Return to Philly brings back sweet memories for Hawks

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Patrick Kane has scored a lot of goals in his career. But its that goal he scored in Philadelphia, that sharp-angled, how-did-that-go-in goal that still ranks higher than the rest.

Theres not one that compares, said Kane of that Game 6 Stanley Cup-winning goal. It was a fun time for us. It was great to be part of a team like that.

The Blackhawks wont have much time to think about past glories when they hit the Wells Fargo Center ice Thursday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, the first time theyve been back there since claiming the Cup in 2010. But for the past two days the Blackhawks have been remembering those great moments from a season and a half ago.

Jonathan Toews said it will hit him a few times in Philadelphia, from when he walks into the hotel to when he gets back on that ice.

Its been a long time, but just to be back well have some old stories we can tell, Toews said. Im sure the new guys are sick enough of hearing about all that stuff. Well just have a couple more days of it, I guess.

Toews said he recently downloaded Games 5 and 6 from that series and played them on the team plane, with teammates huddled around watching with him.

You know the outcome but it makes you nervous to watch, he said. A lot of those cool feelings come rushing back, everything from the celebration on the ice to everything in the locker room, too.

Even head coach Joel Quenneville got a big smile on his face when reliving Game 6.

What a moment. What a cigar, Quenneville said with a laugh. Everyone there will recapture the feeling, theyll all laugh about where they were, where they stood and recount those precious memories. At the same time theres the importance of (Thursdays) game.

And Thursdays game is important, as the Blackhawks try to come back from Mondays loss to the Edmonton Oilers. The Flyers, coming off their 3-2 loss to the New York Rangers in the Winter Classic, are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and will be looking to get going again on home ice.

The Blackhawks have had their moment in the sun. Theyll have their return moment in Philly on Thursday night. But once the puck drops, its about the present again.

Weve got some good memories there but at the same time, its a while ago now and weve all moved on, defenseman Duncan Keith said. We know that these are two different teams, its a regular-season game and we need two points.

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