Coach, GM sing praises about Hawks veteran 

Colorado Avalanche center Joe Sakic was the NHL's most valuable player last season, but this season, statistically speaking, Blackhawks center Alex Zhamnov is posting the same type of numbers.  

When the Hawks returned Thursday from a successful trip on which they played in four cities in six nights, only one NHL center, Michael York of the New York Rangers, had as many points as Zhamnov.  

Zhamnov has 37 points on 13 goals and 24 assists, while York has 15 goals and 22 assists. 
  
Right behind, with 36 points, are Sakic (14 goals and 22 assists) and Alexei Yashin of the New York Islanders (17, 19).  

In this instance the statistics tell only part of the story, according to Hawks general manager Mike Smith and coach Brian Sutter.  

"The people who keep saying that Alex isn't a first-line center don't know what they're talking about," Smith said. "They don't know anything about hockey. Alex does something that most of the first-line centers on the other teams don't do. Night in and night out his line is out there against the other team's top line.  

"Look at his numbers and look at what he's doing for us defensively. If he isn't a first-line center, who is?"  

Sutter credits the versatile Zhamnov, who moves from his center position to work at one of the points on the power play, for being the player who made the difference in both Friday's 3-1 triumph in Atlanta and Monday's 2-0 shutout in Detroit.  

"Pure and simple, Alex was the best skater on the ice and the best player on the ice in those two games," Sutter said. "He's a world-class player, and he showed why."  
And, after the Hawks escaped from Buffalo with a 6-5 victory in Wednesday's run-and-gun game, he said, "Every time Alex's line was on the ice, they were a threat."  

Zhamnov assisted on the game's first goal by his left wing, Kyle Calder. Both Zhamnov and right wing Tony Amonte assisted on the goal by defenseman Boris Mironov that gave the Hawks a 2-1 lead and Amonte contributed an assist to Calder's second goal of the game that tied the score 3-3.  

Zhamnov finished the trip with three goals and four assists.  

"More important is that our team did well," Zhamnov said. "It's a team game. Every team has skill players and good defensive players. If everything comes together, it makes for a good team. That's what is important."