Rookie goaltender Jimmy Waite joined the Blackhawks for the first time this year when he was recalled from the minors Sunday before the game with Vancouver.
Waite was needed as a backup to Jacques Cloutier with Alain Chevrier bothered by a bruised knee, the result of a Mario Lemieux shot that glanced off Chevrier in the first period of Saturday`s 6-4 victory by Chicago.
Waite was 0-7-1 last season with the Hawks before breaking his collarbone when hit by a shot in a December game and sitting out the rest of the way.
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This season in Indianapolis, Waite has a record of 12-5-1 with a 2.11 goals-against average in the International League. For as long as he`s up with the Hawks, Waite will have number 60 on his back.
– Defenseman Dave Manson sat out his second straight game Sunday, nursing a charley horse. Forward Mike Hudson also missed his second game in a row after he had dressed for every game since Oct. 19 before Saturday.
– The sixth straight sellout for a Hawks game Sunday night marked the first time the club had this many consecutive sellouts since they sold out six games in a row in February, 1988.
– New York Islanders goalie Mark Fitzpatrick began his shutout binge in Chicago Nov. 30, blanking the Hawks 2-0. Since then, he has shut out Buffalo and the New York Rangers, who skated to a 0-0 tie with the Isles Saturday.
The Hawks haven`t been in a 0-0 finish since the 1979-80 season, when they did it twice with Tony Esposito in net. The opposing teams were Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
– Vancouver hasn`t been playing well, but the Canucks don`t often beat themselves by penalties. They were the National Hockey League`s second least penalized club entering Sunday`s game, averaging just 16.2 minutes a game.
– Looking ahead: the Hawks will have quite a challenge Wednesday when they play in Montreal. They haven`t won a game in that city since 1982-83 when Esposito eked out an 8-7 decision.