When Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya committed a costly penalty by jumping Kings forward Justin Williams after a collision with goalie Ray Emery with 1 minute, 4 seconds left in Sunday's 3-2 victory, he reacted instinctively.
So did most of us in the United Center shaking our heads upon seeing the avoidable scrap that gave the Kings the chance for a 6-on-4 advantage in the final, furious minute: What was Oduya thinking?
Dangerously, he wasn't. Intelligent hockey observers raised similar questions about the prudence of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews picking a fight Friday with 6-foot-4, 225-pound Sharks center Joe Thornton. Inspired teammates later kidded Toews about the shiner and fat lip he earned the hard way, but nobody in Chicago would have laughed had the player who suffered a concussion last year absorbed a right hook to the head.
Like Oduya responding in defense of Emery, Toews dropping the gloves wasn't the smartest or safest thing. But then it occurred to me that the Blackhawks were the smartest and safest NHL team — not to mention most talented — to exit the first round of the playoffs the last two years. Philosophical change loomed.
Their obviously altered approach might not always be welcome or wise. But overall it represents progress for the 12-0-3 Blackhawks and a major reason they can tie the NHL record for fastest start to a season with a point Tuesday at home against the Canucks.
Go back to April 25.
A second straight disappointing postseason ended early and Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman and coach Joel Quenneville tried in vain to explain what went wrong. Neither man could identify exactly what was missing but knew it wasn't there. Use whatever hockey term you prefer — grit, sandpaper, abrasiveness — the Hawks lacked ample supplies. Both men left enough doubt to think the "FRAGILE, HANDLE WITH CARE'' labels for moving boxes were for Hawks players' psyches and not their personal belongings. Both men sounded as if they realized, reluctantly, that the Hawks had earned their leaguewide reputation for being highly skilled but softer than pond ice on a 40-degree day.
Bowman called the key to making another deep playoff run "getting them to be more committed to play responsible hockey.'' Quenneville didn't complain about the composition of the roster so much as the makeup of the players on it.
"Team chemistry is something going forward that should be a concern,'' Quenneville said. "When I say a concern, a priority.''
Scan the Blackhawks roster full of the same names, big and small, and you will see almost nothing about this team has changed; same group, same personality mix. But watching the Hawks make history through 15 games has revealed a significant difference not recorded in any transaction. Force replaced finesse on all four lines — and no NHL team wins a seven-game playoff series without it. Legitimate Cup contenders dictate terms of the game the way the Hawks have and must continue, risk or not.
The most telling highlights for the league's best team have had little to do with goals or assists. The Hawks always could turn your head with trick-shot quality puck-handling. Yet the most memorable sequences have been more ow-inspiring than awe-inspiring, which goes a long way in a hockey dressing room.
During the playoffs if the Hawks look back at what first alerted the league they were done being pushed around, they can start Feb. 5 in San Jose. Andrew Desjardins of the Sharks knocked Jamal Mayers into Santa Clara during the second period and Hawks teammate Duncan Keith immediately retaliated, drawing 19 minutes in penalties for defending Mayers — and regretting not a second.
It was Mayers who made an even louder statement demanding respect two nights later against the Coyotes when he challenged Raffi Torres three minutes into the game as payback for Torres' vicious hit last April on Marian Hossa. In hockey, the memories can be longer than a playoff beard.
By the time Bryan Bickell decked Ryan Getlaf of the Ducks to set up two goals in a 28-second span last Tuesday, it became fair to wonder whether the Hawks' toughness finally had caught up with their talent. Kings center Anze Kopitar suggested as much before leaving town Sunday.
"We weren't matching their intensity, their speed, their physical play,'' Kopitar said.
Gone are the days when praising the Blackhawks for their physical play seems as odd as complimenting Kate Upton for her vocabulary. Fancy is out at 1901 W. Madison. Forceful is in. Instead of raising ire for being too cute on the ice, they suddenly have raised concerns for being too aggressive.
The Hawks will take it — perhaps all the way into the NHL record book.
Twitter @DavidHaugh
