Blackhawks hit the road for a challenging trip
Fifteen days on the road together is a long time for even the tightest of teams such as the Blackhawks.
"Guys will get on your nerves if you spend enough time with each other, but because we have the option to spend time with so many different guys you don't get bored with one guy," joked winger Troy Brouwer. "If you've seen enough of one guy you can go and hang out with others."
Yes, the mood was light at Friday's practice as the Hawks prepared to start their much-anticipated eight-game road trip Saturday in Columbus - a two-week stretch unlike any in recent memory for the franchise.
"You mean how we hit all four corners of the continent?" Brouwer said.
It's a trip that begins in the Eastern time zone with games at Columbus, Detroit and Ottawa before heading to Western Canada for stops in Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton - jumping from the Mountain time zone to the Pacific and back to Mountain.
After that is where the trip gets trickier.
From Edmonton, the Hawks fly back into the Pacific time zone for just one game in California at San Jose on Jan. 28.
The Hawks then must fly the next day almost six hours to Raleigh, N.C., for the game that closes the trip on Jan. 30 against the Hurricanes.
"The Carolina game is what really sticks out in your mind," Brouwer said. "We're used to playing three in Western Canada and then a couple down in California, but to have to go coast to coast and have to play that Carolina game is going to be tough."
Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said the San Jose-to-Carolina trip the first thing to catch his eye last summer when he first saw the schedule.
Quenneville came close to calling that scheduling unfair.
"You don't face that type of traveling, or that type of game at all," he said. "That's the thing that really jumped out."
Quenneville didn't know if general manager Stan Bowman attempted to get the schedule changed last summer, perhaps playing Carolina on Sunday, Jan. 31.
"I don't know, but that's certainly something that's different about the whole trip," Quenneville said.
There are seven games to play before whatever happens in Carolina with an opportunity for the Hawks to break up the trip into three segments.
• Take 2 of 3 to start: It would be a good start if the Hawks could win two of the first three games at Columbus, Detroit and Ottawa.
"I've never experienced a trip this long before, but I think anytime you can get wins, get them when you can," center John Madden said. "You're generally the freshest when you start your trip, so we'll just dig in right away and see if we can get some wins right off the bat."
• Oh, (Western) Canada: The Hawks simply play well in Western Canada. In November, they went 3-for-3 in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Last season, the Hawks went 5-1 on the road during the regular season against the Flames, Oilers and Canucks, then were 3-3 in the playoffs with Calgary and Vancouver.
"We have a lot of Western Canada boys and they probably step up for those games," said Brouwer, who is one of them. "It's always nice to play in your hometown in front of friends and family."
• Sharks showdown: The Hawks and Sharks, the two best teams in the Western Conference, will meet for the final time on Jan. 28 at HP Pavilion. Tired or not, the Hawks should be up for this one. And the Sharks no doubt will remember losing 7-2 at home to the Hawks in November.
All in all, there are 16 points up for grabs on the trip.
"I always say if we can be above .500, that would be nice," Quenneville said. "But if we can get double digit (points), that would be a nice achievement."
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Blackhawks game day</b></p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena, 1 p.m. Saturday</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>TV:</b> Comcast SportsNet</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Radio:</b> WGN 720-AM</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>What to watch:</b> Their 3-0 loss at the United Center on Thursday was the first time all season the Blue Jackets had been shut out. Columbus coach Ken Hitchcock might switch to Steve Mason in goal for the first time in six games. Rick Nash now has gone 11 games without a goal for the Blue Jackets.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Season series:</b> Hawks lead 2-0 with both wins in Chicago.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col"><b>Next:</b> Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena, 11:30 a.m. Sunday.</p>
<p class="factboxtext12col">- <i>Tim Sassone</i></p>
<div class="infoBox">
<h1>More Coverage</h1>
<div class="infoBoxContent">
<div class="infoArea">
<h2>Stories</h2>
<ul class="links">
<li><a href="/story/?id=351313">Hawks hoping depth keeps them fresh<span class="date"> [1/15/10]</span></a></li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div>