Patrick Kane’s first game back at United Center since returning to the Chicago Blackhawks will carry plenty of history, and Tuesday morning at the team facility gave it an extra dose of it.
Jonathan Toews and Niklas Hjalmarsson, two more pillars from Chicago’s Stanley Cup era, stopped by Blackhawks Ice Center before the club’s Tuesday night meeting with the St. Louis Blues. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. ET.
Toews was waiting near the ice after the morning skate and greeted Kane as he came off. The former captain later spent time with Kane in the Blackhawks dressing room. He also spoke with Connor Bedard, who is working his way back from left shoulder surgery.
Bedard underwent the procedure in July after he was hurt during a July 2 training session in Vancouver.
Championship core together again
Kane, Toews and Hjalmarsson all entered the NHL with Chicago in the 2007-08 season and helped turn the franchise into a three-time Stanley Cup winner. They were on each of the Blackhawks championship teams in 2010, 2013 and 2015.
Hjalmarsson arrived at the rink with his sons, Theo and Oliver. The former defenseman shook hands with current Chicago blue-liner Alex Vlasic, visited with the club’s television staff and then joined Kane and Toews for a pregame conversation.
“It’s always good when players like that come around,” coach Jeff Blashill said. “I haven’t known either one of them particularly well. I had a little time with Jonathan, but they were obviously tremendous Blackhawks.”
Kane’s Chicago return
Kane signed back with the Blackhawks on July 23, agreeing to a two-year contract worth $16 million. The deal carries an $8 million average annual value.
Tuesday will be Kane’s first appearance at United Center since the new contract, making the reunion with Toews and Hjalmarsson a fitting start to what should be an emotional night in Chicago.
Toews captained the Blackhawks from 2008 through 2023, when the club chose not to bring him back. Health issues then kept him out of the NHL for two seasons before he returned last year with his hometown Winnipeg Jets. He announced his retirement in April.
Hjalmarsson was traded to the Arizona Coyotes on June 23, 2017, with Connor Murphy coming to Chicago in the deal. He played four final NHL seasons in Arizona and retired after the 2020-21 campaign.
For Kane, the old championship group had a chance to catch up before the Blues arrived. By night, the nostalgia will give way to the next puck drop.
