For the first time in almost two decades, the Chicago Blackhawks opened a training camp that did not include franchise icons Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews.
Admittedly, it was a little weird.
"It feels different," Connor Murphy said. "Those guys have been such a staple here in this city for so long and it was such a normal to come to the rink and see Kane and Toews and watch them and follow them and try to play off of their leadership, whether it's off the ice and how they set the tone for us and habits we have or whether it's on the ice and trying to play and complement their strengths and them leading wins and getting goals at the big times."
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Murphy is entering his seventh season with the Blackhawks, and he only knows a Chicago team that had Kane and Toews on it. It will probably take some time getting used to not seeing them around.
"You build strong friendships and those are guys you get to know and I think just on your down times or ups and downs in the season, they're guys that you have deep talks with and learn off each other," Murphy said. "Any time you get to play with Hall of Famers, it's just a blessing every day. They're definitely missed by everyone."
At the same time, Murphy is excited about the thought of a new era, which will be led by No. 1 overall pick Connor Bedard. It's an opportunity to build something special from the ground level.
"It's a cool thing, a transition to have a couple of young players coming in now that are really strong and it gives you, I guess, a little bit of that taste of what it was like years ago when Toews and Kane were coming in as young guys," Murphy said. "It's just fun to see new faces and to have that excitement and hope that everyone has that talent and potential to create something big."
