Hawks excited about visit to White House
WASHINGTON — First there was that memorable parade, then a summer filled with celebrating with the Stanley Cup.
Finally on Friday the Blackhawks get to visit the White House and meet the President.
Following a morning practice at the Verizon Center, the Hawks will make the trip down Pennsylvania Avenue to the White House where President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama honor them in a ceremony for winning the 2010 Stanley Cup.
“I think it will be a fun experience for all of us,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “It will be a great day with family and friends there as well. It should be special.”
The President is a known White Sox and Bulls fan. So will Quenneville use Friday to make him a Hawks fan as well?
“I think he was pretty excited about our team last year as well, so I think there’s a lot of support there,” Quenneville said.
The Hawks also will take part in a hockey clinic on the South Lawn of the White House with members of the Washington Capitals for area children as part of the first lady’s “Let’s Move” initiative with the NHL and USA Hockey that encourages children to lead active and healthier lives.
Quenneville missed the visit the Colorado Avalanche made to the White House when he was an assistant coach on that Cup winning team.
“I’ve been there once, but not in this kind of setting,” Quenneville said. “It was more of a tour. I missed the visit with the (Avalanche).”
While the Hawks didn’t practice Thursday they were together as a team visiting wounded soldiers and their families at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
Kubina suspended:
At least the NHL corrected one wrong Thursday when it suspended Tampa Bay defenseman Pavel Kubina three games for elbowing Hawks center Dave Bolland in the head during Wednesday’s game.
Bolland didn’t play again after the first-period head shot left him with a suspected concussion. He did not accompany his teammates to Thursday’s visit to Walter Reed Army Hospital and neither did defenseman Brian Campbell.
Campbell sat out the loss at Tampa Bay with a lower-body injury.
The league came down on Kubina for his blatant blow to Bolland’s head even though referees Marc Joanette and Tim Peel let it go when it happened.
Joanette and Peel also allowed Martin St. Louis’ deciding shootout goal to stand even though replays showed St. Louis and the puck stopped moving forward, which is against the rules.
“It looked like it was a complete stop,” Joel Quenneville said.
Center of attention:
Michael Frolik moved to center after Dave Bolland’s injury at Tampa Bay, and coach Joel Quenneville liked the result.
“Frolik did a great job at center,” Quenneville said. “He was good on draws and looked good in that role and in that spot. Sometimes you get to try things you might have in the back of your mind, not by choice but by chance.”
The Hawks talked about using Frolik at center after acquiring him from Florida, but he had played strictly wing until Wednesday.
Needed break:
A three-day break between games is certainly what goalie Corey Crawford needs.
Crawford was pulled for the first time this season at Florida on Tuesday then battled back after a shaky start in Wednesday’s shootout loss at Tampa Bay.
“I thought I struggled again in the first half of the game,” Crawford said. “I was finally able to feel good and start seeing the puck again.”