Dietz: Despite losses, encouraging signs with the Blackhawks
Something is different about the Blackhawks.
OK, yes, one of those things is the locker room could be mistaken for a college team if you walk in at a certain time. Twelve players are under 25 years of age, and some could pass for 16, 17 or 18.
But, no, that's not what I'm talking about. There's something else here.
There's a newfound confidence and swagger. There's speed and resiliency. An all-for-one attitude. And, perhaps best of all, a nastiness factor that lets opponents know the Hawks will not be pushed around.
All of that has been on display in the first three games. The final results have been disappointing — none moreso than Saturday's home opener in which Montreal walked out of the UC with a 3-2 victory by scoring with 15.7 seconds remaining.
The loss dropped the Hawks to 0-2-1, but they could easily be 2-1-0 if a couple bounces went their way.
“I'm encouraged by what I see. I really am,” said captain Nick Foligno. “There's a different mindset in this group. It's disappointing we haven't gotten results, but that's how hard it is to win in this league.”
It's especially hard when you give the opponent 10 power-play opportunities, which is what happened Saturday. The good news for the Hawks is they killed off 8 of them, one of which was a 5-on-3 for 33 seconds.
The 38-year-old Foligno always exudes extreme optimism about the Hawks teams he's played on. At times he's been unrealistic, but that's OK. As a leader, you've got to keep that belief to keep spirits high in the room.
That hasn't been easy the last couple years, but the tide may be set to turn a bit in 2025-26.
“You have to have a mindset of understanding (that it's) not just OK (to be) in the game,” Foligno said. “You've got to find a way to step on their throats, for lack of a better word, and find a way to get that done like (Montreal) did tonight.
“So (our) mentality has to now shift from, 'Hey, we're becoming a good team' to 'No, we are a good team.' We have to believe that and put it into our practice.”
Some of the more encouraging signs include:
•The play of Frank Nazar. The second-year forward has hit the scoresheet in every game and leads the Hawks with 5 points. Former Hawk Eddie Olczyk called him the “best player on the ice” in the season opener Tuesday at Florida.
•The growth in Connor Bedard's game. He's beginning to understand what it takes to play team-first hockey.
•The relentless penalty kill, led by forward Ilya Mikheyev. The 31-year-old Russian is all over the ice, snuffing out chance after chance with his active, pestering stick work.
•The fight and tenacity of the team overall. In years past, play would simply continue when a blind-side hit was delivered to a star player like Nazar. No more.
When that happened Saturday, the Hawks went into full WWE mode, with Teuvo Teravainen arriving on the scene ready to fight 6-foot-3, 202-pound Kaiden Guhle. A moment later, 6-8, 228-pound Louis Crevier essentially tagged Teravainen out and proceeded to pummel Guhle. Four other melees quickly broke out.
It had to make old-time fans wonder if they'd been transported to the 1960s, '70s or '80s.
“We’ll do that all day, every day,” said head coach Jeff Blashill. “We’ll develop that mentality 100%. Is there time to pick your spot? Yeah, but we’ll deal with that later. Right now we have to make sure we look after each other.”
So, yes, the signs are encouraging. To be clear, though, it's very early. There are 79 games left, including Monday's against Utah at the UC.
Maybe injuries hit, the losses continue to pile up and things devolve into another long, depressing season. But right now it feels different.
And that's what you hope for as a Hawks fan.
“Without watching our games you’re saying, 'whatever' about the Blackhawks (and their 0-2-1 record),” Blashill said. “People who have watched every game (know) we’re in position to win. We need to continue to do that but then find ways to win.
“We’re not here for moral victories, but we are here for process. To me that’s the No. 1 thing. I said it when I first took the job. We're not going to take any shortcuts to try to win a game in terms of getting two points. We still have a ways to go. …
“I like our guys a lot. I like their attitude, I like their approach, I like our talent. It’s a growth process for sure. We knew it was going to be and we’ll continue to work through that growth process.”
• John Dietz, a sports writer at the Daily Herald from 1998-2024, covered the Blackhawks from 2014-24. You can reach him at jdietz6917@hotmail.com.