By Mark Lazarus (The Athletic)
Practice, practically speaking, ended 10 or 15 minutes earlier, but Derek King was still out there on the ice, feeding one-timers to wingers. It was an optional skate at the Honda Center in Anaheim, and Arvid Söderblom — the only goaltender who took the ice — already was back in the locker room, so the Blackhawks were using a very basic “shooter tutor,” a simple mesh net that filled up most of the goal, with small openings along the top shelf, two more below where the goalie’s glove and blocker would be, and a five-hole slot.
The Blackhawks — well, the third- and fourth-liners who didn’t choose to take the option that afternoon — kept drawing iron or hitting the net. They were making this thing look like Tony Esposito. So King — a 40-goal scorer 30 years ago — called for the puck himself, and promptly tucked it into the top-left corner on the first try. The players cheered, and King smiled broadly as he swung around the net, very much in his element.
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