The sign on the dressing room door read “Visiting Hockey Team,” and Tony Amonte strode through it slowly but with confidence Wednesday morning. It was the 21st time he’s walked into a visitors’ locker room this season, but this wasn’t just another road game for the veteran winger.
It was Amonte’s first game at the United Center since parting ways with the Blackhawks following eight-plus seasons and one often-bitter and failed free-agent contract negotiation with Hawks general manager Mike Smith.
“First time, it was tough coming down here,” Amonte said as he stood in the Coyotes’ locker room hours before the Blackhawks and Coyotes played to a scoreless tie. “I’m definitely excited to come into town. It’s one of the best cities to visit, and now that I’m living in it it’s great to get a chance to come in … and have an opportunity to see some old friends.”
Amonte, who had one shot on goal in 20 minutes 36 seconds of ice time, noticed a difference during the national anthem.
“Standing on that blue line looking up at the flags was a little bit different,” Amonte said after the game. “You do get a little jittery and it saps a little bit of your energy, but you just go out there and play hard.”
The United Center fans–some among the crowd of 14,009 wore Hawks jerseys with Amonte’s old No. 10 on it–greeted Amonte with mostly boos as he was introduced. But Amonte, who saw the same thing happen when former Hawk favorites Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios returned with new teams, understands their reasoning.
“The fans here are loyal to the Blackhawks, not Tony Amonte or Chris Chelios,” Amonte said. “They are Blackhawks fans and that’s where their loyalty stands. These people are passionate fans and they have stuck by their team through thick and thin. I played hard while I was here and they did appreciate me. I have fond memories of this place.”
Amonte made plenty of friends during his tenure with the Blackhawks in which he played 627 games, scored 268 goals and added 273 assists.
“I definitely miss those guys over there,” Amonte said, referring to his old teammates. “It’s just a change all around on the ice and off the ice. It hasn’t gone as smooth as I would like but it just takes time getting used to your new surroundings and teammates. I’m happy to be here playing for the Coyotes.”
Amonte started slowly with the Coyotes and has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 43 games. He has a minus-8 plus/minus rating. His adjustment to new teammates and a new city has proven difficult at times.
“It’s different coming out of the rink and it’s 75 degrees (in Phoenix),” Amonte said. “I just have to concentrate on hockey a lot more and you have to really think about it because you can get caught up in the swimming pools and the golf and everything else. It’s a little different than living here with the cold weather and the hockey weather.”
Amonte probably doesn’t have fond memories of Smith, but he wasn’t in the mood to rip his former GM saying, “It’s done and over with. Hopefully (we can) put it to rest.”
“Tony was here for a long time,” Smith said. “He was a great Blackhawk. He had certain expectations (but) he wasn’t going to meet those expectations with us and he tried free agency. That’s just part of our business today.”
Amonte’s former teammates have moved on and have posted a 19-13-8-1 record without their former captain.
“Tony was always an important part of the team,” Hawks coach Brian Sutter said. “But he’s not on our team now and that’s the business of the game. Guys leave teams. There aren’t very many players who stay on a team throughout their whole career anymore. There’s the game and there’s the business. I wish Tony nothing but the best.”
Amonte’s former linemate, Steve Sullivan, said he was looking forward to visiting his ex-teammate but knows friendship takes a back seat when the game begins.
“I was with Tony for almost three years and … it was a great time,” Sullivan said. “He was a captain here and a good friend so absolutely we are going to have a little chit-chat, but once the puck drops it’s time to go.”
Amonte was only slightly melancholy on his return.
“Seeing old faces and friends and not getting a chance to be around them, obviously it’s sad,” Amonte said. “Unfortunately it wasn’t going to last forever either way, whether I left or I had to retire. It’s part of life and it’s a good chance to start over.”
