Jeff Blashill has pushed back against Paul Bissonnette’s criticism of the Chicago Blackhawks, taking issue with the analyst’s description of the team as soft. The coach responded after Chicago’s 5-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Wednesday.
Bissonnette, the former NHL winger who now works as an analyst on NHL on TNT, made the comments during the first intermission of the national broadcast. He questioned Chicago’s identity and its play at both ends of the ice.
“I don’t see a lot of identity. I see a soft team. They don’t check well, they don’t forecheck well. They don’t really do anything well,” Bissonnette said.
He was even harsher elsewhere in the broadcast, describing the Blackhawks as “pathetic,” “Mickey Mouse,” “AHL-level” and “horrible.” He also said he was “sick of watching this team play,” according to the Chicago Tribune and Blackhawks Focus.
Jeff Blashill said he had not heard the comments during the game, but made his disagreement clear afterward.
“I like Biz. I respect Biz. I don’t agree with his opinion,” he said.
The coach rejected the suggestion that Chicago is a soft team, though he admitted its results have given people reason to criticise it.
“I don’t think that we’re soft. I don’t think we’ve won enough games,” Blashill said. “You put yourself in a position to be criticized, and you have to accept that criticism.”
He also questioned whether Bissonnette regularly watches the Blackhawks closely enough to make that assessment. Still, Blashill did acknowledge that the team can improve physically.
“Our record’s not good enough. So we’ll accept the criticism and move on,” he said. “Can we be a harder team? For sure.”
Jeff Blashill said Chicago needs to keep building and find ways to win before it can earn the respect it wants.
“But until you win, you don’t get that respect,” he added.
Jeff Blashill says the Blackhawks can be “a harder team”
Chicago’s performance against Florida offered some context for that comment. The Panthers outhit the Blackhawks 28-12, while Chicago managed just five shots on goal in the first period and went into the break trailing 2-0.
Jeff Blashill said some players had been playing “at the end of their stick.” He also felt not everyone had matched captain Connor Bedard’s compete level, stressing that the team needed all 20 players to meet the same standard.
The Blackhawks followed that loss with a 4-1 defeat at Tampa Bay on Thursday. The result dropped them to 4-12-1 and extended their losing streak to five games. They will close their three-game road trip against Carolina on Saturday.
Edited by Sonali Verma
