Morning Chirps: Sharks parting ways with veteran forward, women's gold medal game set

The Chicago Blackhawks will return to the practice ice this afternoon with an optional skate. I fully expect to see everyone except Teuvo Teravainen, who will learn later today who he and Finland will play in the Olympic quarterfinals. Make sure you’re following along on X or Bluesky for live updates from the Blackhawks Ice Center.

Blackhawks Chirps

• Jeremiah Lee thinks we should all just enjoy the rivalry between Connor Bedard and San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini and save the debates for which player is better for when it’s all said and done.

• Gail Kauchak’s latest IceHogs Notebook has a lot of good stuff, including what Nick Lardis has been focusing on since returning from his first NHL stint.

• Marek Vanacker scored his 39th goal of the season in the Brantford Bulldogs’ 3-2 victory over the Kingston Frontenacs. He extended his Ontario Hockey League lead in goals to four over Jack Pridham, who had an assist in the Kitchener Rangers’ loss on Monday.

• On this date in 1963, Bobby Hull’s ninth career hat trick was all the offense the Blackhawks needed in a 3-1 win over the Boston Bruins.

• Five years later, Chico Maki netted his first career hat trick and recorded an assist in a 7-4 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He wasn’t the only Blackhawk with four points as Hull picked up four assists.

• In 1987, Bob Murray played in his 860th game, setting a new franchise record for games played by a defenseman, in a 5-4 loss to the Hartford Whalers. He finished his career with 1,008 games, which are now the third-most in Blackhawks history for a defenseman behind Duncan Keith (1,192) and Brent Seabrook (1,114).

• In 1997, Gary Suter picked up his 700th career point with an assist in a 4-2 loss to the St. Louis Blues.

• In 2013, the Blackhawks extended their season-opening point streak to 15 games (12-0-3) by beating the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. They tied the 1984-85 Edmonton Oilers for the second-longest point streak to start a season in league history.

• In 2018, Patrick Kane recorded his 500th career assist as the Blackhawks snapped an eight-game losing streak with a 7-1 win over the Washington Capitals. The helper made him only the fifth player in team history to score 300 goals and have 500 assists.

• Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, Feb. 17: Darren Pang and Michal Frolik.

NHL & Olympic Chirps

• The Sharks placed veteran forward Jeff Skinner on unconditional waivers with the purpose of terminating his contract. If/when nobody claims him, he will become an unrestricted free agent. It feels like somebody is interested in adding him to their roster, just not at his current $3 million salary cap hit. The 33-year-old has six goals and 13 points in 32 games this season. He has six 30-goal seasons in his career, with the most recent coming in 2022-23 with the Buffalo Sabres.

• The Carolina Hurricanes signed goaltender Brandon Bussi to a three-year contract extension worth $5.7 million. The 27-year-old was claimed off waivers from the Florida Panthers at the beginning of the season and has emerged as their No. 1 netminder. He’s started his NHL career 23-3-1 with a 2.16 goals-against average (GAA), .906 save percentage (SV%), and two shutouts.

• For the seventh time in eight Olympics, the United States and Canada will play for the gold medal in the women’s hockey tournament. Team USA earned its fourth straight shutout and has yet to trail or be tied after 0-0 in the tournament. Marie-Philip Poulin scored two goals in Canada’s 2-1 semifinal win over Switzerland. The U.S. beat Canada 5-0 in the preliminary round, but Poulin missed the game due to injury. The gold medal game will be played on Thursday at 12:10 pm CT.

• The men’s Qualification Playoff Round takes place today. However, France will be without defenseman Pierre Crinon for its game against Germany. He’s been suspended for the remainder of the tournament for his actions following his fight with Tom Wilson on Sunday. The French Ice Hockey Federation did not approve of him taunting Canadian fans while leaving the ice surface. Clutch your pearls, much?

• NHL Birthday Roll Call, Feb. 17: Jim Rutherford, Lindy Ruff, Luc Robitaille, Vaclav Prospal, Todd Harvey, Hnat Domenichelli, Drew Miller, Max Jones, and Adam Fox.