Hawks' core players ready for challenge

The core.

Seems like that's been the phrase that pays when talking about the Blackhawks and all their off-season maneuvering.

Each time a player left over the summer, general manager Stan Bowman couldn't point out quickly enough that the core of the team was still intact.

When the puck drops in Thursday night's season opener in Colorado, all eyes will be focused on the core, and forward Marian Hossa thinks fans will like what they see.

“I think it will be (better than last year), said Hossa, himself a main cog in that group. “With that (playoff) experience and they're also a year older now.

“They're starting to play more and more at both ends of the ice. Patrick Kane, he was mostly an offensive player but last year at the end of the year he backchecked really well. I think this young group is going to be even better.

But for the players it's not about the core guys and the new guys. It's about team.

“We've already stopped (talking like that) pretty much since the convention, Patrick Sharp said. “You talk about the new guys, but they're not really new to us. We're the Chicago Blackhawks 2010-11 and last season is over with.

Shhhhh: The loss of free spirits such as Adam Burish and Kris Versteeg didn't do anything to diminish the confidence of the Blackhawks, but now that confidence reveals itself in a slightly different form.#8220;I think we're confident in there, but at the same time it's respectful and quiet, too, coach Joel Quenneville said. #8220;I think we lost some of the guys who might have been a little bit louder.#8220;I don't care about that so much as I do how we are competing.Busy, busy, busy: The schedule-makers have poured it on the Hawks this month with 13 games, including Thursday night's opener in Colorado.But that might not be as bad as it sounds, at least according to Patrick Sharp.#8220;There's no question we've got a lot of games crammed into the rest of the month, Sharp said. #8220;But it's a great time to play a lot of games. Everyone's rested and feeling at their best.#8220;We want to make sure we get off to a great start and gather up as many points as we can.Programming note: Before Saturday's 7:30 p.m. faceoff, Comcast SportsNet will carry the Blackhawks' banner raising ceremony live at the United Center beginning at 6:30 p.m.He said it: Joel Quenneville on the play of Marian Hossa: #8220;The pace of his game in Games 5 and 6 in Philly, he was hard to stop and he was determined to win the Cup. He seems to be at that pace right from the outset here in training camp.