Hawks on Colliton: Smart, forthcoming
In just two days, new coach has given Hawks a lot to like
Now this was good to see: a Blackhawks player using his size and strength to plant himself in front of the net in the offensive zone, ready to stir up a little chaos.
It was merely a team practice at MB Ice Arena, but 6-2, 202-pound Brandon Saad was turning up the physicality, as former Hawks coach Joel Quenneville had often wished he would. Only Saad was now doing it on Jeremy Colliton’s watch, a day after the revered Quenneville was fired and replaced by a 33-year-old virtual unknown.
Colliton will make his debut on the Hawks bench Thursday night against the Hurricanes at the United Center, a dream opportunity for a man who didn’t land his first coaching job until 2014 — in Sweden — and joined the Hawks organization only a year and a half ago, when he signed on to coach the AHL Rockford IceHogs.
Oh, and Saad? Well, he took a puck to the face for his trouble. Unwittingly, though, his mug happened to redirect the puck (not to be callous, but wasn’t that the whole point?) past goalie Cam Ward. Without having seen the puck cross the goal line, Saad was doubled over on his skates and headed to the locker room. A visit to the dentist beckoned.
“He was going to the net, which is good, caught a puck in the face, puck went in the net, so that’s a positive,” Colliton said afterward, revealing a deadpan sense of humor that won’t hurt his cause as he attempts to win over players — and a dubious Hawks fan base.
We’re all just beginning to get to know Colliton, a Western Canadian who was unable to stick in the NHL with the Islanders and hung up the skates in Sweden due to post-concussion symptoms. Weeks and months will pass and stories with more detail and depth will be written, but Colliton seems to be making positive first impressions on those around him. Here’s some of what’s being said.
Communication is key
Before he left the ice Wednesday toward the end of practice, Colliton made sure to “bump into” Jonathan Toews. That’s what Colliton calls the one-on-one meetings he’s attempting to have with players as often as he can squeeze them in until everyone has been met — and heard — and together the Hawks can move on to the nitty-gritty of the regular season that awaits them.
For about five minutes, captain and coach stood next to the Hawks logo at center ice and talked. When they