I pointed out after the Blackhawks started the regular season in Florida that the roster has transitioned from one of the oldest to the third-youngest in the NHL from last year’s opening night to this year’s edition. I’ve also been preaching patience with the young players on the roster as they make their mistakes and (hopefully) learn and grow from them.
But how do the veteran Blackhawks players see the differences between last year’s lineup and expectations to the new year? And how does the shifting focus from veteran rentals to the first wave of the future hitting the NHL feel in the room? Is that even a thing?
After the morning skate before the Blackhawks’ home opener on Saturday, I asked Blackhawks captain Nick Foligno those questions. As usual, he had some insightful things to say that gave us a sense of how he views the dynamic change as the leader in the room.
“What stands out to me is the hunger and the drive that all these guys have … their energy is infectious in the room and it’s made it a lot of fun to come to the rink and try to get better and they’re just trying to absorb as much as possible,” Foligno said. “For me, I have a lot of time for that and enjoy it, and it feels different in a good way right now.”
Foligno told me the lineup they had on the ice to start last year being older and filled with veterans meant there needed to be more cohesive play sooner in the season because that’s expected from older players. Now, there’s an understanding there will be a learning curve and there will be adjustments. Some of the young guys are still figuring out how and where they fit in the lineup — some are still trying to really feel like they belong in the league.
But the Blackhawks’ captain isn’t making — or accepting — excuses.
“The mentality changed from guys who should be doing this already to how guys will look when they get going. I think that helps our group, but I also think that shouldn’t be a crutch in a sense. We shouldn’t be like “oh, next game.’ There has to be an understanding of no, you’re an NHL player and there are expectations to win now and do things the right way. It’s going to be a big of a fast learning curve for some guys. But I think in this room, because of how driven everyone is to be a good team, it’s going to happen quicker.”
Okay, but what happens when a young guy does screw up? We’ve already seen plenty of moments of young guys missing their mark or making a bad decision and it hurting the team. How does the leadership of the team — on and off the ice — work to help fix that?
Foligno said he and Blashill balance each other out with the young players. Blashill gets to be the bad cop and Foligno gets to be the nice cop. Foligno also knows first-hand how much young players need to have veterans in their ear helping them along the way, but he’s still playing alongside them.
“As a captain, you walk a fine line between pushing and being with them,” Foligno said. “I make just as many mistakes as these guys do. It’s a game of mistakes; it’s hockey. But understanding that there are hardworking mistakes and there are lazy or youthful mistakes. We’re trying to weed those out. And I think Blash and the coaching staff are really good for me in that sense, where I can enjoy being with them and being in their corner. I feel a lot different this year and I’m looking forward to just doing that. And listen, I know what it’s like to be in those shoes. Maybe it was a long time ago, but I was there and I know what it meant to have a player come up to you and talk the way that he did to help me through it and show that he cares. II want to be that sounding board for these guys, and that’s how you grow.”
As I’ve said a million times before and will continue to say: there are going to be mistakes. The importance of those mistakes is learning from them — and fixing the issue in a timely manner. Becoming more comfortable, confident hockey players is how the skill can fully transition to impacting the team in the best way possible.
There are probably going to be plenty of moments for Foligno to talk thru with young guys this year. And opportunities to be the “good cop” in the room when the hammer comes down. And he’ll probably continue having new young players come up to work with as the veteran who’s been there and done that.
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