Bolland shelved by back surgery shelves Bolland

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 that he had a health problem.

Last season, Bolland's first full one in the NHL, he played in 81 of 82 regular-season games and all 17 playoff games. He 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 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 camp but he was in the lineup when the season started. 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 minutes and was a plus-3 in his 13 games. Last season he scored 47 points and was a plus-19 while contributing to the power-play and penalty-kill units in addition to his five-on-five play.

Jonathan Toews' return to the lineup 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 is the fourth-line center.

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