Chicago coach on Hossa: “He seemed OK”

While it’s early on in the process, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Joel Quenneville provided a hopeful update regarding Marian Hossa‘s health following a controversial Jannik Hansen hit from Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout win against the Vancouver Canucks.

Here’s what he told CSN Chicago’s Tracey Myers:

“He seemed OK but we’ll know more tomorrow,” Quenneville said.

Another bright side: Quenneville said that the 34-year-old forward didn’t head to the hospital (at least immediately). Still, Quenneville also admitted that Hossa’s concussion history makes the situation a major concern.

As far as whether Hansen delivered a dirty hit, Quenneville avoided passing blame.

“Everybody saw it, everybody can have their own opinion,” Quenneville said. “I’ll let the people that do that stuff do their job.”

(Decide for yourself by watching the hit video here.)

Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews‘ take didn’t seem too vitriolic, but he did provided a more pointed observation to the Chicago Sun-Time’s Mark Lazerus.

“I don’t think there’s any doubt that there was contact to the head there,” Toews said. “We just hope that Hoss is going to be OK.”

The concern did put a damper on the team’s record-tying start, although said the team “should be proud of the achievement.”