New Blackhawks prospect Marcel steals the show at presser

From the moment Blackhawks prospect Marcel Marcel opened his mouth we knew this wouldn't be your boring, run-of-the-mill interview.

Reporters were cracking up on the opening question, the third question and for most of Marcel's knee-slapping presser at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday.

Upon returning to my seat, I remarked: "The Hawks can never, EVER trade that guy."

"Max contract," quipped the Sun-Times' Ben Pope. "Most entertaining 10 minutes of my time on the beat."

Marcel, who hails from the Czech Republic, faces long odds of ever making the Hawks as a fifth-round pick. But let's hope he does because, wow, can he fill up a tape recorder.

Q: What was it like to be drafted?

A: "I just went on the toilet, and I was just coming back. I have a video, because I was in Canada at my billet parent's house. I just checked the time; was just looking, sit down.

"And then my (billet) mom, she was just checking on the phone: She was like, 'You were drafted!'

"I'm like, 'What are you talking about?' She went crazy.

"I was looking on the TV, waiting for the pick, and then I saw my name. My phone went crazy. I got 50 calls at the same time. It was crazy."

The 6-foot-4, 243-pound Marcel then tells us his pre-draft meeting with the Hawks happened while he was suspended.

Q: So, wait. Why were you suspended?

A: "(I'm a) big guy. The guy was smaller. It was not that dirty. But he didn't look good. My physio told me one side was completely blue. Poor him. Sorry for that."

Q: So, wait - only one game?

A: "Uh, I think I got maybe more. Maybe two. Maybe three. I don't remember. I'm glad I don't remember."

Q: How did you get your name?

A: "My mom wanted to name (my oldest brother) Marcel Marcel, because sometimes when you're in Czech, they put your last name as the first and your first as the last. ... But they couldn't do it because of the government or something. When I came, it was the only option. I'm happy for that. There's a lot of people who make fun of it, like, 'Who's name is that stupid?' But it's cool, I would say."

Q: Have you always had this sense of humor?

A: "It's natural. I didn't come here like, 'Oh, I'm going to say this joke.' I was just having fun. It's important to make people laugh because it's better than cry. I like the happy mood."

Q: Do you chirp people on the ice?

A: "No, but I make some jokes. (In) my first season, there was some Elvis Presley playing. I went in for the faceoff and I was looking at the ref and I was like, 'Hey ref, do you know some dancing moves from that song?'

"I just like to have fun."

Funny man II:

Marcel Marcel wasn't the only comedian at Fifth Third Arena on Saturday. Hawks coach Luke Richardson showed his sense of humor when he walked into the media room wearing a T-shirt that said, "Kyle from Chicago."

"My wife found it online and it's Kyle's birthday today," Richardson said, referring to GM Kyle Davidson, who began an impromptu on-the-street interview in Nashville last week by telling the oblivious reporter that he was "Kyle from Chicago."

"I thought I'd wear it," Richardson continued. "He saw me a few minutes ago and he's like, 'Oh, no.' ... He asked if I was wearing it here (to the presser) and he said, 'Oh, no' again."

Like some others, Richardson figured the interview was staged. But after getting word from the Hawks' PR department that, no, it was simply Davidson showing off his sense of humor, Richardson had to text friends and family back that the entire thing was genuine.

"I think Kyle was trying to hint the guy along when he started saying the whole Stanley Cup roster of the Chicago Blackhawks," Richardson said. "It was pretty funny. I thought it was great."

Beware of ice:

Blackhawks development camp this week comprises of all off-ice activities, a first for the organization. Coaches have the nearly three dozen players concentrating on physical development.

"There's no rest for their bodies," said coach Luke Richardson. "You don't want to rest and do nothing, but you can take a rest from the grinds of the everyday wear and tear."

The Hawks are mixing things up by giving players boxing lessons and organizing team-building activities like going to a Cubs game.

"Being smart now, giving them some intangibles ... just to change things up, to have some fun," Richardson said. "Maybe feeling more comfortable when you get back here. If you're more comfortable off the ice you're just gonna be more comfortable on the ice."