Morning Chirps: WJC quarterfinals set, Toews gets the upper hand on Kane

Happy New Year!! The Chicago Blackhawks will kick off 2026 by hosting the Dallas Stars at the United Center tonight. We’ll have all the updates from today’s morning skate and then break down all the big plays after the final horn. Until then, enjoy your first Morning Chirps of the year.

Blackhawks Chirps

• In case you missed it yesterday, the Blackhawks recalled forward Dominic Toninato. This is a sign that Jason Dickinson will not be available for tonight’s game, and possibly more.

• Frank and I headed back up to the Second Balcony to discuss how the Blackhawks look like they are learning how to play with their two top players. Please like and subscribe while you're listening!

• Team Canada announced its roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics, and Connor Bedard was left off. General manager Doug Armstrong says his recent shoulder injury did not affect the decision. Leaving him off the roster could be a big mistake for Canada. However, it could also be a blessing in disguise as the young star recovers from his injury.

• This recent stretch of hockey has not been kind to the Blackhawks in Jeff Maroon’s NHL power rankings, but they actually moved up in this week’s edition.

• Speaking of rankings, I released the top five in our countdown of the best 25 Blackhawks from the past 25 years. While the five players are not a surprise, you might disagree with the final order.

• The Rockford IceHogs closed out 2025 with a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Wolves. Kevin Lombardi scored both of the IceHogs’ goals. Kevin Korchinski and Samuel Savoie recorded assists. Laurent Brossoit made 30 saves in the losing effort.

• Czechia beat Latvia 4-2 yesterday to finish in second place in Group B at the World Junior Championship. Vaslcav Nestrasil had his third multi-point game with a goal and an assist. He recorded another no-look assist on Adam Jiricek’s first-period tally before adding a late empty-net goal. He has two goals and six points in four games. Czechia will play Switzerland in the quarterfinals at 3:30 pm on Saturday.

• Anton Frondell and Sweden won Group A after beating the United States 6-3. Neither Frondell nor A.J. Spellacy picked up a point in the game. Sweden will play Latvia in Saturday’s first quarterfinal at 1 pm. Team USA will have a rematch of last year’s gold medal game against Finland at 5 pm. The final quarterfinal game features Canada and Slovakia at 7:30 pm.

• On this date in 1931, the Blackhawks scored double-digit goals for the first time in franchise history, beating the Philadelphia Quakers 10-3. Frank Ingram was the offensive hero by becoming the first Blackhawk to score four goals in a game.

• Five years later, Paul Thompson scored the first penalty shot goal in team history, beating Detroit Red Wings goaltender Norm Smith.

• In 1943, Reg Bentley made his team debut in a 6-5 win over the New York Rangers. By joining Max and Doug, the Bentleys became the first set of three brothers to play on the same NHL team.

• In 2009, the Blackhawks hosted the Red Wings at Wrigley Field for the second annual NHL Winter Classic. This was such an important day as it signified that the franchise was relevant again after years of being a laughing stock. The Blackhawks built a 3-1 lead in the opening period, with Kris Versteeg scoring the first goal at Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, the Red Wings scored the next five goals on their way to a 6-4 victory.

• In 2015, the Blackhawks lost 3-2 to the Washington Capitals in the Winter Classic played at Nationals Park. The Blackhawks erased a 2-0 deficit with goals from Patrick Sharp and Brandon Saad before their former teammate, Troy Brouwer, scored the game-winning goal with 12.9 seconds left.

• Three years later, the Blackhawks lost yet another Winter Classic, 4-2 to the Boston Bruins at Notre Dame Stadium. Brendan Perlini and Dominik Kahun scored for the Blackhawks.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Jan. 1: Barney Stanley, Val Hoffinger, Nick Wasnie, Doc Romens, Jack Leswick, and Ken Yaremchuk.

NHL Chirps

• Team USA will announce its Olympic roster on Friday morning. However, ESPN’s Emily Kaplan is reporting that former Blackhawks defenseman Seth Jones will make the team.

• Speaking of former Blackhawks, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews faced off against each other for the first time last night. Toews had the primary assist on the Winnipeg Jets’ lone goal in their 2-1 loss to the Red Wings. Kane is still stuck on 498 career goals.

• The Anaheim Ducks were an early-season surprise, spending time in first place in the Pacific Division. They have since fallen to third place, and they got some bad injury news. The team announced that Frank Vatrano will miss about six weeks due to a shoulder fracture.

• Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has begun light skating on his own. He suffered an ACL and MCL injury on the first day of training camp, and still has a long way to go. But seeing him back on the ice gives the Panthers some hope that he can return before the playoffs start.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Jan. 1: Gerry Hart, Phil Roberto, Dave Hunter, Bobby Holik, Jeff Carter, Devin Setoguchi, Patric Hornqvist, Urho Vaakanainen, Cole Perfetti, Quinn Hutson, and Matthew Savoie.