Patrick Kane joins teammates at Blackhawks training camp
As a handful of cameramen waited for Blackhawks assistant Kevin Dineen to meet the media Monday, the league's MVP suddenly appeared in the United Center basement.
Not wanting to miss a Patrick Kane sighting, the cameras swung into action and followed Kane as he gave Troy Murray a hug and walked past about a half-dozen reporters.
"Perfect timing to come in," said a smiling Kane, who then disappeared into the Hawks' locker room.
Kane, as well as defensemen Michal Kempny and Ville Pokka, are back at Hawks camp after participating in the World Cup of Hockey. Pokka practiced Monday, and Kane and Kempny are expected to practice Tuesday.
Kane, who is scheduled to speak with the media Tuesday, will not play in Wednesday's preseason opener against Pittsburgh at the United Center. Kempny will also sit.
Pokka, however, probably will play against the Penguins. The 22-year-old Finn had a solid season in Rockford and gained more confidence by playing in the World Cup.
"Young kid like that getting the chance to represent his country on the international stage is a great honor and a pick-me-up heading into training camp," Dineen said.
The coaching staff is still deciding who else will take the ice Wednesday, but one player fans may get their first look at is Alexandre Fortin, the 19-year-old Quebec native who signed a three-year, entry-level deal Sunday.
"I'm really excited about him and I think he's been one of the better players at camp," Dineen said. "Very consistent. He's a guy that stands out."
Dineen said there's a "decent chance" Fortin will play against Pittsburgh.
Keith sitting for now:
Kevin Dineen said he doesn't foresee Duncan Keith (knee) playing in any of the first four preseason games. After that, Dineen said, it will be up to Keith, Joel Quenneville, Stan Bowman and the medical staff to determine if the defenseman should suit up for the fifth and/or sixth preseason games ahead of the Oct. 12 season opener.
Other arrivals:
The veteran presence at camp will grow Friday when the Hawks expect to get Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin, Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marcus Kruger back from the World Cup.
Monday's scrimmage:
The Hawks have held scrimmages on the first four days of camp, but they'll return to regular practices in coming days.
"We'll get a little bit more into the way the Blackhawks play and get a little bit away from the auditioning for spots and into our style of play," Kevin Dineen said.
There were 7 goals scored Monday as Spencer Abbott, Kyle Baun, Brian Campbell (penalty shot) and Ryan Hartman scored for Team White, and Andrew Desjardins, Richard Panik and Brandon Mashinter scored for Team Red.
Trimming the roster:
The Hawks released forwards Radovan Bondra, John Dahlstrom, Nathan Noel and Roy Radke from training camp and returned them to their junior teams. They also released forwards Tyler Barnes, Bryn Chyzyk, Jeremy Langlois, Trevor Mingoia, Evan Mosey, defensemen Jonathan Carlsson, Nick Mattson and goaltender Eric Levine from their tryout agreements. The active roster now has 28 forwards, 16 defensemen and five goaltenders.
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