Joel Quenneville

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Will Hawks' captain be accorded same honor for All-Star Game?
Jonathan Toews will find out early next week whether he will be one of the captains for the NHL All-Star Game, but in the meantime the Blackhawks center revealed his choices.
"Right now, I'd say go with the two leading scorers in the league — (Steven) Stamkos and (Sidney) Crosby," Toews said after the Hawks' practice Friday at the United Center. "There are a lot of different guys who can do it, guys who are captains on their own teams. The great thing about an All-Star game is that there are so many great players there, guys who have that respect and experience around the league."
Toews is considered a top candidate to be voted one of the two captains by the 42 players — including Hawks teammates [link widoczny dla zalogowanych],[link widoczny dla zalogowanych], Patrick Sharp and Duncan Keith — who have been selected to play in the Jan. 30 game in Raleigh, N.C. The captains then will have a draft to choose the sides for the contest.
"One way or another, whether you're a captain or not, it will be interesting for everybody," said Toews, who will make his second All-Star Game appearance after playing in the 2009 game in Montreal. "Maybe it's a safer bet to be captain so you don't risk the chance of getting picked last."
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If his peers select him, one thing certain is that he will want his team to play to win.
"I was disappointed we lost the game in Montreal," Toews said. "Me and [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] were on a line together with (the Ducks' Ryan Getzlaf and it seemed like Getzlaf was having a great time out there and we were getting scored on every other shift. I think going into the third period we were minus-4 or something. …
"I actually was getting a little anxious and a little worked up. I'm like, 'We have to do something here.' Finally, [link widoczny dla zalogowanych] and I got on the board in the third period and got things going a little bit. We want to get better start in this year's game, that's for sure."
Double dip: The Hawks will face the Predators in a home-and-home series this weekend, including Saturday night in Nashville. Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said the focus must be on the first game and not Sunday's rematch.
"Going into the first game you don't even want to think of (the second)," Quenneville said. "Things happen over the course of the game that could create a different appetite going into the next night. But preparing going into the first game, that's the game you want to win. You're focusing strictly on that game and maxing it out."
One-timers: Niklas Hjalmarsson sat out his second consecutive practice but Quenneville said the defenseman will play Saturday. … Predators defenseman Shane O'Brien will miss both contests after the NHL suspended him two games for a high-sticking incident Thursday night against the Panthers' Stephen Weiss.