General Manager Ron Caron was annoyed that a face he thinks belongs in a teen magazine making girls swoon was going around beating up on his baby Blues.
So not only did Caron call up a columnist to berate Jeremy Roenick as
”a dirty player,” but he blamed the absence of appropriate punishment from referees on the fact the Blackhawk is ”young, talented and cute.”
Roenick reacted defiantly to the verbal attack, which resulted from his strong check Sunday night on Bob Bassen of St Louis.
”Our guys are pumped and ready to go,” Roenick said before Tuesday night`s game. ”We love to read that stuff.”
But the news read worse Wednesday morning, more hard fact than fancy. The Hawks couldn`t convert some early offensive chances and the Blues retained first place overall in the National Hockey League with a 3-1 victory Tuesday night before a sellout crowd of 18,043.
The Hawks dropped three points behind the Norris Division-leading Blues, who have won nine consecutive games in the Arena and have triumphed in 13 of their last 16 overall. The Hawks had beaten St. Louis 6-2 Sunday night.
Down 2-0 Tuesday after allowing the Blues two first-period power-play goals, one of them Brett Hull`s 69th, the Hawks cut it to 2-1 on Dirk Graham`s goal in the second period. St. Louis was outshot 13-3 in this period.
”You can only say it so many times, but we just don`t want to play our game sometimes,” Graham said. ”We want to play that fancy junk at the blue line instead of dumping the puck and going after it.
”We`ll never be successful until we get it in our heads to play the same way all the time. Everyone comes in with their own ideas, it seems. There`s a reason we haven`t played well on the road for a while (0-4-1 in their last five games). Some guys don`t listen.”
The Hawks thought they had tied at 2 with 13:24 left when Greg Gilbert shot the puck into a net that had been knocked off its moorings by Hawk Mike McNeill, who tripped over Blues goalie Pat Jablonski. Referee Kerry Fraser ruled no goal because a Hawk had dislodged the cage, but the Hawks argued that McNeill had been pushed into Jablonski by a St. Louis player.
”I saw some guy all over McNeill,” Gilbert said. ”Some guy rode him into the net.”
Geoff Courtnall scored on a breakaway with 8:16 to go to lift the Blues into a 3-1 lead. And the tide was turned for good.
If Roenick had scored on a first-period breakaway, or Michel Goulet had succeeded on a penalty shot in that period, the outcome might have been different.
This was the first NHL victory for Jablonski, a minor-leaguer who was an emergency replacement when Curtis Joseph injured his right knee in the opening two minutes. Vincent Riendeau, the usual starter, already was out with a groin injury.
”(Jablonski) was put in a tough situation and we didn`t test him in the first period when we had some chances,” Hawks coach Mike Keenan said.
”That`s one major reason they won. Another reason is we didn`t have emotion in the third period when we needed it.”
As Caron predicted, the Blues ”targeted” Roenick throughout the game, paying him back repeatedly for what they felt was his impertinence Sunday. They checked him here, there and everywhere. Defenseman Mario Marois stung him first, knocking off the center`s helmet on a check along the boards. ”That`s a backhanded compliment to Jeremy,” Keenan said. ”Every good player in the league is a target every night.”
The first period may have been the best period of the year as far as entertainment. It featured strong checking, great goaltending and dramatic offensive situations.
The first goal wasn`t scored until 4:42 remained before the first intermission. Hull scored it on the power play, converting a great pass from center Adam Oates.
St. Louis used another power play to grab a 2-0 lead. Cliff Ronning deflected a shot by defenseman Scott Stevens, and Oates picked up another assist, his 70th.
Hawks goalie Ed Belfour and his defense were outstanding when the Blues went 1 minute, 47 seconds with two extra skaters.
But once again a solid defensive effort was unable to overcome another poor offensive showing.
Trading deadline is less than a week away-next Tuesday-and Keenan is trying to make a deal to boost his offensive attack.
