Blackhawks coach Luke Richardson talks about Kevin Korchinski rejoining the team after his father’s death
Presented by Nationwide Insurance Agent Jeff Vukovich
Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Kevin Korchinski rejoined the team on Tuesday morning after he was away for almost two weeks while dealing with a family matter. His father, Larry, died last week, and the entire team flew to Saskatoon to attend the funeral.
It gave everybody inside the locker room a lift when Korchinski surprisingly showed up to the morning skate.
"I don't know if anyone knew he was coming back, so I think it was a big uplifting thing to be able to see him," Tyler Johnson said. "I mean, he's family. He's our brother. We missed him. Obviously it's been extremely hard with what's gone on, but for him to be back, I think everyone got excited. Just to see him on the ice and have a smile on his face means the world to us."
Korchinski seemed to be in good spirits. His smile on the ice was noticeable as he interacted with his teammates during the morning skate.
"It's awesome to have him here," Connor Bedard said. "Obviously it's been a tough situation for him and his family. He's part of our family, he's one of our brothers. ... I think it's going to be good for him being back in the team environment. Really happy to have him back."
Chicago Blackhawks
Korchinski will not play on Tuesday, which isn't a surprise. The Blackhawks want him to get back up to game speed before he re-enters the lineup. The weekend is looking more likely at this point.
Nevertheless, to have Korchinski back around the team gave everyone a bit of a boost on Tuesday.
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"It was great to see him," Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson said. "Guys really responded well with having him back in the dressing room. He had a big smile on his face this morning.
"It was good to see him out on the ice. He hasn't skated much obviously, just once when he was at home, so we're just going to let him have a couple practices and see where he's at and let him tell us when he's ready to go."
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