As equipment was stuffed into bags scattered around the dressing room, the Blackhawks acknowledged the significance of a trip that is yet another big test to measure just how good they really are.
Dominating games at home is one thing, but doing the same away from friendly terrain over an extended period is another. The Hawks hit the road after Friday’s practice headed for Columbus, the first stop on a 15-day, eight-game journey that will span four time zones as they crisscross North America.
“Everyone likes going on the road for a couple of days, but no one likes going on the road for two weeks,” winger Troy Brouwer said. “It’s a little discouraging because you want to not have to sleep in hotels and eat in restaurants for two weeks. But it’s part of what you have to do so you just have to take it in stride.”
The Blue Jackets will present the first challenge as the teams meet Saturday for the second of a home-and-home series that opened with the Hawks’ 3-0 victory Thursday night at the United Center.
After that, the Hawks visit the Red Wings to face their arch-rivals in a nationally televised game Sunday. From there it’s on to Ottawa, Calgary, Vancouver, Edmonton, San Jose and, finally, a a cross-country flight to Carolina.
The Hawks don’t play again at home until Feb. 3 against the Blues.
“It’s important to have a better idea of where we stand after the trip,” goaltender Cristobal Huet said. “Guys realize it’s important to be in good shape after this one. It’s quite a challenge, especially going East and West and then back East. We have pretty good conditioning, so it shouldn’t affect us too much.”
With the nature of the travel and the mostly every-other-day games against some tough opponents, the trip is a good primer for postseason hockey.
“We’re playing a lot of games in not very many nights with a lot of travel,” Brouwer said. “It gives you the sense of a playoff mentality where every night is a hard battle with a little bit of travel in between.”
The Hawks have played the second-fewest road games so far with 20, one more than the Sabres. They are 11-6-3 in away games and are 21-5-1 at home.
It’s going to be a challenge to see what we’re made of with all the character in this room,” winger Andrew Ladd said. “A big part of winning in the playoffs is being able to win on the road.”
The Hawks fared well on the six-game circus trip in late November when they won the first four matchups before falling in the final two to wind up with nine of a possible 12 points.
With 16 points possible this time around, coach Joel Quenneville is looking for similar results.
“I always say above .500 would be nice, but if we could get double digits (in points) that would be a nice achievement,” Quenneville said.
“There are different tests over the course of the year. (With) the six-game test (and) this eight-game swing, certainly you find out a lot about the guys.”
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