Blackhawks' Hartman headed in the right direction
In Ryan Hartman's second game with the Rockford IceHogs last season, the winger was whistled for a whopping 5 penalties.
Roughing. Goaltender interference. Slashing. Boarding. Unsportsmanlike conduct.
By the final infractions, the penalty-box ref must have said, "Welcome back, Mr. Hartman. Your seat's still warm."
Hartman's always been gritty, but playing stupid, reckless hockey is no way for a youngster to find his way to the NHL, no matter how much talent he possesses.
Hartman finally realized this and transformed his game in a rather unorthodox way - by reading.
"I read a book called 'Mind Gym,'" said Hartman, who is enjoying a solid rookie season with the Blackhawks. "It talks a lot about letting go. There's some reference to mental skills stuff where if something happens that's not in your favor, take three or four seconds before you let it go. It's in the past and you don't think about it any more."
And while reading 'Mind Gym' certainly helped, Hartman also credited IceHogs Ted Dent for changing the way he plays.
"My message to him was if you're going to play for Joel (Quenneville) and Chicago, they don't take penalties," Dent said in a phone interview Monday. "I gave him a lot of rope when he was here.
"I think only one time last year, he missed a few shifts. I sat him out ... in Chicago against the Wolves just to finally say, 'OK - enough is enough. You've got to figure this out, not only for us in Rockford but for your future.' "
After racking up 249 penalty minutes the last two years in the AHL, Hartman has been in the box - are you ready for this? - just twice in 25 games with the Blackhawks. The amazing thing about that fact is Hartman is still crunching opponents every single night, and playing with an edge that Hawks fans always appreciate.
"It's just mental discipline," Dent said. "He can still finish checks and be physical. It's just that those lazy stick penalties mostly were the ones he was getting with us, and those are correctable.
"He just put his mind to it, and it's great to see."
Many of us thought the Hawks would miss Andrew Shaw dearly after he was traded to Montreal in the off-season, but that hasn't been the case thanks to Hartman's emergence. While Shaw is having a solid season with the Canadiens (6 goals, 9 assists), he's also second in the league with 58 penalty minutes (41 of which came in three games).
Hartman, meanwhile, has 5 goals, 3 assists, 4 penalty minutes … and he comes with a salary-cap-friendly price tag of just $925,000. Shaw, meanwhile, will count $3.9 million against the cap for six years.
Hartman had one of his best games of the season Sunday and said recently that he still feels like a rookie but "a more comfortable rookie, for sure." The former first-round pick is now rooming with Vinnie Hinostroza in a downtown apartment and also rooms with Hinostroza on the road.
Hartman had a blast on the Hawks' circus trip in November, bonding with players he normally doesn't see away from the rink in Chicago. One such outing included playing golf in San Jose with Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook and Nick Schmaltz. (Kane and Schmaltz won, by the way, with Schmaltz shooting a sparkling 83).
On the ice, Quenneville has given Hartman more responsibility with a second-line role because of Jonathan Toews' upper-body injury. He's responded well playing with veterans Marcus Kruger and Marian Hossa, and he set Hossa up for the Hawks' first goal against the Stars.
Hartman also set up the second goal when he stormed out of the penalty box, put a shot on Kari Lehtonen and watched as Artem Anisimov scored when a clearing attempt bounced off him and into the net.
"Hartsy's working hard," Hossa said. "He's a strong guy and you can see it on the second goal, when he outpowered the opponent. That's how Arty scored, so great job on that.
"He's not afraid going to the hard areas and I think he's just getting better."
Blackhawks vs. New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden, 6 p.m. Tuesday
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: WGN 720-AM
The skinny: Jonathan Toews and Brent Seabrook traveled with the Hawks to New York, but there is no word if they will play Tuesday. … The Hawks and Rangers will meet for the second time in less than a week, with New York winning 1-0 in overtime at the United Center on Friday. … Rangers goalie Antti Raanta has started the last three games - all wins - and posted a second straight shutout in New York's 5-0 win over New Jersey on Sunday. Raanta has made 62 of 63 saves in the 3 wins, and he's 8-1-0 with a 1.65 goals-against average on the season. … In Scott Darling's only career start at Madison Square Garden on March 18, 2015, he shut out New York by making 25 saves in a 1-0 Hawks victory. … Marian Hossa, Artem Anisimov and Artemi Panarin - all of whom scored Sunday in a 3-1 win over Dallas - are on pace for 41, 33 and 30 goals, respectively.
Next: New York Islanders at Barclays Center, 6 p.m. Thursday
- John Dietz