Olczyk pays a visit to Chicago Blackhawks
John McDonough, Stan Bowman, Joel Quenneville, Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, Troy Murray and many others greeted Eddie Olczyk with hugs and handshakes Thursday morning at the United Center, all of them thrilled to see the former Blackhawks great and TV analyst in good spirits.
Olczyk is undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer.
"Eddie looked good. Great seeing him," Quenneville said. "We're thinking about him every day and wish him nothing but the best. …
"We had a good discussion right before we went on the ice. He was excited. We were talking hockey and other things, knowing the battle he's got.
"Nice to see him smiling and being in this environment."
The 51-year-old Olczyk underwent surgery to remove a tumor in early August. He does not plan to return to the broadcast booth until he completes his treatment, which could take up to five more months.
Olczyk was in good spirits Thursday, chatting with McDonough and Bowman for about 15 minutes. He also popped into the Hawks locker room after the team's morning skate.
"I think everybody - whether in the locker room or on the planet - has been affected by somebody who has that disease," said Patrick Sharp. "We can all relate in some way to what he's going through.
"And to see him show up for the first preseason game at home is going to pump some guys up. We know he's got a ton of support behind him in his battle."
Blackhawks 6, Red Wings 1:
Brandon Saad recorded a hat trick in under 42 minutes Thursday, and the host Hawks got 3 more goals from Ryan Hartman, Brent Seabrook and Alex DeBrincat to improve to 2-0 this preseason.
Corey Crawford was strong in net, allowing just 1 goal while making 30 saves in 40 minutes. Collin Delia played the third period and made 8 saves.
Richard Panik had 3 assists, while Nick Schmaltz, Patrick Sharp and D-man Jordan Oesterle added 2 each.
After going 8-for-9 in Columbus, the Hawks' penalty kill continued to impress, killing off all seven of Detroit's power plays.
Jonathan Toews was scheduled to play, but the Hawks' captain sat out with an illness.
Roster moves:
The Blackhawks assigned forwards Matthew Highmore, Matheson Iacopelli, Luke Johnson, Graham Knott and Anthony Louis, and defensemen Carl Dahlstrom and Robin Norell to the AHL's Rockford IceHogs. Darren Raddysh (D), William Pelletier (F) and Matt Tomkins (G) were released from their amateur tryouts and also report to Rockford.
Forwards Drew Miller, Tyler Sikura and John Mitchell, and defensemen Mark Stuart and Robin Press were released from their PTOs.
Henri Jokiharju (D) and Radovan Bondra (F) were reassigned to their junior teams.
The Hawks now have 22 forwards, 13 defensemen and five goaltenders in camp.