Chris Chelios fired the puck toward an empty St. Louis Blues net in the third period Friday night after picking up a cross-checking penalty . . . and missed.
That sums up the Blackhawks’ season from hell. And they don’t get a bye on Sunday like the 0-7 Bears.
The Blues beat the Hawks 2-0 before a restless United Center crowd of 17,005 to fall to 0-7 for the first time since 1947-48. The seven-game skid to start the season ties the second-worst in National Hockey League history, four shy of the New York Rangers’ 0-11 start in 1943-44.
They might make a run at it. The league’s most valuable player, goalie Dominik Hasek, and the Buffalo Sabres come to town Sunday.
“I’m glad I’m not over there,” a sympathetic Brett Hull said.
The Hawks have one goal in the last 278 minutes 45 seconds, they’ve been blanked in three of the last four games and their sickly power play is 2 for 48 after going 0 for 9 against St. Louis.
“It’s getting to be a familiar scene, a familiar feeling,” said coach Craig Hartsburg. “And it’s a sick feeling.”
Grant Fuhr collected the 21st shutout of his career, coming up with big saves on Eric Daze in the first period, Craig Mills in the second and Jean-Yves Leroux and Sergei Krivokrasov in the third.
Geoff Courtnall and Harry York scored 1 minute 55 seconds apart in the second period as St. Louis improved to a franchise-best 6-1. The Blues are 5-1-3 in their last nine games at the United Center. The Hawks aren’t nearly that good there–or anywhere this season.
“Defensively we’re playing well enough to win,” said Gary Suter, “but we just can’t score goals.”
“It’s frustrating, embarrassing,” Chelios said.
Enough said.
