Turnaround at home major priority for Hawks

How do you make a home game feel more like a road game?

That's the question Blackhawks general manager Dale Tallon and coach Denis Savard were wrestling with in light of the team's three-game home losing streak and 3-5 record at the United Center.

Tallon said Monday the tentative plan for Wednesday's game against Columbus at the UC is to house the players in a hotel during the afternoon following the morning skate.

"I think that's what we'll do," Tallon said. "We're going to look at all possibilities. We need to change the mentality at home. We're (in trouble) if we don't play well at home.

"It's the inexperience of our young players, too. We had five rookies in the lineup Sunday, and for them to keep the consistency of the focus is key and hard to do."

The Hawks lost 5-2 to Nashville after falling behind 2-0 in the game's first four minutes.

"They played so well on Saturday (in a 3-2 win at St. Louis), and Sunday I think they were a little tired maybe," Tallon said. "They didn't have the emotion they needed to start.

"If they had got through the first five minutes, probably we would have been OK. But to be down 2-0 off the bat, then you're playing uphill. We have to change that. We have to do something different."

According to plan: While Rocky Wirtz taking over as chairman following the death of his father, Bill, might have come as a surprise to those who expected Peter Wirtz to run the Hawks, Rocky Wirtz said it was part of the family's plan of succession designed by his grandfather, Arthur Wirtz.

"I've known that this position would be there at some time," Wirtz said. "People in the family and organization knew about this succession plan. In 1975, when I joined the company, I knew what the plans were."

Michael Wirtz would have been first in line to succeed his brother Bill, but Michael died in 1996 at 62.

Rocky Wirtz said Monday he is going to be an owner who stays mostly out of the spotlight.

"Siting down and micro-managing this organization is what I'm not going to do," Wirtz said. "Holding a press conference just for you to hear me speak is not going to happen.

"I'll be as actively involved as I should be without micro-managing. I certainly don't run the rest of our businesses that way. They've all been successful, and there's no reason this can't be another successful business for us."

Wait and see: Rocky Wirtz was asked if any consideration had been given to lifting the home TV blackout for games shown on the NHL's Centre Ice package by visiting teams.

"We're going to look at everything," Wirtz said. "This is a clean slate."

For the Comcast SportsNet schedule announced Monday, an attempt was made to spread out the seven home games where dates were available to show them in high definition.