For Steve Larmer, Blackhawks Hall of Fame induction is enough acknowledgement

When the Blackhawks first informed Steve Larmer he had been selected to join their inaugural Hall of Fame class, his reaction was twofold.

“It was a great honor,” Larmer said Friday. “My first question was, ‘Do I have to speak?’”

He has never sought out or enjoyed attention, even though his terrific Hawks career from 1982 to 1993 certainly earned him plenty of it. The Ontario native and 1983 Calder Trophy winner still ranks fourth in franchise record books with 406 goals and fifth with 923 points.

He ended up writing and delivering a stellar speech, though, easily garnering the most laughs of anyone during the Hawks’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony Friday. Even if he prefers not to show his personality publicly, he clearly has one — as well as a right-amount-of-dry sense of humor.

“To younger players coming up … don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself,” he told the crowd. “I laughed at myself a lot, because I made a lot of mistakes.”

Many fans have long campaigned for Larmer’s number, No. 28, to be retired by the franchise. As the years pass, that seems increasingly unlikely.

His Hall of Fame recognition can probably be viewed as compromise. The Hawks found a way to properly acknowledge him without taking another number out of circulation — there is a finite number of them, after all. It doesn’t seem like something Larmer is actively thinking about.

“You play the game, it’s a fun game to play, and if you’re lucky enough to be good enough to get to this level, it’s great,” he added. “Most of my memories aren’t really about hockey games but about the relationships and teammates that you had, and the good days and the bad days that you all go through together. You’re there to support each other.”

One pull

Only once all season has Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill pulled a goalie mid-game. That was during the Hawks’ 7-3 loss to the Penguins on Dec. 28.

Not even during the 7-2 loss Thursday against the Hurricanes — a game the Hawks trailed 4-1 at the second intermission — did Blashill opt to take out starter Spencer Knight, who finished the game with a .682 save percentage.

That’s a strange fact, given how many games the 31st-place Hawks have lost. The Canucks and Flames, the 32nd- and 30th-placed teams, have each made seven in-game goalie changes. (The Hawks have technically made two, but one was out of necessity when a lace that attached Knight’s pad to his skate broke during the second period April 2 in Edmonton.)

Blashill insisted he’s not reluctant to make goalie changes but isn’t “a big believer in doing just to do it.”

“[It] just hasn’t been the situation I felt it was the right move,” Blashill said. “It’s not a reluctancy at all. Sometimes if you know early that a goalie doesn’t have it, per se, that’s the time to pull, potentially. But I didn’t think we played good enough to make that determination.”

Vlasic nominated

Alex Vlasic is the Blackhawks’ nominee this year for the King Clancy Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL player who “best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a significant humanitarian contribution to his community.” Connor Murphy had been the Hawks’ nominee the last five consecutive years.

“Ultimately we’re judged on the impact we have on the people around us, and [Vlasic] has a great impact on everybody he comes in contact with because of who he is,” Blashill said.