Most teams express a desire to get home. But coach Darryl Sutter can’t wait to hit the road with the Blackhawks-even though the club is 0-3-1 away from the Stadium so far.
When Pittsburgh invades Chicago Thursday night, it will mark the 12th home game for the Hawks out of their 16 games overall. Enough home cooking, Sutter stressed.
“I’m getting a little stale myself,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the road very much. We need a change of scenery.”
In an attempt to shake the Hawks out of their routine, Sutter even had players change locker stalls in the Stadium.
With two more home games before the Hawks go on the road for eight straight, Sutter believes it’s important the Hawks move above .500. They are now 6-7-2.
“I’d like to make sure we’re a .500 team before we go on the road,” Sutter said. “It seems like every time we take a couple steps forward we take a step back and have to start over.”
Closing the gap: Christian Ruuttu is sneaking up on the Hawks. He has been out since the start of training camp with an ankle shattered in a scrimmage game, but the center now hopes to be ready to return sometime next month.
What’s the point? Sutter can’t understand player-coach controversies. Just as he can’t imagine any of his players thinking they would like to coach some day.
“They are nuts if they think they want to coach,” he said. “By the time most of them are 40, they won’t have to work another day in their lives. And coaching gets you old in a hurry.
“I never understood a reason for player-coach controversies. When I played I tried to do what the coach told me and work my rear off. That’s all there is to it.”