Morning Chirps: Important Blackhawks trade turns 20, Cooper calls officiating 'laughable'

The Chicago Blackhawks continue their residency at the Crypto.com Arena. They’ll be back there today to practice after a big win there last night. They will try to sweep the two-game set tomorrow night before concluding the road trip at the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.  

Blackhawks Chirps

• Things got a little too close for comfort in the third period, but the Blackhawks put together a solid effort and earned two points against the Los Angeles Kings. In case you missed it overnight, check out my postgame thoughts for all the details on the 2-1 victory.

• I hung out with my pals on the CHGO Blackhawks Postgame Show last night. Come for the hockey analysis, stay for the smelling salts!

• Connor Bedard got some love from the NHL.com writers for the Hart Trophy, and now ESPN has him as a finalist, too. However, Todd Matthews says there are two big obstacles for him to overcome to be named the league’s MVP.

• On this date in 1962, Glenn Hall became the first goaltender in Blackhawks history to win 150 games with a 5-4 victory over the Boston Bruins. Ab McDonald was the offensive hero with a pair of goals and an assist.

• Three years later, Stan Mikita scored the seventh hat trick of his career to lead the Blackhawks to a 6-2 win over the New York Rangers. He scored six goals in less than 24 hours as he netted three goals the previous night against the Bruins.

• In 1972, Bobby Hull scored in the Blackhawks’ 7-0 win over the Kings. The goal began his 21-game point streak, which was a team record until Patrick Kane broke it in 2015.

• In 1991, Brian Noonan scored his first hat trick to lead the Blackhawks to a 6-2 victory against Los Angeles.

• In 2005, the Blackhawks made what felt like an insignificant trade at the time but turned out to be one of the best moves in team history. They sent Matt Ellison and a third-round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for a young forward named Patrick Sharp. Of course, Sharp went on to become a key member of three Stanley Cup championships. Meanwhile, Ellison had one assist in his seven games for the Flyers.

• Finally, in 2019, Jonathan Toews scored in overtime to beat the Bruins 4-3 at TD Garden. It was the 14th career overtime goal, setting a new franchise record. He also became the first Blackhawk to score a regular-season overtime goal in Boston since Red Hamil in 1942.

NHL Chirps

• The Minnesota Wild have been on a roll of late, despite losing to the Calgary Flames 3-1 last night. They’ve climbed the standings without the services of Marco Rossi for nearly a month. Even though he’s been skating on his own, he’s not healthy enough to join the team on their four-game road trip, as his recovery from a lower-body injury has taken longer than expected.

• Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Joseph Woll suffered a lower-body injury against the Carolina Hurricanes last night. While Maple Leafs fans analyze the moment he got hurt on social media like it’s the Zapruder film, head coach Craig Berube did not have an update after the game. Anthony Stolarz has missed the four weeks with an upper-body injury and has not resumed skating yet. Toronto could be in serious trouble if Woll is out for any significant time. You can bet they are sending a scout to Rockford to check out Laurent Brossoit this weekend.

• Connor McDavid scored his first hat trick in three years as the Edmonton Oilers crushed the Seattle Kraken 9-4. He and Leon Draisaitl each had four points and have factored in on 503 goals between the two of them. They passed Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom for fourth on the all-time list. They have at least two seasons beyond this one to climb up the rankings.

• Jeff Blashill’s pal and former boss, Jon Cooper, expressed his frustration with NHL officials last night. His Tampa Bay Lightning had a late game-tying goal taken off the board because of a terrible hand pass call.

• Cooper and Blashill have both had to question calls against their teams this season, as he vented during his postgame press conference.

• Milan Lucic was released from his professional tryout contract with the St. Louis Blues earlier this season, but he is still looking for a chance to play again. It sure feels like the NHL ship has sailed. However, TSN’s Darren Dreger reported that he received an offer to play for a professional team in Scotland. Dreger also suggested that Lucic might have an off-ice role with an NHL team if he decides to hang up the skates.

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Dec. 5: Percy Galbraith, Perry Berazan, Kevin Haller, Olli Jokinen, Niklas Hagman, Cam Fowler, Nathan Beaulieu, Nick Ritchie, and Nic Hague.