- Jeff Blashill said he doesn’t agree that the Blackhawks are soft after Paul Bissonnette ripped them on TNT
- Bissonnette called Chicago “pathetic,” “brutal” and “AHL-level” during the loss to Florida
- Read below for what Blashill and Connor Bedard said after the fourth straight loss
Jeff Blashill heard what Paul Bissonnette had to say about the Blackhawks. He doesn’t buy it.
The Chicago coach was asked after Wednesday’s 5-3 loss to the Panthers about the TNT analyst’s harsh criticism of his team. Blashill kept it respectful but made clear he disagrees.
“I like Biz. I respect Biz. I don’t agree with his opinion,” Blashill said. “I don’t think that we’re soft. I don’t think we’ve won enough games, that’s why we have the record we have. You put yourself in a position where you’re going to be criticized, and you have to accept that criticism.”
Watch Blashill’s full answer:
Blashill also took a small shot at the breakdown itself. “I’m sure Biz doesn’t break our tape down on a regular basis,” he said.
Bissonnette was on the NHL on TNT broadcast and didn’t hold back. He called the Blackhawks “pathetic” before the game, then got louder once Florida jumped ahead 2-0 in the first period.
“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 also used “brutal,” “Mickey Mouse,” “AHL-level” and “horrible” during the night, and said at one point he was “sick of watching this team play.”
Chicago fell to 4-11-1. It was the Blackhawks’ fourth loss in a row and seventh in their last eight games, and they still don’t have a road win.
Bedard was asked about Blashill after the game and went to bat for his coach.
Bedard said he knows personally how much better Blashill has made him as a player. He also said the team has to execute better for 60 minutes.
Blashill had already called out his own group after the game. He said “a few guys” played “at the end of their stick,” which we covered in our earlier post on the Blackhawks’ effort.
Bedard has 12 points in 10 games since returning from offseason shoulder surgery, and he logged 22:25 against Florida, the most of any Chicago forward.
