In this Monday edition of Hawks Headlines, we take a look at the struggles of the Chicago Blackhawks’ penalty killing unit, Andrew Shaw’s impact in his return to the Hawks’ lineup, and a Blackhawks executive who will be enshrined into a Hall of Fame next year.
-We start out with Hawks head coach Joel Quenneville, who opened up a bit about the Hawks’ recent penalty killing struggles. He told Tracey Myers that giving up a power play goal to the Ducks with only one second left on a power play Friday was “rock bottom,” and he also added that “we can only go, from there, right up.” Optimistic, but truthful. [CSN Chicago]
-Quenneville wasn’t the only one talking about the Hawks’ penalty kill this week. Marcus Kruger also had some thoughts on the problems plaguing the group, saying that “we need to execute better. It’s up to us here in the locker room to do a better job.” [Daily Herald]
-When asked whether he could handle being the starter if Corey Crawford is out for any length of time with a lower body injury, Antti Raanta didn’t hesitate. “Of course. That’s the job I came here to do,” he told the media. [ESPN Chicago]
-Andrew Shaw returned to the Hawks’ lineup after missing two games following a fight with Dallas’ Antoine Roussel, and he was eager to add his energy back into the mix. [Chicago Sun-Times]
-After being sent back down to the Rockford IceHogs on Friday, Joakim Nordstrom sat down for a one-on-one interview with Chris Block. Some good stuff here. [Third Man In]
-While most of the focus was on Dylan Olsen and Jimmy Hayes returning with the Florida Panthers on Sunday, Kris Versteeg also got a chance to prove to the team that dealt him to Chicago that they had made a mistake. [Chicago Tribune]
Sports
-Finally, Al MacIssac, the Blackhawks’ Vice President of Hockey Operations, was named an inductee into the ECHL Hall of Fame. He won the 1992 ECHL championship with the Hampton Roads Admirals. [Blackhawks.com]
