Gone missing: The hidden gems behind the scenes

Sitting in the United Center as the Blackhawks conducted morning skate on March 11, 2020, I remember remarking to a few nearby reporters: "This will be the last game we see with fans for the rest of the season."

This prediction was immediately laughed off.

No way. You're nuts.

And, truthfully, it did seem insane to go out on that kind of limb. But that's just the way it felt as the coronavirus news got exponentially bigger day after day.

The UC was jam packed that night as the Hawks took care of the San Jose Sharks 6-2. In the first period, a report broke that an NBA player had come down with COVID-19.

The next day everything stopped. No more hockey. No more basektball. No more sports.

Over this last year, so much has changed in how we get the news to you, our loyal readers. Almost every interview is done in groups via Zoom. There are very few 1-on-1s and there's no chance for players and writers to interact on a casual basis.

And that's the toughest thing for many of us who want to unearth the hidden gems behind the scenes.

These happen organically in many cases, just by talking with players we've gotten to know over the years - or in some cases in just a few weeks or months.

That's how I stumbled upon the fact that Alex Nylander was living with Robin Lehner and his family last season. After a five-minute talk about actual hockey, I turned the tape recorder off and simply asked how Nylander was enjoying Chicago so far.

Within seconds, he shared he was living with Lehner's family. Boom, story. The next day I approached Lehner, who was more than happy to talk about it, and it turned into a really great piece.

Golf is great ice-breaker in the room, especially when everyone comes back for training camp or after the Hawks go on a long road trip. A few years ago one player told me about an incredible shot Nick Schmaltz pulled off that led to a short eagle putt.

Months later, I finally brought it up to Schmaltz, who admitted that while he's never afraid to go for the "hero shot" on the course, he was still having trouble knowing when to pull the trigger on the ice.

There are dozens of other examples, but some that stick out include:

• Jordan Oesterle revealing he got in trouble once for paint-balling cars around the neighborhood.

• Cody Franson admitting how he thought some veterns were going to stick him with a massive dinner bill when he was a rookie in Nashville.

• Alex DeBrincat describing how he hung pop cans from a net to work on his accuracy.

• Patrick Kane laughing about storming into the backyard with his street-hockey net if a game wasn't going his way, and how he'd return minutes later hoping to get things going again.

• Chris Kunitz sharing about how Jonathan Toews brought a Navy SEAL in 2½ years ago to help build team morale.

• Calvin de Haan discussing how and why he began a craft brewery in his hometown of Carp, Ontario.

Sadly, stories like these - which often take two, three or four good interviews - have all but disappeared.

Who wouldn't want to hear more from these up-and-coming Hawks, such as Nikita Zadorov, who must be hilarious 1-on-1? Or read more about the paths of Kevin Lankinen, Pius Suter and Philipp Kurashev? Or find out more about Ian Mitchell, Nicolas Beaudin, Lucas Carlsson, or even veteran Mattias Janmark?

There are so many untold stories behind the scenes, just waiting to be discovered.

I, for one, miss that part of the job dearly. And can't wait for it to return.

Hopefully, in far less than another year.