Blackhawks General Manager Bob Pulford said he hears that National Hockey League owners are leaning toward approving the entrance of two new teams, Miami and Anaheim, into the league next season. That should be the decision that comes out of Tuesday’s NHL meeting in New York.
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Pulford thinks it would be better if Miami and Anaheim waited to start play in 1994-95, after developing front-office staffs and cohesive plans. He holds that opinion, in part, because the NHL also faces a difficult decision concerning this June’s entry draft if Miami and Anaheim are involved.
“I would favor giving the top pick to either Miami or Anaheim,” Pulford said, a decision that would require a coin toss or lottery if the NHL decides not to award the No. 1 spot to the worst team in the league this year, which is going to be Ottawa. The Senators are in their first season.
Division realigment is likely to take a lot of discussion and probably won’t be decided Tuesday. However, some observers expect Winnipeg to be shifted into the Norris Division with teams from its time zone and out of the Smythe, while Tampa and Miami move into the Patrick Division.
Dream come true: When former Soviet citizen Ben Fischer was reunited at O’Hare Airport in late December with his daughter, Olga, ending a 51-year separation, the Ukrainian said one of his wishes was to take her to a Hawks game at the Stadium.
The Hawks helped make that wish a reality, as Ben and Olga attended Sunday night’s game against Winnipeg. They couldn’t see former countryman Igor Kravchuk play since he’s hurt, but the Jets have four players from the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Coming back: Defenseman Steve Smith said he expects to return to action Thursday night when the Hawks play host to Edmonton, his old team. He suffered a muscle strain in his lower back Dec. 27 against Detroit and has missed the last four games.
The Hawks called up Karl Dykhuis from the minors Sunday and used him to help the power play in a 4-1 victory over Winnpeg. But, defensemen Dykhuis and Adam Bennett were sent to Indianapolis after the game to play Tuesday and Wednesday in Salt Lake City. The Hawks will decide after that whether to bring back one of them.