NEWSLETTER
Day two of Blackhawks camp is in the books, but there was plenty to talk about after practices today, including thoughts from Marc-André Fleury on his new pads, his competitive dynamic with Patrick Kane, and the overall tempo of camp. In addition, new defenseman Seth Jones and head coach Jeremy Colliton had some things to say this afternoon.
Fleury is in the room.
"You can tell the tempo went up the last couple days here. It's been fun." pic.twitter.com/krWQNUGlwM
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) September 24, 2021
Marc-André Fleury told reporters that the tempo around the building “went up the last couple of days.” The reigning Vezina winner also explained his decision on his new pads, which feature a classic brown leather look compared to the primarily black setup we grew accustomed to with Corey Crawford here, and the red and white combos worn by current goaltenders Kevin Lankinen, Malcolm Subban, and Collin Delia.
Fleury on his new pads:
"Crow had the black pads for the whole time, [Delia] the red pads, Lanks and Suby the white pads, so I wanted something different and…that matched the face of the logo. It was supposed to be more metallic, but I guess it looks a little more brown." https://t.co/59uICC6RfG
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) September 24, 2021
Fleury also shared a laugh with reporters when asked about Patrick Kane giving it to him after scoring a goal against him in camp and emphasized that Kane made sure to celebrate with his one goal against Fleury today.
MAF on Kane's chirping: "I like that. It will make me better." https://t.co/iKBjQE5nNY pic.twitter.com/VFg4UDmouN
— Joe Brand (@Joe_Brand1) September 24, 2021
Seth Jones seems to be settling in just fine with his new team after spending the previous nine seasons playing against the Blackhawks as a member of the Nashville Predators and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Jones on system diffs:
"There's maybe a little more emphasis on transition with Jeremy. Torts was a pretty tight coach when it comes to defense and staying above the puck."
"[And] little different personalities. You can say that about a lot of people when it comes to Torts."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) September 24, 2021
Like Fleury, Jones also had some things to say about his new teammate, Patrick Kane. Jones said that playing against Kane, something he’s done in practice the last two days (and his previous nine seasons), “isn’t very fun.”
Seth Jones on playing against new teammate Patrick Kane. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/wejTHvWlp3
— Joe Brand (@Joe_Brand1) September 24, 2021
Jones also stoked the sibling rivalry with his younger brother, and new teammate, Caleb Jones, claiming the most “hockey” nickname that could be conceived for himself.
https://twitter.com/johndietzdh/status/1441463020895440899?s=20
Seriously, that’s the best they can do?
Jeremy Colliton told reporters that he feels a little better this season than the last, with his team reaching the 100% vaccination level this week. But after having to place Kevin Lankinen and Mike Hardman on COVID protocol today, Colliton admitted there will still be some hurdles to overcome despite everyone being vaccinated this season.
Colliton on COVID protocols this year: "We've got to play close attention to it, make sure we're doing the right things, but you feel a little bit better that we're 100% vaccinated. It helps our situation along… There will be stuff throughout the year we have to deal with."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) September 24, 2021
On the injury side of things today, Collin Delia left practice earlier in the day. Still, Colliton said that he doesn’t foresee any significant issues, despite not being apprised of any updates this afternoon.
Jeremy Colliton on Collin Delia, who left practice early: "I haven't gotten the update. It was a hard skate. I don't foresee it being an issue, but I haven't gotten the latest." #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) September 24, 2021
That’ll do it for today.
