The period between the Hawks' last playoff game in 2008-09 and the first regular season game in 2009-10 keeps getting worse. Now Adam Burish is out six months with knee surgery tentatively scheduled for Friday. And Dustin Byfuglien has a groin injury that'll keep him out a few days, as well. Dave Bolland is finally practicing with the team again after a long battle with back problems and Kris Versteeg might be back with the team by Wednesday after dealing with an upper body injury. Burish will be missed off the ice even more than he will be missed on it. He's been a great teammate and a positive voice in the lockerroom. The Hawks need more players like that.
Len Ziehm: September 2009 Archives
The Blackhawks didn't waste any time scheduling a Heritage Night for Jeremy Roenick. It'll be on Nov. 15 before the Hawks face Roenick's last team, the San Jose Sharks. Roenick, who restired during the offseason after a brilliant 20-season career, never lost his affection for the Hawks, who drafted him as an 18-year old. He was one of the Hawks' most popular players, and the trade of him to Phoenix wasn't received well by the fans. Last season the Hawks held Heritage Nights for Tony Amonte, Glenn Hall, Steve Larmer, Bob Probert and the MPG line of Pit Martin Jim Pappin and Dennis Hull. All were long-since retired. Roenick could well be the most popular Heritage Night honoree yet.
Dave Bolland got a nice, new well-deserved contract in the off-season but isn't on the ice at training camp and won't be, the club says, for three-four days. He didn't play, as scheduled, in the Blackhawks' Shootout at Cog Hill on Labor Day, either, but was there to watch the golf event. At that time I was told he didn't play golf as a precaution to keep him healthy for training camp. An outside-the-organization source told me the injury was to his shoulder, but the Hawks said ``lower body'' when training camp opened. Now they say it's ``lower back.'' Who knows what it is, but the Hawks need this guy. Bolland's health status could become a sensitive issue as the season closes in.
Training camp doesn't start until 10 a.m. on Sept. 13, but the Blackhawks will be busy around town before that. They'll be out in force at U.S. Cellular Field on Friday (Sept. 4) for Blackhawks' night at a White Sox game. Then on Labor Day they'll be the featured attraction Cog Hill in Lemont on the first day of BMW Championship Week. In fact, the Hawks figure to be the ONLY attraction that day at Chicago's premier golf event. All the players in the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup playoffs will be playing at the Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston on Labor Day and won't arrive at Cog Hill until Tuesday at the earliest. So, if you want to see the Hawks and golf you can watch some of their alumni, a few current players and a few media types compete in a nine-hole shootout over the newly-renovated Dubsdread course.
About the blogger
Len Ziehm just completed his 40th year as a member of the Sun-Times sports department. He has been the beat writer for the Chicago Blackhawks since the 2001-02 season and he covered the minor league Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League as part of his writing duties before that, starting with the Wolves' creation in time for the 1994-95 season.
In addition to covering hockey Ziehm has been the Sun-Times golf writer for the past 39 years, during which he covered 25 U.S. Opens, 15 Masters and 17 PGA Championships.
Prior to assuming Blackhawks' duties he was the beat writer for Northwestern sports for 11 years, which encompassed the Wildcats' run to the 1995 Rose Bowl, and beat man on soccer from 1984 through 2008. He was selected into the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame in 2004.
