Morning Chirps: Cooley's big extension, Marchand's good deed

The Chicago Blackhawks begin the six-game road trip tonight. This trip will be a huge test for this young squad, and we'll have a better idea of how good they really are by the time they return home. Stick around for "3 Things to Watch" and "Postgame Musings." Until then, here are some fresh morning Chirps to hold you over and get you caught up.

Blackhawks Chirps

• The Blackhawks are in Winnipeg tonight, and it will be our first look at Jonathan Toews in a Jets uniform. Tood Matthews shared a recent quote from the former captain that will make fans sad to hear.

• Meanwhile, John Bloomer sings the praises of an underrated contributor to the Blackhawks’ early-season success.

• Yesterday, I profiled the three top Blackhawks Prospects of the Week, with one from the American Hockey League and two from the college ranks.

• Speaking of top prospects, David St. Louis of Elite Prospects ponders how long Nick Lardis and Oliver Moore will stay in Rockford after their hot starts in the AHL.

• On this date in 1962, Glenn Hall played in his 500th consecutive game, leading the Blackhawks to a 5-3 victory against the New York Rangers at the Chicago Stadium.

• In 1988, Doug Wilson and Dirk Graham scored shorthanded goals 24 seconds apart to lead the Blackhawks to a 5-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

• In 2014, Marian Hossa became the 80th player in National Hockey League history to score 1,000 career points. He reached this milestone with a third-period goal in a 5-4 shootout win over the Ottawa Senators. It was fitting that Hossa hit this mark against the Senators, as they drafted him with the 12th overall pick of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. He scored the first 390 points of his Hall of Fame career with Ottawa.

• In 2021, the Blackhawks set a franchise record with their ninth straight loss to start a season after losing 1-0 to the St. Louis Blues.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Oct. 30: Cal Gardner, Len Frig, Artemi Panarin, and Dennis Gilbert.

NHL Chirps

• The Utah Mammoth signed forward Logan Cooley to an eight-year, $80 million contract extension. This contract could be something close to what Connor Bedard may get from the Blackhawks. Cooley had 45 goals and 109 points in his first two seasons, while Bedard had 45 goals and 108 points.

• The Blues have recalled their top prospect, Dalibor Dvorsky, after placing leading scorer Jake Neighbours on injured reserve.

• Two former Blackhawks are heading back to the AHL. The Vegas Golden Knights reassigned defenseman Jaycob Megna to the Henderson Silver Knights, and the Seattle Kraken sent forward John Hayden down to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

• John Tavares became the 49th player in league history to score 500 career goals during the Toronto Maple Leafs’ 6-3 loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets.

• Brad Marchand is one of the most polarizing players in NHL history. When he plays for your favorite team, you love him. But 31 other fan bases love to boo him. However, no matter whether you love him or hate him, you have to respect what he did this week. He took a leave of absence from the Florida Panthers to head home to his hometown of Nova Scotia. His longtime friend, coach, and trainer, J.P. MacCallum, tragically lost his 10-year-old to cancer this week. He is also the head coach of the U18 March & Mill Co. Hunters hockey team. Marchand volunteered to coach the Hunters’ game so McCallum could be with his family. He also donated an autographed jersey to be auctioned off to benefit the McCallum family.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Oct. 30: Ron Lalonde, Pat Elynuik, Andy Greene, Drew Stafford, Chris Stewart, Sam Montembault, Tage Thompson, Cale Makar, and Jesper Boqvist.