Morning Bag Skate: Hawks easily handle Wild; #TeemuForever

With the Ducks honoring Teemu Selanne on Sunday night with the Jets in Southern California, Hockey Twitter was rightfully ablaze in adoration, because #TeemuForever. I do have a bit of a bone to pick with the man, though (I am the .001 percent).

In 2009, 17-year-old Ryan sat a few rows up from the glass at a Hawks-Ducks game (Martin Havlat netted the OT winner). I got to the UC early, well in time for warmups. Teemu flipped pucks to each of the younger kids gathered near the glass next to the visitor's bench. After getting their souvenirs, the kids and their parents went back up to their seats, leaving me as the only one unable to drink alcohol in the general vicinity.

After a few more shots, the legend himself skated towards, eyes fixated on me, puck resting on his blade. "Woohoo," I thought to myself, "I've never gotten a puck or foul ball." But no, no, no, that's not how the story ends. One of the kids who already got a puck came back down, per his greedy grandfather's instructions, and yells to Teemu that he hasn't gotten a puck. Sure enough, Teemu flips the puck to the kid, hanging me out to dry. Bastards, all of 'em (I'm not bitter at all).

Ah, right. No one came here to read about my hard knock life.

To the news we go:

**The 'Hawks did just about everything right and won easily on Sunday. Isn't it nice to be able say that about a Chicago team on a Sunday? (SCH)

**Andrew Shaw apparently isn't Pierre McGuire's biggest fan, either. (SCH)

**Brandon Saad has been going to the net more often of late. Not coincidentally, he's also been scoring more often of late (CSN Chicago)

**My puck story be damned, #TeemuForever. The Ducks did a great job of honoring him Sunday night (Puck Daddy)

**Good news: Gordie Howe's health continues to improve (USA Today)

**These are the 2015 NHL All-Star Game sweaters. They are not visually appealing. (SCH)

**The Kings placed Tanner Pearson on IR with a fractured left fibula. Nick Shore has been recalled from the AHL to take his roster spot. (PHT)

**Bad news for the Winged Wheel: Jimmy Howard was placed on IR on Sunday, and is out at least through the rest of January. Something called Tom McCollum has been called up in his place. (Free Press)

**Jimmy Hayes might not be so bad after all, you guys. The former Hawk scored his thirteenth goal of the year as Uncle Dale's Panthers defeated the Oilers. (NHL.com)

**The Maple Leafs took a big step forward by firing coach Randy Carlyle recently (SB Nation)