Versteeg's 'trick shot' worth remembering
It happened five days ago and was only a tiny part of last Monday's win by the Blackhawks over Colorado.
In fact, many of the people in the United Center or watching on TV might not have even seen Hawks winger Kris Versteeg's "trick shot" in the first period that could have turned into the goal of the year in the NHL.
Versteeg was flying down the left wing, chased by an Avalanche defender. Running out of room and with a backhander looking like his only option from a tough angle, Versteeg dragged the puck back and got off a good shot using his stick between his legs.
The shot might have gone into the top corner of the net if not for the puck deflecting off the stick of the Colorado defender and flying into the protective screen.
It's a shot you see kids try countless times in youth hockey during warmups, but rarely in the heat of an NHL game. And Versteeg is a rookie.
"It wasn't meant to be cocky or anything like that," Versteeg said. "The guy's stick was right there and I couldn't really get a backhand off, so I felt at the time it was going to work."
Versteeg said he had to endure some good-natured ribbing from his teammates for attempting the shot.
"I kind of got a little bit of grief about it, but like I said, it wasn't supposed to be cocky or arrogant," Versteeg said. "To tell you the truth, I didn't even really realize I did it until I got back to the bench. It was more of just something the kind of just happens during a game. It was a play that looks cocky, but I didn't mean for it to come off that way."
Huet gets call: It hasn't been easy for Hawks coach Joel Quenneville to pick a starting goalie for nothing but good reasons with both Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet playing well.
Quenneville has tabbed Huet to start Sunday night against Calgary, largely because he hasn't played since Nov. 1 when he won in a shootout at Columbus.
Khabibulin started the Hawks' last game on Monday against Colorado.
"Both guys have warranted equal time," Quenneville said. "But Huet hasn't played in a while and if he doesn't play it's a long time, too, so that's part of it."
Guarding against rust: With the Hawks not having played in five days. Joel Quenneville is worried about how his team starts against the Flames.
"I think the start is very important and the mental aspect of the game is going to be the most important thing," Quenneville said. "You want to be sharp and you want to be there and do the right things, but sometimes you're a little stale and flat.
"We want to make sure we push the guys to try to be on the attack and be on the offensive side of things."
Tip-ins: Duncan Keith didn't practice Saturday, with Joel Quenneville saying the defenseman was "resting." ... The Flames' roster features former Hawks Rene Bourque, Adrian Aucoin and Jim Vandermeer. ... Bourque, traded last summer for a future second-round draft pick, was off to a good start with 3 goals and 9 points in 14 games for Calgary. ... The Hawks went into the weekend ranked third in the league in penalty-killing and eighth on the power play.