John Tonelli knows his time in Chicago is finished, no matter how many weeks he has left. But the Blackhawks winger scoffs at the suggestion that his National Hockey League career has come to an end as well.
”I can still play,” said Tonelli, who turns 35 on March 23. ”Given the opportunity, I can help a team. But you also know where I`m going to be next season.”
Or, more accurately, where he won`t be. Tonelli was alluding to the fact that Hawks coach/General Manager Mike Keenan appears to have no plans to renew the one-year termination contract Tonelli signed before this season.
In fact, with the acquisition Friday of left wing Tony Horacek from Philadelphia, Tonelli doesn`t even appear to be in the Hawks` immediate plans. He`ll meet with Keenan soon to determine where he goes from here.
The irony of the situation is that one reason Keenan gave for signing the free agent last summer was to rely on his postseason experience. Tonelli played for four Stanley Cup champions in the early 1980s with the New York Islanders.
”I`m not going to show any negativity, but it`s been difficult for me,” Tonelli said. ”My job, though, is to stay positive.”
Job crunch: When Stu Grimson is available to play again Feb. 20 in a game against New Jersey, Keenan will face another roster decision. Grimson, Horacek and Mike Peluso give him one too many physical pounders on the wing. Can he find a way to use all three often enough to keep everyone happy?
Like clockwork: In his 233 games as a Hawk, Jeremy Roenick has scored 116 goals. That`s an average of one every two games.
Roenick reached the 40-goal mark for the second straight season Saturday night in a 3-1 victory over St. Louis. Former Hawk Denis Savard didn`t have consecutive 40-goal seasons until his sixth, seventh and eighth seasons. With eight more goals, Roenick will surpass Savard`s best of 47 goals in 1985-86.
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Easing up: The Hawks were given Sunday off after returning to Chicago from a 16-day trip in which they were 4-3. Keenan scheduled an optional workout Monday before the full team returns to the ice Tuesday.