Pardy time: Fans have fun with Jets’ player’s helmet
For Winnipeg Jets defenseman Adam Pardy, it was bad enough to be put through the glass by a check from Blackhawks winger Brandon Bollig in the third period.
But to add insult to injury, a fan took Pardy’s helmet and wore it. Another fan poured beer into it.
The glass popped out on the hit, allowing the fan to snatch Pardy’s helmet from the defenseman’s head.
“It was tough enough to get put through the glass, but then to get a beer thrown on my head too, that was not a good thing,” Pardy said. “I definitely smelled a little booze for about six minutes.
“I don’t know what happened to my stick either. That got lost in the crowd, too. That’s adding a little insult to injury there. Was it one of the fans? I couldn’t tell. They’re into it. That’s a good thing, I guess.”
Brad Mills might be out for a substantial period of time with what is believed to be a right ankle injury.
Mills missed his third straight game on Wednesday for the Blackhawks against Winnipeg at the United Center.
“Right now, I don’t know the extent of it, but he could be out for a while,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
The news is disappointing to Quenneville because it appeared that Mills was fitting in on the fourth line and as a penalty killer to replace Michael Frolik.
“He had two solid games and had a nice presence there,” Quenneville said. “That line was responsible and gave us a presence physically and he was killing penalties and taking faceoffs, so we’re still looking for that fit there.”
Trying to replace Frolik in that penalty-killing role on the fourth line with Marcus Kruger has proved to be the biggest challenge for Quenneville over the first month of the season.
“Maybe they miss me, I don’t know, it’s hard to say,” Frolik said after Wednesday’s morning skate.
“If I was still there there’s no sure thing it would work again. Last year was special. Me and Krugs had something great going on. I think it was the communication between us. We always talked about before the game (about) what we were going to do. We were on the same page, just talking, and we kind of read each other pretty good too. We listened to the coach and made sure we did what he wanted.”
Frolik still is stunned about the off-season trade to the Jets that occurred less than a week after the Hawks won the Stanley Cup.
“I was surprised, for sure,” Frolik said. “It happened just a few days after we won so I didn’t expect it at all. But that’s hockey. It’s a business and that’s how it goes. It happened and I moved on and now I’m glad I’m here.”
The United Center still holds a special place in Frolik’s heart.
“I think I will remember this place for the rest of my life,” Frolik said.
Meeting the President:For Duncan Keith, just being around President Obama again was the most memorable part of Monday#146;s trip to the White House.#147;It#146;s one of those opportunities you don#146;t get all that often,#148; Keith said. #147;We were sitting there hanging out with his dogs and petting his dogs. It was a cool experience that you#146;ll definitely remember for the rest of your life.#147;He just seems like a laid-back guy. He seems very down to earth and easy to talk to. He makes everybody feel at ease.#148;Keith appreciated Obama singling him out and the birth of his son, Colton, during the first-round series against Minnesota.#147;That was pretty cool,#148; Keith said. #147;I#146;m sure he#146;ll appreciate that when he#146;s older. It was pretty neat. I got a lot of texts.#148;Tip-ins:Michal Handzus continues to skate on his own. He missed his sixth straight game on Wednesday ... Joel Quenneville responded with a #147;we#146;ll see#148; when asked if Nikolai Khabibulin might start one of the games this weekend. The Hawks play Khabibulin#146;s former Edmonton team on Sunday ... Jets coach Claude Noel was hoping to quiet the United Center crowd just as the Hawks did to the crowd at MTS Centre last Saturday. #147;This is a fun place to play and it starts with the anthem,#148; Noel said.