Blackhawks coach Darryl Sutter has sworn that he won’t fall into the same goalie trap as last season, when he played Ed Belfour so much that he was afraid to use backup Jimmy Waite in key situations as time went on.
The numbers thus far indicate that Jeff Hackett hasn’t even started as much as Waite did through the first 15 games last season. Waite was sent out for four starts by this time last year, compared with Hackett starting only two of the Hawks’ first 15 games this season.
Although two of Waite’s four starts were at the Stadium, Hackett has yet to start on home ice. He has relieved Belfour three times at the Stadium. Sutter started Hackett only in a 3-3 tie at Dallas and a 4-3 loss at Pittsburgh.
– A weary Bob Pulford needed some rest and relaxation after finally pulling off the Steve Larmer trade last week. So the Hawks general manager was more than ready to head off for Palm Springs, Calif., where National Hockey League general managers begin their annual meeting Monday.
– Adam Bennett said he never realized how much tension the Hawks built up in him until he was traded Oct. 7 to Edmonton for center Kevin Todd. Bennett, a former first-round pick of the Hawks, thinks Chicago erred by trying to force him to be a physical defenseman.
– The Hawks’ 6-4-1 home record may mean they are en route to more home losses than they’ve had in recent seasons. The Hawks were defeated 11 times at home last season, and only nine and eight, respectively, the previous two. Without a reversal in this season’s trend, home attendance may become an issue.