Brett Connolly eager to make impression for Blackhawks vs. Capitals

Veteran Brett Connolly anticipated beginning the season with the Chicago Blackhawks.

Instead, the club assigned him to its American Hockey League affiliate in Rockford, Ill.

While it might have been easy to be pig-headed -- a Stanley Cup winner re-acclimating to life in the minors as an IceHog-- Connolly chose not to sulk. He hopes the Blackhawks noticed that work ethic as he prepares for his season debut against one of