Home Opener Reaction (A Day Late)

After beating a suddenly resurgent Colorado Avalanche team 4-3 at the United Center on Saturday night,  the Chicago Blackhawks are entering a stretch where they are really going to have to make some hay. Seven of their next nine games are at home, and three of those nine games are against the same team: the Nashville Predators. These games also feature the returns of Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin Havlat to the United Center.

Nonetheless, Opening Night is all about fresh starts and the feelings that yes, this may indeed be the year for the Hawks to win it all. Therefore, it is fitting to look at the festivities before getting on to the real work that is ahead of this team.

Two players really stood out with their play in this game: Craig Anderson, and Kris Versteeg. Anderson, who has been the driving force behind the Avs’ success so far this season, and he stood on his head against the Blackhawks. He made quite a few spectacular saves, and kept the Avalanche in a game that they really had no business winning.

Granted, some timely scoring kept things interesting, but overall, I give Colorado all the credit in the world for snatching up Craig, and he will keep them at least close in the conference standings.

Kris Versteeg, the other stud of the game, was noteworthy in his passing prowess. For the previous two games, Steeger has displayed uncanny touch with his passes, hitting Patrick Sharp for a beautiful one-time re-direction on Thursday, and also finding Duncan Keith for an open-net strike on Saturday night. He looks like he’s putting the puck exactly where he wants it to go, and if he can continue to be that kind of catalyst, he may end up being a very important player in how far the team goes this season.

Tony Esposito on the jumbo-tron (photo courtesy of Pam Rodriguez)

Outside of who excelled during the game itself, there was the little matter of the Old Time players who skated out to center ice during player introductions. Denis Savard, Tony Esposito, Stan Mikita, and Bobby Hull each donned their old gear (including Tony O’s old mask, which looked as sweet as ever) and joined the current Hawks on the ice. It was a tear-jerking moment, and there were some definite chills going down spines at the UC.

Another fun element of Opening Night has been the red-carpet entrance for the players the last couple of seasons. Last year, the Preds ruined the festivities, but the Avs obliged the hosts this year and allowed the Hawks to win on home ice.

Some of the players looked more thrilled to be there than others, but the man who stood out most was Dustin Byfuglien, who came out in a red suit that nearly matched the carpet that the players were walking in on. Take a look for yourself, in a photo courtesy of friend of PIB Pam Rodriguez:

Dustin Byfuglien, looking very sharp

Up tomorrow on PIB will be a preview of what to watch for in the team’s remaining October games, but for now, here are some links to keep you busy until it gets posted tomorrow afternoon. Enjoy!

-Jay Zawaski, producer of The Danny Mac Show on 670 The Score in Chicago, has a blog on ChicagoNow.com about the Blackhawks called “Red Light District”. In this installment, he discusses his attempt to watch the home opener on DVR, only to be thwarted by the length of the game. {Red Light District]

-Jack Skille has been re-assigned to Rockford of the AHL [ESPNChicago]

-Chris Ralph and Jim Neveau both have Twitter accounts that you need to follow immediately if you have any thoughts of staying on their good sides. [jim_neveau] and [paintitblackhwk]

-Finally, if you’re as sick of the Chicago cold as I am, here is the perfect thing for you on eBay: a Blackhawks team scarf. [eBay]

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Chris Ralph, Colorado Avalanche, Craig Anderson, Duncan Keith, eBay, Jack Skille, Jay Zawaski, Jim Neveau, kris versteeg, martin havlat, Nikolai Khabibulin, Patrick Sharp