This Team is Fun Again!

This Team is Fun Again!

All right, boys. This Blackhawks team might only have one point in three games, but they are already more fun to watch than they have been in years. They are scrappy, fast, and have been in every game this year. When they learn how to close out some of these close games, they will turn the corner. Chicago kicked off their centennial season in style. A night packed with nostalgia, history, and a reminder of what this franchise means to the city and fans. From the red carpet arrivals to Pat Foley’s return behind the mic and a sea of alumni joining in as the 100-year banner rose to the rafters, it was one to remember. And while the celebration belonged to the past, the future was on full display, too. The game itself had all the energy you’d expect from a soldout crowd on a milestone night. At times, it was a gong show filled with back and forth action, big moments, and an electric hum that never really faded. Sammy Renzel scored his first career NHL goal. Everybody liked that. And Connor Bard found the back of the net. But in the end, Montreal silenced the United center with a dagger in the final seconds to take it 3-2. Discipline was the story. Chicago marched to the box 14 times for a total of 39 penalty minutes, handing the Canadians 10 power play chances. You don’t need a stat sheet to know that’s too much. Honestly, it’s a small miracle the damage was limited to just three goals on 28 shots. Jeff Blash was visibly pissed at times. And who can blame him? While a few calls were questionable, his message after the game was clear. Control what you can control. We’ve got to make sure we can manage what we can. Stick positioning, body positioning, those type of things, Blashill said. But we’ll never be a team that goes down light. I thought it was a night where it paid to be a little bit light. Maybe if we went down easier, we’d get a few more calls, but that’s not who we are. Shots fired at the Montreal Canadians right there. It was subtle, but you could feel the edge and a firm statement about culture. Blahill’s big on winning habits, and one of those is playing the game the right way. Still, if this group wants to start closing games, tightening up that discipline wouldn’t hurt because that’s a winning habit, too. All that penalty killing time completely threw off the flow of the game. Unless your name was Spencer Knight. He was locked in from start to finish, standing tall like he had something to prove. Or maybe it was just the sight of Crow watching on, probably feeling like a proud dad in the stands. At five on five, things were all over the place. Connor Bernard barely cracked 10 minutes of ice time heading into the third, and Elia McKayv, who was a force on the penalty kill, saw less than 6 minutes at even strength. Artum Levinov was on the ice for the morning skate, taking his usual reps with Wyatt Kaiser and running the second power play. Well, when he stayed out late after practice, that was the giveaway. Sure enough, he sat this one out. Blash made it clear after four penalties in two games, it was all about accountability. A tough message for a young defenseman, but a necessary one if this team’s going to build the right habits early. It’s the right call this early in the season. You want to set the standard before bad habits start to form. Levino’s got all the tools, but moments like this are where you shape a pro. I don’t think Art’s going to be sitting for long. My guess is that he’s back in the lineup Monday against the Mammoth. [Music] I’ve seen enough. Welcome back, Andrew Shaw. Connor Bedard channeled a little number 65 on the power play, parking himself in front and taking the punishment to make plays happen. More importantly, though, we’re seeing a different version of Baddard. Well, I don’t even want to say that. I think this is just who he is now. someone who plays with confidence, stands his ground, and is not waiting for anyone else to step in for him. He only finished with four shot attempts, a number that says more about the penalty chaos than his performance. Even with limited five on five time, you can feel it, though. Frank Nazar added two more assists, bringing him to five points on seven of Chicago’s goals this season. You can see it happening in real time. He’s not just adjusting to the NHL, he’s becoming a star. Now, this is a big if. But if Nazar keeps going at this rate, it’s hard not to picture him wearing red, white, and blue in February. You’ve also just got to love the push back this team’s shown early on. After that rough first period in Florida, they bounced right back. In the last two games, they answered goals against with responses of their own. Something we didn’t always see from past Hawks teams. Well, that’s actually putting it lightly. This team hasn’t consistently handled momentum swings, whether it’s scoring first or giving one up, since about 2020. There’s no quit, no hanging heads. You can tell they’re buying into Blill’s message. Be hard to play against. Build good habits and let the results follow. Now, the next step is obvious. Learning how to turn these close losses into wins. And speaking of earning your spot, Louis Creier isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. After finding the back of the net in Boston, he stole the spotlight again today by standing up for Nazar. Now that’s how you make a statement and how you stay in the lineup. On the other side of the ice, Lucas Reichel had a quiet night in his season debut. No shot attempts and a couple giveaways. To be fair though, he only had 6 minutes and 41 seconds of ice time and no role in the special teams. It’s kind of hard to read too much into this. I mentioned this in my last video that I really don’t know what Sam Lafery’s rule is and he even saw less ice time and yet still managed to pick up two penalties in under five minutes. I think once Slagert and Dickinson are back, cracking the lineup is going to be a real challenge for him. Overall, yeah, the losses sting. And sure, I might sound like a broken record at this point, but through three games, you can see the growth. The 2026 Hawks look like a team that’s going to be fun to watch this year. Win or lose. As always, let me know what you guys think. Drop your thoughts below, and don’t forget to like, comment, share, and subscribe for Blackhawks content all year long. [Music]

This Blackhawks team might only have one point in three games, but they are already more fun to watch than they have been in years. They are scrappy, fast, and have been in every game. They will learn how to close out some of these games and then turn the corner. #hockey #chicagoblackhawks #nhl #icehockey #chicago #blackhawks
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