Dietz: Hawks’ Commesso adds to a memorable Saturday night
If a Bears playoff game falls when a Blackhawks game begins does anyone in Chicago hear the sound of the puck dropping?
Not likely, right?
Well, that's exactly what happened Saturday when the Hawks' tilt at Nashville overlapped with the Bears' heart-pounding, can-you-believe-it 31-27 victory over the Packers in an NFC wild-card game at Soldier Field.
Bears fans no doubt woke up thinking: “Did that really happen? I must have dreamed it.”
Another dream came true 500 miles away, with goaltender Drew Commesso stopping 36 shots to backstop the Hawks to an unlikely 3-0 victory. Commesso became just the fourth Hawks goalie to post a shutout in his first career win. The others:
• Corey Crawford against Anaheim on March 5, 2008
• Craig Anderson against Columbus on Jan. 22, 2004
• Paul Goodman against Detroit on Jan. 1, 1940
“I think I'll remember it as first career win more,” Commesso told reporters. “Honestly, it was just a big win for the team — especially after a game last night (a 5-1 loss to Washington at the UC) where I don't think any of us were happy with how it went (or) how we played.”
Commesso, drafted 46th overall by the Hawks in 2020, was in net Friday and Saturday because a flu bug ripped through the roster, sidelining Spencer Knight and Arvid Soderblom. They were the first starts of his NHL career. Commesso allowed 5 goals on 24 shots against the Capitals, but he looked like a completely different player against the Predators.
His most impressive save came with the Hawks clinging to a 1-0 lead midway through the third period. Commesso, screened by the 6-foot-1, 207-pound Ryan O'Reilly, somehow found a way to glove a wrist shot by Luke Evangelista.
Ninety seconds later, Nick Lardis took a perfect pass from Connor Bedard and whistled home a shot to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead.
Commesso is a terrific story — one that I'll go into more detail about during the Olympic break. Just to whet your appetite, he foresaw something in second grade that will absolutely blow your mind. He's as humble as they come and — much like Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza — is happy to bring up his faith during interviews.
“I'm so blessed and I'm so thankful to God just for putting me in this situation,” Commesso said Saturday. “I wouldn't have been able to do it without Him. A big thing has always been my faith and always staying even-keeled. … Just always be grateful and thankful for Him.
“Something I learned about pro hockey is there's a lot (that's) out of your control. I went from not even playing in the Rockford game on Friday to starting for the Hawks back-to-back games.”
Never say die
One would think losing Connor Bedard for 12 games to a shoulder injury would have sent the Hawks on a season-ending tailspin.
Nope. Instead, they won four straight before Bedard returned Friday.
One would have also thought Nashville would romp to an easy victory, especially with Commesso playing back-to-back nights.
Nope. Instead, Commesso made history, Bedard dished out gorgeous assists to Tyler Bertuzzi (23 goals) and Lardis (4 goals in 14 games), and Ryan Greene put the game away with an empty-netter.
These Hawks — much like the Bears — refuse to go away. They are 6-2-1 in their last nine games and, through Saturday, were just 3 points behind the Kings and Kraken in a crazy race for the two wild-card playoff spots.
“You know, I started the year without any expectations. I just didn't know what to expect,” Blashill said when I asked him if this team was surprising him in mid-November. “We had a group of guys that I knew were talented and I thought if we could mature we could become a really good team. …
“As we've grown I've continued to say that we could be a really good team. We've just got to do the right things. We've got to choose that. We've got to choose to be that type of team. And for the most part we have.
“Are we gonna have some growing pains? Yes. But we're making the right choices on a daily basis and that's how you end up being successful as a group. I don't really have any further expectations.”
One final thought
It was a rough week off the ice for the Hawks, who saw former coach, GM and executive Bob Pulford and goaltender Glenn Hall pass away. Hall, affectionately known as Mr. Goalie, holds the record for most consecutive starts by a goalie at 502 (552 including playoffs).
To put that in perspective, the second-longest streak is 257 games by Alec Connell, from 1924-30. Even better: According to AI, the longest streak this century is 38 games by Calgary's Miikka Kiprusoff in 2007-08!
There are obviously many NHL records that will never be touched, but Hall's has to be at the top. RIP, Mr. Goalie.
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.