Oct. 07--In early September, Blackhawks winger Ryan Garbutt and defenseman Trevor Daley attended a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
The two were getting acclimated to their new city after coming over in the trade that sent Patrick Sharp to Dallas.
"It was really hot," Daley said. "It felt just like Dallas."
But in many ways Chicago has a different feel for the pair. Sitting at Wrigley that day and feeling the love the city has for the Hawks, Daley and Garbutt said they realized they stepped into a unique sports culture in Chicago, one they are happy to join.
The two will show Chicago what they have to offer beginning Wednesday night, when both make their debuts in the season opener against the Rangers at the United Center.
"It's a vibrant city," Garbutt said. "You've got the Cubs right now, the Blackhawks have been winning a lot, seems like a lot of good things happening right now. It's going to be cool playing in the United Center, pretty awesome to call it a home rink.
"Dallas definitely loved their hockey, but it's a football city. Chicago seems like it's a hockey mecca right now and it's pretty fun to be a part of."
The Hawks are going to need both to step up if they want to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. For Daley, who is known as an offensive-minded defenseman, that means keeping up his production, which included a career-high 16 goals last season while improving his defense. Daley's Corsi For percentage, a metric that approximates puck control, was 45.9 percent, according to war-on-ice.com. By comparison, the Hawks' top four defensemen from last season all had a number above 50 percent, including Johnny Oduya, the player Daley is ostensibly replacing.
So far, Daley said the move has gone about as smooth as he could have hoped.
"Right when you get to a city, you have 20 new friends," Daley said. "The guys are great, so my concerns were making sure my family got accustomed to the city and kids are happy at school, but these guys have made the transition so easy from the management to the off-ice crew helping you out with everything."
Garbutt, meanwhile, is looking to rebound from a rough season in which he scored just eight goals in 67 games.
He is a bottom-line winger who can agitate opponents a la Andrew Shaw and Andrew Desjardins. Garbutt has shown speed that could fit the Hawks' style of play.
But if both have a goal heading into the season, it's to make sure they contribute enough for another Stanley Cup and keep the good vibes going in Chicago.
"That's what Trevor and I talk about and we just want to do anything we can to be a part of it," Garbutt said. "It's definitely not going to come easy. Just because they've done it before doesn't mean they're going to do it again."
chine@tribpub.com
