Timeline of 2020-21 season’s highs, lows
Toews’ absence, Dach’s wrist troubles, Kane’s 400th goal stood out
The Blackhawks finished their up-and-down season with a 5-4 overtime loss Monday.
The Hawks made a surprising challenge for a playoff spot, but ultimately a young team stalled out against a top-heavy Central Division that featured two of the league’s top three teams.
Along the way there were plenty of milestones, maneuvers and challenges that defined the season.
Here’s a timeline of the moments that stood out.
Dec. 23: Kirby Dach breaks his right wrist while playing for Canada at the World Junior Championship in Edmonton.
Dec. 28: Dach has surgery. Team physician Dr. Michael Terry says, “We expect Kirby to return to hockey-related activities in approximately four to five months.”
Dec. 29: Jonathan Toews reveals he has been dealing with an unspecified illness and will be out indefinitely.
“This offseason, I’ve been experiencing symptoms that have left me feeling drained and lethargic,” Toews says in a statement. “I am working with doctors so I can better understand my condition.”
Jan. 3: Dylan Strome agrees to a two-year contract extension.
Jan. 4: The Hawks announce their training camp roster, and absent are Dach (right wrist), Toews (medical issue), Alex Nylander (left knee), Carl Söderberg (immigration documents), Brent Seabrook and Evan Barratt (both unfit to participate).
Jan. 12: Coach Jeremy Colliton signs a two-year extension through 2022-23.
“With where we’re at, and certainly the direction we’re heading, Jeremy’s a big part of that and someone I’m excited to work with,” team President and general manager Stan Bowman says.
Jan. 14: Dach (wrist) and Toews (medical issue) are placed on longterm injured reserve.
Late January: Several Hawks go into COVID-19 protocol over the span of a week, including Alex DeBrincat and Adam Boqvist (Jan. 25), Lucas Wallmark (Jan. 27), Ryan Carpenter and Nicolas Beaudin (Jan. 30) go into COVID19 protocol.
Boqvist, Wallmark and Carpenter said they contracted the coronavirus and experienced the lost of taste and smell.
“It’s kind of weird. You want to see if you smell good or if your cologne is good,” Boqvist said.
Early to mid-February: The Hawks activate players off protocol, including DeBrincat and Beaudin (Feb. 2), Boqvist (Feb. 8), Wallmark (Feb. 10) and Carpenter (Feb. 13).
Feb. 17: Rookie goaltender Kevin Lankinen earns his first career shutout in a 2-0 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
“It feels awesome,” Lankinen says. “It’s just great. One of those nights you always dream about growing up. You want to get your first game, your first win and then your first shutout. Nice to get that under the belt. At the same time, just hungry for more and looking forward to getting more games.”
He goes on to compile a 17-14-5 record with a .909 save percentage and 3.01 goals-against average.
Feb. 28: Patrick Kane scores his 400th goal during a 7-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.
“The biggest thing is once you start reaching these type of milestones, 400 goals and 1,000 games coming up, it leaves you wanting more,” Kane says.
March 5: Three-time Stanley Cup winner Brent Seabrook calls it a career after dealing with lingering hip problems.
“I’m incredibly proud of my career,” he says. “… When I first got here, we weren’t the Blackhawks you see now or through the early part of the decade. It was fun to be a part of that group that brought this franchise back up to the top. I wouldn’t change anything for anything.”
March 6: Strome is placed on injured reserve (concussion) retroactive to Feb. 19.
March 18: Strome is activated off concussion protocol.
March 27: Dach is activated from long-term injured reserve and plays 20 minutes against the Nashville Predators.
March 30: Forward Mike Hardman agrees to a two-year entrylevel contract.
March 31: Defenseman Isaak Phillips agrees to a three-year entrylevel deal. … Bowman is named
GM of the U.S. men’s hockey team for the 2022 Olympics.
April 2: The Hawks trade forward Brad Morrison to the Florida Panthers for Vinnie Hinostroza, who previously played for the Hawks from 2015-18. He goes on to put up four goals and eight assists in 17 games.
April 5: Dach acknowledges he still feels discomfort in his wrist.
“There’s no doubts (but) there’s pain with it, still,” he says. “It’s a four-to-five-month injury and I’m playing within three months.”
April 8: The Hawks acquire forward prospect Henrik Borgström, veteran forward Brett Connolly, defenseman Riley Stillman and a 2021 seventhround pick from the Panthers for forward Wallmark and defenseman Lucas Carlsson.
After a 5-1 loss to the Dallas Stars that included a three-goal second period, alternate captain Connor Murphy calls the team “fragile” and makes one of the strongest statements about accountability to date.
“That’s been a theme with our losses,” Murphy says. “We seem to be a little bit fragile. Instead of picking each other up and a mistake on a goal or a shift where they’re on us, we don’t seem to be responding very well. That’s on us as a group, and even a leadership group, to be able to recognize things and get our game going in the right direction.”
April 12: At the trade deadline, the Hawks reap a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 third-rounder by dealing Mattias Janmark to the Vegas Golden Knights, and they acquire forward Adam Gaudette by shipping Matthew Highmore to the Vancouver Canucks.
“We’re happy with how it all went, not just today but you look back probably the last week or so,” Bowman says. “We’ve made a few trades today and a couple previous to now, and it’s really consistent with we’ve been trying to do going back to the offseason. We’re trying to rebuild our asset pool.”
April 23 and 24: Strome is a healthy scratch for the remainder of a critical Predators series because of subpar play.
“Obviously, it was two big games and it sucks to have to watch, but got to play better,” Strome says. “Got to produce more. They wanted to go with 7 ‘D.’ They thought they could find my minutes somewhere else.”
April 25: Stillman agrees to a three-year deal.
April 26: Andrew Shaw, a two-time Cup winner, announces his retirement after seven seasons with the Hawks and three with the Montreal Canadiens. He had spent nearly two months in concussion protocol.
“It’s been in the back of my head for a few years now,” Shaw says. “My love for the game pushed it away and listening to doctors for once in my life, we finally made a decision it would be best for me to step away from the game.”
April 27: Boqvist breaks his right wrist in a collision with Predators defenseman Erik Černák. Boqvist also spent stints in concussion and COVID-19 protocol.
“Certainly, it’s been unfortunate that his momentum has been stopped a few times by having him miss time when he’s been rolling and playing well,” Colliton says. “But that’s part of his development into a pro, finding a way to be a bit more durable and play more games.”
May 3: The Hawks are eliminated from playoff contention with a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes.
“We had a good stretch middle of the season, but we have to play a full season,” DeBrincat says.
May 4: The Hawks scratch Dach after he aggravates scar tissue in his wrist. Two days later, he’s shut down for the final three games.
May 6: Duncan Keith and Brett Connolly suffer concussions and miss the final two games.
May 9: The United Center hosts season-ticket holders and general-admission fans for the first time this season, allowing 3,820 fans to watch the Hawks beat the Stars 4-2 with a lineup of 10 rookies.
May 10: The Stars turn the tables with a game-winning goal with 29.6 seconds remaining in overtime, handing the Hawks a 5-4 loss. DeBrincat scores his 32nd goal.
“We played back-to-back against an excellent team,” Colliton says. “Both teams were playing for pride, but still they’ve got excellent players over there and it’s a challenge.
“That’s part of what we were doing. We had 10 rookies in and it’s great experience for them as they understand what it takes to play in the league and how consistent you have to be.”
During the game, announcer Pat Foley apologizes for using a suicide metaphor earlier during the broadcast.