Ian Cole & His 1000 Career Games Can Help Blackhawks Continue To Grow

The Chicago Blackhawks were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens at the United Center on Friday night. Outside of Connor Bedard’s first-period goal that gave Chicago a 1-0 lead, the game was an overall disaster for Chicago. 

Whether it was zone entries, breaking the puck out of the defensive zone, or refraining from giving up short-handed chances, the Blackhawks were as lousy as they’ve been at any point in the young season. 

At 3-7-0, they don’t have any answers, but they're looking to figure it out. It won’t happen overnight, but talent must meet the work ethic and commitment to consistently getting better. Sometimes, veteran leadership must lead the way for that to happen. 

Connor Bedard is a wonderful young captain, and Anton Frondell, Frank Nazar, and others will make great leaders over time. However, veteran players with big-game experience can go a long way in these situations. 

One player in Chicago’s locker room who can speak to that is defenseman Ian Cole. On Friday night, Cole played in the 1000th game of his accomplished NHL career. 

Cole has now suited up for 10 games with the Blackhawks, but he's spent most of his career moving around the league. Cole has also played for the St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild, Carolina Hurricanes, Tampa Bay Lightning, Vancouver Canucks, and Utah Mammoth. 

There have been many deep playoff runs, and two of them ended with a Stanley Cup. He has also been on a few losing teams, including his current situation in Chicago. Understanding both ends of the spectrum makes him a valuable piece on the current team. 

"I've been very fortunate to be on good teams," Cole said after his 1000th game. "There are many things that make them good, but consistency is number one. We were consistently doing the right things, completing plays, continuing to push the pace both as a team and individually. We need to find that. In the first 10 minutes, we'll look really good, and then it doesn't carry through the full 60. We need to find a level of consistency in our game to win hockey games. If we don't find that, it's going to be tough."

Cole talked about having those conversations with the team ahead of the next practice. He hasn't been with the organization for very long, but his 1000 games of NHL experience plus many playoff/Stanley Cup Final games should allow his voice to speak loudly. 

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