Tikhonov's departure tough, but Blackhawks' Panarin adjusting

Former Blackhawk Viktor Tikhonov is now averaging more than 15 minutes per night with the Arizona Coyotes, who claimed him off waivers earlier this month. Associated Press

Blackhawks left wing Artemi Panarin (72) celebrates after scoring against the Edmonton Oilers on Dec. 17 in Chicago. In 35 games, Panarin is second in Hawks scoring with 31 points (10 goals, 21 assists). Associated Press

About two weeks ago, I approached Artemi Panarin in the Blackhawks locker room to ask what he thought about the team losing his good friend, Viktor Tikhonov, to the Coyotes.

Miming a tear coming down my face, I said something along the lines of, "Are you sad about Viktor?"

He didn't understand at first, but after asking him again his eyes lit up.

Nodding, the 24-year-old Russian said, "Yes."

That was the extent of that "interview" because Tikhonov -- whom Arizona claimed when the Hawks put him on waivers on Dec. 5 -- was no longer here to translate Panarin's Russian and reporters' English as he did during their time together in Chicago.

Artem Anisimov, another Russian, has not felt comfortable in that role, so interviewing Panarin was impossible until the Blackhawks hired a translator last week.

Surrounded by reporters after the Hawks beat Edmonton last Thursday, one of the first questions to Panarin was what he thought of Tikhonov no longer being on the team.

"(I) was really upset … was upset and shocked," Panarin said. "(I) tried to be positive. (I) understood that it's good for him to be playing there now."

Tikhonov, who had been a healthy scratch in 13 of his final 16 games with the Hawks, now has established a role with the Coyotes. He has averaged 15:10 minutes of ice time in five games and scored his first goal in the NHL since March 21, 2009 in a 7-5 loss to Columbus on Thursday.

Panarin's eyes lit up when told Tikhonov had scored.

"He's rooting for him and wishing he will do well there, too," said Panarin's translator, Stan Stiopkin.

Reached by phone last week, Tikhonov said Panarin was one of the first people he told about the transaction.

"We had a pretty good talk," Tikhonov said. "He was motivating me to keep my head up, keep working, tell me this is for the best.

"You know, I think he was right. I kind of stayed positive, got picked up by the Coyotes and things are starting to look up."

Tikhonov and Panarin have been tight since they met playing for SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League in 2012. They signed with the Blackhawks within two months of each other (Panarin in late April and Tikhonov on July 1) and their locker stalls were next to each other from Day 1.

Now, except for soft-spoken Anisimov, Panarin doesn't have any other Russian-speaking teammates.

Tikhonov, though, isn't worried about his friend.

"Just knowing him, he'll be absolutely fine," Tikhonov said. "I know that first month or two is always a tough period, coming to a new place. … But he's already doing everything by himself now -- living by himself. … He was already feeling a lot at home and talking to guys."

As for Tikhonov, he's happy for the chance to get consistent playing time, even though he'd hoped that chance would have come with the Blackhawks. The transition was also made easier for his family (Tikhonov has a 3-year-old and his wife is seven months pregnant with their second child) because Arizona is the team that drafted him in 2008.

"It's not like you're usual first days of school where you're coming in and know nothing," Tikhonov said. "(I'm) kind of already (feeling) a little bit at home. It definitely made it a lot easier."

Still, Tikhonov said it was difficult leaving the Hawks and the "awesome characters in the locker room."

He wrote a group text to his ex-teammates, wishing them well. The response is one Blackhawks fans have come to expect from a team led by Jonathan Toews.

"Literally every single person answered. It was really nice," Tikhonov said. "There's a lot of stand-up guys in that room and I'm glad I had some time to learn from them."