Blackhawks at a glance
	Camp schedule: Sept. 11: The Edge (Bensenville, Ill.) Coach: Brian Sutter (1st season) General manager: Mike Smith (2nd season)

To paraphrase the late Jim Croce: "On the south side of the Chicago, the baddest team in town ..."

That'd be the Hawks, whose season-ticket base has dropped to below 5,000, unheard for an Original Six entry. And now with a reconciliation with captain Tony Amonte becoming less and less of a possibility, there's a risk of the public dissatisfaction with the product deteriorating even further.

From all reports, Amonte is asking for Owen Nolan-Brendan Shanahan type money, around $8 million a season, while the Hawks are making a $4.5-$5 million counteroffer. The gap, given Chicago's hard-line stance with other stars such as Jeremy Roenick and Ed Belfour, seems all but unresolvable. Amonte seems destined to be dealt by the March trading deadline.

In Brian Sutter, he of the jaw so set you could strike a match on it, the Hawks' have at least hired a Chicago-esque, blue-collar, in-your-face type coach. And he does have a modicum of talent to work with, most importantly two scoring lines -- Alex Zhamnov-Eric Daze-Amonte and Michael Nylander-Steve Sullivan-Steve Thomas.

After that ...

Boris bad-enough: Maybe Sutter's just the man to light a bunson burner under Boris Mironov's derriere (and while he's at it, save some kerosene for Zhamnov). Absolutely horrendous again last year, the $3.2 million defenseman has become a bit of a joke around the league -- 22 points and a minus-14 last season. So much ability, so little to show for it.

Someone mind the store, please!: Chicago's goals-against average was the worst in the Western Conference -- 2.96 -- against some pretty leaky competition. Goaltender Jocelyn Thibault saw (or didn't see) far too many difficult shots, making a read on his performance almost impossible. The Hawks defense is far too mild-mannered, and the hope is that newcomer Jon Klemm can make a difference.

Home disadvantage: In the good old days at the now-levelled Stadium, the Hawks were masters of their domain. Heck, the building scared the beejeepers out of most any team entering it. Well, the United Center has become the United Way, a charitable institution for teams in need of two points. The Hawks were dead last in the West at home, going 14-21-4-2. The Amityville Horror house was warmer to its occupants. No wonder nobody goes to the games anymore.

Blackhawks 2001-02 preseason schedule
Date	Opponent	Time
Sat., Sept. 15	at Nashville	Canceled*
Sun., Sept. 16	Dallas	Canceled^
Mon., Sept. 17	Dallas	7:30 p.m.
Tue., Sept. 18	at Dallas	8:30 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 19	St. Louis	8:30 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 21	at Detroit	7:30 p.m.
Sun., Sept. 23	at Nashville	5 p.m.
Wed., Sept. 26	at St. Louis	8 p.m.
Fri., Sept. 28	Detroit	8:30 p.m.
Sat., Sept. 29	Nashville	8 p.m.
*Rescheduled for Sept. 23 ^Rescheduled for Sept. 17