advertisement

Toews content with team's response to Orpik's hit

Finally we get to hear from the man who was on the wrong end of a Brooks Orpik hit that fateful Sunday night in Pittsburgh.

While the Blackhawks' reaction - or lack thereof - to Orpik's hit on Jonathan Toews caused quite the debate between those who thought immediate retribution was in order versus those who thought there was too much at stake to pick up penalties, the captain weighed in Monday and he's siding with the latter group.

"I think our team was having a tough week there, and we're trying to win that game there. That was the most important thing," said Toews, who missed the final six regular season games. "So to get into the stupidity - trying to get into that sort of thing wasn't going to help us at all as a team.

"The boys did the right thing. I don't expect anything after something like that. That was a clean hit. We moved on. We've had a good week since then, a good week and a bit. Put it behind us."

Miller time:

Goaltender Ryan Miller, like the rest of the Blues, has struggled down the stretch, but Patrick Kane isn't letting that skew his view of his former Olympic teammate one bit.

"He's a great goaltender. I've seen him at his best in the Olympics a few years back," Kane said. "I know he had a couple of long runs in the playoffs with the Sabres, but it seems like he went to St. Louis for a reason, and that is to try to win another Cup.

"They've been a great team all year. Great team defense. It's going to tough to get chances on him. We have to try to find a way as best we can to get one by him."

Compare and contrast:

Coach Joel Quenneville was asked about the difference heading into the playoffs this year as defending champs compared to when the Hawks defended after winning the Cup in 2010.

"The expectations that year and this year are kind of comparable," he said. "Everybody likes our team.

"Everybody believes that we can win a championship, but I don't feel the weight of the world that, 'Hey, have to win, have to win, have to win.'

"We're all excited about the challenge."

He said it:

"Yeah, I might trim it up one more time. Tomorrow I might have to get another haircut, too, so we'll see what comes of that. Yeah, hopefully we're not shaving for a long time."

- Patrick Kane on whether he'll have one last shave before the playoffs start.

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.