Tough break for Toews as Mitchell came out of the penalty box seconds before slamming the captain with a vicious, clean hit.  Kris Versteeg followed up by going after Mitchell, which normally would draw criticism from this hockey fan.  I’m getting sick of players starting fights after clean hits, but in this case we’re talking about your team leader getting trucked.  It’s not that Mitchell shouldn’t have hit Toews, it’s just that when someone hits your captain like that, you stand up. 

You’ll also notice the score when the hit took place, with the Hawks up two to one in the third.  Vancouver went on to win the game with the Hawks taking a few penalties after the big hit.  A theme last year was bouncing back and seeing how a young team would respond in tough situations.  The performances last year should give fans every reason to believe that the Blackhawks will be fine going forward. 

Nashville comes into the UC tomorrow night and it looks like Toews and Brent Seabrook, who also sustained an injury in the third period Wednesday, will both be good to go.  Goaltending may be a bit of an issue this year, but I think we’ll find out tomorrow night that character, focus, and resolve won’t be.