Nick Schmaltz isn’t the chirping type. He’s quiet off the ice and even quieter on the ice, preferring to let his considerable skill do the talking for him.
But that might change Wednesday night at Scottrade Center when he lines up for a faceoff and sees his older brother, Blues defenseman Jordan Schmaltz, on the other side looking back at him.
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“Maybe a little bit,” Nick said with a grin. “But nothing crazy.”
With Jordan Schmaltz expected to return from an upper-body injury in time for the home-and-home series with the Blackhawks, the brothers are poised to face each other for the first time in their NHL careers. After spending the bulk of the last two seasons as a Chicago Wolves stalwart, Jordan Schmaltz has had his longest look yet with the big club, playing in nine games since late February before getting hurt March 30 at Vegas.
The two games are massive for the Blues, who are fighting for the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Hawks, meanwhile, have made it their mission to keep their archrivals out of the playoffs. Well, everyone but Nick. He’s hoping for a happy middle ground where he gets bragging rights, but his brother still gets to play in the postseason for the first time.
“Hopefully we win both, but the [Avalanche and Ducks] lose all their games or something,” Nick Schmaltz said.
Jordan is a little more ruthless.
“These are big games,” he said. “We need all we can right now. No better person to beat than your little brother.”
The brothers planned to have dinner together Tuesday night, and their parents are coming down from Madison, Wisconsin, for the game. It won’t be the first time a Hawks game has pitted brother against brother. Trevor and James van Riemsdyk squared off twice during Hawks-Leafs games during Trevor’s three-year stint in Chicago. The Schmaltzes actually played each other three times in less than a month during Nick’s brief stay in Rockford last season, but Nick spent more than two minutes talking about how this would be the first time they’ve faced each other before recalling that fact.
This one figures to be a little more memorable.
Coach Joel Quenneville said he won’t make any concerted effort to match the two Schmaltzes up together or keep them apart.
“You don’t use them any differently,” he said. “It’s kind of like a former teammate going up against his buddy or roommate. All of a sudden, you’re playing against him. You’re probably smiling lined up at the faceoff circle or whatever. There’s an awareness when you’re out there in those situations. You wish him the best, but not that much.”
Nick Schmaltz said it’ll be “weird” to see Jordan out there, but an opponent’s an opponent.
“During the play, you don’t really notice who you’re going against too much,” he said. “You’re just playing hockey. But in between whistles and stuff, I’m sure it’ll be odd to see him out there and have a few laughs.”
