Center Adam Creighton ”probably won`t play” Thursday night against Quebec at the Stadium, Blackhawks coach Mike Keenan said Tuesday. But he expects defenseman Chris Chelios to return to the lineup after missing one game because of a laceration near his temple from a skate cut Saturday in Boston.
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Chelios practiced Tuesday, as usual, while Creighton skated with his sprained right hand in a fiberglass cast and didn`t participate in shooting drills.
”With Chelios it`s a matter of how much it heals by Thursday,” Keenan said. ”We`re looking at maybe Sunday (against Detroit) for Creighton to play.”
Creighton injured the hand in a fight Sunday at Hartford. He explained that the pain is on the meaty outer portion of the hand, below the little finger.
”I had the same thing for most of the second half last season, but not as bad,” he said. ”I`ll take the cast off at the end of this week and see how it feels.”
Huffing and puffing: First, Keenan had the Hawks ride stationary bikes before Tuesday`s practice for 20-25 minutes. Then he drilled them for about an hour on the ice, ending with a hard skate up and down to sharpen fitness levels.
And that wasn`t all. The players wound up in the weight room to finish a full day of exercise.
Not yet: Keenan intends to start Ed Belfour in goal Thursday against Quebec at the Stadium, which will be Belfour`s 18th straight start. Backup Greg Millen should receive his first start of the season late this month, Keenan indicated.
”We play a lot of games then in a short time,” he said of a 12-day stretch from Sunday to Feb. 28 where the Hawks play seven games, two against Norris Division rival St. Louis.
Elvis lives: Wayne ”Elvis” Presley played his best game this season, Keenan felt, Saturday in Boston. ”If he works like that-the same way he did in the playoffs last year-he`ll have no problem playing on a consistent basis,” he said. ”But why it takes some people 50 games to find it, I don`t know.”