Not only will Mario Lemieux return to Chicago on Sunday night, but history of a different sort will be made when the Blackhawks play the Pittsburgh Penguins at the United Center.
The game will feature European coaches facing each other for the first time in NHL history. Finnish-born Alpo Suhonen was the first European head coach in the NHL when the Hawks hired him to replace Bob Pulford after last season.
Pittsburgh’s Ivan Hlinka became the second when he was hired in June to replace Herb Brooks.
Hlinka and Suhonen are very different personalities. While Suhonen possesses a calm demeanor and seldom raises his voice, Hlinka is a screamer, constantly barking out orders to his team during practice.
Hlinka was the national team coach for the Czech Republic and won the gold medal at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. That team had five players who were with the Penguins at the time, led by Jaromir Jagr.
They may be countrymen, but Hlinka and Jagr have feuded this season, and Lemieux’s return is credited with defusing a potentially volatile situation.
Hlinka said the opportunity to match wits with Suhonen is something special.
“It’s good that you are one of the first to break a barrier,” he said. “The National Hockey League is more open for everyone. If you can play or coach this game, you can be a part of this league.”
The Penguins are the most European-influenced team in the NHL, with 11 players from overseas. Like most European coaches, Hlinka emphasizes offense and has used five forwards on the power play.
In preparation for the playoffs, the Penguins have added some North American grit to their lineup recently, with the acquisition of Kevin Stevens and Marc Bergevin. They also brought in Krzysztof Oliwa, 6 feet 5 inches, 235 pounds, who had 78 fighting majors before this season, and Steve McKenna, a 6-8, 255-pound brawler with 37 fighting majors.
