ESPN NHL

Chicago hasn't won in the past 12 games (0-8-1-3), averages a league-worst 1.88 goals per game, is missing its three best players and has seven rookies on its roster, yet general manager Bob Pulford wants to reassure Blackhawks fans that the team isn't as bad as it looks.

"To a fan, I know it's hard to swallow," Pulford told Chicago media, including the Arlington Daily Herald, Thursday. "But that's where we are. Maybe it's going to take a year.

"It's hard when you lose not to be annoyed, but I always felt when I coached that if you got the effort, that's all you can ask for. We're getting the effort. We've lost a lot of one-goal games and we've lost in overtime. This team is not as bad as its (6-13-4-3) record."

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