Welcome to the February edition of Blackhawks Bytes, a series featuring quotes and comments from players, coaches, management, journalists and fans alike concerning everything Chicago Blackhawks. The purpose of this ongoing column is to capture a slice of the existing outlook, attitudes and culture surrounding the team. Please join me as we have some fun with the everyday, albeit fascinating aspect of human nature; the power of words.
The 2024 NHL All-Star Weekend has come and gone, which always receives mixed reviews in the hockey world. The good news is Blackhawks’ young star Connor Bedard was there after all. He participated as a guest passer in the one-timer shooting competition on Friday, despite recovering from a broken jaw. While we wait for the Blackhawks’ game-action to pick up again this coming Wednesday (Feb. 9), let’s get caught up on some of the more memorable quips and quotes from the past month.
Coaches Tocchet & Richardson Exchange Mutual Respect
Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchet and Blackhawks’ head coach Luke Richardson both enjoyed long and lucrative careers as players, Tocchet as a forward and Richardson as a defenseman. They crossed paths as teammates with the Philadelphia Flyers from 2000-2002, and now find themselves matched up as competing coaches in the NHL. The Canucks and the Blackhawks met on Jan. 22, which eventually resulted in a 2-0 loss for Chicago.
In pre-game interviews, both Tocchet and Richardson expressed their appreciation for each other’s coaching styles. Said Richardson on Tocchet,
He’s coaching just the way he played. The [Canucks] play a ferocious, offensive, forechecking, attack game. … He’s such a great motivator and he’s always excited — he’s got a lot of energy when he comes to the rink. That festers right into the team, and they look like they’ve been transformed.
Tocchet has only been with the Canucks a little over a year, but in that time he has them turned around. They’re currently tied in the standings for first place in the league, along with the Boston Bruins (both have 71 points).
The current Canucks’ bench boss is in his eighth season as a head coach, so it makes sense that he would enjoy some form of success. But that didn’t stop him from giving a glowing report of his counterpart who’s only in his second season as a head coach. Said Tocchet,
I’m a big fan of Luke Richardson and his work. [The Hawks have] dealt with a million injuries. I don’t even know half the guys in the lineup sometimes because they’re coming up from the minors. But the one common denominator is they work hard. They play a lot of 2-1 hockey games.
That pretty much sums up what Richardson has done for far in his Blackhawks’ coaching tenure. He taken a ragtag squad with not a lot of talent, yet somehow put the pieces together to still ice a relatively competitive team.
It’s not easy to get the most out of what others would call cast-off veterans, nor to develop a plethora of young, inexperienced players. But Richardson has done an admirable job so far. Time will tell if the Blackhawks continue on an upward trajectory, and whether Richardson will be the right man for the job once they’re closer to contention. But all signs point in his favor right now.
Crevier Manages “Ups & Downs” of 1st NHL Season
What’s it like to be a bubble player on a rebuilding team? Well, Louis Crevier can tell you all about it. The 6-foot-8 defenseman made his NHL debut on Dec. 3 against the Minnesota Wild, and he’s suited up for 14 more games since then. But there’s also been a lot of back & forth in that time. He was called up in the wake of the Blackhawks re-assigning Wyatt Kaiser and Isaak Phillips to the Rockford IceHogs, but then also sat as the seventh defenseman a handful of times.
When the Blackhawks claimed Jacob Megna off waivers from the Seattle Kraken on Jan. 3, that was pretty much the writing on the wall for Crevier. He was sent back to Rockford on Jan. 9. But an injury to Nikita Zaitsev gave Crevier another shot; he played on Jan. 22 and Jan. 24 before once again being sent to the IceHogs to get in some playing time over the break.
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For his most recent call-up, Crevier only had 15 minutes to prepare for his flight to join the Blackhawks. It can be quite the roller coaster ride to have that much upheaval in one’s life, but this is all part of the process for most young players trying to make it in the NHL. Crevier is handling it quite well, contributing 13 hits, 32 blocked shots, four takeaways and three assists while averaging just over 16 minutes of ice time in his first 15 games. Perhaps the most important part is his positive attitude.
Going up and down, I can’t complain. That means I’m doing good things if I’m called up. It’s part of hockey, right?
It’s a privilege to have that insecurity.
That’s the right attitude indeed! It’s unclear whether Crevier will return to the big club after the break, or whether defenseman Connor Murphy (lower body) will be healthy enough to return instead. But I’m confident this isn’t the last we’ve seen of Crevier this season.
Dickinson’s Direction
Forward Jason Dickinson is at a completely different stage in his NHL career than Crevier. He’s only six years older (28), but he’s in his ninth season in the NHL. Dickinson is now considered the wily veteran. He recently signed a two-year extension with the Blackhawks, and they’ll most certainly benefit from his solid two-way play as the team rebuilds. But that’s only part of why the team extended him.
Dickinson is expected to be a leader and mentor to the younger players, showing them the ropes and what it’s like to be a professional in the NHL. His gets straight to the point with the below observation on the current state of the Blackhawks.
We’re missing guys that can score goals. There’s no shying away from it. The guys we’ve got playing right now in the top-six role maybe aren’t top-six guys, and maybe aren’t going to produce for us the way a top-six player would.
(from ‘How bottom-heavy Blackhawks are coping with dearth of goals, wins’, The AthleticCHI – 1/28/24)
That might sound harsh, but it’s just the honest truth. Dickinson doesn’t mean this to be a jerk, he’s simply calling it like it is, stating the facts. That type of leadership is going to help these players that are so down about all the losing. I love the metaphor Dickinson uses next.
There’s pride in doing what you do well. If you do what you do well, you can’t be mad. You can’t ask a fish to walk; it can’t do it. But it can swim really well. So when you ask it to do what it does well and it does it, you’re going to be pretty happy with what you get. It’s not always going to be pretty, and it’s not always going to be the result we want. But if we do what we do well, we can be proud of the product and not happy with the result.
Ah, if only we all could be this philosophical. But you can’t deny Dickinson makes a valid point. Imparting that outlook to the others is a good thing, and helps the team keep a positive outlook. It’s not so pretty right now, but take pride in what you’re doing well.
Just think how good these guys are going to be at what they do well once the natural goal-scorers come back (join the team)?!
How Richardson Rolls
Anyone who reads my content on a regular basis knows I’m a huge fan of Coach Richardson. Like Tocchet indicated from the first section, we know the Blackhawks’ bench boss demands a strong work ethic from his players, and they respond to him. But he also seems like a legitimately nice guy. In interviews he’s thoughtful in his responses and respectful to the media. He happens to be pretty funny too. Earlier this month, the Chicago Tribune’s Phillip Thompson asked Richardson how he was dealing with all the injuries to the team. Here was his response.
Had to post this:
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) January 7, 2024
Luke Richardson’s response to how he has dealt with the Blackhawks’ rash of injuries: “Exercise and wine.” pic.twitter.com/qXbpoYKMlQ
Obviously that got a big laugh from the room. But the joke didn’t stop there. Fast forward three weeks, and Thompson made the mistake of asking Richardson what he plans to do during the All-Star break.
Made the mistake of asking Luke Richardson what he plans to do during the All-Star break:
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) January 27, 2024
“Exercise and wine. I’m not kidding, I’m going to Napa Valley.” pic.twitter.com/a52PSDABiV
Well there you have it! I love how he responds even before the end of the question. Who’s making the T-shirts?! “Exercise & Wine, Coach Richardson Style”, with a big “Blackhawks” across the back. But seriously folks, it’s hard not to like Richardson as a person and for what he’s brought so far as a coach. Throw a little humor in there and you can’t go wrong.
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That’s all for today’s Bytes! The Blackhawks suit up again on Feb. 7 when they host the Minnesota Wild at the United Center. This is the first of a February homestand where the team will host nine of ten games in Chicago. Hopefully this, and some well-rested players, can result in more success and more wins for the Blackhawks.