In the third period of Wednesday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks, Willie Mitchell came out of the penalty box at just the wrong time for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Jonathan Toews was on the receiving end of a brutal Mitchell hit near center ice that ended the Blackhawk captain's night early.
Canucks fans will bemoan the fact that the ensuing skirmish stopped play while the team was on a two-on-none fast break. Kris Versteeg was sent to the penalty box for roughing while avenging Toews' demise.
"It was a clean hit," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said after the game. "He didn't see (Mitchell) coming."
Vancouver ended up coming back to win 3-2. Toews, meanwhile, will be evaluated today.
Hey! It was a clean hit, Toews did not have his head up! How about trading Huet to Edmonton for Khabibulin? If they keep Huet, they Hawks will not get to the playoffs.
clean hit great game!!
Clean hit but a little high and cheap. Hawks need Eager back to defend this kind of play. Huet didn't even play last night. Goaltending is a problem this year though.
Ouch and you think football players have it tough!
Good to see Versteeg stick up for his linemate, he seems like an easy guy to root for. I agree the Hawks will have some trouble down the road with Huet in net and they'll probably have to do some shopping near the deadline, but obvious cap restrictions apply. Arguably a fumble on Khabibulin, his GAA dropped from 3.35 to 2.33 in three seasons in Chicago. Huet is a bit of a baffling case, his career numbers are above average and it's strange to see such a turnaround. Going to be an exciting year for you guys either way, hopefully Toews isn't banged up too bad and Hossa comes back in mid-season form. Take care,
Cory
therangerrover (dot) blogspot (dot) com
LOVE YOU TOEWS!!! GET BETTER!
"Clean hit but a little high and cheap. " HA!!!!
Which is it? Clean or cheap. Chicago fans didn't have any problems with this kind of play from the Blackhawks when they steam-rolled a bunch of teams in the playoffs. Jonathan will be fine and play even better. Welcome to the NHL; he's not the first, and won't be the last.
Finally, the Blackhawks are always a threat. Go Hockey GO!!!
Paul