In the end, Blackhawks had very little fight

Joel Quenneville was correct after Phoenix eliminated his team from the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Blackhawks’ head coach referred to Raffi Torres’ cheap shot to Marian Hossa’s head a series turning point. Yes it was, but not because the Hawks lost Hossa to a concussion.

It was because too many of their other stars were lost even while playing.

The Hawks’ response to Hossa’s exit was weak. They lost that game and then the next game, both at home, for a 3-1 series deficit that proved insurmountable.

Instead of being aroused by the abuse of Hossa, the Hawks were deflated. Instead of punishing the Coyotes back, they whined in public.

The Hawks weren’t inspired enough to bury point-blank shots into the Phoenix net. They weren’t inspired enough to be aware enough to shoot high when goalie Mike Smith dropped low. Most of all they weren’t inspired enough to take a head for a head.

I know, I know, it’s playoff hockey and unwise to wind up with guys in the penalty box. Hey, fellas, do what you have to do, then kill the penalty, and then win the freaking series.

This season’s Hawks were pushed around too much too often. They had team toughness but too little team nastiness, especially after Car Bomb Carcillo was subtracted by injury and John Scott was traded.

This place, of all places, should understand that dirty play is part of all the games these grown-up children play. Chicago isn’t a figure skating hockey town, you know; it’s a demolition-derby hockey town.

Heck, Bulls fans adored the menace named Dennis, Rodman that would be, when he wreaked havoc on the way to three NBA titles here. The Bears’ franchise was built upon a reputation for, one way or another, inflicting pain on opponents regardless of who won the game. Cubs pitching coach Chris Bosio recently won over local fans by expressing his philosophy to pitch inside, which just might mean an occasional opposing batter is battered.

Chicagoans like residing in a gritty, gutsy town, where nobody comes and messes with us, where we’re more hard hat than chapeau.

So, what happened after Torres launched himself off the ice, shoved a shoulder into Hossa’s head, and wasn’t penalized by nearby officials?

Not much more happened than too many Hawks sounding like they were surprised by developments, as if this were a cerebral game of chess instead of a violent game of hockey.

Isn’t the NHL generally played on edge at a million miles per hour and the edge inevitably blurred at that speed sometimes?

Torres’ hit on Hossa was inexcusable. The Coyotes’ excuses for their monster were inexcusable. The officials’ failure to whistle a penalty was inexcusable.

But you know what was really inexcusable? The Hawks were for not exacting revenge by beating up the Coyotes on the ice and beating them on the scoreboard.

When a Chicago sports team is done wrong, the response shouldn’t be complaining out loud. It should be fighting mayhem with mayhem.

It’s not like Phoenix’s physical presence is overpowering or its play overwhelming or its combination of the two intimidating.

As a lifelong follower of Chicago sports and admirer of local team manhood, to me last week’s sniffling outrage by the Hawks and around town was what really was outrageous.

Raffi Torres’ hit on Marian Hossa was a turning point, one that should have turned the series in the Blackhawks’ favor and didn’t.

mimrem@dailyherald.com