Fans of the Chicago Blackhawks were stirred from their beds by a peculiar sound this morning. (Klinkhammer.) It was like the sound of a cold metal blade hitting a vast sheet of ice. (Klinkhammer!) It was like the sound of a the flat end of a wooden stick smacking a rubber puck. (KLINKHAMMER!) It was like the sound of a human body being slammed into a tall, plexiglass window. (KLINKHAMMER!!!) Yes, ladies and germs, the team has called up a player who may really have the greatest hockey name in history:
↵Robert Klinkhammer!
↵
With right wingers Marian Hossa placed on injured reserved retroactive to Nov. 29, Patrick Kane out "at least" three weeks with a left leg injury and Fernando Pisani battling an upper-body affliction, the team needs help. (Clearly, now is not a good time to be a right winger for the Chicago Blackhawks.) So forwards Jeremy Morin (who could probably make the drive between Rockford and Chicago blindfolded at this point) and Klinkhammer have been recalled from the Rockford IceHogs.
↵Klinkhammer was born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, and played three seasons with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League before moving on to the Seattle Thunderbirds, Portland Winter Hawks and Brandon Wheat Kings of that same league. For the 2007-09 season, he joined the Norfolk Admirals of the American Hockey League. Finally, in June 2009, the Blackhawks signed him as a prospect to an entry-level contract and sent him to the IceHogs.
↵A self-proclaimed "grinder" who Coach Q has called "a more responsible defensive player" than No. 1 pick Kyle Beach, Klinkhammer will take his place on the fourth line with Jake Dowell and John Scott. And that's quite a hard-hitting fourth line if we do say so ourselves.
↵The Blackhawks face off against the Dallas Stars tonight at the United Center at 7:30 Central.