Neil Wilkinson just got a promotion. Since Steve Smith and Bryan Marchment were considered bigger and flashier hitters on defense ahead of him, Wilkinson was allowed some slack. Not anymore.
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“Wilkinson has to step up to the plate now,” coach Darryl Sutter said Tuesday after Marchment was dealt to Hartford. “He has been telling us all along he can do it.”
Remember when Mike Keenan used to say the same about Marchment?
Hands off: Don’t touch that panic button. Bob Pulford said there’s no more need to worry about the Hawks being too old. “We are making strides in getting younger as a team, and we don’t have to push the panic button anymore,” he said. “We’re not that bad now.”
Not available: Hartford GM Paul Holmgren said Pulford tried to get defenseman Adam Burt out of him ahead of Eric Weinrich, but he refused to part with Burt, whose forte is toughness. Weinrich may be a better choice, anyway, because he is a power-play threat from the blue line.
U.S. player: Patrick Poulin grew up five minutes away from The Colisee, home of the Quebec Nordiques in Quebec City. “But I didn’t want to play for them,” he said. “I wanted a U.S. city, something different.
“I remember my first game in Chicago last season with Hartford. All the fans screaming made me nervous and excited. I’m really looking forward to playing in that city. It’ll be great.”