AHL: QA with Michael Blunden

After suffering a season-ending shoulder injury in December last season, Chicago Blackhawks prospect, right-winger Michael Blunden, is working hard to get back to the NHL, where he played nine games in 2006-07 after playing only a few games in the AHL. Moving with all other Blackhawks' prospects from Norfolk to Rockford, Blunden is trying to regain the scoring touch he showed his final season with the Erie Otters. McKeen's recently had the opportunity to chat with Blunden prior to the AHL All-Star Break and discussed the first half of 2007-08, coming back from a major shoulder injury, playing for Team Canada at the 2006 World Junior Championships, his time with Erie, and the example of Captain Canuck.

McKeen's: You were on a little bit of a scoreless streak for a little while, but you really turned it around tonight with a goal and two assists, and you even took a stick to the face, so maybe there was some karma in the form of points for taking that stick. But, what was happening during that pointless streak?

Blunden: Yeah, it just wasn't going my way. I was averaging six to eight shots a game and had really good, quality chances. "Havvy" (Rockford head coach Mike Haviland) just said, "Just keep going, don't worry about, and just keep going. I'd be worried if you weren't getting the chances." Tonight, I got lucky. It went off my foot and I got to play with two great players, "Fras" (Colin Fraser) and "Konti," (Petri Kontiola) and we hooked up a lot tonight. It was good.

McKeen's: Speaking of good, you started with 11 goals and 13 assists in your first 36 games. What were some of the things that helped you get off to a pretty decent start?

Blunden: I worked really hard this summer, especially missing last year with my shoulder surgery. I was on the ice every day this summer. I wanted to come back and be in tip-top shape and be ready to go right from the start. I was fortunate enough at the start of the year to play with "Saintsy" and [Kris] Versteeg, and we kind of changed up the lines and I was playing with "Konti" and with [Colin] Fraser, and we've been real well, we just haven't been scoring. Tonight was our lucky break.

McKeen's: You also earned a quick one-game stint with Chicago, after Christmas. What were the circumstances of that recall and how did that go for you?

Blunden: Yeah, they had a couple injuries there the game before, right before Christmas, the last game there. I got the call Christmas Eve, so it was a great Christmas present. It was just a short stay, too bad, but I'm back down here and we've got a great hockey team. We're working real hard and we're in a tough division, a lot of great teams. Iowa, even though they're at the bottom, they're still a hard-working team, a good team, and they can be up there. We have to come ready to play every night.

McKeen's: The shoulder injury last year, December 10, was pretty big. Tell me about the injury, how it happened, and the rehab process, and maybe what you still have to do for it.

Blunden: It was in Binghamton and I got hit from behind. I put my arm up to protect myself and I was going in pretty hard and my arm just jerked back and popped out. I tore inside my labrum and I had surgery right before the New Year. It's just a long process. They had to tighten everything up, had to break it apart, and I was out for six months. The first two or three months I did nothing except try and get my motion back in my shoulder. After that, you're still weak. I just tried to build up my strength over the summer and started skating and trying to get back into tip-top shape.

McKeen's: Are there times when that still bothers you at all?

Blunden: Yeah, there's times if I don't get it worked on, I have scar tissue inside, it builds up. So, I've got to keep it loose, but we've got a great training staff who've kept me healthy and kept me to where I'm able to keep going.

McKeen's: Is that the sort of thing where, maybe, in a subsequent summer you might get the scar tissue cleaned out or is the plan to leave it alone for now?

Blunden: Yeah, just leave it alone. When I got the surgery done, they said it'd be a two-year process until I would be able to do everything. There's still certain things I can't do. It was tough, especially finding and getting shoulder surgery, I thought it'd be two or three months. I had back surgery in 2004 and that was six months. I definitely didn't think my shoulder surgery would be that long. Once I heard six months, it was kind of heartbreaking, and that I'd miss the rest of the season.

McKeen's: Obviously, that had to create a lot of frustration, because last year you had that nine-game stint up in Chicago fairly early on, for a rookie. How did that stint go for you?

Blunden: It was unbelievable. I had a great training camp. I got sent down, they told me I was going to be down for a while, and I only end up playing five AHL games and they called me right up. I was up for a month and a half, and it was the best time of my life. I had a great time. Unfortunately, I get sent down and then two weeks later, that's when I hurt my shoulder, was two weeks later. It was discouraging, but it's part of hockey and you've just got to keep going.

McKeen's: Last year when they sent you down, what were some of the things that they wanted you to improve upon and then perhaps also this year, if there are things that have changed in that?

Blunden: Yeah, they just want me to get my scoring touch like I had in junior. My last year in juniors, I scored 46 goals. They definitely don't want me scoring 46 goals, but they like me to work hard and chip in and try to get 20, 25 (goals) and just work on my roles and especially trying to become a penalty killer down here. Our assistant coach, Ted Dent, has helped me a lot in trying to bring an all-around game.

McKeen's: What do you feel are some of the strengths of your game?

Blunden: Working down low in the corners. That's my strength, and along the walls, and then just taking the puck to the net and using my speed.

McKeen's: As a 19-year-old, you were one of five players invited to the World Championship training camp for Team Canada. Tell me about that experience and about the other four guys that went with you.

Blunden: That was unbelievable. I came to Norfolk at the end of the season because we didn't make playoffs. Then, we got knocked out in the first round in four straight, went home, and I got a call from Cliff Fletcher, saying that they wanted me to go and we'll see what happens and "we need some players" and stuff like that. There were four others from the World Junior team, which we won in Vancouver, and it was a great experience for us. It was over, I can't remember where, I think it was Belarus. It was a great time. I got to go over, hang out with [Sidney] Crosby, Brad Boyes, everyone. It was just a great time and a great experience. I definitely learned a lot and took it back over the summer and tried to bring it to the next season.

McKeen's: Who were the other four that they took with?

Blunden: Kyle Chipchura, Guillaume Latendresse, Kris Letang, and I'm trying to think who the last guy is. I can't even remember. That was so long ago (chuckles).

McKeen's: Probably somebody pretty good, obviously.

Blunden: Yeah. [Note: the fifth player was goaltender Justin Pogge.]

McKeen's: We touched on this a little bit, you had that 46-goal season, which is an Erie record. Tell me about that last season and some of the parts of your game that developed the most in major juniors.

Blunden: Yeah, definitely, before that, the most I'd scored was 22 goals, and so that was the biggest thing for me that year, was I developed a scoring touch. I was pretty happy, but it was a disappointing season, we didn't make playoffs, and it was a tough year. It was up and down. But, with my season, I was pretty happy. I wanted to go back and improve my offensive skills and everything like that. I ended up having a great year and boosted my confidence and just trying to realize how to become a more consistent player, because the biggest thing in pro hockey, so far that I've learned, is consistency. It's being able to show up every night to play.

McKeen's: We've touched on this a bit too, but you won the gold at the World Junior Championships in Vancouver. What was that experience like?

Blunden: It was the time of my life. I'll never forget that. I was in Vancouver for a month and a half. Playing those games in front of 20,000 people, you can't even hear the coach say which line is up next. You've got shivers going down your body and everything like that, and everyone cheering, "Go Canada. Go!" It was just unbelievable, an experience I'll never forget, especially with the situation we were put in. We weren't picked the favorites, we were picked to finish fourth. They didn't think we had a real offensive team, but with [Brent] Sutter, we had a hard-working team and we found ways to win and we brought it home.

McKeen's: Tell me about your role with that team.

Blunden: My role was, actually, I kind of played a scoring role and kind of a grinder-type player. Sutter wanted me to go out and crash and bang and create some room. I played with Jonathan Toews, and so I was kind of out there with him and created some room for him. It was a great experience. We had a lot of fun, we did a good thing, and I played on the powerplay in front of the net and it worked out well.

McKeen's: That probably won't be the last time you play with Toews.

Blunden: (Chuckles)

McKeen's: Tell me about Draft Day 2005, what that was like for you and some of the things the Blackhawks told you that first day.

Blunden: Yeah, it was kind of a disappointing draft, because it wasn't the same kind of draft. Everything was during the lockout there and everything like that, but I was still able to go, because it was in my hometown of Ottawa. I was excited to get drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks. They were real happy to have me. I had a tough year the year before and so… (pauses), but Chicago still liked me. They were quite pleased to draft me and I was very happy to come into Chicago, to a great organization.

McKeen's: Lastly, who was your favorite player growing up and why?

Blunden: Trevor Linden. He played with a little grit and he was able to score and back when, he still plays for the Canucks now, but when he was in the old Canucks jersey and everything like that, I used to watch him play all the time.