The Toews brothers and the battle between Ray Emery and Alexander Salak for the backup goalie spot will take center stage for the Blackhawks during their exhibition opener Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers in Saskatoon, Sask.
"I'm excited about the start of the camp," coach Joel Quenneville said. "Now that we're playing games, all of a sudden training camp has been flying up to this pace. Once you start playing exhibition games it seems the pace gets even faster. We've got a lot of young guys playing in the first couple games. We'll get a look at most of these guys. We've got a young lineup tomorrow so it will be nice to see these guys play in an NHL game."
The Blackhawks never really gelled last season, coming off the Cup win but losing almost a third of the team to salary cap considerations and the nagging injuries that always seem to follow the quick turn around after an extended playoff season. This year may be a "rebuilding year," but we'd hope to see them as contenders all year with a good playoff run.