The Chicago Blackhawks officially opened their 2016-17 season Wednesday, more or less. The team kicked off its preseason slate with an unexciting 2-0 loss to the defending Stanley Cup-champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
After Jim Cornelison did his usual goosebump-inducing job with the national anthem, the United Center crowd was dead almost all night. About the only thing that got a rise out of those in attendance, sadly, was an early fight between Jordin Tootoo and Tom Sestito.
Still, some good and bad things happened in this game for the Blackhawks. It certainly wasn’t all terrible, if you were looking beyond the scoreboard.