shot -- that one on his first shift.

''He's a tremendous player, and a big key for them,'' said Hawks center Dave Bolland, who scored the first goal for the Hawks. ''You can't let him wander alone. You've got to finish your checks on him.''

The Hawks did that, but the difference -- for the second straight game -- was goaltender Cristobal Huet. He had held opponents scoreless for five straight periods before Andrew Brunette scored 3:29 into the third period.

Huet made 20 saves and had plenty of help from Hawks penalty-killers. Minnesota, which lost its eighth straight road game, a franchise record, was 0-for-6 with the man-advantage.

The Hawks did all these good things without Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook again. Both stars are nursing concussion-like symptoms and missed their second straight game. They attended this one, but didn't get close to the media.

Still, the Hawks again played well without them and kept ex-teammate Havlat quiet in the process.

Havlat led the Hawks in scoring last season with a career-high 77 points but had a series of shoulder problems. Ironically, Hossa hasn't played a game for the Hawks because he needed offseason shoulder surgery. He's not expected to play until late November.

''Part of our business is change,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Guys move around a bit. [Havlat] had a real good year for us last year, and he'll help [Minnesota]. But at the same time Hossa is going to help us in a significant way as well. Over the course of the season I'm sure we'll enjoy him being part of our team.''

Time will tell, but the United Center fans hadn't forgotten Havlat. He received a smattering of applause during pregame introductions while the other Minnesota starters were greeted with silence.

Havlat put on a dazzling move on his first shift, but Huet stopped his shot. The Hawks were ready for him, and he wasn't much of a factor the rest of the night.

''He can make a difference one-on-one and sometimes even one-on-two,'' Huet said. ''We knew how great a player he is.''

Bolland scored on a rebound off the pads of Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom midway through the first period after Andrew Ladd took the first shot, and the lead grew to 2-0 five minutes later on Troy Brouwer's power-play goal

Duncan Keith set the stage with a shot off Backstrom, and Tomas Kopecky's screen set up an opening for Brouwer. He scored the first Hawks goal with the man advantage in four games, ending their 0-for-9 slumber of the last three games.

After Brunette's goal cut the lead to 2-1, the Hawks restored the two-goal lead on a brilliant score by Patrick Kane. Showing spectacular stickwork, he skated from behind the net, then beat Backstrom with a spin move in blasting the puck into the upper right corner of the net.

Kane said it was a move he works on during practice.

''I was waiting for a pass,'' Bolland said, ''but I knew it wasn't coming. That was a tremendous shot.''

BLACKHAWKS 3, WILD 1

Martin Havlat returned to the United Center on Monday night. If not a hero's welcome, the sellout crowd showed its appreciation to one of its former stars.

The Blackhawks' leading scorer last season (77 points) returned for the first time with the Minnesota Wild. And the Chicago fans welcomed him back with loud applause early in the game.

Havlat also had his best chance to score early on.

''It was the first minute, and I didn't finish,'' Havlat said. ''Like I said, it's frustrating the way we've been playing on the road, and we have to get better on the road. It seemed like a lot of our games. We had chances, and they got the first one.''

Actually, the first two on first-period goals by Dave Bolland and Troy Brouwer.

''I thought we played well in the first period,'' Havlat said. ''It felt strange to play against so many guys that I was with for the last few years here. At the beginning, it was a little different tonight, but it wound up the same as every night. We had some chances and didn't score.

''When they got the first one, we were playing catch-up. We have to find a way to win some of these games. And I thought [Hawks goalie Cristobal] Huet played great tonight.''

After the Hawks scored the two first-period goals, the Wild never got even.

''Chicago is a good team, and they played a tough game and got a lead, and it made it even tougher,'' Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom said. ''We have to find a way to play above .500 on the road if we want to be a playoff team. Our system has a lot of new things, and by December-January, we should be better.''

''Chicago is a pretty darn good team,'' Wild center Kyle Brodziak said. ''There's not a lot of difference from last year. They are hardworking, fast, and they can score. This is pretty much the team that made it to the conference finals [last season].''

Martin Havlat, who was devastating against the Blackhawks in the preseason, was excited to play his first game that counted against the Hawks in the United Center.

In the first of two preseason meetings, Havlat scored on his first shot with the Wild on a dazzling move around Hawks winger Jack Skille and finished with two goals in the game at St. Paul, Minn. In the second, at the United Center, Havlat had a goal and an assist. Monday, though, was Havlat's first real ''reunion game.'' During his three seasons with the Hawks, Havlat made only one visit to Ottawa, the team that drafted him, and he was injured in the first period. ''So,'' Havlat told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, ''I'm not used to this.''

The Wild considers this a reunion week. In addition to Havlat coming to Chicago, Greg Zanon faces his old Nashville teammates for the first time Wednesday. Then Marian Gaborik, Minnesota's all-time scoring leader who is now with the New York Rangers, comes to St. Paul on Friday. On Saturday, general manager Chuck Fletcher and winger Pete Sykora return to Pittsburgh, where they will pick up their Stanley Cup rings.

The Hawks continued their policy of calling up a player on game day, recalling Jake Dowell from the Rockford IceHogs for duty on the fourth line. Dowell held his own in a first-period fight with Minnesota's Shane Hnidy.

Dustin Byfuglien's fifth goal of the season came in this season's 10th game on Saturday. Last season, Byfuglien didn't get his fifth until the 24th game.

With Brent Seabrook sidelined, coach Joel Quenneville shifted Seabrook's alternate captain's letter to veteran center John Madden, who is in his first season with the Hawks. ''[Madden] gives us real good leadership, experience and championships,'' Quenneville said. ''And he has fit in with our group really quickly.''

Minnesota beat the Hawks in three of last season's four meetings and won both games played at the United Center. Before Monday, the Wild had won 12 of the previous 15 meetings with the Hawks and six of the previous seven at the United Center.

Jonathan Toews (61.1 percent), Madden (56.3) and Dave Bolland (50.6) all ranked in the top 50 in NHL faceoff percentages going into the game. Toews was the only Hawk with a percentage above 50 percent last season. As a team, the Hawks ranked 23rd in faceoff percentage in 2008-09. Now they're second.

The attendance Monday was 20,046, another sellout.

]]> Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:01 CST http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1848010,CST-SPT-hawknt27.article http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1847873,chicago-blackhawks-minnesota-wild-102609.article

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:01
ASSOCIATED PRESS


Hawk right winger Troy Brouwer (left) and Kris Versteeg celebrate Brouwer's first-period goal.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times)

Patrick Kane scored a spectacular third-period goal just 3:25 after Minnesota had made it a one-goal game and the Chicago Blackhawks went on to win 3-1 Monday night, dropping the Wild to 0-8 on the road.

Cristobal Huet made 20 saves and extended his shutout streak to 113 minutes, 2 seconds before Andrew Brunette's power-play goal on a wild scramble in front of the net cut Chicago's lead to 2-1 at 3:29 of the third.

The Wild had all the momentum until Kane stole the puck from Eric Belanger in the right corner. Kane skated behind the net and, when he couldn't find an open teammate, weaved his way to the lower left circle. He then wheeled around and lifted the puck into a tiny gap between goalie Niklas' Backstrom's right shoulder and the crossbar.

It was the 50th career goal and fourth this season for Kane, the league's top rookie in 2007-08. He doesn't turn 21 until next month.

Minnesota became the first NHL team to earn zero points in its opening eight road games since Pittsburgh in 1996. The Wild, which has been outscored 28-13 on the road, clinched its first losing October in five years.

Dave Bolland and Troy Brouwer scored in the first period for the Blackhawks. Brouwer's power-play goal, after Tomas Kopecky kept the puck alive with some nice hustle in front of the net, snapped the Blackhawks' three-game, 0-for-12 slump with the man-advantage.

The game marked the return of Martin Havlat, Chicago's leading scorer last year who was allowed to leave as a free agent after the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $62.8 million contract. Havlat was bitter about being let go.

NOTES: Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews and D Brent Seabrook each missed a second consecutive game with what are believed to be concussion-related symptoms. Both were hurt in Wednesday's loss to Vancouver. ... The Wild had won six of their previous seven games at the United Center. ... Wild C Mikko Koivu has a goal and three assists in three games since being named first captain in team history last week.

For some reason, hockey teams assess their play every 10 games. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville hasn't dwelled on it, but I'll help him along.

The Hawks hit the 10-game mark in their 82-game regular season with a 2-0 victory Saturday over the Nashville Predators. They are in first place in the Central Division with a 6-3-1 record and 13 points.

My assessment for their play from the start of the season? Given the circumstances, it was pretty darn good. Let's put it in perspective.

With 13 points, the Hawks are on pace for another 100-point season. They had 104 last season, when they went 4-3-3 in their first 10 games. That team reached the Western Conference finals.

There have been more obstacles this season, the primary one being health. The Hawks haven't had Marian Hossa and Adam Burish, Ben Eager only played in the first two games and Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook missed the game Saturday.

The Hawks also had a difficult schedule to start the season, playing four games (two exhibitions) in six days in Europe. Even young guys can be negatively affected by jet lag, but these Hawks dealt with it fairly well.

While the nucleus of the team from last season is back, the Hawks lost leading scorer Martin Havlat and top goalie Nikolai Khabibulin in free agency.

They're doing a lot better than Havlat's new team, the Minnesota Wild (3-7-0), which visits the United Center tonight, and they have the same record as Khabibulin's Edmonton Oilers, who lost in a United Center visit Oct. 14.

By no means are these Hawks perfect, though. Goalie Cristobal Huet had two miserable home games, and the power play has been spotty, going without a goal in the last three games (0-for-9). Their play in five-on-three situations has been embarrassing. They've had four chances and failed on all of them.

Individually, here are a few assessments: (click on photo gallery at right)

Brent Seabrook and Jonathan Toews remained off the ice at the Blackhawks' workout Sunday, and it's unlikely they'll play tonight against the Minnesota Wild at the United Center. Both are nursing concussion-like symptoms after taking hits in the loss Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks.

Coach Joel Quenneville continues to hope that either or both will be back tonight.

''We'll see how they present in the morning,'' Quenneville said. ''There's a chance they could play, and we're seeing progress. They're very comparable in where they're at. [Toews] presents better one day; Brent presents better the next.''

Neither Toews nor Seabrook has skated since the game Wednesday, and Ben Eager, who experienced concussion-like symptoms after the team returned from Europe on Oct. 4, has been off the ice for more than three weeks. There's medical protocol required for players with concussion-like symptoms, and waiting times can vary.

''They haven't been cleared to begin skating,'' Quenneville said. ''When it's time, it's time.''

Goalie Cristobal Huet earned another home start after shutting out the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

''A big win for him,'' Quenneville said. ''It's got to help his confidence, and his teammates were happy for him as well. That was a good team victory when we needed a win very badly, but for [Huet] to battle through some adversity, that was a great response. It'll be good for him.''

Quenneville had no complaints about Jake Dowell's play as a fourth-line winger against the Predators, but Dowell still was returned to Rockford on Sunday. If Toews can't play tonight, Dowell could be called up again.

The call-ups of Bryan Bickell, Jack Skille and Dowell have been quickies, with their return to the minors coming the day after a game regardless of their play. It's all part of the Hawks' efforts to manage the salary cap.

''Right now, we're definitely up against it,'' Quenneville said.

Martin Havlat's departure from the Blackhawks in the offseason wasn't a quiet one. The Hawks wouldn't re-sign him, choosing to pick up free agent Marian Hossa instead. Tonight represents a chance for Havlat to show the Hawks they made a mistake.

Havlat took some verbal swipes at the Hawks' front office after signing a six-year, $30 million contract with the Minnesota Wild, which makes its first regular-season visit to the United Center tonight.

''Marty's a good player and tough to play against,'' Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith said after practice Sunday at the United Center. ''He had a little bit of success against us in preseason, so we'll have to be aware of where he is on the ice.''

Havlat led the Hawks with 77 points last season, and the Wild expects him to lead a recovery from its 3-7 start.

''Minnesota's still a dangerous team,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''[Havlat] will be excited about coming back here and playing well, and his teammates will give him lots of support.''

Len Ziehm

Center Jonathan Toews and defenseman Brent Seabrook played in all 82 regular-season games last season and were big reasons the Hawks amassed 104 points and advanced to the Western Conference finals.

Things didn't look promising with both players sitting out Saturday with concussion-like symptoms, but the Hawks did just fine without them.

Cristobal Huet stopped all 27 shots he faced in posting his first shutout of the season, a 2-0 victory against the Nashville Predators before another sellout crowd at the United Center.

The result enabled the Hawks to end a two-game home skid, but it was an even bigger victory for Huet because it silenced the boo-birds who were getting louder and louder after his shaky play in his two previous home starts.

''I needed to regroup myself,'' Huet said. ''I worked hard this week, and the team put out a good effort. We blocked a lot of shots and rebounds. We played very defensively.''

Toews' absence was particularly ominous. As a rookie in 2007-08, he missed 16 games with a sprained knee. That was last time he missed significant ice time, and the Hawks went 5-9-2 without him.

Toews is a better player now than he was then, ranking sixth in the NHL in faceoff success at 61.1 percent. The Hawks might miss him even more now, even though that wasn't the case Saturday.

''We're a little different team than two years ago,'' winger Patrick Sharp said. ''Our roster is different. It's a different everything. It's not fun to have two players like that questionable to the lineup, but you want them healthy. We're playing with the guys we have.''

The Hawks might be without Toews and Seabrook for their home game Monday against the Minnesota Wild, too, but coach Joel Quenneville doesn't expect either to be out for long. Quenneville had said both ''could play'' after practices Thursday and Friday and denied their absences from the lineup Saturday represented a setback.

''It's part of the protocol,'' he said. ''You evaluate them and see if they're ready to go. If they are, they're out there. We still see progress. Monday's an option. We're hopeful.''

Huet allowed three goals on five shots before being yanked in the first period Oct. 12 against the Calgary Flames, then gave up two bad goals Oct. 17 against the Dallas Stars. This time, the Hawks staked him to a 2-0 lead on goals by Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd 56 seconds apart in the second period.

Byfuglien scored off assists from Patrick Kane and John Madden 7:20 into the period before Ladd tipped in a long-range shot by Cam Barker at 8:16. Those goals, plus a strong defensive effort, made up for the absences of Toews and Seabrook for at least one game.

''They're two big parts of our team, but that created an opportunity for others to step up,'' Ladd said. ''Winning tonight was important because any time you lose a couple at home, you want to get back on track.''

The Hawks seemed to play better when rookie Antti Niemi (3-1-0) was in goal, but they gave Huet (3-2-1) plenty of help against the Predators.

''We try to play the same whether Antti or Huet is in there,'' Sharp said, ''but it was nice to get the monkey off [Huet's] back.''

BLACKHAWKS 2, PREDATORS 0

Jake Dowell, not Jack Skille, was called up from Rockford when Jonathan Toews (concussion) was deemed not ready to return to the Hawks' lineup Saturday against the Predators. Dowell was named the IceHogs' captain after Colin Fraser beat him out for a roster spot on the Hawks. ''I've been trying to do everything to get called up, and I'm glad it came early,'' Dowell said. ''Now I've got to do all I can to stay here.'' ... Brent Seabrook (concussion) saw his streak of consecutive games end at 223. It was the longest active streak on the Hawks and the third-longest among NHL defensemen. His absence led to Brent Sopel being paired with Duncan Keith. Andrew Ladd now has the longest streak on the Hawks with 112 games, and he has played in 132 in a row dating to his time with the Hurricanes. Brian Campbell has played in 330 consecutive games with the Sabres, Sharks and Hawks. That's the second-longest streak among NHL defensemen behind the Flames' Jay Bouwmeester. ... The Hawks and Predators went into the game Saturday as the two least-penalized teams in the NHL. The Hawks had averaged 9.1 penalty minutes per game and the Predators 9.4. ... Marian Hossa's recovery from offseason surgery on his right shoulder is progressing. He has just begun doing some light shooting. The next step will be skating with the team, but coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't hazard a guess as to when that will be. ... Saturday was Hockey Fights Cancer Awareness Night. Patrick Kane commemorated it by having a pink grip on his stick, and it will stay there for the three remaining games in October. Logan Molenhouse, 12, of Mokena performed the ceremonial puck drop. He has overcome cancer three times. There was also a sale of pink pucks with proceeds benefitting the Vera Bradley Foundation, which raises funds for breast-cancer research. ... Defenseman Jassen Cullimore, considered a prized free-agent signee by the Hawks immediately after the 2004-05 lockout, has signed a tryout contract with the IceHogs. Cullimore played in 119 games for the Hawks, then was traded to the Canadiens, who subsequently bought out the remaining years of his contract. Cullimore hooked on with the Panthers last season, notching 10 points in 68 games.

]]> Sun, 25 Oct 2009 00:01 CST http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1845061,CST-SPT-hawknt25.article http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1842984,CST-SPT-hawk24.article
If Toews can't go, Ebbett in line to take his spot
Sat, 24 Oct 2009 00:01
BY LEN ZIEHM lziehm@suntimes.com


Andrew Ebbett, who made his Blackhawks debut Wednesday, had 32 points in 48 games as Anaheim's second-line center last season.
(Tom Cruze/Sun-Times file)

The Blackhawks acquired Andrew Ebbett at just the right time. He'd be an able fill-in for Jonathan Toews if the team captain can't play tonight against the Nashville Predators at the United Center.

Toews and Brent Seabrook missed practice again Friday, but coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't rule either out for the game. Both are nursing concussion-like symptoms suffered in the 3-2 loss Wednesday to the Vancouver Canucks.

Though neither player was seen by the media, Quenneville said both ''presented themselves well'' again and said their absence from the lineup ''is definitely looking very short term'' based on the progress they made in the last two days.

That still leaves the Hawks in limbo for tonight, and the newly-acquired Ebbett could be the emergency replacement for Toews. Ebbett was claimed on waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday and made his debut as a fourth-line winger Wednesday. Without Toews, Ebbett has centered for Patrick Sharp and Troy Brouwer in practice. Ebbett would welcome doing that in a game.

''It'd be a chance to step in right away and show what I can do,'' Ebbett said. ''It'd be a challenge, and I'm looking forward to it. I got my feet wet the other night, but it would be nice to play a little bit more.''

Ebbett was the Ducks' second-line center last season, when he scored 32 points in 48 games.

''It's just a role I feel comfortable with and can step right in there,'' Ebbett said. ''I've played center almost my entire career.''

Quenneville moved Ebbett to wing and left Colin Fraser as the fourth-line center against the Canucks, but Ebbett rarely has played that position and didn't fit in with the Ducks in that role.

''I played it in two preseason games. That was about it,'' Ebbett said. ''It just didn't work out there. They felt they had to have big guys on the wall to play that physical game and didn't feel I could handle it.''

The offseason acquisition of Saku Koivu led to Ebbett losing his second-line center job, but he might get to play there for the Hawks, at least temporarily.

If Toews can't go and Ebbett moves up two lines, the Hawks will need another fourth-line winger, and he probably would have to come from Rockford. That might mean the return of Jack Skille, who has been up and down from the minor-league IceHogs since Ben Eager was sidelined by a concussion after the first two games in Europe.

If Seabrook can't play, Brent Sopel and Jordan Hendry likely would be in the lineup together for the first time. Sopel played in the first eight games, Hendry in the last one.

Though there's some uncertainty regarding the skaters, the goaltender was announced after practice. Cristobal Huet will start again, despite consecutive rough outings at the United Center. Rookie Antti Niemi was in goal Wednesday.

''It's a good opportunity for [Huet] to get back in net, and he's played well against Nashville,'' Quenneville said. ''He's practiced well, and he's a competitive guy. I don't want to get into a rotating business of 'You win, you're in.' Antti did a good job the last game, though we didn't win.''

Vicious, but clean. That's the universal assessment of the hit that Vancouver Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell delivered on Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews late in the game Wednesday at the United Center.

The hit, replayed over and over on newscasts throughout the sports world, affected the Hawks' practice Thursday. Five players, Toews among them, stayed off the ice, and coach Joel Quenneville conducted only a short, snappy workout with those who could participate.

In addition to Toews, the absentees included defenseman Brent Seabrook, who got kicked in the face during a late-game penalty kill; defenseman Duncan Keith, center Dave Bolland and winger Andrew Ladd. Keith, Bolland and Ladd were just given ''maintenance'' breaks, but Toews and Seabrook might need more than a day off. Though the Hawks say they have only ''upper-body injuries,'' neither could finish the 3-2 loss to the Canucks and apparently have concussion-like symptoms.

''Both presented well today and progressed well overnight, so that was encouraging,'' Quenneville said. He wouldn't predict if either would be on the ice for another practice today but offered that ''both could play'' when the Hawks host the Nashville Predators on Saturday.

Mitchell's hit on Toews, though, remains the most vivid snapshot of the Hawks' season so far.

''On this hit, as opposed to some of the great hits [over the years], Toewser didn't have much of a chance,'' said veteran center John Madden, who has seen and been involved in plenty of resounding collisions in his 10-season NHL career. ''He didn't know the guy was coming out of the box, and it was kind of a blindside hit. He was a victim of the circumstances. I wouldn't put it up with the great hits.''

''When a guy gets hit like that, it doesn't matter who it is -- you get the emotions going when you see a teammate get hit,'' defenseman Cam Barker said. ''It was a tough play all around. It wasn't a dirty hit. It wasn't a shot. It was an open-ice hit. Maybe it was on the blind side, but everyone's going to take that hit.''

Mitchell wasn't surprised that Hawks winger Kris Versteeg jumped him immediately, but he told the Vancouver Sun, ''I had no choice.''

Mitchell was two strides out of the penalty box when Toews came his way.

''If I swung at the puck or swung at his stick, it could have been a 3-on-2 [breakaway],'' Mitchell said. ''I got him pretty good. Hopefully he's all right. It was a clean hit, but you don't want to see anyone get hurt.''

Versteeg drew a roughing penalty. Mitchell wasn't penalized. The Hawks took three more penalties after that, and the Canucks scored the tying goal on one of those power plays before getting the decisive goal on a mixup in the Hawks' zone between Brian Campbell and Patrick Kane. Mikael Samuelsson took advantage to score the decisive goal.

The two late goals came after the Hawks failed to score on a five-on-three power play moments before Mitchell's hit on Toews.

''Not a good two minutes for us, for sure,'' Kane said.

Toews talked to his teammates at practice but wasn't in view of the media.

''He seems fine,'' Kane said. ''He was in good spirits. I don't know what will happen, but he seemed his same old self.''

Quenneville said Toews and Seabrook ''have to go through protocol'' before they can get back on the ice. The Hawks already have one regular, Ben Eager, out with concussion-like symptoms. If Toews can't go, newly acquired Andrew Ebbett probably will center one of the top three lines. Brent Sopel, who sat out his first game Wednesday, might return if Seabrook isn't ready to play.

Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook could not finish Wednesday night's 3-2 loss to Vancouver after suffering injuries. They were among five Hawks who sat out Thursday's practice.

Toews took a hard hit to the head and Seabrook was apparently kicked in the face in the third period of the game.

Coach Joel Quenneville said "both presented themselves well" on Thursday though neither were available for interviews after practice.

Quenneville said there was a chance both might be able to play in Saturday's home game against Nashville.

Dave Bolland, Duncan Keith and Andrew Ladd were the others who sat out practice.

Remember that epic battle between the Blackhawks and Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of their playoff series last May?

Well, Wednesday's first meeting since then wasn't anything like the game that sent the Hawks to the Western Conference finals.

The Hawks lost this one 3-2 after their captain, Jonathan Toews, was knocked dizzy by a hit from Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell 5:55 into the third period. The Hawks were never the same after that.

Mitchell was coming out of the penalty box after the Canucks had killed off a 5-on-3 power play. The Hawks were trying to pad a 2-1 lead.

''A tough play all around,'' Hawks defenseman Cam Barker said. ''Mitchell is two strides out of the box, and you've got to be aware of that. Obviously, he didn't see him.''

Toews went down, got up, stumbled on his way off the ice and was in the locker room before the game was over. Neither he nor defenseman Brent Seabrook -- who left early after taking a skate boot to the head -- were available afterward.

''We'll see how they are tomorrow. Both had upper body injuries,'' said Hawks coach Joel Quenneville, who wouldn't elaborate other than to say he thought Seabrook would be OK. Quenneville said it was ''a clean hit'' by Mitchell that strongly affected the outcome.

''It can be a momentum changer -- a big hit on one of your key guys,'' Quenneville said.

Kris Versteeg was called for roughing after Mitchell's hit, starting a string of Hawks penalties.

''I didn't really see the hit,'' said Versteeg, ''but to see your captain and possibly your best player go down like that, you've got to respond. Any guy on their team would have done the same thing if one of their guys got hurt.''

The Canucks couldn't score when Versteeg was in the box. But they tied the score on their second power-play goal of the game, this one Michael Grabner's first in the NHL, while Dustin Byfuglien was serving four minutes on a high-sticking call. It was one of four penalties taken by the Hawks after Toews went down.

Mikael Samuelsson spoiled another solid showing by Hawks rookie goaltender Antti Niemi with an unassisted game-winning goal 15:18 into the third. Samuelsson got the puck away from Hawks defenseman Brian Campbell in the left circle and blasted it past Niemi and inside the far post. Otherwise, Niemi was a worthy match for Vancouver veteran Roberto Luongo, the Hawks' victim in last May's playoff game won by the Hawks 7-5.

Niemi started ahead of the struggling Cristobal Huet.

''[Niemi] made some great saves,'' Hawks center John Madden said. ''He's got to feel good about his game regardless of the loss. He played real well.''

But Luongo was better.

''His experience alone puts him at an elite level,'' Quenneville said.

That's largely what Luongo did Thursday as the Canucks won their first road game after four losses and saddled the Hawks with their first two-game losing streak of the season. They were outshot for the first time in nine games, 31-20.

The Hawks gave Niemi the lead twice, on goals by Duncan Keith in the first and Troy Brouwer in the second. Steve Bernier had a power-play goal for the Canucks in between.

Luongo led the Canucks' third-period penalty kill when the Hawks failed for the fourth time this season to score on a five-on-three, setting the stage for Mitchell's game-swinging hit on Toews.

CANUCKS 3, HAWKS 2

The Blackhawks lineup had a new look Wednesday with Jordan Hendry making his season debut and Andrew Ebbett playing his first game as a Hawk. ‘‘We saw [Hendry] getting in earlier than this, but we didn’t want to change a winning lineup,’’ coach Joel Quenneville said. Hendry played in the first eight games of last season and one in March. His debut this time comes in the ninth game.

Defenseman Brent Sopel missed practice for personal reasons on Tuesday, and that opened the door for Hendry to play. ‘‘I’ve just been staying positive around the locker room and the rink, working hard to stay in shape, competing hard and waiting for my opportunity,’’ said Hendry, who wasn’t sure whether he would have been better off getting in a few games with Rockford instead of just practicing with the Hawks. ‘‘Always playing in games helps,’’ he said, ‘‘but you can look at it two ways. Staying with the big club helps because you’re practicing at [NHL] pace, so you’re used to it. The American League is a little different style and pace.’’ ... Ebbett, claimed off waivers from Anaheim on Saturday, took Jack Skille’s spot as a fourth-line winger. Quenneville likes Ebbett’s versatility. ‘‘His numbers from last year [32 points in 48 games for the Ducks] were pretty impressive,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘It’ll be interesting to see how he fits in right off the bat.’’ ...

Don Lever, named the Wolves’ head coach on Wednesday, had been a Hawks scout since August. ‘‘We’re happy he’s back in the coaching ranks and is able to do so with a successful organization like the Wolves,’’ Hawks general manager Stan Bowman said.

The Hawks continue to wait for Ben Eager’s concussion-like symptoms to clear up. He hasn’t been on the ice since the club returned from Europe on Oct. 4. ‘‘Nothing’s changed,’’ Quenneville said. ‘‘There’s a lot of unknown going with that injury, and it’s tough to forecast. You just keep your fingers crossed that he can return soon.’’ ... Sixteen Hawks have scored goals. No other NHL team has as many goal-scorers.

The Hawks and Canucks went into Wednesday’s game ranked 1-2 in shots per game. The Hawks had outshot their opponents 287-166 in the first eight games, the widest margin in the NHL. The Canucks outshot the Hawks 31-20. The Hawks also were second-lowest to Nashville in average penalty minutes per game, spending just 8.5 in the box. ... The Hawks have lost 13 of their last 17 regular-season meetings with the Canucks.

Len Ziehm

Since 1999, Chris Chelios has heard nothing but taunts and boos from his hometown fans.

When he touches the puck to prevent icing ...

''Boo!''

When he stops behind his own net to set up a play and allow lines to change ...

''Boooo!''

When he cycles the puck during a power play and tries to line up an open shot ...

''Boooooooo!''

A decade of representing and winning for the rival Detroit Red Wings will do that to you, even if you were a Norris Trophy winner and All-Star defenseman for the Blackhawks.

So the question remains: Will Chicago fans cheer for Chelios on Friday night at Allstate Arena when he plays his first game for the Wolves against the Manitoba Moose?

''I hope [I don't get booed],'' Chelios, 47, said Wednesday in his first interview with the media since signing with the team. ''I'm on the Wolves now. I'm on a Chicago team.''

It will help if Chelios can help the Wolves (1-5) overcome the early struggles that contributed to the firing of former coach Don Granato and the hiring of Don Lever this week. That's one reason why the Wolves wanted him.

''I'll do my best to help out the young kids,'' said Chelios, who starred for the Hawks throughout the 1990s. ''I know the organization [and] the coaches are looking for it from me. I have no problem doing that.

''But the bottom line is we've got to win, and I have to help contribute.''

Chelios' biggest contribution may not even come on the ice. With 25 years of NHL experience, his value may be more apparent off it. Wolves winger Spencer Machacek called it a ''huge honor'' to be sharing a locker room with Chelios, an 11-time NHL All-Star and three-time Norris Trophy winner.

''He's such a good player,'' Machacek said. ''He works so hard on and off the ice. He's such a huge asset.''

As long as he remains an asset, it's doubtful that Chelios, who has 1,644 NHL regular-season games and 266 playoff games under his belt, will hang up his skates. As he said Wednesday, he just enjoys playing the game too much.

''I'm going to make sure there is nothing left when I retire,'' Chelios said. ''Like they say, 'No brain, no headaches.'

''So I'm just going to keep going. ... As long as I'm enjoying playing and helping the team out, that's all that matters.''

Of all the photos T.R. Goodman has of Chris Chelios, his favorite is of the defenseman on hands and knees, gasping after a workout.

''I felt good,'' Goodman said with a laugh. ''I was off to the side smiling when it was taken.''

Why the smile? Because of all the pro athletes Goodman, a notable trainer based in California, has worked with, Chelios is by far the most determined and challenging.

''He kind of gives my life as a trainer meaning and purpose,'' Goodman said. ''He constantly pushes me to come up with things that are difficult and challenging for him.''

So Goodman wasn't too surprised when Chelios, 47, opted to put off retirement for at least one more year by signing with the Wolves earlier this week.

''There is a perception he lost a step and couldn't do what he did before, but I don't think that's the case,'' Goodman said. ''I haven't seen anybody who is in better shape than he is.''

Considering his Hall of Fame career started in 1983 with the Montreal Canadiens, it's definitely easy to see why Chelios' fitness has made him an even bigger legend.

Chelios has played in 1,910 NHL games, including a league-record 266 playoff games, and is an 11-time All-Star and three-time Norris Trophy winner. He was one of the most popular Blackhawks in the 1990s before departing for rival Detroit.

Chelios trains with Goodman during the three summer months and for at least two hours a day. His workout plan can be separated into four distinct phases:

• Core strengthening: Training designed to remove the ''trauma'' Chelios' body endured throughout the season.

• Muscular endurance: Workouts designed to increase and maintain stamina.

• Increasing strength: Using low repetitions and heavy weight to increase muscle size.

• High performance training: A non-stop, hour-long workout of about 16 different exercises.

Michael Grabner scored the tying goal with 7:44 to play and Mikael Samuelsson followed with the winner 3:02 later Wednesday night as the Vancouver Canucks rallied for their first road victory of the season, 3-2 over the Chicago Blackhawks.

The Canucks hadn’t won away from Vancouver since beating Chicago in Game 3 of the teams’ second-round playoff series last May. The Blackhawks advanced by taking the final three games, and Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo wept after allowing seven goals in the decisive Game 6.

Luongo was much better Wednesday, making several acrobatic stops among his 18 saves, but he received a lot of help from his teammates as Vancouver was the first team to outshoot the Blackhawks this season.

Antti Niemi, starting in place of struggling Chicago goalie Cristobal Huet, was sensational most of the night and finished with 28 saves but couldn’t survive some sloppy play in front of him late.

Grabner made it 2-2 with a power-play goal from the top of the left circle, his first career goal in his fourth NHL game.

After the Blackhawks killed off another power play, Samuelsson intercepted Brian Campbell’s attempted pass to Patrick Kane in the Chicago zone. Samuelsson skated into the left circle and snapped a wrist shot that beat Niemi low to the far side.

Samuelsson, who also assisted on Steve Bernier’s first-period goal, has 20 points in 25 career games against the Blackhawks.

Duncan Keith scored for Chicago midway through the first period. Late in the second, his perfect pass set up Troy Brouwer’s goal for a 2-1 Blackhawks lead.

NOTES: Don Lever, a scout with the Blackhawks since August, left the team to be head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the AHL. ... Blackhawks C Andrew Ebbett, claimed on waivers from Anaheim last week, made his Chicago debut.

The Blackhawks' goaltender saga took a new twist Tuesday when rookie Antti Niemi was named the starter for tonight's game against the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center.

It will be the third start in eight games for Niemi, but the first in a game that wasn't part of back-to-back matchups. Cristobal Huet started the other six games and was shaky at best in his last two appearances on home ice.

Huet allowed three goals in five shots before getting yanked Oct. 12 against Calgary and then gave up two bad goals in Saturday's first home loss, 4-3 to Dallas.

But Niemi didn't back into the job. He has a 3-0-0 record, 1.73 goals-against average and .912 save percentage.

''He earned the opportunity,'' Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. ''At one point in the year competition from behind [the backup] was something we were looking for.''

It just may have come sooner than expected for Quenneville, who still maintained that the veteran Huet is his No. 1 goalie.

''As a goalie you always want to play, but right now the other guy deserves to play the next game,'' Quenneville said.

Niemi made his North American debut last year, playing most of his games at Rockford but winning once in a late-season start for the Hawks. This season the 26-year-old Finn battled Corey Crawford for the backup role in training camp and got the job at least in part because of contractual stipulations. Crawford could be called up from Rockford, Niemi couldn't.

Their teammates have steered clear of the goalie debate.

''Both have done a fantastic job, so I don't know what the crap is all about,'' winger Kris Versteeg said. ''They've both been doing well and winning games.''

''We know [Huet] will battle out of it,'' captain Jonathan Toews said. ''He's a competitor, and we'll help him get through it.''

Said Quenneville: ''It's early in the year, and everybody has parts of a season where they're not playing their best. There's a lot of scrutiny at the goaltender position. It's the last line of defense. Huet's got to work his way through it and gain confidence.''

If it's any consolation for Huet, his statistics (2-2-1 record, 3.25 GAA, .844 save percentage) aren't much different than Vancouver's Roberto Luongo (3-5-0, 3.22, .879). Luongo is considered one of the NHL's premier goaltenders.

Putting pressure on Luongo was the key to the Hawks winning their six-game playoff series with the Canucks last season. Tonight's game will be the first meeting of the teams since the Hawks completed their run to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 1995.

It's official: Chris Chelios is back in Chicago.

Chelios, a 25-year NHL veteran who starred with the Red Wings and Blackhawks, signed with the Chicago Wolves on Tuesday.

His signing comes a week after the 47-year-old defenseman made headlines by practicing with the team and a day after the Wolves fired head coach Don Granato. Chelios will make his Wolves debut against the Manitoba Moose at Allstate Arena at 7:30 Friday night.

''He's a great teaching tool and a great example for all our players,'' Wolves general manager Wendell Young said. ''He is in such great shape and is such a hard worker.

''How would you feel if you were a player and a future Hall-of-Famer is in the room and on the ice with you?''

Young said Chelios ''has no intent to coach,'' and will not be replacing Granato as rumored.

''His goal is to show himself to NHL teams and to get back into the NHL,'' Young said.

Chelios, a former Mount Carmel student, has played in 1,644 NHL regular-season games, recording 185 goals and 948 points. Chelios also has played in an NHL record 266 playoff games. He is an 11-time NHL All-Star, a three-time Norris Trophy winner and was a Hawks fan favorite throughout the 1990s.

''It is an honor for us to have him,'' Young said earlier in a statement. ''We are very excited to have someone of Chris' stature join our team. He will be an excellent example for our young players to watch, both on and off the ice.''

Terms of Chelios' contract were not disclosed.

The Wolves are also expected to announce details regarding their coaching vacancy today.

Jack Skille's days of shuttling between the Blackhawks and Rockford on an almost daily basis are over. Skille, the Hawks' first-round draft pick in 2005, will remain an IceHog.

Skille's spot on the fourth line will be taken by Andrew Ebbett, who went through his first practice with the Hawks on Monday at Johnny's Ice House. Ebbett was claimed off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday.

''[Ebbett is] a very useful player'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''He had a real good year last year, and he can really help us in a lot of ways. He can play center, he can play wing, he can make plays.''

One way Ebbett will fit in better than Skille regards the salary cap. The Hawks have struggled to stay under the cap, and that was why Skille would be called up from Rockford when the Hawks had a game and then returned to the IceHogs the next day. Skille was moved seven times in the last eight days.

Skille counts $1.25 million toward the cap. Ebbett, who wasn't drafted but has played in 53 NHL games, has a cap hit of $475,000.

Ebbett is just happy the Hawks claimed him.

''I'm excited to get picked up by a team like this,'' he said. ''Coming to a young team like Chicago fits me well. It's fast and skilled, and that suits my style pretty well. And I love being in the Midwest.''

Ebbett played four years at Michigan, then made his professional debut with the Binghamton Senators of the American Hockey League in 2006. His first call-up with the Ducks came the next season. Last season, he played in 48 games and had eight goals, 24 assists and 24 penalty minutes.

The Ducks also used him as a second-line center in 13 playoff games, but he appeared in only two games this season.

''They brought in Saku Koivu and didn't want to play me anywhere else, so it just didn't work out,'' Ebbett said. ''I was thought of as strictly a second-line centerman. Hopefully I can put that to rest, that I can play more than one position.''

Ebbett will play on the fourth line, though Colin Fraser will stay at center. The line has been without Ben Eager (concussion) and Adam Burish (knee surgery).

With the Ducks, Ebbett had the estimable Teemu Selanne as one of his wingers. He won't have a player of that caliber with him now.

''Teemu Selanne helped bring me through,'' Ebbett said. ''He had speed and skill. He was the fastest guy on the ice, and he was almost 40 years old. I learned from him. Guys said I couldn't play in this league, but I proved I could during the second half of last year. Now I've got to build on that.''

The Hawks have another practice today, after which Quenneville will decide whether Cristobal Huet or Antti Niemi will start in goal Wednesday against the Vancouver Canucks at the United Center.

Patrick Sharp has been a consistently good player for the Blackhawks since he was acquired from the Philadelphia Flyers midway through the 2005-06 season.

To at least one family in the Hawks' growing fan base, however, Sharp is an even better person.

It all started Sept. 12, when Sharp represented the Hawks to make a donation on the team's behalf to Children's Memorial Hospital.

Alysse Nicholson, 13, of Joliet was in the hospital at the time recovering from brain surgery. A week earlier, she had been bothered by bad headaches, and a CT scan indicated she had a tumor.

While Nicholson was recuperating, the ''Eric and Kathy 36 Hour Radiothon'' -- a fund-raiser for the hospital -- on WTMX-FM (101.9) was in progress, and Sharp was interviewed.

''My two other daughters were there and saw him doing the interview,'' said Jim Nicholson, Alysse's father. ''He was nice enough to come up to her room and meet her and sign some autographs. She didn't realize it was him, but eventually she realized it was her favorite player. She was in no position to talk to him that day, but you could still see that gleam in her eye.''

A month later, Sharp remembers that day.

''Her mother asked if I'd say hello because she's a big fan. So me and my fiancee [Abby] went, and they took a few pictures. It took just a little bit of my time, but I think it made her day.''

Visiting hospital patients sometimes is part of being a high-profile athlete.

''It's not the most fun thing to do, that's for sure,'' Sharp said. ''Our team sets up hospital visits, and I've done quite a few. You walk in, and they're always in bed. It's a tough situation. You feel awkward because you're interrupting their privacy a little bit.''

In Alysse's case, it was a little different.

''She had a big smile on her face, but I don't think she believed it was me until I was gone,'' Sharp said. ''My fiancee's a nurse, and she did a good job of asking questions, so I think [Alysse] was warming up to us.''

Alysse's tumor was determined to be malignant. She has been undergoing radiation and begins chemotherapy treatments this week. Before that ordeal, though, she went to the Hawks game Saturday at the United Center, a disappointing 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars that was overshadowed by a visit with Sharp after the game.

''She kept talking about wanting to meet him again because she was feeling better,'' her father said. ''She wanted to thank him for visiting her.''

Sharp was more than willing to have a reunion.

''It's nice to get feedback from a family that it meant so much to them,'' Sharp said, ''because it's not much out of our day to do that.''

The United Center boo birds came after Cristobal Huet again Saturday night, and with some reason. The Blackhawks' goaltender let in two bad goals, and they led to a 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars and the end of the Hawks' four-game winning streak before a sellout crowd of 20,424.

This was a game that defied logic, as the Hawks had dominated the Stars last year in winning all four meetings and Dallas arrived in Chicago at 2 a.m. after a deflating 3-0 home loss to Boston. The Stars even went with their backup goaltender, Alex Auld, rather than Marty Turco, a Hawks' nemesis for years.

None of that mattered after Huet was victimized by a weird bounce off the board that resulted in the game-winning goal. Ex-Hawk Stephane Robidas got credit for it after Huet couldn't keep the slow-moving puck in his glove midway through the third period.

Niklas Hjalmarsson's goal brought the Hawks back within one with 4:28 left in the third, but a big shot block by Robidas in the final frantic seconds with the Hawks playing with an extra attacker ended the comeback bid and made Huet the goat again.

He was yanked after allowing three goals on five shots against Calgary on Monday, but the Hawks came back from five goals down to win. Huet was the winner at Nashville on Thursday, but that didn't carry over to Saturday, when his record slipped to 2-2-1.

''It's pretty unfair,'' said captain Jonathan Toews. ''There's way more pressure on him than there should be to keep making big stops. We know he's a key player. We win as a team and lose as a team. Nobody points fingers. It's not only frustrating for him, but it's also frustrating for us to hear those jeers. He's trying so hard. That's all we can ask for.''

''There's not one guy who should take the blame for that loss,'' said defenseman Duncan Keith. ''There were other goals that could have been prevented. That should be the story line.''

But it's not. Huet, as the designated No. 1 goaltender after Nikolai Khabibulin's departure, will inevitably be scrutinized.

The Hawks dominated puck possession for the first 22 minutes, then their play turned shaky. The Stars scored the game's first goal, Brenden Morrow scoring off a rebound after Huet's deflection of Karlis Skrastins' shot sailed high 2:17 into the second period.

Three minutes later it was 2-0 as Mike Ribeiro scored on a rebound after Matt Niskanen put a shot on goal from the blue line. Troy Brouwer's first goal of the season, which came unassisted, put the Hawks on the scoreboard, but Toby Peterson's rocket from behind the right circle caught the upper right corner of the net. Not only did it restore the Stars' two-goal lead but it also started the verbal taunts on Huet. He was cheered sarcastically whenever he touched the puck after that.

The Hawks were able to get back within one on Toews' first goal of the season, a shot from the left circle, before the second was over but the crazy bounce off the boards and Huet's bobble put the Stars ahead for good.

Coach Joel Quenneville, who has consistently defended Huet, wouldn't guarantee he'd be in goal for the next game vs. Vancouver on Wednesday at the United Center.

''We'll see. We're off tomorrow and then have two days of practices. We'll see how he is,'' said Quenneville. ''He's a battler, a competitive guy, and he's got pride. I'm sure he wants to get back out there. We're all contributing to one cause. He'd like to do better, and it's still early in the year.''

STARS 4, BLACKHAWKS 3

The only one in the Blackhawks locker room who had anything bad to say about goalie Cristobal Huet after the team's first United Center loss was ... Cristobal Huet.

''I can blame only myself,'' Huet said Saturday night following a 4-3 defeat to the Dallas Stars. ''Right now, I feel like I let the team down. I have to see this as just a bump in the road. There were times I really looked bad tonight. I didn't have it.''

But none of the other Hawks had anything negative to say about Huet, who did hear some booing from the fans.

''You have to give credit to Dallas,'' Kris Versteeg said. ''They came in here and played a real good game. That was not how we want to play. We don't want to get behind like that. We have to try to get the first one in the next few games.

''I think Huey has been playing great. We can't dwell on this.''

The Hawks were more than a little unhappy that the game was scoreless after one period despite having outshot the Stars 14-5 in the first 20 minutes.

''Sometimes, that's the way it goes,'' Hawks center John Madden said. ''All those shots [in the first period], and the score is 0-0. That's the way it goes. I still think we were playing well, and [Huet], he's just not getting any breaks.''

''We had chances to get a couple of quick goals,'' Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. ''Right away, that would have changed the momentum. Instead, we were fighting back the rest of the game. I thought we still outskated that team.''

The Hawks never got even, though they had chances and three times cut a two-goal deficit to one.

''On their last goal [by Stephane Robidas with 9:33 to play], I had bad balance,'' Huet said. ''And it took a funny bounce before it came toward me. That's how things went tonight.''

As far as starting Wednesday night against Vancouver at the UC, ''I have no control,'' Huet said. ''We'll see.''

''Sometimes at the end of the week, it is hard to play with enough energy,'' Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. ''It wasn't our best game, but it comes down to doing the right things. There were ways to win this game, and we can't make excuses. We came out and could have taken the momentum if we could have scored a few more goals.''

Huet stopped 21 shots while the Stars' Alex Auld turned away 29 Hawks shots.

Fourteen Blackhawks scored goals before captain Jonathan Toews finally lit the lamp in the second period Saturday. Last season Toews didn't get a goal until the 13th game. This time he needed only eight. ... The Blackhawks claimed center Andrew Ebbett off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks before Saturday's game. Ebbett played in five preseason and two regular-season games with the Ducks. Signed as a free agent by the Ottawa Senators after a four-year collegiate career at Michigan, Ebbett played in 48 games for the Ducks last season and had eight goals, 24 assists and 24 penalty minutes. They also used him in the playoffs, and he had a goal and two assists in 13 postseason games. ... Jack Skille continued his shuttle between Rockford and the Hawks. The fourth-line winger took a two-game point streak into Saturday's game after getting a goal on Wednesday against the Edmonton Oilers and an assist on Thursday at Nashville. He was returned to Rockford to help the Hawks' salary-cap situation, then promptly recalled again. ... The Hawks went into Saturday's game allowing the fewest shots per game in the NHL (20.1) while the Dallas Stars were second (26.0). The Hawks also had the lowest penalty minutes average per game (8.3). ... Defensemen either scored or assisted on 21 of the Hawks' first 25 goals this season. D-men were especially active this week with Brian Campbell getting five points in the three games leading into Dallas' visit and Brent Seabrook getting his fifth and six assists in Thursday's seventh game of the season at Nashville. Seabrook didn't get his sixth helper last season until the 30th game.

Len Ziehm

The Blackhawks had one of the NHL's best fourth lines last season when they rolled to the Western Conference finals.

Then it fell apart.

First Adam Burish suffered a torn ACL in a preseason game; then Ben Eager returned from the first two regular-season games in Finland with concussion-like symptoms. Burish won't play again until March; Eager has been undergoing tests, and his return date is uncertain.

That left only center Colin Fraser from last year's energetic fourth-liners. He'll skate with wingers Tomas Kopecky and Jack Skille tonight when the Hawks go after their fifth straight win against the Dallas Stars at the United Center.

''With me, Bur and Eags together most of last season, we knew what to expect from each other,'' Fraser said. ''But injuries are part of the game, and there's a lot of depth in our organization with Skille, [Bryan] Bickell and whoever comes up. It doesn't matter.''

Bickell was called up from Rockford for one game and led the Hawks with five hits, then returned to the IceHogs the next day. Skille has bounced between Rockford and the Hawks the last two weeks.

''That line's a work in progress,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''It was a very reliable, dependable line for us last year, and this year we have a couple new guys learning the system. We've got to get some continuity there.''

Last season Fraser played in 81 games, scored 17 points and was a plus-3; Eager was in 75, scored 15 points and was plus-1, and Burish appeared in 66 games, scored nine points and was a plus-3.

In the first seven games this season, the Kopecky-Fraser-Skille line is a cumulative minus-6 with two goals and one assist. That isn't great, but Skille and Kopecky had goals in the last two games.

''That's what we're looking for, some contribution to our team game,'' Quenneville said.

Kopecky and Skille are relatively new to the Hawks. Kopecky signed as a free agent in the offseason, and Skille has spent most of the last two seasons in Rockford.

Fraser believes Kopecky brings a new dimension to the fourth line.

''He holds onto the puck a little longer; maybe he can create more,'' Fraser said. ''He makes more room for us.

''Bur, Eags and Skille are similar. They're up-and-down guys, and all three can skate like the wind and finish checks. They play a gritty, power-forward style.''

Fraser believes the fourth line will continue to be a positive force.

''There's different players, but that doesn't change the way you play your game,'' he said. ''We know our role. We've got to create energy, work hard and chip in where we can.''

Stephane Robidas scored when his third-period dump-in bounced and slipped past Chicago goalie Cristobal Huet, and the Dallas Stars beat the Blackhawks 4-3 and ended their four-game winning streak Saturday night.

Dallas had three power plays early in the final period and couldn't convert, but the Stars scored with 9:33 left. Robidas dumped the puck, it hit the boards, went sideways and then bounced twice before going right past Huet's glove to make it 4-2.

Niklas Hjalomarsson's goal on a shot from between the circles got Chicago within one with a little more than 4 minutes to go.

Alex Auld, the Stars' No. 2 goalie, made 29 saves in his second game of the season and held off a furious finish by Chicago when it pulled Huet with a little more than a minute to go.

Brendan Morrow, Mike Ribeiro and Toby Petersen also scored for the Stars, all in the second period. Troy Brouwer and Jonathan Toews had goals for the Blackhawks.

Morrow's shot from the left side was stopped by Huet, but Morrow scored on the rebound early in the second period for his fifth goal of the season and a 1-0 Dallas lead.

About three minutes later, Matt Niskanen took a long shot from the blue line that Ribeiro deflected past Huet, a goal upheld by video replay.

Chicago wasted little time responding when less than a minute later, Brouwer wristed a shot from the right circle past Auld, cutting the lead to 2-1.

But Huet's struggles continued when Petersen scored on a long-distance slapper from the right boards that went under the goalie's left pad, prompting louder booing at the United Center.

Chicago sliced the lead to one when Auld fell down behind the net battling Chicago's Patrick Sharp and the puck went to Toews near the right circle. Toews' shot found the vacated net for his first of the season.

The Blackhawks, who entered the game leading the NHL in fewest shots allowed per game (20.1), outshot the Stars 14-5 in a scoreless first period.

NOTES: The Blackhawks claimed C Andrew Ebbett off waivers from the Anaheim Ducks, and recalled RW Jack Skille from Rockford (AHL). Skille has been assigned to Rockford and recalled four times this season for salary cap reasons. He was the Blackhawks' first round pick in 2005. ... Stars RW Jere Lehtinen sat out because of abdominal soreness. Dallas veteran Mike Modano, who has played only one game this season, was out due to a rib injury.

Marian Hossa got back on the ice Friday for the first time since his shoulder surgery. The star winger who signed a 12-year, $62.8 million contract with the Blackhawks on July 1 skated about 30 minutes by himself.

''I did a lot of biking, but on the ice is a little different,'' Hossa said. ''I'll just be skating one or two more times, then start handling the puck. It's healing well so far. I can't wait to practice with the guys.''

Coach Joel Quenneville was pleased that Hossa took another step in his recovery.

''It's good he's back on the ice,'' Quenneville said. ''He's progressing, but [his return to the lineup] is still a long way away.''

The target date for Hossa to return to the lineup is late November.

Len Ziehm

Video courtesy of Chicago Blackhawks

Marian Hossa got back on the ice for the first time since his shoulder surgery Friday. The star winger who signed a 12-year $62.8 million contract with the Blackhawks on July 1 skated about 30 minutes by himself.

``I did a lot of biking, but on the ice is a little different,’’ sais Hossa. ``I’ll just be skating one or two more times, then start handling the puck. It’s healing well so far. I can’t wait to practice with the guys.’’

Coach Joel Quenneville was pleased the Hossa took another step in his recovery.

``It’s good he’s back on the ice. He’s progressing, but (his return to the lineup) is still a long way away,’’ said Quenneville. The target date for Hossa to return to the lineup is late November.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There's no need for any goaltender controversy on these red-hot Blackhawks, not after Cristobal Huet's play in a 3-1 victory over the Nashville Predators on Thursday night.

It may have lacked the dramatics of the last three games at the United Center, but the Hawks were delighted to go home with their fourth straight win -- which left them at 5-1-1 for their best start since 1971-72, when they opened 7-1.

''There wasn't much to do,'' Huet said. ''The team played very well, a very complete game.''

Huet made a big save in the first minute on Nashville's Jason Arnott, then faced only 12 more shots the rest of the way. The only goal he allowed was a bit of a fluke, the puck going in off the skate of Hawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.

It was a big change from Huet's last start, when he allowed three goals on five shots before getting yanked less than eight minutes in.

''The most important thing was ... the win,'' Huet said. ''I try not to be too high or too down. But after a bad game, you want to get the job done.''

''It was important for us to give him a better effort than we did in his last game,'' defenseman Brian Campbell said. ''We owed him that much, and he made some big stops that kept us going.''

Before the game coach Joel Quenneville defended Huet, reiterating that ''he's our No. 1 guy, and this is an opportunity for him to play and be comfortable in net.''

Though rookie Antti Niemi is 3-0-0, Quenneville denied there's any goaltender controversy brewing. He strongly hinted Huet also would start the next game, on Saturday against Dallas at the United Center.

''We're asking a lot of questions about Huet, and he's been fine,'' Quenneville said. ''He could be a little bit better, but it's early in the year and he's lost only one game -- 3-2 in Detroit. ... it's not like he's terrible or playing bad; he's been OK. There's another level, but I don't think the alarm button should be sounded.''

Nashville was a good team for helping Huet develop a comfort level. The Predators had scored only seven goals (one in a shootout) in five games and had allowed 12 in their last two before facing the Hawks. Nashville's power-play unit had just one goal in the first five games while its penalty-killers had allowed six.

After a quiet first period, the Hawks staked Huet to a quick 2-0 lead in the second. It started right after Nashville's Francis Bouillon was sent off for hooking. The ensuing power play began with Brent Seabrook's blast off the left post. Dustin Byfuglien, screening Nashville goaltender Pecca Rinne, was in position to backhand the rebound into the net for the game's first goal with 2:21 gone in the second.

That was Byfuglien's fourth goal of the season, and it came in the seventh game. Last season he didn't get his fourth until his 24th game.

Just 28 seconds after Byfuglien scored, Colin Fraser claimed a loose puck in the Predators' zone and fed Tomas Kopecky for his first goal as a Hawk.

While the Hawks dominated play the rest of the period, the Preds did cut their deficit in half on a fluke goal. Martin Erat got credit for it, but the puck caromed into the net off Hjalmarsson's skate as he and Huet were trying to clear it out of the crease. It marked the second time in as many games that the opposition scored when the puck went in off Hjalmarsson's skate.

The Hawks restored the two-goal lead 7:07 into the third on Duncan Keith's shot from the top of the left circle. Jonathan Toews set up the goal with Seabrook also assisting.

HAWKS 3, PREDATORS 1

The Blackhawks traded Steve Sullivan to the Nashville Predators late in the 2003-04 season. Sullivan wound up leading Nashville to its first playoff berth, then sat out two seasons with a back injury. He recovered to win the Masterton Trophy last season for his comeback efforts. His return to the Nashville lineup came Thursday night against the Hawks, and he was honored with Steve Sullivan Night at the Sommet Center. Fans received a poster of Sullivan with the trophy.

Thursday was different for winger Jack Skille as he was neither called up from Rockford nor sent back to the minor-league team. Skille had been a Hawks transaction for five straight days in the club's effort to cope with the NHL salary cap. With Ben Eager still nursing concussion-like symptoms, Skille would play in games for the Hawks, then return to Rockford for practices. ''I just play it by ear,'' Skille said. ''Stan [general manager Stan Bowman] tells me what to do after every game. It's not been that bad. I'd practice in the morning in Rockford and drive right back. It's not that bad a commute -- only an hour or so. So I just turn up the tunes and drive.'' With the Hawks on the road, though, there was no sending Skille back to Rockford.

Wednesday night's 4-3 win over Edmonton was the highest-rated Blackhawks telecast ever on Comcast SportsNet. The game had a 2.70 rating and attracted approximately 94,300 households. At peak time (8 p.m.), the game had a 3.3 rating, or 115,260 households

. Thursday's game was the first of three with Nashville in a 15-day span. One will be at the United Center, two will be on the Predators' ice -- and that will leave only one other regular-season trip to Nashville on Dec. 26. Last year the Central Division rivals split the season series 3-3, with each winning twice on their home ice.

J.P. Dumont, who did time with the Hawks earlier in his career, returned to the Nashville lineup. He had been nursing concussion-like symptoms since Oct. 3.

Jim Cornelison, the Hawks' popular national-anthem singer, will do his thing at Rockford's home opener tonight against the Wolves.

Nashville's home ice, now called the Sommet Center, has been tough for the Hawks. The Predators went into Thursday's game with a 9-3-3 edge in their home meetings with the Hawks since the 2005-06 season. Nashville owned a 16-9-6 all-time advantage at home.

The Hawks outshot their foes by a whopping 225-127 margin in their first six games.

Len Ziehm

]]> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:01 CST http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1828223,CST-SPT-hawknt16.article http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1828082,blackhawks-predators-game-101509.article

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:01
ASSOCIATED PRESS


Blackhawks goalie Cristobal Huet blocks a shot by Predators center Marcel Goc in the second period of Thursday's game in Nashville, Tenn.
(AP)

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--— Dustin Byfuglien and Tomas Kopecky scored in a 28-second span early in the second period to help the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators 3-1 on Thursday night.

Cristobal Huet made 12 saves, allowing only Martin Erat’s goal.

Duncan Keith also scored for Chicago, and Brent Seabrook added two assists.

Byfuglien scored on the power play at 2:21 of the second period. Seabrook blasted a shot off of the right post, and Byfuglien — stationed in front of the net — beat Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne off the rebound.

Kopecky then beat Rinne at 2:49.

Erat answered for the Predators at 3:36 of the second period, with the puck bouncing off defender Niklas Hjalmarsson and past Cristobal Huet.

Keith scored at 7:07 of the third period, firing a one-timer from the top edge of the left circle that beat Rinne high to the left side.

NOTES: Nashville’s Steve Sullivan, a former member of the Blackhawks, was honored during pregame ceremonies with the presentation of the Bill Masterton Trophy. ... J.P. Dumont was back on the ice for Nashville for the first time since the season opener at Dallas. ... Cal O’Reilly played in his first game for the Predators after being recalled from Milwaukee on Thursday. ... It was the Blackhawks’ only road game in an eight-game span.

Coach Joel Quenneville's decision to start rookie Antti Niemi in goal in Wednesday's 4-3 victory over the Edmonton Oilers did raise the issue of a goaltender controversy on the Blackhawks.

Was Quenneville backing off his declaration of Cristobal Huet as his main netminder?

Was he trying to protect Huet from possible verbal abuse for his poor showing in Monday's stirring overtime win over Calgary?

Or, was Niemi deemed ready to take over after one shutout win and one win in relief?

Well, it wasn't really any of those three.

''It gave [Niemi] a home start,'' Quenneville said. ''It's an opportunity for Antti. He deserved it. But Huet's the guy. He'll play most of the games early in the year.''

But Niemi did just fine in his second start and third game appearance, improving his record to 3-0.

''The main thing is, we got the win,'' Niemi said. ''The team played very strong, and it's easier to start a game. You can concentrate better. I'm very happy to be here, and getting some wins is a big deal, too.''

For whatever reason, the Hawks protected Niemi much better than they did Huet in that weird 6-5 comeback win over Calgary.

Niemi faced only 19 shots, while the Hawks put 38 on Nikolai Khabibulin, their former teammate. Khabibulin faced 16 shots in the first period, when the Hawks (4-1-1) took a 2-1 lead en route to their third straight victory at the United Center.

They scored on Khabibulin in just 51 seconds thanks to some great passing close to the net, Andrew Ladd feeding Jonathan Toews who set up Patrick Sharp for the goal. Sharp ran his point streak to six games, and he has a goal in five, but he couldn't beat Khabibulin on a third-period penalty shot.

''He's a good goalie, and we're just happy to get the two points,'' Sharp said.

Edmonton tied it with 2:30 gone in the first with Niemi hardly to blame. Defenseman Brent Sopel fell while trying to defend ex-Hawk Ethan Moreau. When Sopel went down Moreau had an easy pass to Andrew Cogliano stationed at the far post. He poked the puck past Niemi to tie the game.

The Hawks kept peppering Khabibulin with shots, however, and Jack Skille put the Hawks ahead again on the rebound of Niklas Hjalmarsson's blast from just inside the blue line 13:15 into the period.

Khabibulin got touched for a third goal 9:12 into the second when Brian Campbell skated along the left boards before finding Kris Versteeg camped at the near post. Khabibulin had no chance on that one but he kept his team in it in the third when he made a great save on Patrick Kane and then stopped Versteeg on a breakaway during an Edmonton power play. Those plays loomed large after Dustin Penner pulled the Oilers to within a goal midway through the period.

Penner tried to center the puck from behind the Hawks goal, but it deflected off Hjalmarsson's skate and into the net. A video ruling was needed before that goal was confirmed.

The Hawks fought to protect the narrow lead until Cam Barker blasted in a power play goal 17:18 into the third with Sharp screening Khabibulin. It became tense again when Denis Grebeshkov scored on a power play with 47 seconds left in the third, but the Hawks killed off the remaining time.

''That was a bomb,'' Quenneville said of Barker's game-winning shot. ''It's hard to beat a goalie from that far out.''

But Sharp's screen was a factor in that.

BLACKHAWKS 4, OILERS 3

Edmonton 1 0 2 -- 3

BLACKHAWKS 2 1 1 -- 4

First Period--1, HAWKS, Sharp 5 (Toews, Ladd), :51. 2, Edmonton, Cogliano 2 (Moreau, Visnovsky), 2:30. 3, HAWKS, Skille 1 (Hjalmarsson, Campbell), 13:15. Penalties--None.

Third Period--5, Edmonton, Penner 3 (Brule, Gilbert), 10:43. 6, HAWKS, Barker 2 (Toews, Versteeg), 17:18 (pp). 7, Edmonton, Grebeshkov 3 (Penner, Horcoff), 19:12 (pp). Penalties--Bolland, HAWKS (tripping), 5:24; Madden, HAWKS (hooking), 7:22; Grebeshkov, Edm (tripping), 15:49; Gagner, Edm (slashing), 18:03; Campbell, HAWKS (cross-checking), 18:03; Bolland, HAWKS (tripping), 18:23.

Missed Penalty Shot--Sharp, HAWKS, 17:01 second.

Shots on Goal--Edmonton 6-4-9--19. HAWKS 16-14-8--38.

Power-play opportunities--Edmonton 1 of 3; HAWKS 1 of 2.

Goalies--Edmonton, Khabibulin 2-2-1 (38 shots-34 saves). HAWKS, Niemi 3-0-0 (19-16).

Referees--Dean Morton, Tim Peel. Linesmen--Andy McElman, Mark Shewchyk.

A--20,124 (19,717). T--2:20.

Some things never change. Nikolai Khabibulin was, as usual, in no hurry to talk to the Chicago media Wednesday.

But the former Blackhawks netminder did -- after showering and changing into street clothes -- show up for a chat with those media members willing to wait for him after the morning skate. That's something he rarely did on game days when he was scheduled to play for the Hawks.

Always a reluctant interview in his four seasons with the Hawks, Khabibulin actually did some smiling in his first visit with his new team, the Edmonton Oilers.

''I still have a condo here, friends here,'' he said. ''I really enjoyed being here. The city is great.''

The condo is still here for a good reason.

''It's probably not a great time to sell it,'' Khabibulin said.

Economics led to Khabibulin completing his four-year $27 million contract with the Hawks last season and then leaving. The Hawks wanted to dump his salary before last season, even resorting to putting him on waivers, but they had no takers. Khabibulin rarely talked about that experience then, but did briefly Wednesday.

''It wasn't really that bad,'' he said. ''I knew what I could do. I was confident that I could play.''

And play he did, compiling a 25-8-7 record, 2.33 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in his contract year while splitting time with Cristobal Huet.

After the season, debate swirled over which goalie should stay. Huet was under contract for three more seasons; Khabibulin wasn't.

Apparently the Hawks gave some thought to re-signing him.

''There was a lot of talk. That was about it,'' Khabibulin said. ''After free agency started, we weighed all the positives and decided where to go.''

The right place was Edmonton, where the Oilers were offering him four years for $15 million.

''There was nothing to really compare to, as far as with the Hawks,'' Khabibulin said. ''It was a pretty easy decision for me.''

The Hawks are more well-regarded than the Oilers, under new coach Pat Quinn, but that doesn't bother Khabibulin.

''I don't look back. It is what it is,'' he said. ''Everything happens for a reason. Their team hasn't changed much. They should still challenge for the top in the conference. If they win the Cup, great. If they don't. . . . ''

His final verdict on those seasons with the Hawks?

''It was like two different times,'' he said. ''The first two years were pretty rough, when we didn't play well and didn't have any fans. Then John McDonough took over for the second stage. We had a lot of positive thoughts, and it was fun to play here. I really enjoyed it, even though the first couple years were rough. I have nothing bad to say.''

The Hawks had nothing bad to say about him, either. Patrick Sharp called Khabibulin ''a great teammate,'' and coach Joel Quenneville said, ''Obviously we'd have liked to have him, but the economics of the game and our goaltending situation was a big factor. We can only wish him well.''

It wasn't like Cristobal Huet was out of a job. He just didn't get the start against the Edmonton Oilers and his one-time goaltending partner, Nikolai Khabibulin, on Wednesday. Huet figures to be in goal tonight at Nashville. ''It wasn't my call,'' Huet said. I'll get ready for [the Predators] in case I play.'' Huet allowed three goals on the first five shots he faced in Monday's 6-5 overtime win against the Calgary Flames. That played a role in Antti Niemi getting the call against Edmonton. ''One game isn't going to make me feel bad about everything,'' Huet said. ''I need to work hard and stay positive. My job is to stop the puck and cover for mistakes if one is made, and I didn't do that the last game.''

Wednesday's game drew 20,124 fans, the Hawks' 55th consecutive sellout

. The Hawks were 5-0-3 in their previous eight home games against the Oilers before Wednesday

. Jack Skille is being likened to a yo-yo by some Hawks staffers. On paper, at least, he has been bouncing up and down between the AHL Rockford IceHogs and the Hawks for five consecutive days. It's all part of the Hawks managing the NHL's salary-cap regulations. Skille notched the Blackhawks' first goal by a fourth-liner this season in the first period Wednesday

. This game wasn't the first time Khabibulin started in goal against the Hawks. In his 14-year NHL career, Khabibulin previously had compiled a 12-6-1 record and 2.16 goals-against average while playing for Hawks opponents

. Jonathan Toews had his faceoff percentage up to 60 (54-for-90) going into the Edmonton game. That's a big reason the Hawks, 11th in the NHL in faceoff percentage last season, ranked third going into Wednesday's game

. The Hawks showed improvement in shots on goal. Last year they were fifth in the NHL, averaging 32.7 per game. Through five games this season they ranked second at 37.4

. Hawks defensemen either scored or assisted on 16 of the club's first 18 goals

. A final stat on the Hawks' record comeback from a five-goal deficit on Monday against the Flames: Their best previous comebacks were from four down in widely spaced games -- 1926 (their first season), 1952 and 1989

. In addition to Khabibulin, the Oilers had two other former Hawks on their roster: left wing Ethan Moreau and defenseman Jason Strudwick

. Only defenseman Jordan Hendry has yet to play in a game this season. He also made the season-opening roster last season but played in the first eight games before being sent to Rockford.

Len Ziehm

The resurgent Chicago Blackhawks and the iconic Chicago Bears have inked a marketing partnership that will include a series of TV commercials featuring players from the two teams vowing their support for each other.

The agreement marks the first joint marketing effort involving a founding franchise of the National Football League and one of the original six-member teams of the National Hockey League. Among the players expected to appear in the commercials from Ogilvy/Chicago (the Blackhawks ad agency) are Jay Cutler, Devin Hester, Greg Olsen and Lance Briggs from the Bears, and Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Brian Campbell from the Blackhawks.

The spots will be completed and ready to air by the end of October. The Blackhawks initiated the marketing deal. Blackhawks management hopes that wooing some of the large Bears' fan base in Chicago will help in re-establishing a large and loyal fan base for the hockey team, which over the course of many years had lost the support of local sports enthusiasts.

The Blackhawks have previously done marketing tie-ins with other local pro sports franchises, including the Chicago White Sox.

Some things never change. Nikolai Khabibulin was, as usual, in no hurry to talk to the Chicago media on Wednesday.

But the former Blackhawks‚ netminder did -- after showering and changing into street clothes -- show up for a chat after a morning skate with what media members were willing to wait for him. That‚s something he very rarely did on game days when he was scheduled to play for the Hawks.

Always a reluctant interview in his four seasons with the Hawks, Khabibulin actually did some smiling in his first visit with his new team, the Edmonton Oilers.

``I still have a condo here, friends here,‚‚ he said. ``I really enjoyed being here, the city is great."

The condo is still here for a good reason.

``It's probably not a great time to sell it," Khabibulin said. Economics led to Khabibulin completing his four-year $27 million contract with the Hawks last season and then leaving. The Hawks wanted to dump his salary prior to last season, even resorting to putting him on waivers, but they had no takers.

Khabibulin rarely talked about that experience then, but did briefly on Wednesday.

``It wasn‚t really that bad," he said. ``I knew what I could do. I was confident that I could play."

And play he did, compiling a 25-8-7 record, 2.33 goals-against average and .919 save percentage in his contract year while splitting time with Cristobal Huet.

After the season there was debate over which goalie should stay. Huet was under contract for three more seasons, Khabibulin wasn't.

Apparently the Hawks gave some thought to re-signing him anyway. ``There was a lot of talk. That was about it," said Khabibulin. ``After free agency started we weighed all the positives and decided where to go.‚‚

The right place, clearly, was Edmonton where the Oilers were offering him four years for $15 million.

``There was nothing to really compare to, as far as with the Hawks," said Khabibulin. ``It was a pretty easy decision for me."

The Hawks are more well-regarded than the Oilers, under new coach Pat Quinn, but that doesn't bother Khabibulin.

``I don't look back. It is what it is," he said. ``Everything happens for a reason. Their team hasn't changed much. They should still challenge for the top in the conference. If they win the Cup, great. If they don't......"

His final verdict on those seasons with the Hawks? ``It was like two different times," he said. ``The first two years were pretty rough, when we didn't play well and didn't have any fans. Then John McDonough took over for the second stage. We had a lot of positive thoughts and it was fun to play here. I really enjoyed it, even though the first couple years were rough. I have nothing bad to say."

The Hawks had nothing bad to say about him, either. Patrick Sharp called Khabibulin ``a great teammate" and coach Joel Quenneville said ``Obviously we'd have liked to him him, but the economics of the game and our goaltending situation was a big factor. We can only wish him well."

Nikolai Khabibulin excelled in his first game against his former Chicago teammates, but couldn’t prevent the Edmonton Oilers from losing 4-3 to the Blackhawks on Wednesday night.

Mostly a high-priced disappointment during his four years in Chicago but a standout during last season’s run to the Western Conference finals, Khabibulin made 34 saves to keep the Oilers in the game. He stopped Patrick Sharp on a penalty shot in the second period and breakaways by Kris Versteeg and Jonathan Toews in the third.

Khabibulin had little chance on the goals he allowed to Sharp, Versteeg, Jack Skille and Cam Barker.

Chicago won in more conventional fashion two nights after rallying from a 5-0 deficit to beat Calgary — matching the biggest comeback in NHL history.

While the Blackhawks swarmed Khabibulin, Edmonton managed only 18 shots on Antii Niemi. Chicago entered the game ranked second in the league in shots per game (37.4) and first in fewest shots allowed (21.8).

After Sharp and Andrew Cogliano traded goals in the first 21/2 minutes, Skille scored on a rebound to put the Blackhawks up 2-1 at 13:15 of the first period.

It was only the fifth career goal and first since Oct. 11, 2008, for Skille, Chicago’s No. 1 draft choice in 2005. Already sent to the minors three times this season, Skille was just recalled Wednesday morning.

Cogliano made a bid to tie the game early in the second period but his shot hit the post. A few minutes later, Brian Campbell carried the puck behind Edmonton’s net and set up Versteeg alone in front to make it 3-1.

The Oilers pulled within a goal at 10:43 of the third when Dustin Penner’s pass from behind the net hit Chicago defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson’ skate and bounced past Niemi. Officials originally waved off the goal, thinking an Edmonton player had kicked it in, but correctly credited the Oilers with the goal after a video review.

With 2:42 to play and Sharp screening Khabibulin during a power play, Barker scored on a shot from the point.

Edmonton’s Denis Grebeshkov completed the scoring with 48 seconds left on a power play with Khabibulin off for an extra attacker.

NOTES: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said Cristobal Huet will start in goal Thursday at Nashville. Huet was pulled after giving up three early goals Monday. ... Despite their 3-2-1 record, the Oilers have been outshot 197-143 this season. ... Sharp has failed on all three penalty shots he has taken in his career.

Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet each played in 41 games for the Blackhawks last season, and neither was happy about it.

The Hawks had the NHL's best-paid goaltending tandem, and that led to both goalies being relegated to part-time players.

Well, now Khabibulin is with the Edmonton Oilers, who visit the United Center tonight, and Huet has been designated as the Hawks' top goalie. While both are getting their desired ice time, their new situations aren't exactly working out.

Both have played in four of their teams' five games and neither has impressive statistics. Neither even has a save percentage above the .900 generally considered acceptable, and neither has a goals-against average below the ordinary 3.00.

It's not even a given Huet will be in goal tonight. He allowed three goals in five shots and was pulled in the first period of Monday's 6-5 overtime win over Calgary.

That blitzing left Huet with a 1-1-1 record, .831 save percentage (one of the worst in the NHL) and 3.69 GAA. Backup Antti Niemi wasn't much better, giving up two bad goals on the first three shots he faced. But he did stop the last 12 in the milestone win, and coach Joel Quenneville wouldn't commit to tonight's starter.

''We'll discuss it,'' he said. ''We've got back-to-back games coming up.''

The Hawks visit Nashville on Thursday, so each goalie will probably get a start in the next two games.

Quenneville wouldn't blame Huet for the Hawks' slow start on Monday.

''We weren't very good in front of him,'' said Quenneville. ''We should all be responsible, and all contributed to that tough start. [Calgary] came out hard, and we didn't respond. It was tough watching us play, and it was tough watching some of those goals go in. That was embarrassing, getting behind 5-1 before a full house at home.''

The Hawks are in a stretch of seven home games in eight games, with the Nashville trip being the only road game. The first two home dates were exciting, if nothing else.

On Saturday the Hawks were 4-3 winners in the longest shootout in franchise history. Monday's recovery from a 5-0 deficit represented the biggest comeback in franchise history, and it equaled the biggest comeback in NHL history.

The Hawks' previous biggest comeback had been from a four-goal deficit, and they did that four times over a span of 63 years.

Monday's recovery was dramatic.

''A pretty amazing game,'' Quenneville said. ''We went from the worst to as good as you can get.''

Those were emotionally draining games, and Quenneville gave the team Tuesday off while Edmonton arrived in time for a practice at Johnny's Ice House after a 6-1 win at Nashville on Monday.

Khabibulin will be in goal tonight after his backup, Jeff Drouin-Deslauriers, worked the Nashville game.

As was the case last season when they were teammates, Khabibulin's statistics for this season (2-1-1 record, .890 save percentage, 3.13 GAA) are better than Huet's. Khabibulin was between the pipes in Edmonton's first four games.

First it was a shootout victory that went a club-record nine rounds in their first game of the season at the United Center. In their second, it was a comeback from a five-goal deficit. What will those Blackhawks do next?

Monday's 6-5 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames was one for more than the franchise record books. The Hawks' biggest comeback in their history that dates back to 1926 was from four goals. They rallied from that deficit to win three times. In coming back from five, however, they tied an NHL record.

''It was awesome,'' said winger Patrick Kane, the rallying point for the comeback with a goal and two assists. ''It was crazy to come back like that, but what a fun game to be a part of!''

Brent Seabrook's game-winner came 26 seconds into overtime as the Hawks continued their hex over the Flames. The Hawks won all four meetings last season and have taken seven of the last nine from Calgary in the regular season. The Hawks also knocked out Calgary in the first round of last season's playoffs, but the Flames had changed coaches -- from Mike Keenan to Brent Sutter -- since then. Sutter is a former Hawks player and the brother of two former head coaches of the Hawks. He couldn't keep his team focused after the Flames took that big lead in the first 11:43 of the game.

''When it got to be 5-0, we figured they would back off a bit,'' Kane said. ''If you're up 5-0, you're not as interested as you were. We knew we could keep chipping away and things could happen.''

John Madden, the veteran center, never saw anything like this comeback.

''Nothing even close,'' he said. ''The strangest game I've ever been a part of was when I was with New Jersey and we won 9-0 over Pittsburgh when they had Mario [Lemieux] and [Jaromir] Jagr.''

The nightmarish first period started when Calgary's Brandon Prust knocked the puck from Colin Fraser deep in the Hawks' zone. The Flames' Dustin Boyd pounced on it and rifled a shot past Huet 6:14 into the game.

Robin Regehr's blast from the blue line set up Eric Nystrom for the Flames' second goal 34 seconds later, and Olli Jokinen's set up Jarome Iglina's breakaway to make it 3-0 with the game only 7:07 old and the crowd booing loudly.

Out came goaltender Cristobal Huet and in went Antti Niemi for the Hawks. He couldn't slow down the Flames, either, and the two goals he allowed in his first 59 seconds between the pipes were worse than the trio given up by Huet. Rene Bourque whizzed a high shot by Niemi from the top of the left circle, and Niemi couldn't handle Jokinen's bouncer from just inside the blue line as the Hawks' deficit grew to 5-0.

''We were in pregame nap,'' Hawks winger Kris Versteeg said. ''I don't think we were breathing then. We were dead.''

Well, not exactly, as it turned out.

When Niemi did stop the puck, the crowd cheered him sarcastically -- and the jeers subsided only slightly after Madden scored off a rebound with 17:42 gone in the first. That was the only bright spot for the Hawks in the dismal first, during which the Flames scored on five of their 10 shots.

The Hawks were a different team in the second, closing the gap to 5-4 with Kane leading the comeback. Showing great patience with the puck, Kane hit the net with a wrist shot while skating through the slot. Dustin Byfuglien's screen on goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff was a big help on that one.

Kane returned the favor four minutes later, feeding Byfuglien for the goal to complete a two-man breakaway, then Kane assisted on a Dave Bolland goal three minutes after that. Bolland's stickhandling in front of the net made this goal a possibility as the Hawks got themselves back into the game.

The comeback didn't end there, as Patrick Sharp redirected Duncan Keith's blast from the blue line past Kiprusoff for the tying goal 4:32 into the third.

''It was fun to see the fans stay around,'' Kane said. ''I've been in games like that before, when half the building empties out after it's 5-0. But the energy at the end felt like a playoff game.''

BLACKHAWKS 6, FLAMES 5

The Blackhawks gave another sellout crowd at the United Center their version of the great escape, and plenty to cheer about, overcoming a five-goal deficit to beat the Calgary Flames 6-5 in overtime Monday night.

''It was unbelievable,'' said Brent Seabrook, who scored the game-winner 26 seconds into overtime to cap the biggest comeback in franchise history. The Hawks had overcome four-goal deficits before but never five. ''We just stayed with it and kept going.''

''Obviously, from down 5-0 to 5-4 gave us some confidence,'' Andrew Ladd said. ''I've never been involved in a comeback like that.''

The Flames scored five times in 5:29 of the first period to take a commanding lead after less than 12 minutes.

''I think that we were still in a pregame nap mode,'' Ladd said. ''It seemed like they scored five shifts in a row. I was happy because we showed a lot of resiliency.''

The Hawks, who outshot the Flames 16-10 in the first period, finally got on the board when John Madden scored his first goal of the season with assists from Cam Barker and Ladd with 2:18 left.

The comeback continued in the second period as goals by Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien and Dave Bolland in just under seven minutes cut the deficit to 5-4.

The Hawks again were more aggressive with 11 shots to six for the Flames.

In the third period, the Hawks completed their uphill climb when Patrick Sharp knotted the game at 5 with an assist from Ladd with 15:28 to play. The pressure was kept up, but the teams went to overtime tied at 5.

And 26 seconds into the overtime, Seabrook scored the winner unassisted.

Goalie Antti Niemi, who entered after 7:07 with the Hawks down 3-0, stopped 13 of 15 shots.

''Well, we made it exciting for the fans in back-to-back home games,'' Kane said. ''Obviously, we had Coach [Joel Quenneville] tell us to get our heads out of whatever. And Johnny Madden gave us good veteran play. Older guys like that know how to handle things.

''I haven't been involved in a comeback like that since pee-wee.''

Calgary came in 4-1 overall and 2-0 on the road. The Hawks came in 2-1-1 and 1-0-1 at ''home.'' The home record included a 4-3 overtime loss to the Florida Panthers in the season opener in Helsinki, Finland.

Chris Chelios, 47, was skating at the Wolves practice Monday morning in Hoffman Estates with players the same age as one of his sons.

''I've always said that when I am done playing will be when I have nothing left,'' Chelios said. ''I have no [age] goal except just to keep playing because I like to play. We've got to see. I don't want to just help the team, but I want to contribute.''

Chelios, the former Blackhawks and Red Wings star who was not re-signed by Detroit, is planning to play for the Wolves in hopes of attracting the attention of an NHL team.

''Chris has been in the business for as long as he has because he is a competitor,'' Wolves coach Don Granato said. ''He just wants to be treated like everyone else. Everybody here is very excited to have a guy who has done what Chris has done. He's a pleasure to be around.

''Chris knows how to play the game, and he is a competitor, but it still takes awhile to get your timing. He is a tremendous asset with everything he brings.''

Chelios hasn't signed a contract with the Wolves, but he has signed a waiver that allows him to practice with the team.

''I'm tired,'' Chelios said after Monday's session. ''It will take a week, a week-and-a-half, and I'll be ready to go.''

Chelios grew up in Evergreen Park and attended Mount Carmel High School on the South Side. He played for the Red Wings last season, including in the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on New Year's Day.

Chelios broke into the NHL with Montreal in 1983 and was the oldest active player in the league last season. Only one player, Gordie Howe, played in a game at an older age (52) than Chelios.

The Canadiens traded him to the Blackhawks in 1990. He has played in 1,664 NHL regular-season games, getting 185 goals, 763 assists and 948 points. He also has played in 266 postseason games.

''Obviously, everyone in this league wants to get to the NHL, and ultimately, that's my goal,'' Chelios said. ''I bring leadership and experience, and I want to help the team win. I'm not just here to teach.

''I never had a goal to play until I'm 50. I was lucky enough to be on a great team in Detroit, and that is why I was able to play so long. Every team I talked to has good, young skilled players. What I can do remains to be seen.''

A large media contingent gathered at the end of practice.

''Teams have to see if their young guys can play,'' Chelios said. ''I'm lucky to have a chance to play here. I've got support here, and I never had to uproot or leave my family. The players here are good guys. I look at this whole thing as a 25-game tryout.''

NOTE: The Wolves signed 10-year NHL goalie Manny Legace to a PTO (Professional Tryout Contract). Legace, 36, played for the Los Angeles Kings, Red Wings and St. Louis Blues.

]]> Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:01 CST http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1821844,CST-SPT-hawknt13.article http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1819626,CST-SPT-hawk12.article

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:01
BY LEN ZIEHM lziehm@suntimes.com


It hasn't been easy being Jack Skille.
(AP)

It hasn't been easy being Jack Skille. The Blackhawks' first-round draft pick in 2005 (seventh overall) is in the unusual position of making too much money. That's actually been hurting his career development.

As a first-round pick, Skille is a $1.25 million hit on the Hawks' salary cap, and the Hawks have had a hard time staying under the cap limit. As a result, Skille had to spend more time in the minors last season to help the Hawks meet salary-cap requirements and he was sent to Rockford for the start of this campaign for the same reason. Players with comparable ability and less salary were more conducive to the salary cap situation.

Whether he plays in tonight's home game against the Calgary Flames is uncertain. Skille was a surprise call-up for Saturday's United Center debut on game day and then was re-assigned to Rockford before Sunday's practice. The NHL's salary cap format is complicated, and Skille's recall for tonight's game is likely.

As for Skille, he's just happy for whatever time he gets with the Hawks. The five minutes he played in Saturday's opener was his first taste of ice time this regular season.

''It feels good to be part of this team that, that's for sure,'' Skille said. ''It's frustrating knowing your contract is what's really hurting you, and there's nothing you can do about it. That's the worst part. You're helpless in that situation.''

Skille had a good preseason despite suffering a knee injury in a game at Washington. The Hawks still sent him down after the last two preseason games in Switzerland.

''His being sent down was the economics of our game, and that plays a part in hockey decisions,'' coach Joel Quenneville said. ''Jack had a real good camp. You could see his speed and how much he wanted to make this team.''

Skille got the call-up for the United Center opener after the Hawks lost Radek Smolenak on waivers to Tampa Bay, Aaron Johnson was claimed off waivers by Calgary and Ben Eager went on injured reserve with apparent concussion-like symptoms. Skille manned Eager's left wing spot on the fourth line in Saturday's 4-3 shootout win over Colorado, and Eager didn't participate in Sunday's workout. That suggests Skille will be needed again.

''Whether he's a fourth-line player or more than that, he provides speed and give us a lot of energy,'' Quenneville said.

Skille doesn't like his situation, but is resigned to it.

''It just comes down to money-crunching,'' he said. ''I went down to the minors thinking I'd be there for a while, so I wanted to be a big part of the [Rockford] team down there. I wanted to be a leader of a young team and show the players there that when you're sent down you can't have a bad attitude.''

Skille certain can't be accused of having a bad attitude.

''It's just common sense,'' he said. ''If you go down with a fat-cat syndrome, feeling that you don't belong down there, you can't be the team player you want to be, and that'll rub off on your teammates. You don't want that to happen, so you want to be a hard worker. Management notices that. It shows a lot of character.''

Because of the NHL's salary cap rules Skille isn't sure where he'll play his next game, and he's prepared for a season of bouncing between the Hawks and Rockford.

''I've got to have the attitude that I've got to prove myself every shift like I had in training camp,'' he said. ''For me this is still training camp. You never know what will happen. I might get called in one morning and told I'm back to Rockford for salary cap issues again. That will be haunting me the whole year, until they make some moves to make some [cap] room.''

Brent Seabrook scored 26 seconds into overtime and the Blackhawks completed the biggest comeback in team history, rallying from a five-goal deficit to beat the Calgary Flames 6-5 on Monday night.

Chicago fell behind 5-0 in the first period before overtaking the Flames, the team they knocked out of the playoffs in the first round last April.

By rallying from five goals down, the Blackhawks tied the NHL record for biggest deficit overcome, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The previous club record had been a four-goal rally.

Seabrook picked up the puck and shot it past Miikka Kuprusoff in the overtime and was mobbed by his teammates as a crowd at the United Center rocked.

Blackhawks left winger Kris Versteeg still remembers the disappointment of a 3-2 loss to Nashville in last season's home opener. He didn't think a repeat Saturday night was an option.

''Games like the home opener are a lot of fun for us,'' Versteeg said. ''These fans are great and with the way they were cheering for us, we didn't want a repeat of what happened last year.

''When you get to a shootout, goalies are so good, you have no idea what to do until the shootout starts.''

Andrew Ladd, the 18th player in the shootout and ninth for the Blackhawks, put a wrist shot into the back of the net to send a standing-room crowd of 20,655 home happy.

''Well, we sure made it exciting,'' Versteeg said. ''These shootouts are nerve-racking. We don't want to let the fans down. They were here in full force and there were a lot of happy people leaving. And [goalie Cristobal] Huet was stellar. He gave us a chance.

''The fans here, they're nuts. You can arguably say that we have the best fans in the world. I don't know that I ever heard them any louder. This is an exciting time in Chicago with the Bears and us and the Bulls starting. Our fans are ready, and the atmosphere was fantastic.''

Versteeg, Jonathan Toews and Tomas Kopecky found the back of the net for the Blackhawks before Ladd's game-winner came after Matt Hendricks missed for Colorado.

''I really had no idea what I wanted to try to do until the shootout started,'' Versteeg said. ''You just have to go to your strengths.''

Defenseman Brian Campbell knew that it was getting close to the point where a defenseman got to be a part of the shootout.

''We started with six pretty good players, and it would probably take another five before they got to one of the defensemen,'' Campbell said. ''As long as we get two points [for a victory] in the end, I don't care how it happens.''

Game 3 was seconds old when the familiar chant of ''Detroit sucks'' filled the United Center from the ice to the rafters.

And somewhere in between -- much nearer to the rafters than the ice -- Curtis Russell shouted it as loudly as he could, punctuating each syllable with his fist pumping in the air.

At that moment, Russell didn't care that he had the worst seat in the house. Actually, it wasn't a seat at all. He was in the standing-room-only section.

That was fine by Russell and his friend Dave Soderstrom, who made the drive into the city from south suburban Lansing to get in line two hours before the first puck was dropped. Their goal was to be among the early birds in the first-come, first-served SRO section. Those who do this, Russell and Soderstrom said, are real fans.

To be sure, the standing-room-only experience is less than ideal. Often obstructed by railings or the heads of seated fans, the sightlines aren't great. Fans stand as many as three deep in some areas, so it's possible you can find yourself spending the whole game on tip-toes just to catch the occasional glimpse of a streaking Blackhawk.

But what they lack in comfort and style, the SRO fans more than make up for in verve, pluck and deep passion.

In other words, if you watch a Hawks game from the SRO section, you really want to be there.

Some wore lucha-libre masks and American flags as capes. Much more common are hockey sweaters -- adorned on the back with new players' names mixed in with the Amontes, Belfours and Proberts of yore. They high-five, scream their heads off and sing ''Chelsea Dagger'' after the Hawks score as if they were sitting against the glass and the players were within earshot.

For Schaumburg's Dave Jablonski, who has been a standing-room patron since 1980 at the old Chicago Stadium, ''there's no better way to watch the game.''

Jablonski brought his 26-year-old son, Paul, who was visiting from Arizona.

''I usually buy seats,'' Jablonski said. ''But in this economy? This is what I grabbed, you know. You do what you do. There was no way we were missing this, though.''

Chris Werner, senior executive director of the Blackhawks' ticket department, said the team has sold out the SRO section for every home playoff game this season, including Sunday's game. During the season, the section averaged 65 percent capacity.

Standing-room ticket prices for the playoffs range from $25 to $40 for advance purchases based on the round -- if you're among the lucky ones who get them at face value. Some fans, including Jablonski, paid as much as $120 for the chance to stand for nearly three hours.

There were even some Detroit fans peppering the SRO section who braved the inevitable jeers. Clad in white Red Wings jerseys, Bill Egglesfield, 66, and his son Sean, 32, showed up at the United Center two hours before the game to get some ''prime real estate'' -- as close to center ice as possible.

''Even a few years ago, it seemed like there would be as many Red Wings fans [at the United Center] as there were Hawks fans,'' Sean Egglesfield said. ''But this is beautiful. Just being here in the atmosphere, doing the whole father-son thing -- it's priceless. The [Hawks-Red Wings] rivalry is back.''

Asked about the collective beer-swilling habits of the standing-room-only crowd, one vendor said, ''They drink like Bears fans.''

So is this a compliment?

''Absolutely,'' Jablonski said, ''a very big compliment.''

The Blackhawks are back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 1995, which means plenty of you out there are tuning in to the team's exploits after a prolonged hiatus.

It's OK. Don't be shy. Welcome back.

The last thing we'd want is for any tried-and-true fans (diehards) who have suffered through the futility of past seasons to accuse you of jumping on any Blackhawks bandwagon. So we've compiled the following cheat sheet to get you up to speed:

•      Some things haven't changed since the last time the Blackhawks piqued your interest. For instance, fans still cheer loudly during the national anthem, and they still play "Shoot the Puck" between periods.

•      Dustin Byfuglien's last name is pronounced "BUFF-lin." Team captain Jonathan Toews' last name is pronounced "TAVES." Nothing will blow your cover faster than a botched pronunciation.

•      Contrary to appearances, Toews and Patrick Kane are growing playoff beards. But at ages 21 and 20, respectively, theirs simply aren't as full as those of teammates Patrick Sharp, Ben Eager, Martin Havlat and Brian Campbell.

•      "Wirtz" is no longer a dirty word in Chicago. Since taking over as team chairman in 2007 after the death of his father, Bill Wirtz, Rocky Wirtz has transformed the Blackhawks into one of the most fan-friendly franchises in professional sports -- not to mention a Stanley Cup contender.

•      The Blackhawks checking line -- responsible for going up against opponents' top lines -- is one of the best in the business. Forwards Havlat, Dave Bolland and Andrew Ladd have combined for a total of 25 points in the playoffs. During a lull in conversation, ingratiate yourself with a diehard by mentioning how impressed you are with the Hawks' checking line. It could lead to one of those fist bumps the players do.

•      You may notice during breaks in the action that a gaggle of scantily clad, shovel-wielding ladies will skate into the rink to remove errant ice chips. This is the Blackhawks Ice Crew, and they've been scooping ice shavings and drawing stares since the 2003-04 season.

•      Icing is one of the most common, yet misunderstood, violations in professional sports. It's called when a player shoots the puck from his team's side of the center line past the opposing team's goal line -- and the other team is the first to touch it.

It's not icing, however, if the team that shot the puck is short-handed or if the referee decides that an opposing player could have stopped the puck from crossing the goal line. There are some other exceptions, but that's enough to get by.

•      Players do not wear jerseys. There's no such thing as a hockey jersey. It's a sweater. Please, please call it a sweater.

•      It's perfectly acceptable -- and even encouraged -- to chant "Detroit Sucks" when the Blackhawks are playing the Red Wings ... or when the Blackhawks are playing anyone in the National Hockey League.

•      During a Hawks' power play, you may get the urge to yell "Shoot!" whenever a Blackhawks player has the puck near the circle. Resist that urge, and have faith the players know what they're doing. Your urgings will only add to the general anxiety that comes with a trip to the conference finals.

•      Impress your friends with this nugget: The Blackhawks are named after Chief Black Hawk -- by proxy. In 1926, Blackhawks founder Maj. Frederick McLaughlin named the team after his World War I machine-gun battalion, which was nicknamed the Black Hawks. They got the nickname from Sauk Indian Chief Black Hawk, who sided with the British during the War of 1812. Use your best discretion when dropping this historical anecdote.

Contributing: Kyle Koster

If last season's NHL Rookie of the Year award wasn't enough to stamp Patrick Kane as a star in the making, his first career hat trick during the Blackhawks' series-clinching 7-5 win over the Vancouver Canucks last Monday should remove any doubt.

''Kane showed that he can be a star in this league for years to come,'' said Canucks defenseman Shane O'Brien, whom Kane muscled through along the boards to maneuver for his first goal in Game 6. ''He had a spectacular game.''

Hawks defenseman Brent Seabrook praises Kane for making ''big strides'' in a short period.

''He's such a phenomenal player to watch out there that I've even sat there and watched in awe a lot of times,'' Seabrook said.

Canucks coach Alain Vigneault believes this is just the beginning of a potential golden era that Kane, 20, and 21-year-old center Jonathan Toews -- team captain and Kane's partner in grime -- are forging for the Hawks.

''Give [the Hawks] credit,'' Vigneault said. ''They are one of the best-skilled offensive teams in the National Hockey League. If they can keep this team together in this cap era, the people of Chicago are going to have a very strong team for a very long time.''

Four more wins will advance the Hawks into the Stanley Cup finals, which they haven't won since 1961. Kane, who is second in team playoff scoring with eight goals and four assists, said he isn't surprised at the Hawks' success.

''I thought we'd be here right now,'' he said. ''A lot of things have turned around for us. ... We feel we have a great group of guys here that can put something good together.''

It's that kind of talk that commands respect from Kane's teammates.

''The biggest thing about Kaner is that his confidence never seems to go away,'' Toews said. ''He's always pretty confident in himself and all the things he can do on the ice. He's just got that all-American style where he's got the superstar mentality where he feels there's nothing he can't do. You saw that [Monday] night.''

In tribute to Kane after his third goal, fans in the jubilant, sellout United Center crowd of 22,687 threw caps and hats onto the ice. The win advanced the Hawks to the Western Conference final for the first time since 1995.

''It's about time I got my first hat trick,'' Kane said. ''I've waited two years. I guess it can't come in a better game than this. ... It was awesome. ... From the crowd, to winning the game, to scoring the hat trick, I just had chills down my spine. ... I was in another world. It was a great night for me.''

Kane's mother, Donna, said his rise to stardom had a rather pedestrian start.

''Patrick was an easy kid to raise and a typical boy on the whole,'' she said. ''It wasn't just hockey, hockey, hockey all the time, even though he loved it a lot. He ran around the street like a typical kid, played games [with sisters Erika, 19, Jessica, 18, and Jacqueline, 15], did his share of house chores and even got a few little spankings, too.

''But when it came time to play hockey, he made it his No. 1 priority and did what he had to do to try to become the best. He has always had an outstanding work ethic. And even when he did fine, he always knew he could have done better, and he always worked harder to do so.

''Now, he's a rising professional hockey player. But when I look across the table at him, I still see a kid who wants to throw a ball around with his sisters, go swim in the pool, play basketball and have fun. He was a joy to raise.''

Patrick says his mother is so helpful he sometimes feels he's taking advantage of her, but she says she's just doing her job.

''This profession that he has chosen is so demanding and takes so much of his time,'' she said, ''that anything I can do to help him and make things easier for him, I am willing to do. And I'm sure that all the other mothers of the players on the team feel the same way I do.''

Chicago Blackhawks fans may be among the few Americans these days who don't immediately think of Amstel Light whenever the Fratellis' "Chelsea Dagger" plays.

The infectious song -- the soundtrack of an oft-aired Amstel Light beer commercial -- gets blasted from the United Center loudspeakers after every Blackhawks goal, one of the many additions to the increasingly exciting atmosphere at Hawks games.

Pete Hassen, a Blackhawks spokesman, said "Chelsea Dagger" was chosen as the team's goal song from a narrowed-down pool of six candidates before the preseason.

Blur's "Song 2," "Tick Tick Boom" by the Hives and the Ting Tings' "Keep Your Head" are among the others that were considered.

The reaction to "Chelsea Dagger" from fans was mixed at first, but Hassen watched as fans warmed to it.

"We noticed about two months into the season that people were doing their own dance to it," Hassen said. "And now you're seeing as the team is taking off, the song is really taking off."

Need proof? Hassen said Cubs catcher Koyie Hill, who was at Monday night's playoff game with some other Cubs, sent a text informing him that he and his teammates couldn't stop humming it.

During the regular season, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Patrick Sharp had more personalized songs that played after they scored.

The Scorpions' 1984 hit "Rock You Like a Hurricane" played whenever Kane scored, while Toews celebrated to the tune of "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry and Sharp to ZZ Top's "Sharp Dressed Man."

For the playoffs it's been all "Chelsea Dagger" -- with its bouncy hook and signature "duh duh duhs" that fans have been humming, shouting and chanting as they file out of the United Center after a Blackhawks win.

Lifelong Hawks fan Kasia Chalko said she has a "Pavlovian response" whenever she hears "Chelsea Dagger."

Upon hearing it, she gets the sense that something great just happened -- even when it's just the Amstel Light commercial.

"Sometimes when I'm watching the game at home and the Blackhawks score, I'll play it on my iPod," she said. "I actually played it this morning as I was getting ready to leave my house because [Monday] night's win was so big."

During the White Sox' championship series in 2005, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" became a staple at U.S. Cellular Field. So is "Chelsea Dagger" the Hawks' answer?

"Music tends to play a huge part in every game," Hassen said. "I don't think you go into a year thinking, 'We're going to have a signature song.' It just kind of happens."

"For the White Sox, I think 'Don't Stop Believing' was a little more themed. This is just kind of a feel-good song. There's no lyrics [in 'Chelsea Dagger'] that have any meaning. It's just the perfect call and response after a goal."

Hassen wasn't sure whether the team will keep "Chelsea Dagger" next season.

"You can't really say that it's going to stay," he said. "But when things work, why mess with it?"

Kevin Allen is a co-author of the Sports Pros(e) blog at suntimes.com.