Episode 112 - Continuing to Build - Jeff Blashill - Sept. 10, 2026

The last decade has not been kind to the Chicago Blackhawks. After winning the Stanley Cup in 2015, the franchise has not won a playoff series and has missed the post-season eight times in the last nine campaigns including six in a row.

Progress often comes in small steps and for head coach Jeff Blashill, there may be more reason for optimism than meets the eye. Noted for his work developing young players, Blashill enters his second season behind the Chicago bench with the youngest team in the NHL enhanced by some veteran acquisitions over the summer.

The show will also pay tribute to long-time ESPN analyst Barry Melrose, who passed away Thursday after battling Parkinson's Disease for the last three years, and we'll close the show looking back 25 years and how the hockey community was directly rocked by the 9/11 attacks.

IN THIS EPISODE:

[01:39] - Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill joins the show opening with memories of Barry Melrose.

[04:31] - After suffering a shoulder injury while training in July, star forward Connor Bedard is back on the ice, possibly a bit ahead of his rehab schedule.

[06:06] - From the inside, the experience of coaching Bedard.

[09:31] - The overarching view of the Blackhawks roster this season compared to last, a true mix of youth and experience for one of the NHL's youngest teams.

[12:54] - The expected trajectory for forward Frank Nazar, who signed an eye-opening contract a year ago which is kicking in this season.

[14:40] - Having coached Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk in Detroit and being an assistant in a Tampa Bay lineup with Nikita Kucherov, the benefits gained with Patrick Kane coming to Chicago for a second stint.

[17:20] - Speaking from experience, Blashill expects Kane to have an influence on Bedard in Chicago comparable to Zetterberg and Datsyuk on Dylan Larkin in Detroit.

[19:09] - With former captain Nick Foligno in Minnesota, where Blashill will be looking to for leadership.