Feb. 20--During his two seasons in Sweden, Kyle Cumiskey couldn't walk around the town of Ornskoldsvik without someone recognizing him.
"I was playing in a little town with 30,000 people, and all there's really to do there is hockey," Cumiskey said. "It was a little bit different than here. It was a great experience. The people are really nice."
Nowadays, Cumiskey strolls around Chicago -- and through the Blackhawks' dressing room -- with nary a glance thrown the veteran defenseman's way. And that's fine with the soft-spoken and low-key Cumiskey, who isn't big on being in the spotlight.
"No, I'd prefer not to be, definitely," Cumiskey said with a slight grin.
Cumiskey is trying to catch the eye of the Hawks' hierarchy as it continues to search for a viable option as a sixth defenseman. The 28-year-old is getting his chance during his second stint in the NHL. Cumiskey's play could determine whether the Hawks seek a defenseman at the trade deadline or settle on him or David Rundblad for the stretch run of the regular season and the playoffs.
"Right now we're evaluating him," coach Joel Quenneville said.
In three games since being recalled from Rockford on Feb. 12, the puck-moving Cumiskey has drawn favorable reviews.
"I like him," Quenneville said. "He skates, kills plays and has a good gap."
Cumiskey is relishing every second of being back in the NHL. A seventh-round draft pick (222nd overall) of the Avalanche in 2005, Cumiskey had nine goals and 26 assists in 132 games over parts of five seasons with Colorado. After the 2010-11 season, during which he appeared in only 18 games with the Avs, Cumiskey was traded to the Ducks and spent one season in the AHL before heading to Europe.
In two seasons with Modo Hockey in Ornskoldsvik, he regained his confidence and mulled over offers from several NHL teams before settling on a one-year, $600,000 deal with the Hawks on July 2.
"Part of going over (to Europe) was getting my confidence back," Cumiskey said. "My last year in North America I lost a bit of it, and I was a bit down on myself. It was a good thing to go there and feel better about my game.
"I thought I'd go over there for a year or two, and if I got a good offer and interest from some NHL teams, maybe some good will come of it. I accomplished what I wanted. I got some good offers from some teams and obviously a good one from Chicago.
"I'm a bit older now than I was my first time around. You really appreciate it. It's a big opportunity for me, so I'm just going to try to take it slow and make the most of it."
His story will come full circle as Cumiskey is expected to be in the lineup when the Hawks face the Avs on Friday night at the United Center.
"I'm looking at it like any other game," he said. "I'm worrying about my own game and trying to do what I can to increase my chances of sticking up here. I'm thrilled, really excited to be here. It's hard to believe when I wake up that I'm here, so I'm just taking it all in."
ckuc@tribpub.com
