A Very Special Night: But, Not On The Ice!

Yes, it was very special indeed as the Chicago Blackhawks and their fans welcomed back Hockey Hall of Famer and ex-Blackhawk, Marian Hossa to the United Center. Before the game in the atrium, Hossa signed a one day contract with the Blackhawks, so he can officially retire as a member of the organization. The Hawks had traded Hossa and his contract to the Arizona Coyotes in 2018 to clear cap space, so technically he was with the Coyotes until his contract expired at the end of the 2020-21 season. Classy move by Hossa and the organization. Yes, Marian Hossa was a free agent and the Hawks sure could have have used him on the ice.

Highlights:

• The only highlight during the game was the announcement during a TV timeout break during the first period that Marian Hossa's number 81 would be retired and hung from the rafters. There will be a banner raising ceremony next season, another excuse to bring Hossa back to Chicago. The timing was perfect since Hossa flew in for Toews 1000 game ceremony on Sunday, so I guess Hoss spent the week in the windy city. During a TV interview between periods, Hossa indicated he would be interested in being involved in the organization in some way. Here's hoping they can work something out. Enjoy the Marian Hossa highlight video that was played last night at the UC!
  

Lowlights:

• Pretty much everything that took place on the ice for the Hawks, there were so many, where to start? 
• They were soundly outplayed and out-shot in the first period 17-3 and the Hawks were very fortunate to be tied after the first. Seattle was on the second game of a back-to-back (last night in St. Louis) and for some reason they had way more energy and were engaged early. I'm starting to believe back-to-backs are overrated. Last night, I was at the Jets game in yet another "must-win" game against the Detroit Red Wings who won the night before against the Bruins (and lost their previous 6 games). The Wings out-shot the Jets 13-5 in the first period and scored a shorthanded goal. Tired and jet-lagged in the second game of a back-to-back, myth!
• The power-play was brutal! Towards the end of the second period the Hawks had a 5 on 3 man advantage for two full minutes as well as an additional two minutes from a four minute double minor for high-sticking. The Hawks had zero shots on the 5 on 3, while the Kraken almost scored if not for a great save by Kevin Lankinen. The Hawks had a power-play with less than eight minutes in the third with an opportunity to tie it, but again the power-play failed to produce. This was against one of the worst penalty kill teams in the league. The Blackhawks finished the game 0/4 on the PP.

• The Blackhawks called up top prospect, Lukas Reichel to play in his 6th game of the season. Apparently, the Hawks say they aren't concerned about burning the first year of his entry level contract if he plays 4 more games. So far, he looks like he can play at this level, but he hasn't shown he can contribute offensively and has yet to get a point. He's quick, skilled, but a little slight in size and I'm not sure if he can physically keep up the pace for a whole season. His time in Rockford is a good experience and has allowed him to play in all situations and play the pro game. These small sample sizes are good to see his progress and since the season is a lost cause, why not?
  
• On Seattle's first goal from Alex Wennberg, he blew by Jake McCabe then pulled a beautiful deke on Lankinen. It was if McCabe was standing still (yes, he was flat footed) and it was shades of ex-Hawks defenseman, Michal Rozsival, who by coincidence was in attendance seated with Marian Hossa in the private box. Hey Rozy!
• And lastly, I guess you might have heard, the Blackhawks are officially eliminated from the playoffs. It was obvious early on when they won only one of their first 12 games, so it was only a matter of time because it was a too steep a hill to climb to stay in the hunt. With that in mind, since there's nothing at stake anymore (kind of how they've been playing), I will restrain myself from ranting too heavily about how frustrating it is when they lose games against awfully bad teams, such as the Kraken and the Coyotes. They are now win-less in the last 7 games...yay.
  

Up next: Sunday at 6:00 pm, against a team that still has a chance to make the playoffs, the Dallas Stars. This begins the stretch drive of at least a game every second day for the next three weeks. Buckle up, there's still a lot of hockey before the Hawks hit the links or the beaches.