Eric Weinrich looked different from everyone else on his first day as a Blackhawk.
As with a kid enrolling at a new school, he was especially eager to fit in and be part of the group. But a small piece of his apparel stood out-the face shield on his helmet.
Told that he was the only Hawk to use the safety device, Weinrich scanned the other lockers to see if that was true.
“You’re right,” he said with a knowing grin. “Maybe I’ll stop wearing it. I wouldn’t be uncomfortable. I only started because of a few sticks getting close to my eyes when I played for New Jersey.”
The Hawks laugh at such danger. They haven’t received nine game misconducts (two rescinded) in 13 games because they fret about such things as going blind in one eye.
The Hawks don’t wear face shields for a reason. They figure opponents wouldn’t be able to see the fire in their eyes. The philosophy is a tactic. Everybody is supposed to shield each other from harm.
These aren’t players who cover their emotions. They may not lead the National Hockey League in anything else, but they probably do in warnings from the New York office. So it can be assumed that while the Hawks might be wounded by a 4-7-2 start they still are preparing to lick the New York Islanders instead of their sores Thursday night at the Stadium.
Jeremy Roenick and Ed Belfour already have been cited by NHL disciplinarian Brian Burke for injudicious statements about officials. They have been warned that next time, they will pay the price for such boldness: a $25,000 fine.
So to suddenly find yourself thrust among Chicago’s Wild Bunch can be a culture shock for new players. Not just Weinrich and Patrick Poulin, who will debut Thursday after being acquired from Hartford Tuesday, but also players who have been here months.
That runs the gamut from Joe Murphy to Neil Wilkinson to Jeff Hackett to Kevin Todd to Jeff Shantz to Darin Kimble to Keith Carney. There are 12 players on the Hawks’ roster who weren’t here at the start of last year, basically half the club.
“The older guys are trying to pull everyone together,” captain Dirk Graham said, “but we can’t hurry them, either.
“But while we can accept guys may need time, we can’t accept losing while they do. Accept losing and you’ll be a loser. I think we’ll be all right, but it’s been a big turnover for us.”
As much as coach Darryl Sutter challenges players with a stern standard of expectations, he relents easily, too. Two days after he ripped into Stephane Matteau and threatened to bench him Thursday, he spoke of how well Matteau has practiced since then.
“Last year he felt sorry for himself when he got kicked in the rear,” Sutter said. “But he’s been good through it the last couple practices. He’ll play for sure Thursday.”
He didn’t give Brian Noonan the same assurances after criticizing him as heavily as Matteau, but Sutter returned center Steve Dubinsky and defenseman Mike Speer to the minors Wednesday after their one-game callup to the play the U.S. Olympians. He kept winger Rob Cimetta with the Hawks and plans to play him against the Islanders.
Weinrich will be paired with Chris Chelios on defense Thursday, and Poulin will play on a line centered by Jeremy Roenick. In some ways, the Hawks start all over Thursday.
