In today’s edition of Hawks Headlines, we take a look at the conclusion of the Chicago Blackhawks’ circus trip, hear from former Hawks center Jamal Mayers, and examine the question of whether or not Brandon Pirri could be in Joel Quenneville’s doghouse.
-We start out with Scott Powers’ interesting interview with Mayers, in which the former Hawks forward says that captain Jonathan Toews actually offered to leave off the “Captain” designation from the team’s Stanley Cup engraving so that Mayers’ name could appear on the chalice. Whether you’re a Hawks fan or not, that is a really cool gesture from Toews, and it clearly meant a lot to Mayers. [ESPN Chicago]
-With two wins in the Hawks’ last three games, back-up goaltender Antti Raanta may be dazzling Blackhawks fans on the ice, but off the ice his easy-going demeanor is an interesting character trait for a player in his first NHL stint. [CSN Chicago]
-Interesting piece by Michael Devine examining the decreasing playing time for center Brandon Pirri, who was demoted to third line center last week. [Cheer the Anthem]
-Over the weekend, Blackhawks farmhand Kyle Beach ended up scoring a hat trick for the Rockford IceHogs as they knocked off the Chicago Wolves at BMO Harris Bank Center. [Chicago Tribune]
-Quenneville has done an excellent job with the Hawks in winning two championships with the franchise, but as Jeff Hicks explains, just crediting Quenneville with titles and not thoroughly examining his record is a mistake. [The Sports Bank]
-We’re going back a little ways for this one, but it is definitely worth reading in the aftermath of the Chicago Bears’ loss on Sunday that all but eliminates them from playoff contention. Mark Lazerus has some thoughts on the Hawks’ being the only sports team in town right now that Chicago sports fans can be thankful for. [Chicago Sun-Times]
Local
-Finally, we take you up to Calgary, where the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL held their 19th annual Teddy Bear Toss on Sunday night. After Pavel Padakin scored the first goal of the game for the Hitmen, the sellout crowd let loose a barrage of teddy bears, with an amazing 25,921 bears being tossed on the ice. Here is a picture of some of those bears:
The teddy bears create a soft pillow for everyone! pic.twitter.com/3JJOONlFai — Calgary Hitmen (@WHLHitmen) December 2, 2013
