Coach Mike Keenan, that old softie, decided not to have two practices after all Thursday, as he originally scheduled after the 7-5 loss to New Jersey Wednesday night. New forward Greg Gilbert was most grateful for his change of heart.
Gilbert, not used to Keenan`s taxing skating drills, became ill at the end of a hard-driving morning practice. Much of the session was simply hard skating.
Gilbert, acquired Tuesday from the Islanders for a fifth-round 1989 draft pick, smiled sheepishly about learning the hard way how Keenan has toughened the team.
”It`s different than New York,” he said. ”We didn`t work for such a sustained period. I`ll get used to it.
”I`ll play better than I did Wednesday night in my first game here. I`m a pretty good defensive player. I can provide more offense than I showed recently in New York. This team looks like it can go a ways, and I`m looking forward to helping them.”
– Denis Savard (ankle injury) wasn`t at Thursday`s practice. Keenan said: ”He`s off right now. He`s in a rehabilitation situation. It`s not a frustrating situation for the coaching staff or the team, because we know he`s not playing.”
– The Hawks have changed their mind on goalie Jimmy Waite`s immediate future. Keenan had been saying Waite would soon be headed for junior hockey now that his broken collarbone is almost healed. But Thursday Keenan said:
”We`re going to keep Jimmy off the ice for a month and let him heal. He won`t be going back to juniors. He can`t take shots yet, and there`s no sense of him playing.”
– With six games left at home and six on the road, the Hawks can`t consider any of them easy, Keenan said. The lineup includes some formidable competition: Calgary, Boston, Pittsburgh, Detroit and Philadelphia. ”At this point, there are no easy games, regardless of who we are playing,” said Keenan. ”Teams start to gear up when they see the light at the end of the tunnel. We`ve been trying to win easy, and you can`t do that in this league.” – Wingers Steve Thomas (shoulder) and Mike Eagles (broken hand) practiced with the Hawks Thursday, though they probably won`t be able to play until April. Eagles practiced with a cast on his left hand.