advertisement

Chicago Blackhawks to honor Olczyk with One More Shift

The Chicago Blackhawks will honor Eddie Olczyk by giving the Chicago native One More Shift before the team hosts Minnesota on Sunday.

Olczyk, who battled Stage 3 colon cancer last season, will join the Hawks on the ice for the national anthem on a special "Hockey Fights Cancer" evening.

The Hawks drafted Olczyk with the third overall pick in the 1984 draft, and he went on to record 209 points (77G, 132A) in 322 games from 1984-87 and 1998-2000.

Olczyk finished with 342 goals over his 16-year career. His career high of 42 came in 1987-88 as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He is the 10th honoree of the One More Shift program since it began in the 2016-17 season.

Injury update:

Marcus Kruger, who is on injured reserve with a leg injury, practiced Thursday and said he should be ready to go when the Hawks host the Kings on Friday at the United Center.

Defenseman Brandon Davidson remains day to day with a leg injury, and the Hawks might buy themselves some time by placing him on IR when they activate Kruger.

Slap shots:

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane did not record a shot on goal during the Blackhawks 1-0 victory over St. Louis on Wednesday at the United Center. It was just the sixth time in their careers that this happened. The Hawks are 2-4-0 in those contests, with their other victory coming against Detroit on April 11, 2009. … John Hayden has 6 hits in his last two games after registering just 10 in his first 10 contests.

He said it:

"We've been watching a lot of video. Maybe the guys said, 'We don't want to watch as much video tomorrow.' "

- Brent Seabrook on how the Hawks snapped an eight-game skid with a 1-0 victory over St. Louis

Scouting report: Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings

COURTESY OF THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKSEddie Olczyk in action as a Blackhawks, undated.

Scouting report

Blackhawks vs. Los Angeles Kings, 7:30 p.m. Friday at United Center

TV: NBCSCH • Radio: WGN 720-AM

The skinny: The Kings are 3-4-0 since a 2-7-1 start but have lost three in a row, all at home, coming into this game. … L.A. has only three players with double-digit points, with Ilya Kovalchuk (5G, 9A) leading the way. The 35-year-old Kovalchuk signed a three-year, $18.75 million deal after spending the last five seasons playing in Russia. … Goalie Jonathan Quick has missed the last eight games with a knee injury and will not travel with the team. Jack Campbell (5-7-0, .923, 2.33 GAA) has been in net seven of the past eight contests. … The Blackhawks have scored just 12 goals in the last eight games, 9 of them coming at even strength.

Next: Minnesota Wild at United Center, 5 p.m. Sunday

- John Dietz

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.