Niklas Hjalmarsson tries to move on after regrettable trade from Blackhawks
Niklas Hjalmarsson
Two minutes into a conversation at Gila River Arena   Coyotes defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson  sounded as if  he  misses the Blackhawks as much as  his  former team clearly misses  him .
âI grew up there ââ  Hjalmarsson  said of  his  10 seasons with the Hawks. âAs a kid in the minors  my first organization. â¦ The city was special to me  and the guys I played with for such a long time  Iâll be connected with my whole life. There are a lot of fun reunions Iâm looking forward to.ââ
On the day of the NHL draft last June  Hawks general manager Stan Bowman overreacted to his vow for change by trading  Hjalmarsson  to the Coyotes for younger and more affordable defenseman Connor Murphy  who has been a disappointment.
One of only seven Hawks to have his name engraved on three Stanley Cups   Hjalmarsson  left town regarded as one of the top defensemen in team history â yet was considered expendable at 30. The fact that veteran Duncan Keith has been the only Hawks defenseman who hasnât been a healthy scratch this season says everything about the inconsistency at the position.
Those persistent problems underscore why trading  Hjalmarsson  upset Hawks coach Joel Quenneville enough for him to walk out of an NHL coaches meeting last summer after he was told.  Hjalmarsson  learned about the trade at home in Sweden  where  it  took awhile for the news to register.
âI didnât see it coming ââ  Hjalmarsson  said. âI felt like I had a decent regular season  but obviously our playoff run was embarrassing. Every year with the salary-cap situation in Chicago  a couple guys always move  so it was my turn â even if I wasnât prepared for it.ââ
Seven months later   Hjalmarsson  says  he  has yet to talk to Bowman about the deal but holds no bitterness.  He  even roots for the Hawks to make the playoffs.  He  didnât develop a reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league  pound for pound  because  his  ego bruises easily.
âIt doesnât bother me  and weâll talk sometime in the future ââ  Hjalmarsson  said. âI understand itâs a business. In this league  you have to separate that and try to see it Stanâs way and what  he âs trying to do for the team.  His  opinion was  he  was trying to make the team better  and I have to accept that.ââ
 Hjalmarsson  smiled.
âInstead of being pissed off about it  Iâm trying to look back and be extremely proud of what I did in Chicago and thankful for the fans there ââ  he  said.
In Arizona  fewer fans care about hockey and fall short of creating the atmosphere  Hjalmarsson  experienced at the United Center. The anthem before Tuesday nightâs matchup against the Sharks  which ended in a 3-2 shootout loss  came before a crowd of only 11 961 in a building that lacked buzz. No NHL team has fewer than the Coyotesâ 10 victories and  in this market  nobody seems terribly bothered about it.
The Coyotes hoped  Hjalmarsson  would help establish a winning culture  one of the reasons they made him an alternate captain. He welcomes the responsibility.
âWe had a lot of leaders in Chicago  but obviously I have a bigger role here with such a young team  so I want to show consistency on the ice with how Iâm playing and off the ice with how Iâm preparing and taking care of my body ââ  Hjalmarsson  said.
Injuries have slowed  Hjalmarssonâs  adjustment  causing  him  to miss 26 games already after missing just 32 over  his  last eight seasons with the Hawks. The first upper-body injury occurred Oct. 30 against the Flyers  and a second one happened Nov. 28 against the Oilers  knocking  him  out the entire month of December.
âItâs been a little frustrating obviously because you want to put your best foot forward and prove the organization right ââ  Hjalmarsson  said.
Some things never change: Despite limited action  the player known as âHammerâ still ranks among the leagueâs top 10 in blocked shots per game  average 2.5. Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet referenced that dependability when  Hjalmarsson  returned from his lengthy absence.
Two minutes into a conversation at  [TGT] sounded as if   [TGT]   misses the Blackhawks as much as   [TGT]   former team clearly misses   [TGT]  .
âI grew up there ââ   [TGT] said of   [TGT]   10 seasons with the Hawks. âAs a kid in the minors  my first organization. â¦ The city was special to me  and the guys I played with for such a long time  Iâll be connected with my whole life. There are a lot of fun reunions Iâm looking forward to.ââ
On the day of the NHL draft last June  Hawks general manager Stan Bowman overreacted to his vow for change by trading   [TGT] to the Coyotes for younger and more affordable defenseman Connor Murphy  who has been a disappointment.
One of only seven Hawks to have his name engraved on three Stanley Cups    [TGT] left town regarded as one of the top defensemen in team history â yet was considered expendable at 30. The fact that veteran Duncan Keith has been the only Hawks defenseman who hasnât been a healthy scratch this season says everything about the inconsistency at the position.
Those persistent problems underscore why trading   [TGT] upset Hawks coach Joel Quenneville enough for him to walk out of an NHL coaches meeting last summer after he was told.   [TGT] learned about the trade at home in Sweden  where   [TGT]   took awhile for the news to register.
âI didnât see it coming ââ   [TGT] said. âI felt like I had a decent regular season  but obviously our playoff run was embarrassing. Every year with the salary-cap situation in Chicago  a couple guys always move  so it was my turn â even if I wasnât prepared for it.ââ
Seven months later    [TGT] says  he  has yet to talk to Bowman about the deal but holds no bitterness.  He  even roots for the Hawks to make the playoffs.  He  didnât develop a reputation as one of the toughest guys in the league  pound for pound  because  his  ego bruises easily.
âIt doesnât bother me  and weâll talk sometime in the future ââ   [TGT] said. âI understand  [TGT]  a business. In this league  you have to separate that and try to see it Stanâs way and what   [TGT]  âs trying to do for the team.   [TGT]   opinion was   [TGT]   was trying to make the team better  and I have to accept that.ââ
  [TGT] smiled.
âInstead of being pissed off about  [TGT]   Iâm trying to look back and be extremely proud of what I did in Chicago and thankful for the fans there ââ  he  said.
In Arizona  fewer fans care about hockey and fall short of creating the atmosphere   [TGT] experienced at the United Center. The anthem before Tuesday nightâs matchup against the Sharks  which ended in a 3-2 shootout loss  came before a crowd of only 11 961 in a building that lacked buzz. No NHL team has fewer than the Coyotesâ 10 victories and  in this market  nobody seems terribly bothered about it.
The Coyotes hoped   [TGT] would help establish a winning culture  one of the reasons they made  [TGT]  an alternate captain.  [TGT]  welcomes the responsibility.
âWe had a lot of leaders in Chicago  but obviously I have a bigger role here with such a young team  so I want to show consistency on the ice with how Iâm playing and off the ice with how Iâm preparing and taking care of my body ââ   [TGT] said.
Injuries have slowed  Hjalmarssonâs  adjustment  causing  him  to miss 26 games already after missing just 32 over  his  last eight seasons with the Hawks. The first upper-body injury occurred Oct. 30 against the Flyers  and a second one happened Nov. 28 against the Oilers  knocking  him  out the entire month of December.
âItâs been a little frustrating obviously because you want to put your best foot forward and prove the organization right ââ   [TGT] said.
Some things never change: Despite limited action  the player known as âHammerâ still ranks among the leagueâs top 10 in blocked shots per game  average 2.5. Coyotes coach Rick Tocchet referenced that dependability when   [TGT] returned from his lengthy absence.