Quenneville impressed how Hawks handle break

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville likes the way his team is handling the five-day break before the start of the Stanley Cup Finals on Saturday.

The Hawks practiced Wednesday but will take Thursday off before another full-squad workout on Friday.

"The attention might be greater, but the excitement and their enthusiasm hasn't really come out as far as being out of control or not in the right place," Quenneville said. "I think the guys are handing it the right way."

The players have tried to get as much rest and relaxation as possible before the storm arrives in terms of the national media on Thursday, although their dressing room has been crawling with reporters for the last two days.

Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Brian Campbell and Adam Burish attended the Cubs-Dodgers game at Wrigley Field on Tuesday night. Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster, a Canadian from British Columbia and hockey enthusiast, chatted with them for a few minutes before taking the mound and pitching 8 shutout innings. As fan descended on them after the game was over, the Hawks players safely exited Wrigley through the Cubs dugout, where the players wished them well in their Stanley Cup pursuit.

"It's tough to have a week off in the middle of the playoffs," Patrick Sharp said.

"It's such a long week to be thinking about (Finals) every second, that's the easy thing to do," Toews said. "It's tough to take it off your mind, but maybe it's something you need to do a little bit. We're starting to slowly get back in game mode and I'm sure we'll all be ready on Saturday."

The players admitted that the requests they're getting for tickets is starting to get out of control.

"Every day you get an e-mail from a girl from back in college that you haven't talked to in four years who all of a sudden wants finals tickets," Burish said. "It's crazy."

Quenneville said the players aren't alone when it comes to getting hit up for tickets.

"I think we're all in the same boat," Quenneville said. "The enthusiasm in the city is great. The demand is definitely out there."