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The Chicago Blackhawks took on the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday. The game was noteworthy as it marked the first time Connor Bedard played in his hometown as an NHL player. However, it also caught headlines as the Blackhawks surprisingly benched Taylor Hall. As it turns out, fans were not the only ones caught off guard by the move.
ACL surgery limited Hall to 10 games in 2023-24. This year, he played 17 games before his benching, scoring two goals and six points. Head coach Luke Richardson decided to sit the former Hart Trophy winner against the Canucks on Saturday. Vancouver went on to win by a score of 4-1.
Hall spoke with reporters about the situation on Monday. And he revealed that he was not expecting the move. The veteran forward said he did not have much in the way of prior warning before being named a healthy scratch.
“I was surprised. It was unexpected, from the standpoint of I just didn't know I was even close to being in that spot, really,” Hall said Monday, via ESPN. “If there were some conversations in the days leading up about my game, or if I was constantly being shown video, that would be one thing. So I was a bit surprised.”
Blackhawks' Luke Richardson gives his side of Taylor Hall situation
The Blackhawks are trying to find some sort of spark. Chicago has lost four of their last five games and are treading in the wrong direction. Captain Nick Foligno even called out his teammates following a recent loss to the Seattle Kraken. However, they want to try to be more competitive on the ice.
Richardson defended his move to bench Taylor Hall after losing to the Canucks. He mentioned that he felt the veteran winger was getting frustrated. The Blackhawks bench boss wanted Hall to take a step back and reset. In saying this, he did admit he could have handled the situation a bit differently.
“Sometimes you give veterans a little bit more of a grace period,” he said, via ESPN. “For me to communicate with him, I need to get to know the player more, to see how they like to handle that. We talked lots during and after, but maybe it needs to be more before [the scratch].”
In the end, there are no hard feelings. Hall certainly wishes there was more communication prior to the benching. But in the end, he is looking to get back on the ice and help his team any way he can.
“We communicated. It wasn't anything argumentative. He thought it was best for me to reset, so that's what I'm going to do,” Hall said, via ESPN. “I'm not immune to Coach or immune to being held accountable. I just want to play better and be better for our team.”
