head coach: Craig Hartsburg

roster: C - Alexei Zhamnov, Kevin Miller, Jeff Shantz, Brent Sutter, Steve Dubinsky. LW - Bob Probert, Jim Cummins, Ethan Moreau, Dave Chyzowski, Jean-Yves Leroux. RW - Tony Amonte, Eric Daze, Darin Kimble, Sergei Krivokrasov, Ulf Dahlen. D - Chris Chelios, Gary Suter, Eric Weinrich, Cam Russell, Keith Carney, Enrico Ciccone, Michal Sykora. G - Jeff Hackett, Chris Terreri.
*-Unsigned free agent.

injuries: None.

transactions: XX/XX - Announced the retirement of Denis Savard. 07/03 - Announced senior vice president Bob Pulford is stepping down as general manager; named Bob Murray general manager. 07/25 - Traded defenseman Enrico Ciccone to the Carolina Hurricanes for defenseman Ryan Risidore and a 1998 fifth-round draft pick; traded forward Murray Craven to the San Jose Sharks for left wing Petri Varis and a sixth-round draft pick in 1998. 07/29 - Signed Group II free-agent right wing Tony Amonte to a five-year contract. 08/04 - Re-signed restricted free-agents right wing Jim Cummins and defenseman Eric Weinrich. 08/06 - Signed center Todd White and left wing Petri Varis. 08/15 - Announced the retirement of defenseman Steve Smith. 08/15 - Announced that arbitrator John Sands ruled that the Philadelphia Flyers made a valid offer sheet to Tampa Bay Lightning center Chris Gratton, nullifying a trade between the Chicago Blackhawks and Lightning. 08/27 - Signed forward Brian Felsner and right wing Nathan Perrott; re-signed goaltender Jimmy Waite. 09/11 - Re-signed free-agent center Steve Dubinsky to a one-year contract. 09/12 - Re-signed free-agent defenseman Michal Sykora to a multi-year contract; reassigned center Alfie Turcotte to Indianapolis of the International Hockey League; returned goaltender Lars Weibel to Lugano of the Swedish Elite League; sent forwards Brett Gibson, Tom Kostopoulos, Larry Paleczny and Geoff Peters and defensemen Jerad Smith, Chris Twerdun and Mike Vellinga to their respective junior teams.

standings:

1996-97 FINAL RESULTS
RECORD:     
 OVERALL      34-35-13
 HOME         16-21-4 
 ROAD         18-14-9        
POINTS:             81 (14th)
GOALS SCORED:      223 (20th)   
GOALS AGAINST:     210  (7th)
POWER PLAY:      14.8% (16th)
PENALTY KILLING: 84.2% (11th) 

game results:

PRE-SEASON RESULTS
9/13 Dallas            L 5-2

team news:

by Michael Dell, editor-in-chief

HAWKS STILL NEED HELP

Last season witnessed the departure of two Chicago Blackhawk icons, with both Jeremy Roenick and Ed Belfour getting traded to new teams. Chris Chelios was still around, but the team desperately needed someone else to step forward and take on a leadership role. Enter Tony Amonte. The speedy right winger enjoyed a breakthrough season, recording a career high 41 goals and 77 points in carrying the club on his back to a 28th straight playoff appearance. As great as Amonte is, it's going to take a lot more to get the Hawks back to the status of Cup contender.

OFFENSE: Amonte All Alone

The Hawks' offense is so bad, that they're not even a one-line team. They're a one-man team. If Amonte doesn't score, there's a good chance this team's getting shut out. Alexei Zhamnov is the club's number one center and has some serious skills. He just doesn't always work hard enough to display them. Zhamnov can score 30 goals, but his main job is to get the puck to Amonte. As long as he's doin' that, he's earning his keep.

Chicago struggled trying to find a left winger to play with Amonte and Zhamnov. Ulf Dahlen, who was acquired from San Jose along with Chris Terreri and Michal Sykora in the Belfour trade, was most often filling out the top line, but it seems his days as a dangerous goal-scorer are solid gone. The 30-year-old Swede notched just 14 last season and hasn't broken 20 in three years. He also doesn't exactly fit in with the old school ideal of what a Blackhawk player should be. Back in the day, the Hawks were known as an aggressive, mean, forechecking club. They were the hardest team in the league to play against and a trip to Chicago Stadium was not for the faint of heart. The Hawks just don't have that kind of team anymore. And guys like Zhamnov and Dahlen are the reason why. Dahlen has accumulated a mere 194 penalty minutes over his 10-year career. That's not a Chicago Blackhawk, that's a Cub Scout.

GM Bob Pulford attempted to address Chicago's need for more toughness and grit up front by taking a run at restricted free agent Chris Gratton this off-season. Pulford thought he had worked out a deal that would have reportedly sent Ethan Moreau, Keith Carney, and Steve Dubinsky to the Lightning Bolts for the young center. But the league ruled that Gratton had actually signed an offer sheet with the Flyers before Chicago's deal was made. The ruling meant that Gratton ended up in Philly, Mikael Renberg and Karl Dykhuis went to the warmth of Tampa, and the Hawks got left out in the cold. Aside from the disappointment of not getting Gratton, the team now has to deal with having Carney and Moreau knowing that they would have been traded. Knowing that a team doesn't want you, or at least could live without you, won't help team chemistry any.

Moreau is actually one of the few Blackhawks that plays the old Chicago style. He's a big, bruising winger that likes to mix it up along the boards. He often played last season with Eric Daze and Murray Craven on the second line. Daze suffered through the typical sophomore slump, posting 22 goals and 41 points, falling eight goals and 12 points from his totals the previous year. He's one of the few Hawks with any goal-scoring talent at all, so he needs to pick it up. As for Craven, the club traded him to San Jose this summer for Petri Varis and a sixth-round pick in 1998. Craven's scoring has diminished greatly over the past few seasons, but he was still a valuable defensive center. Varis is a 27-year-old left winger from Finland with decent size (6'1", 200). He's never played a game in the NHL, but the club must think he'll be able to contribute if they gave up Craven to get him.

Another Hawk that won't be returning is Denis Savard. He only appeared in 64 games last season, but Savard was still a dynamic skater that could provide the team with a spark from the bench. With Craven and Savard gone, the team is going to need someone to step up at center. Jeff Shantz can fill the role on a checking line, but he can't be expected to score more than 40 points at the most. At 35, Brent Sutter is still around to provide defense and leadership, but injuries limited him to just 39 games last season.

Chicago's offense is really in sad shape. It needs help at all three positions, but center is a glaring weakness. It looks like it'll be Amonte or nothing again this season.

DEFENSE: Chelios in Charge

Chris Chelios is the best defenseman on the planet. As long as he keeps playing his 35 to 40 minutes a night, the Chicago defense will be just fine. Which reminds me of a song... "There's an old guy in the neighborhood, he lives on the blue line and it's understood... that he's there just to take good care of the Hawks and me... like he's one of the family. Chelios in Charge of our days and our nights. Chelios in Charge of our wrongs and our rights. And I need, Chelios in charge of me..." One more time! "There's an old guy in the neighborhood, he lives on the blue line and it's understood... that he's there just to take good care of the Hawks and me... like he's one of the family. Chelios in Charge of our days and our nights. Chelios in Charge of our wrongs and our rights. And I need" Bring it home now! "Chelios in charge of me..." Hey, remember the time when Buddy Lembeck and Chelios were trying to impress Gwen, so they pretended to be rich. Aw, that was great, that was fun. But I digress.

One guy who needs to come through this season is Gary Suter. After scoring 20 goals and 67 points in 1995-96, Suter had only seven goals and 28 points last season. That's just embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as the time Buddy and Chelios got busted for trying to throw a toga party while the Powells were away for the weekend.

It's surprising that the Hawks were willing to trade Keith Carney in the proposed Gratton deal. Carney has developed into quite the dependable blueliner under the tutelage of Chelios. When it comes to just playing defense, he's ahead of Suter on the depth chart. But after the top three of Chelios, Carney, and Suter, there's not much to get excited about. Eric Weinrich is a good mobile defender, Cam Russell adds toughness, and Sykora brings size, but the group could use some new blood. Steve Smith won't be back. He decided to retire this summer after suffering through his share of injuries the past few seasons.

GOALTENDING: He Ain't No Belfour

Jeff Hackett is a good goaltender that may have been more popular with his teammates and more friendly to the fans and media, but he just isn't in the same class as Ed Belfour. He'll get his wins, but it's doubtful he'll be able to make this team better than they should be or lead them deep into the postseason.

The backup chores will likely be handled by Chris Terreri, who's one of the best in the business when it comes to riding shotgun. Jimmy Waite was also re-signed over the summer to provide some insurance. Chicago's goaltending won't be superstar caliber, but all three guys are decent.

GEE, THAT'S SWELL

* Amonte is the real deal up front.

* Chelios is the best defenseman on the planet.

* This writeup featured the first ever "Charles in Charge" references in LCS history.

TROUBLE

* Amonte and Zhamnov are the only proven point producers on offense.

* Team needs serious help in the middle.

* The club is losing its identity as a fierce, rough and tumble squad.

1997-98 OUTLOOK: Chicago is a team with more weaknesses than strengths. If Hackett can provide stability in net, which he should, and Amonte and Chelios control the game when they're out there, which they should, then the team will be competitive. The power play will also be a major factor. Last season they finished tied for 16th in the league. That's just not good enough, especially when the power play features the likes of Amonte, Zhamnov, Chelios, and Suter. If the power play produces, then the team should stay in playoff contention. But this club is nowhere near being a Cup contender. Our advice would be to dump all the stiffs and just stockpile old school, Chicago-style players. The Hawks need to get back to basics and remember who they are before they lose their identity forever.

PREDICTION: Fifth in the Central. They could sneak in as the eighth seed or they could slip out of the playoffs altogether. That 28-year playoff streak will be in serious jeopardy.

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