It was a special night of celebration Saturday at the United Center. The Chicago Blackhawks were able to put the cherry on top.
Doors opened early for fans to look at memorabilia from years past. Relics included the curved sticks of Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, replica trophies of Mikita’s 1967 awards and Tony Esposito’s old gear.
Chicago Sports Network analyst Darren Pang hosted an alumni Q&A with Denis Savard and the family members of Hull, Mikita and Glenn Hall. “We don’t like Toronto,” Pang said, to the approval of those in attendance.
Photos: Chicago Blackhawks 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 2 at the United Center
After the drape was untangled on the ice, former Hawks broadcaster Pat Foley and Hawks legend Patrick Sharp shared kind words about the skaters who inspired future Hawks players. It was a beautiful honoring of the originals — and the best way to end the night was with a win in an Original Six matchup.
The Hawks won a wire-to-wire battle against the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-2. The Hawks (9-5-4) are 4-0-1 in their last five games and 9-3-3 in their last 15.
“We’re going to be in a lot of (these) moments and we have to continue to grow as a group,” coach Jeff Blashill said.
The scoring started with forward Ryan Greene’s second goal of the season at 11:05 in the first period. It was assisted by defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who kept his lead for the most assists by an NHL rookie with 10.
“Arty was excellent for the majority of the game tonight,” Blashill said. “He’s played very well over the last few weeks. For Arty to be great, he’s got to be a guy who attacks the game, (and) that’s what he’s been doing lately.”
The second period has been the Achilles’ heel for the Hawks, but that wasn’t the case Saturday. While the Maple Leafs (8-9-2) led 2-1 after the period following a goal from defenseman Morgan Rielly, the Hawks outshot the visitors 11-5 in those 20 minutes.
Forward Teuvo Teräväinen dazzled with a shifty move that tricked Rielly for the tying goal at 5:12 of the third period.
“Frankie (Nazar) made a really nice skate there, won the battle, gave (the puck) back to me and then I don’t know what happened after that,” Teräväinen said. “Big goal.”
Forward Colton Dach got a stick on Louis Crevier’s shot from the blue line, and the goal off the deflection put the home team in front for good with 4:25 to play.
“(Crevier’s) really good at getting pucks through,” Dach said. “He’s got a really good shot. He’s finding those (spots) to get pucks on or toward the net. As forwards, we have to do a job to get a stick on it.”
Nazar returned to the lineup after missing two games with a mid-body injury. He had the assist on Teräväinen’s goal.
“I hate missing games and hate not being able to play and watching our team go out,” Nazar said. “It’s nice they were doing well when I wasn’t there, but just hate watching from the stands. I battled through it and we’re here.”
Hawks captain Nick Foligno suffered a wrist injury after blocking a shot in the second period. He immediately went to the locker room and was wearing a cast postgame. Blashill said the initial timeframe for Foligno’s return is four weeks.
“Nick’s a big loss from the leadership standpoint,” Blashill said. “He’s a great leader in the room. Our guys have tons of respect for him (and) he’s an extension of the coaching staff. Not to say he won’t be around, but it’s a little different when you’re not in there game in and game out. But we’ll certainly make sure we work to include him.”
Left wing Tyler Bertuzzi didn’t play after being a full participant in the morning skate. Center Jason Dickinson remained on injured reserve.
Sam Rinzel was a healthy scratch versus the Maple Leafs, with Blashill calling it a “reset.” The Hawks went with 12 forwards and six defenseman, and Blashill said he’s undecided which formation he’ll go with Tuesday against the Calgary Flames.
“Our D have played pretty good overall, whether it’s six or seven,” Blashill said. “We’ll make the decision against Calgary but I have confidence in our D core either way.”
Yes, he realized the numbers he said — the catchphrase “6-7.” And yes, he made the gesture.
“Did I just do that? I didn’t even do it on purpose,” Blashill said.
It was a harmless joke but also a visual of the positive feelings in the locker room. It has been a while since the Hawks have consistently added points in the standings, and this homestand is a chance to solidify the team’s identity.
“We ended that road trip the right way with big wins,” Teräväinen said. “Now we come home (and) have to keep the same mentality. In the (New Jersey Devils) game, we didn’t have our legs but we still ended up getting one point out of it. It’s always the next game (and) we have a lot of confidence in this team right now.”
Added Nazar: “All of us in here know we can do anything we put our minds to, and that’s how we’re going into each game. Toronto’s a great team, we’ve played some great teams, and we’ve stuck right in there with a ton of them. It felt really good to get that win tonight, (so we’ll) keep going from there and learn.”
Blashill came into his first season with no expectations. Not that he didn’t want to win, but he wanted to take some time to learn what he had with his young, high-potential skaters. He’s not getting too ahead of himself, but it’s no secret he has his players believing in what they could be.
“We had a group of guys who I knew were talented and I thought if we could mature our game, we could become a really good team,” Blashill said. “We’re going to have some growing pains, but if we’re making the right choices on a daily basis, that’s how you end up being successful as a group.
“I don’t have any further expectations. Let’s just go out and continue to get better. We’re going to practice Monday (to) find a way to play a great game on Tuesday.”
