The Blackhawks were looking ahead to Tuesday night’s game in Dallas by recalling big winger Tony Horacek from the minors.
Horacek didn’t play Sunday night against the Winnipeg Jets at the Stadium because he had just played three games in three nights with the Indianapolis Ice in the International League.
But the Hawks are planning ahead to an anticipated rematch with the Stars after Dallas played an extremely physical game in beating the Hawks 5-2 Friday night in Chicago.
At 6 feet 4 inches, 215 pounds, Horacek is expected to help the Hawks regroup for the Stars after their most recent meeting produced 186 penalty minutes. Horacek actually just returned to action for Indy after having back disk surgery last September. In four games, he had one goal and four penalty minutes.
Watch your step: The Stars and Hawks will be careful not to let their aggressions get out of hand Tuesday. Senior Vice President Brian Burke, the NHL’s disciplinarian, watched the Hawks-Jets Sunday and is headed to Dallas for another look at the Hawks in that game.
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Nothing personal: Burke was involved in the All-Star selection process, consulting with six senior general managers about which players to add to the team after fans chose the starters. Burke noted that Ed Belfour, surprised he wasn’t added to the West Conference, was a victim of the strongest goaltending he can remember in the NHL since the league only had six teams.
“The goaltending is the best it’s been since the first big expansion,” Burke said.
Not a marked man: Burke also reacted strongly to intimations in the Chicago media that Chris Chelios is a marked man, suspended once this season for four games and under consideration for another suspension after a smash to the face of Detroit’s Sergei Fedorov.
“I’ve seen the comments that Chelios is a marked man and it’s absurd,” Burke said. “He happens to be a friend and player I admire very much. He’s skilled and tough, but has a propensity to snap once in a while.”