Articles in Chicago Blackhawks

from Luke Fox of Sportsnet,

A quick mix of the things we gleaned from the week of hockey, serious and less so, and rolling four lines deep....

A great get by The Cam & Strick Podcast this week as Andy Strickland conducts the first thorough interview with exiled and decorated coach Joel Quenneville about his involvement in the Chicago Blackhawks' egregious blind eye to video coach Brad Aldrich's alleged sexual abuse of Kyle Beach in 2010.

I recommend watching the interview in full and drawing your own conclusions:

Quenneville does takes some ownership for turning a blind eye and assuming upper management (a group of we'll-handle-it execs he labeled "The Firm") would deal with the situation.

"I definitely didn't handle it properly. I definitely should've handled it differently. I should've ... confront(ed) Brad from what I heard, or follow up and ask more questions to get to the seriousness of it, and then report it correctly and make sure there's follow-up off of that, whether it was the head of HR or top management, making sure they follow through on the whole process," Quenneville says, in part.

more on Quenneville, watch the interview too plus other hockey topics...

from Emily Kaplan of ESPN,

Bedard was anointed as the next face of the league before ever taking a shift, and the fanfare surrounding his NHL arrival has sometimes felt astronomical.

"Everyone is asking everything of him," Blackhawks president Jaime Faulkner said recently. "The league is asking for a lot. We are asking for a lot, the media, sponsors and fans. But he always responds with kindness, even when he doesn't need to. He is referred to as a robot because people only see his intensity. But both can be true. He can be driven and highly competitive, but grounded and gracious at the same time."

Bedard's veteran teammates like Taylor Hall cautioned against overexposure as the season began -- not out of jealousy, but protection for the teenager. "It can be a little much at times," Hall said. "He doesn't say that, but it feels like it is."

But Bedard has handled it all with professionalism, settling in on two to three media sessions a week, mostly in scrum settings. Even though he missed his first All-Star appearance because of his jaw, Bedard showed up in Toronto anyway (and, again successfully, still campaigned to participate, passing pucks to players in the skills competition).

"The number of directions he is pulled in, the attention and spotlight he receives in a new city -- it has to be taxing and exhausting," Davidson said. "But he rarely shows it."

It was full bore ever since he took his opening faceoff against his childhood idol, Crosby.

"Looking back," Bedard told ESPN recently, "it definitely was a lot. Kind of overwhelming, but fun at the same time. I just tried to take it all in and enjoy it."

much more

Full ceremony.

from Tracey Myers of the NHL's website,

Connor Bedard is a big fan of Patrick Kane, and the rookie center is not surprised the former Chicago Blackhawks forward’s patented “heartbreaker” celebration is still popular more than 10 years after Kane first did it.

“I think when you pioneer something it’s pretty cool, so whenever someone does it, it’s always traced back to him, which I think is pretty sweet,” Bedard said Tuesday.

Kane first did the celebration, drawing a heart in the air before punching it, when he completed a hat trick in a 4-3 double-overtime win against the Los Angeles Kings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on June 8, 2013.

Bedard paid homage to Kane with his own “heartbreaker” celebration when he scored the winning goal in Canada’s 4-3 overtime victory against Slovakia in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship on Jan. 2, 2022.

“He's had some cool cellys in his years,” Bedard said of Kane. “He’s an icon in the game. He’s someone who’s going to be remembered forever and he’s still playing at such an elite level.”

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NEW YORK (Feb. 7, 2024) – The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced that the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic® will feature the Chicago Blackhawks hosting the St. Louis Blues, at Wrigley Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Chicago Cubs. The game will be televised exclusively on TNT in the U.S. and on Sportsnet and TVA Sports in Canada. Additional details for the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic®, including ticketing information and the game’s date and start time, will be announced when available. Fans can sign up for news and updates on the 2025 Discover NHL Winter Classic here.

Chicago Blackhawks release

The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has agreed to terms with goaltender Petr Mrazek (M’RAZ-ihk) on a two-year contract that runs through the 2025-26 season ($4,250,000 salary cap hit).

“Petr is a strong goaltender who continues to display the athleticism and calming style of play that has made him so successful in this League,” said Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson. “He’s had an immense impact within our group, and we’re excited to have Petr back.”

via the Chicago Blackhawks,

The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has agreed to terms with forward Jason Dickinson on a two-year contract that runs through the 2025-26 season ($4,250,000 salary cap hit).

“Jason adds a unique two-way game to our lineup and his compete level is consistently strong every night,” said Blackhawks General Manager Kyle Davidson. “He’s showing his offensive game this year, which has been a huge lift to our team. His leadership has been instrumental, and the impact has been evident around the room, particularly with our young guys. We’re excited to bring him back and to see him continue to grow with our team.”

from Larry Brooks of the New York Post,

Of course a response was required in this case, even if players who deliver legal hits should not have to drop the gloves to defend themselves in the normal course of business. But this was Bedard, so this was not the normal course of business. Everyone including Smith — who had a long second-period bout with Nick Foligno — understood that.

Chicago did the right thing. (There are exceptions to every rule, you know.) But doing the right thing in this case did not safeguard the organizational jewel. This was after the fact. And this serves as another example that regardless of how a club loads up, there is no such thing these days — if ever — as owning a weapon of deterrence. Dave Semenko, he was an exception, right?

While Friday’s second period devolved into a heaping of the bad old days, the building became electric with emotion and intensity ratcheted up to a unusual high temperature. There was a type of tension that is exceptionally rare in regular-season matches. Do I expose myself to attack on social media by telling you it was fun and wildly entertaining?

Sorry, but it was.

Yes, you can tell me there was probably electricity and intensity in the audience when gladiators fought to the death. I’m not for a moment suggesting the league or the sport would be better off by going back to the days of bench-clearing brawls and the ethos of the Broad Street Bullies.

But physicality adds a dimension to the game that enflames the competition. A conflagration every now and then is a welcome departure from the incredibly high-skilled, yet relatively vanilla game that is the norm across a schedule that limits divisional play and tamps down rivalries.

more

via the Chicago Blackhawks,

The Chicago Blackhawks today announced that the team has placed forwards Connor Bedard (fractured jaw) and Nick Foligno (fractured left finger) on injured reserve.

Connor Bedard and below is Pyotr Kochetkov.

from Mark Lazerus of The Athletic,

Corey Perry’s unexplained absence — with the team for Wednesday’s morning skate in Columbus and then simply gone, a healthy scratch as a vague “organizational” decision — left an already reeling team without one of its stabilizing forces. And the bizarre circumstances of his departure hang over the team like a black cloud, the latest reputation hit for a team that can ill afford another. The whole hockey world is talking about the Blackhawks, and it’s not because of a November win over Toronto.

“We just don’t know right now,” Richardson said after the game when asked if he knew the details of Perry’s situation, the sixth time he was asked about it on Friday alone.

Even his teammates seem to be in the dark, with Nick Foligno saying Thursday, “We just know he’s not with us.” Speculation is running rampant around the hockey world, with national insiders fishing and flailing for information, local reporters running into brick walls with usually reliable sources, and fans just flat-out making things up online. The Blackhawks very well might have a very good reason to withhold any and all information, but secrecy and vagueness breed wild and baseless speculation, and that’s what we’re seeing.

Until we know something concrete, it’s unethical and unproductive to say much more than that. But like it or not, fair or not, reasonable or not, this has become a league-wide story. Perry is a triple-gold winner and a former league MVP; it’s the leading story on broadcasts and podcasts north of the border. Either what’s happening is a big deal or the Blackhawks are making it a big deal by being so squirrelly about it. And it’s not right that Richardson has to act as a flak jacket for the rest of the organization.

more ($) on the Blackhawks including today's win over the Leafs...

from Tracey Myers of NHL.com,

Taylor Hall is going to be out "for a bit" after the Chicago Blackhawks forward re-aggravated a left shoulder injury.

"He was trying to play through it, and instead of making him still try to do that, you could always have a risk of him hurting it worse or something else protecting it," coach Luke Richardson said Monday, when Hall did not practice.

"He's going to take the next few games and then we'll go week-to-week to see how he's doing."

The Blackhawks host the Bruins at United Center as part of "Frozen Frenzy," which will feature all 32 teams playing on Tuesday (8:30 p.m.; ESPN+, ESPN, TVAS).

Hall left at 8:24 of the second period of the Blackhawks’ 5-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. He came back to start the third period, but his last shift ended with 7:07 remaining in regulation.

The 31-year-old originally sustained the injury when he was hit by Boston Bruins defenseman Brandon Carlo in the first minute of the second period in Chicago's 3-1 loss Oct. 11.

continued

from Dave Poulin at the Toronto Star,

“Gimme the puck?”

It’s nowhere near as common a phrase in the ultimate team game of hockey, where the perfect pass is a treasure. Get the goalie moving, change the point of attack and set up your teammate for a scoring chance.

But what if that is changing? And what if the change is being dictated by an upstart 18-year-old deemed a generational player before he stepped onto an NHL playing surface?

Chicago’s Connor Bedard could be driving a new norm. When the Blackhawks skated into Pittsburgh to upend Sidney Crosby’s revamped Penguins on opening night, Bedard’s name was called early and often. It seemed he had the puck the entire night, and was willing to shoot at every opportunity: 10 attempts, five on net.

He followed opening night on a daunting road trip with visits to Boston (eight shot attempts), Montreal (10) and Toronto (six). The bright lights not only left Bedard unfazed, they seemed to inspire his confidence as a shooting machine.

It was an impressive start for the first pick in the 2023 draft, and one that seemed to be noticed around the league. It was his confidence and willingness to control the play. It was a whole new level of permission to shoot the puck.

read on

from Tracey Myers of the NHL's website,

Connor Bedard has experienced a lot with the Chicago Blackhawks in his first five regular-season games.

There have been a lot of minutes, a lot of shots on goal, a lot of media attention, a few points and plenty of experiences that will only help the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft moving forward.

“I think he’s getting a good dose of learning, right? I think we all are, not just him,” Blackhawks forward Nick Foligno said after a 4-0 loss to the Colorado Avalanche at Ball Arena on Thursday. “I think he’s understanding how hard this league is and he’s still up to the task.”

Bedard entered this season with a lot on his shoulders. The 18-year-old forward is considered the next Connor McDavid, the No. 1 pick by the Edmonton Oilers at the 2015 NHL Draft. He’s expected to help usher the Blackhawks back to their glory days, when they won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013 and 2015 with forwards Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews as the faces of the franchise.

His competition on his road trip was challenging. Bedard faced five fellow No. 1 picks in his first five career games, including forward Nathan MacKinnon, who was selected by Colorado with the No. 1 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft and scored Thursday. Bedard became the second player in League history to play against at least five (Nico Hischier, selected by the New Jersey Devils with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NHL Draft, played against six No. 1 selections through his first five games).

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via TSN's YouTube page,

TSN Director of Scouting Craig Button joins SC with Jay Onrait to discuss the Maple Leafs' defensive struggles again in their loss to the Blackhawks, veteran players believing the media coverage Connor Bedard has been receiving is too much, and the Flames suffer their second straight road loss.

Coach Luke Richardson says Hall will be out a bit with an upper-body injury.

from Mark Lazerus of The Athletic,

Let ’em go. Let ’em run. Let it rip.

Let Connor Bedard try to beat four guys on his own instead of making the smart chip-in. Let Kevin Korchinski pinch a little too far, a little too often instead of worrying about the two-on-one the other way. Let Lukas Reichel be a little too aggressive in the offensive zone, forcing his wingers to bail him out defensively. Let Wyatt Kaiser see just how far his skating can take him, instead of hanging back and playing it safe.

Let them score crazy goals. Let them attempt crazy passes. Let them make mistakes. Let them do the kinds of things that make coaches staple players to the bench. And then send them right back over the boards for their next shift to do it again.

See, coach Luke Richardson and the Blackhawks have a rare opportunity this season to get away with all that. To let their young guys run wild, to get a feel for the NHL, to understand the pace of the game and the time and space they have within it. To learn what they can and can’t get away with. To see just how good they can be, and to do it with impunity.

Because this season doesn’t matter. Not in terms of wins and losses. If anything, general manager Kyle Davidson is likely hoping for another top-five pick next summer to flesh out this potentially spectacular top six for the next decade-plus. The excitement surrounding Bedard’s arrival — and fans’ open-eyed understanding that this rebuild is still a multi-year process — will provide a full season’s worth of cover. Jerseys and hoodies are flying off the shelves. Ticket sales are spiking. With the Bears Bearsing and the Cubs Cubsing and the Sox Soxing and the Bulls stuck in their perpetual pedestrian purgatory, the Blackhawks are suddenly the most appealing team in town.

continued ($)

from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN.

Connor Bedard circled the ice, waiting for his cue from a hockey card photographer for Upper Deck. He skated purposefully towards an empty net and unleashed a shot.

OK, not a shot, but the shot. That quick, powerful release that's his calling card as an NHL prospect. That skillful snipe that made him the first overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft by the Chicago Blackhawks, and has positioned Bedard as the league's latest franchise savior.

The puck rocketed off his blade and landed snugly under the crossbar. How many goals will the 18-year-old score just like that? How many goalies will be left wondering how to stop Bedard?

"Just get in front of it. Somehow," said Sebastian Cossa, a goalie prospect for the Detroit Red Wings who attended the NHLPA Rookie Showcase in Arlington on Tuesday.

"He's definitely got a good shot," Cossa continued. "I played against him in junior and the world juniors. His pull-and-push is obviously pretty special. It's not really knowing what to expect. You just got to really be on angle and take away the net from him. He's a special player."

Bedard was the talk of the rookie showcase.

continued ($) plus more topics...

NEW YORK (July 25, 2023) – National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman today released the following statement regarding the passing of Chicago Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz:

“The National Hockey League family is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of W. Rockwell ‘Rocky’ Wirtz.

“Devoted to family and the Chicago Blackhawks, Rocky was a native son of Chicago and an accomplished businessman. Rocky took over control of the Blackhawks in 2007 and almost immediately restored the passion and following of this storied, Original Six franchise.

“Rocky’s focus on connecting with the Club’s fans and improving the team’s performance on the ice rekindled Chicago fans’ love affair with their hockey team and built a modern dynasty – the Blackhawks won Stanley Cups in 2010, 2013 and 2015.

“On a personal level, Rocky was a dear friend whose counsel I consistently sought. He was a highly respected member of the Executive Committee of the League’s Board of Governors whose wisdom and camaraderie were valued by his fellow owners.

“The NHL sends its sincere condolences to Rocky’s wife, Marilyn; his children, Danny, Kendall and Hillary; Marilyn’s daughter, Elizabeth; and their six grandchildren. He will be missed terribly.”