Jonathan Toews takes no satisfaction from the fact Canucks defenseman Willie Mitchell will miss the Western Conference semifinals because of a concussion.
The Blackhawks captain was sidelined six games during the regular season after a crunching open-ice hit from Mitchell on Oct. 21 caused a concussion.
"You kind of want to get revenge a little bit … when you play against the player who put you in that situation," Toews said. "There's definitely no hard feelings. I got a call from Willie Mitchell (after the hit), and he explained that he's had some trouble with concussions.
"I definitely appreciate when a player does something like that and shows the respect he has. He was just playing his game."
Mitchell was limited to 48 games this season and hasn't played since suffering a concussion Jan. 16 when the Penguins' Evgeni Malkin ran him into the boards.
"It's never easy for anybody to come back from an injury, especially a head injury," Toews said. "You definitely think twice before going into an area where you might get hit again or you might get injured again. Eventually that goes away, and you play the game again."
Waiting patiently: After sitting out all of April, Hawks goaltender Cristobal Huet said he's willing and able to play if called upon.
"I was thinking about it during the first series," said Huet, who hasn't played since a March 25 game against the Blue Jackets. "It's pretty easy to be ready for a playoff game if you have the opportunity to get in. The will is definitely there to help the team, so it might compensate a little bit for the timing and the stuff you pick up when you play more."
With Antti Niemi entrenched as the starter and coming off a strong effort against the Predators in the opening round, Huet is doing what he can to stay ready.
"It was fun winning the first round," he said. "I'm going to keep doing what I have to do to stay sharp. I try to challenge the guys in practice, and that's the best way to stay sharp."
Put ‘em up: There wasn't much rough play in the Predators series, but the Hawks believe that will change against the Canucks. The teams have a history of dislike toward one another, stemming from several incidents during the 2009 conference semis and the regular season.
"It'll be a lot different," defenseman Brian Campbell said. "Nashville wasn't the most physical series, but they don't play that way. They hound you, and they're always on top of you. They don't go out of their way to hit guys.
"This series, there will be bigger hits, more guys out of play here and there, and that's just a part of how teams play."
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