Brett Hull reacted with disdain and annoyance to a comment by a Blackhawk player in Monday`s Tribune that he had overheard Hull telling St. Louis coach Brian Sutter not to make a line change during Saturday night`s opening playoff game.
Hull explained he was shouting at teammate Paul Cavallini, not Sutter, telling Cavallini he shouldn`t have come off the ice at that particular stage in the action for a player change.
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”What a joke,” Hull said. ”It`s so untrue. They`re just trying to mess with us, that`s all they`re doing. It`s just another thing that makes me look like a bad guy. Just a bunch of pot shots.”
– SportsChannel officials say they still don`t have an official count, but they know enough to estimate that between 2,000 and 3,000 homes and food-and- drink establishments in Chicago and surrounding areas plunked down money to watch Saturday`s game on pay-per-view TV.
Based on what Minnesota did in the first round last season when the North Stars were on pay-per-view beating the Hawks, those numbers are generally good.
– When the Hawks win the first game of a series, they usually triumph in the playoffs. They are 19-8 in 27 previous series when they win the first game.
– The Hawks have made a motivational film they hope will help spur them to the Stanley Cup. At an appropriate time, the team will sit down and listen to different Hawks talk about what it would mean to them to win the championship. For example, Jeremy Roenick points out he would give up everything he has earned to this point for a chance to hoist the trophy.
– The Hawks and Blues were hoping for better ice than they had Saturday night at the Stadium. Some players complained that with the heat outside, the ice was not as good as it normally is. ”It was as bad as St. Louis` ice,” one Hawk said.