Hawks sad about Savard, but optimistic

As Adam Burish left the rink Thursday, he took out his cell phone and dialed Denis Savard.

Burish wasn't sure how to feel. His loyalty was to Savard. He was the one who had picked Burish out of training camp last season and provided him his first NHL opportunity. It was going to be tough to say goodbye.

When Savard answered his cell phone and started speaking, Burish wasn't expecting to hear what he did.

"He was unbelievably positive," Burish said. "It kind of shocked me a little bit. He said, 'You guys are going to have a great coach. Joel Quenneville is a great man. I respect him as a coach. You guys are going to have a great team. You're just going to stay the course.'

"It was kind of neat to hear from Savy. It's why he's such an icon in this city, and why he's such a respectable person."

Burish and his Blackhawks teammates followed that lead Friday as they had their first opportunity to speak to the media following Savard's firing Thursday.

The players expressed widespread shock at Savard's dismissal after only four games, but they all also realized the NHL is a business and the Hawks have almost an entire season ahead of them. No one spoke out against the move.

"People in the organization make these decisions," said Hawks captain Jonathan Toews. "We trust that they're made in that situation for a reason. That's why we have our job. We go out there and play. People off the ice take care of their job."

Patrick Kane handled questions in a similar manner, but he did have one emotional reaction that others didn't.

"It's a difficult situation," Kane said. "Obviously it's not very fun. I'll admit I shed a few tears last night just thinking about it."

Kane also felt he and his teammates were just as accountable for their 1-2-1 start to the season.

"To come out with the start we had, there's nothing we really could have done I don't think," Kane said. "You definitely feel responsible for the situation. He took the fall for us. It's tough on us, but hopefully it works out."

The Hawks met with and practiced under Quenneville for the first time Friday, and Burish described the practice as fun.

Like his teammates, Burish is optimistic about the rest of the year. He felt Friday marked a new beginning.

"The first (Quenneville) said to us, 'It's a fresh start for everybody,' " Burish said. "When you have that kind of opportunity for everybody, it gives everybody a little bit of light, a little bit of energy.

"It'll be good for us (to play Saturday). Get away, get on the plane together where it's just us, get in the hotel where it's just us, and play a game on the road."