Pulford Back At The Reins In Chicago

Business as usual for the Blackhawks, as Bob Pulford takes over as general manager again. Pulford fired GM Mike Smith yesterday. Irreconcilable differences between Smith and head coach Brian Sutter were cited as the reason. But everyone shares the blame for Chicago's poor start. As expected, this season's Blackhawks are too young, too small, and simply not very good. The Chicago Sun-Times reports that the search for a new permanent GM will likely focus on Dean Lombardi, who happens to be Pulford's son-in-law. That puts Lombardi in an awkward situation. What if he doesn't want the job? "Thanks for the offer, Pops. But I'm not dumb enough to walk into the stinking rat's nest you and the wacky Wirtz family have created over there."