Fuck the Circus

I remember last year when the circus trip pretty much sealed the deal that the playoffs weren't happening for us. I mean, we made an admirable run at it after that disaster, but we ended up where we should have, a few points out. Now I know that sounds shitty but when you think about it, it's gonna be hard to convince me that we were a playoff ready team last year. Our situation now is much much better and we are looking like a possible top 5 seed. Wouldn't it be great?

All I can say is that if the post-season brings on as much mental stress (for me, not the team) as I believe it will, maybe I'm ready to wait another year. We're maybe a quarter of the way through the season now and the games pretty much determine the kind of night I am going to have. I can't go out after losses (even on the weekends) and if I do things usually end up a little questionable. But, kids, we're winning.

Khabibulin was named the NHL's third star of the week and becomes the first Blackhawk to earn the honor this year. Well deserved, methinks, as Nik has stood on his head three games in a row now. Sure, this makes the goalie situation a little more tense, but, kids, we're winning. Huet told the Daily Herald yesterday that he was "frustrated" with his playing time. He managed to save a total controversy by saying that he is getting outplayed by Nik, but I'm sure there's still a little acid in that bath. Huet is a top-tier goaltender in the NHL. People have dogged him all year, and I have joined in from time to time, but this is not an easy situation to deal with. Sure, for five million a year I'd probably find a way, but Cris is a competitor and wants to play. There's been talk on the boards (mostly dumbasses, mind you) about trading away Huet instead of Nik, but that is insane. Not only does that present a problem when Nik eventually runs out of gas or gets injured (remember who we're talking about here) and we have to throw Niemi into an even stranger situation that Huet, but it doesn't bode well for our chances of landing free agents in the future.

Yes, there is a cap problem and things should have been dealt with differently. But, kids, we're winning.

Shut the fuck up.
These situations will figure themselves out.
I'll admit, I was a little worried about the prospect of trading a big young forward for an old, slow, dildo-face like Nylander because I really thought it was goin to happen. The only thing that kept me sane was that I believe this team is getting tastes of what makes teams successful. The surge in attendance and attention from the NHL has made these kids step up to the plate. They're not going to be allowed to fail as they were in the past. They watched their mentor and friend, Denis, get mowed down in the PR malestrom. They're being mentioned in nearly every rumor in the NHL, and they have a 20 year old captaining the team (who only has two goals, after big expectations) But, you know what, kids, we're winning. Go Hawks.

Where's Dustin?

I would actually say that you could have asked this all year.
He's been kinda a non-factor for the first fifth of the season. He's played hard and has been a physical presence, but has certainly not been able to put the puck in the net. His line has been solid, and they are great defensive forwards, but the Selke trophy is not really something you aim for.

Now, after last night's trouncing of the Stars, we have new reason to believe he may soon be even more invisible. After stepping onto the ice briefly at practice, Buff left and went back to the hotel and was unavailable for comment after the game. With the new NHL rule in place that protects coaches from having to talk about injury, it was clear that Q did NOT want to talk about it. Even Dave Bolland, when interviewed between the first and second, was cut off when mentioning that it would be "sad to see Buff..."

Could it be the Nylander trade?
Could we possibly dump Sopel too?
This might just squash the chances of seeing a Sundin jersey with an indianhead but i think that we need to grab a center now.
While we're winning.
annnnnnnd i think you're with me when i say that i don't want that trade to involve Nik.

My how the tables turn so fast.

DT has gotten himself into a jam and hopefully he'll come out smelling better than he does right now.

We'll likely know by tomorrow when they take on the Laffs.

Everyone take a deep breath. We're beatin the circus 2-0

Goalie Controversy Here We Come....

Khabibulin starts tonight against the Blows....
So much for a rotation!

The St. Louis Blows...

So, again, I am not going to the fucking game.
It's starting to get a little annoying that the Hawks are popular now (though i don't wish ill upon them), but it's a drag that I can't get cheap seats to a fucking St. Louis Blues game.

Regardless, lots to prove tonight. I can't see Q starting Huet, but if he's going to stick to what he's been saying that will be the call. Huet is a good goaltender and in time will prove his worth and the value of his contract. It's almost a bad thing (notice i said 'almost') that Nik is playing the way he is, because i feel like it is putting a lot of weight on Huet's shoulders. I understand that this is professional hockey and that coming to a new team with a big contract and some controversy shouldn't be a problem, you just do your job...But, this situation is a little different and is playing out so strangely that you can't start yelling "Trade Cristobal!" just yet. The five-hole shit needs to stop now, and he needs to stay upright a little longer. Playing butterfly, he's making it much to easy to shelf him blocker side when he drops the second forwards cross the blue line. These things WILL be dealt with though. I swear. Huet will be a large part of our success in the future, just like he should have been with Montreal.

Let's hope JT can keep up the scoring streak.

If there was a team this year that I expected to put six goals up on at home it would be the Blows.

Go Hawks!

Speaking too soon...

is a problem i have.
Last night's game against the Bruins is a testament to that. I should have known the second I mentioned a successful power-play that it would pretty much insure a lazy/confused effort by the Indianhead tonight.
We looked strange on the PP the entire night, and shit, we had a ton of them. Kane said in postgame that he thought it was because Boston wasn't pressuring on their kills and was waiting for the Hawks to try and cut the box apart. Well, the only way that is going to happen in that situation is to get shots from the the tops of the circles and hope for rebounds or use the extra attacker as a screener. Theoretically, while the defense would be reassembling from a blocked shot or rebound there would be openings at the far posts and possibility to come back to the points for a blast. That's how a power-play works, right? Shouldn't a low-pressure PK make that scenario easier to set up and execute? It sure seemed that their ability to stop the passes from D to D across the zone was the reason we couldn't set anything up, but wouldn't that suggest more pressure? I'm confused.

Anyhow, the game should be looked upon as a victory. This is especially true for Nik, as he has been simply incredible in his starts this year. I'm not sure if he's trying to prove something, but it is working. He looked stellar on both of the breakaways he saw and he work on the PK was lights out. Do you realize we spent nearly a third of the game on the kill? Although it looked good and Boston only converted one of their chances our luck is going to run out. Stupid penalties lead to goals and all of these hooking penalties (let's not get into the too many men infractions we keep getting) are not only bad penalties, but they are coming at times where the bitch slap any momentum we may have. Penalties like Buff's roughing call are acceptable and encouraging and we need our players to determine the difference between them. With a young team I expect a certain amount of greenjeans bullshit, but we brought Q in for a reason and he needs to teach these kids positional tricks to keep them from constantly being in situations where a stick in the ribs is the only way to gain ground. Come to think of it, our vets could use a few drills too.

The bright side of the game besides Nik's play was (go ahead and yell "man crush!") Martin Havlat. Marty is playing with an intensity and focus that I have never seen him display before. I definitely thought he would be our third shooter in OT. He is in the corners and winning battles, he is seeing the ice, and his shots have been well timed and efficient. Sure, he's still trying some silly shit at the blue line and his entries into the offensive zone have been shaky at times, but people, think about how much he adds to this team and look at how much better we are than last year.

Q went with Bolland as the third shooter because in practice he was usually the "last man standing" in drills.
Well, as is evidenced by our last few visits to the shootout, Hawks goalies really aren't that hard to score off of.

I'd be interested to hear what you guys think the line-up should be and what you think about choosing to shoot first. Go ahead and leave it in the comments section.

Got a big week ahead of us and I hope we can pull one of the next two off in regulation time.

Oh Shit! Almost Forgot!

Hawks 4th in the NHL on the Power Play!
2nd on the kill!
Goodbye, Special Olympics, hello, special teams!
was that tasteless?

Brian Burke Leaves Anaheim

Well, the title pretty much says it all. Burke has decided not to continue as GM for the Anaheim Ducks today and Murray replaced him. The belief was that he would be moving (slowly) to Toronto to GM for the Laffs, but that's where it got interesting. Burke claims that he's not heading there right away. Go ahead and light the torches and try and block the exits to DT's office, but all of you that think this is leading to the changing of the guard here in Chicago need to get a clue.

1. Burke does not fit this team at all. His tendency to go with older, more experienced waning stars does not jell with the direction the team has taken. Sure, this could be your argument as to why he would be coming on board, but, sorry, wrong.

2. DT, despite a few fuck-ups this season with a very hard to manage cap, has put a tremendous team on the ice. He has drafted better than any GM in the NHL and basically stole Patrick Sharp (who is on a pace to score 60 this year!) from a Flyers team that wasn't even dressing him.

3. The boat has rocked a little to much recently and I believe that Scotty and John are waiting to see what Dale can do with our surplus of talent this season.


Shannahan also decides his future today it seems. There has been talk of Shanny coming to the Hawks, but I honestly believe we are waiting for a true 2nd line center before we sign an aging winger. Look for him to go to the Devils, who not only have the cash to sign him but also a much stronger need for a big power winger with Rolston on the IR. It's possible that he could end up in Philly if the Devils decide not to stick with Kevin Weekes and spend that extra cash on a goaltender.

...annnd i'll probably feel a whole lot better when you're gooooone...

Wow. Another bonafide ass-whipping from our new look Hawks. Seriously folks, in two games at the UC back to back we put up TWELVE goals. That's fucking ridiculous. Not to mention the fact, that if Kipper wasn't such a mutant it likely would have been near nine goals last night. It's encouraging to watch a team gain it's confidence the way that the Hawks have early in the season. It's also nice that Q has come on to a success. No matter how you feel about Savvy's exit, (you know what side of that fence I stand on) you have to understand that a floundering transition doesn't behoove any of us. Q has taken the reins and structured our boys just enough, leaving certain areas of his coaching style on the mantle for now. I am surprised at how aggressive the team remains in the offensive and neutral zones, as in Colorado and St. Louis, Q played a much slower tempo of hockey to excellent results. Then again, he wasn't running a line of twenty year-olds out there as his top scoring line. Joel understands the strengths of his team and has been manipulating them brilliantly in a very short amount of time.

Also, I think it's time to go ahead and give a big high-five to Steeger. Kris has played his ass off every shift since being asked to join the big squad. Even in a short stint last year, I was impressed with his ability to play bigger than his size and am completely blown away by how far that has come in this new season. Will he win the rookie of the year? Probably not. But, seriously, who knows? Finally, youth has not only promise here, it is delivering. He will be in the Calder voting this year, i believe, and if he continues to see the ice and play as positionally sound as he has this month and last, he'll be at the top of it.

I guess we'll have to talk about this Marty rumor today too. Let me say, I think the rumor thing is a little out of control. The only thing is, we've never had a team that anyone gave a shit about to make a trade with unless they were taking our stars for garbage. The potential of being on the other end of that table makes me giddy. That being said, shut the fuck up about trading Marty Havlat. It's no secret Marty is one of my favorite players in the game today. He's electric with the puck and is one of the most gifted skaters in the NHL. If he can continue his dominance of teams this year he'd certainly get my vote for comeback player of the year. Recently on hockeybuzz.com, Eklund mentioned moving Marty and a young NHL ready center (Kontiola) and/or another prospect (Aliu or Skille) for Nathan Horton, a young fourth-year center from the Florida Panthers. Horton is a total stud. He's tough, he can score, he is younger than Marty, and he's less expensive. I know the Panthers got fleeced on the Olli Jokinen deal in the off-season, but can they really let that happen again? Marty would be a great rent-a-player if he stays healthy and could land some serious picks at the trade deadline. Isn't that kind of a risk though? As much as I love the guy, if the Panthers are to put Horton on the table the Hawks need to make that happen. Here's the thing though...

Havlat will remain a Hawk until the trade deadline at least.


Gonna be a great week if we can keep up this domination as we head into the circus road-trip at the end of the month.
Go Hawks.

Hockey Fans Can't Be Trusted

So, I’m a regular on the Blackhawks messageboard, but I suppose you could call me a snooper. Rarely do I post, and mostly when I do, it’s not all that intelligent. Regardless, it’s wonderful to read all the ridiculous trade garbage and salary cap fixes sprung from a twelve pack of High Life in the den the night before. To be honest, it was kinda surprising to find out that Ottawa was considering trading Spezza, Chris Neil, and Gerber for Nik and Petri Kontiola. But, alas, it is true. Also, I didn’t know that along with Spezza, we were also going to nab Sundin, and maybe even Shannahan.
Look dudes, I’m as excited as you are that people are considering Chicago a contender and a team to play for. I agree, it’s nice to have rumors swirling this early in the year that don’t involve us losing our best players. But, people, can we temper this with a little dose of…I don’t know…reality? Let’s set our sights on a player the likes of Vermette or Mike Comrie and then when we sign Mark Parrish the fall won’t be so harsh. Let’s not set ourselves up for disappointment by ordering our Winter Classic jerseys with Spezza on the back just yet, o.k.?
Yeah, sure, I’ve played armchair GM too. It’s tempting. But chanting, “Tallon’s head on a plate if we don’t score a 2nd line center…” is getting a little tedious. I know you likely majored in hockey operations or payroll management at JJC, but shut the fuck up and watch the game. I don’t care how many times you’ve been to the Edge to see them practice, or that you knew Denis was gone because you saw Marc Bergevin talking to DT outside by the Jordan statue. Your job is to cheer when we score, not to pretend that you’re so gifted you could run the team. Besides, Spezza’s kinda a pussy.

Stain Avery

Tonight will prove a lot about this Hawks team. Seems that there have been a lot of must-win games already in this season and that could be a good or a bad sign. More likely than not, it's a bad sign, but we'll let that slide for now. Tonight certainly isn't "must-win" but it definitely is a "could-win" and a "should-win" game. The kind that always end up hurting you when March and April roll around.

Tonight's Star's team is looking just o.k. Nothing spectacular, but there sure is a lot of controversy surrounding Avery's return to the UC. Hopefully, tonight Q puts his enforcers into the line-up as I would even appreciate seeing Matt Walker getting a uni tonight and maybe dropping the mitts with someone. We need to dominate the physical game immediately in this game. As it's easy to see/interpret every physically intense game we've played this year we've ended up with a point. If we go to the body and get pucks out of the corner we will control this game.

Also, keep an eye out for Capt. Serious as he tries to pot his first goal of the season. A lot has been made of his lack of scoring and at first I didn't buy into it. Now, things are getting a little weird. Why hasn't he scored unless he's on the shootout? He's shared a lead in shots on the team for quite a while and is getting real quality chances, but somehow he's having trouble finding the touch that lit the torch over twenty times last season. My opinion is not that he's pushing too hard, it's that he's taking different shots than he took last year. Toews is a circles shooter and has the ability to fire a roofer from that place better than nearly anyone in the NHL. For some reason, this year, Toews is getting caught between the circles or behind traffic which I think may be messing with his sight lines and his mojo. That being said, I think his first of the year will come on a breakaway rather than a circle shot and hopefully it will calm him down enough to slow down and start taking better shots. One quality scoring chance is worth three shots in my book. Also, if you've notice the Kane/Toews/Versteeg line is obviously lacking a physical presence. Since Byf has been struggling to pot one as well, now might be a good time to try him on this line or maybe an Andrew Ladd. The skill you give up removing Versteeg from this line is negligible and you gain a huge body with either Ladder or Byf. Especially tonight, the Hawks need to put some serious/intimidating lines on the ice.

I'm also beginning to wonder about Dave Bolland. He's played well, but has not looked as aware of the ice (or who's on it) as he was last year. There's something to be said about being a player who is not noticed, it can often be a good thing just as much as a bad thing, but with Dave it's a bad thing.
He's been responsible defensively, but the scoring touch and vision he displayed at the end of last year has all but disappeared. It'd be nice to get a big game out of Dave as I think his line (whatever it may be tonight) has really not produced as much as everyone anticipated it would.

Upside is, I think that Troy Brouwer may actually, finally, be ready for the NHL. Every time he's come up in the past it's been incredibly brief. I believe that if Troy can maintain the intensity that saw him dominate the AHL that he'll be up here for the rest of his career. He's got a great touch with the puck and is absolutely fucking fearless.

Khabi's in net tonight.
Let's Go Hawks Go!

The Chicago Blackhawks Are My Favorite Band

The Chicago Blackhawks are my favorite band

I remember the first time I saw a Misfits T-shirt in the mall. It kind of freaked me out, and as I walked up to the register with it my justification was: “I’m a real fan, who cares where I got it? They’re hard to find...” Little did I know that I would spend the entire day, every day, trying to prove my cred to all the other kids who had 17.50 in their pockets at the mall.

It’s strange how these situations seem to repeat themselves. Unless you’ve been hanging out with Brent Sopel, you know that the Hawks are gaining quite a lot of steam. Attendance is through the roof, we have some of the best young talent in the NHL, free-agents actually consider Chicago a destination instead of a retirement home, and we’re hosting the biggest game in the league right here at Wrigley.

I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.

But, why be pissed off? Don’t you want the team to succeed?

Yeah, jack-ass, I do. That’s why I went to thirty games in 2005-2006, and cheered like I was Jaroslav Spacek’s wife.
Maybe I’m pissed because I go to games and see people screaming, “Shoooooot!” when we don’t even have the puck. Maybe it’s because that same guy is wearing a 200 dollar jersey that I would fight a bear to own. Maybe it’s because when he got up to leave there was ten minutes left in the third. Maybe it’s because this is happening a whole hell of a lot more than I remember. So this is how it’s going to be, the Hawks finally put together a hockey team and I don’t get to go to games anymore because the pub crawl for the night ends at the UC and tickets are sold out.

I know that one hand washes the other and that this increase in ticket sales is going to put a better team on the ice, but it also got Denis fired. Sure, say what you will about his coaching, but he had heart and bled Blackhawks, and he was canned (in amateur fashion) four games into the season as to not affect season ticket sales. This makes me want to rescind my commitment ‘to the Indian’.

Yes, I know it’s totally juvenile.

No, I’m not going to be any less of a lunatic fan.

But, dude, how do you not know the lead singer’s name is Danzig?

That was awfully nice...

Well, when i rolled up to the bar I had an o.k. feeling about the game. I figured we were coming off a good win in Vancouver and scored some gritty goals so we should keep up that intensity. We did.

First off, another incredible game from Brian Campbell. He's playing like a man possessed and I think that his confidence and patient work with the puck is invaluable to a team that was having trouble entering the offensive zone the first three games of the year. He is the most positionally sound player on this team and is ALWAYS where he needs to be. You wanna talk about overpaying? I will take anyone on that thinks we are paying Brian Campbell a cent more than what he is worth to this team. Sure, he sounds like the dumbest man on earth when he talks, but really, who cares. He can shoot.

We played like the Oil were sleeping with our girlfriends. Marty fuckin' Havlat got his helmet taken off in a scrum after facewashing a dude. Not only that, but he drew an extra penalty. Things seem to be clickin' right along.

I was reeling from the win.
Simply amazing.

Only thing that woulda made it better was some hockey talk with Ricky Berger.
I guess Sethie talked to him during the game for a bit and I was jealous for the rest of the third period. Hockey season always seems a little weird without Rick and I hope he's having fun in NY watching a fantastic Rangers team.

three stars would have looked like this for me:
1. Nik
2. The chick that shot the puck during the 2nd period
3. Brian Campbell

I know I'm pretty much fellating Campbell at this point, but i don't believe how much of a cornerstone he has become already on this team.

I was certainly expecting to see baby Huet in goal, but Q started Nik. This is likely the reason I do not coach an NHL team (yet). It was absolutely the right decision as Khabby was LIGHTS OUT, and rather than a bunch of flashy saves, Nik just played smart and got the puck covered up or out of the crease responsibly. After the game Q talked of how this is the best problem a team could have (having two hot goalies) but i feel there's a bit of bullshit in his stew. As great as this situation seems, it's not really all that good. Goalies, more than anyone in hockey, i feel, are streaky. Nik is proof positive of that. Juggling the goaltenders then seems kinda like a game of Russian roulette. Who starts against Detroit? Nik because he's coming off a shutout, or Huet who played a great win in Vancouver and should be the next in a rotation. I believe that Q is going to go with Huet. Eventually, this scenario is going to weigh a little too heavily on the coaching staff and of course Nik and Cris. We'll see.

Saturday brings a real test as Detroilet is a strong team and maybe even stronger than last year. I really don't think they're ready for the speed of the Hawks. Last year, we won the season series because of our speed and our ability to move the puck through the archaic defensive strategy of Babycock. Detroit has been playing a lot stronger at the blue line this year and I'm hoping Q has some entry drills practiced for what is sure to be one of the most important games of this early season.

those swedes and their dildos...

Pretty intense, right?
My buddy Mike moved to sweden and started a family a few years back, and i hope that he was at this game and got a chance to toss a plastic phallus at a hockey player.

In actual Blackhawks related news, Coach Q has made his first move of the season by sending "handsome" Jack Skille down to Rockford in favor of the red hot Troy Brouwer. I don't like this move. Sure, Brouwer is producing in Rockford but he's looked like a total pantywaist every time he's made it up to the big show. I would like to think that this time will be different, considering Quenneville's style of play suits Troy more than Denis', but I just don't see it happening for the kid. Before we know it, I'm sure we'll be seeing Petri back up with the big club and Troy lugging his shit back to the burbs.

Kyle Beach is setting Everett on fire this month with eight points in five games and a decent share of penalty minutes. This kid should be a lock for the big club next year, as he's got some serious game and should have made the team this year if DT didn't fuck up our budget so bad. He plays with real grit and has great hands. Best of all, he always has his stick on the ice in front of the net. The Hawks need a player like Beach, like now. Think about how many goals that asshole Holmstrom has already. Just by being a pest. Hanging in the kitchen, you usually get free food.

Huet looked great in the win and I expect that Q will stay honest and go with the hot hand, especially since Cristo could use a couple of games under his belt. I expect Nik will play against Detroilet and that things should start to show themselves really soon. The Hawks undoubtedly need to make a move soon for a second line center as Bolland is NOT stepping up to the plate. If Nik keeps playing the way that he has, he could become rather valuable to a team like Colorado or Los Angeles. With Gaborik on the market a three-way trade wouldn't be totally out of the question. I don't want Gabs (we already have one oft injured star winger) we could likely send some people worth him over there and get some wonderful stuff in return.

Keys for tonight's game against Edmonton:
-Byg Byf needs to have a huge game. He's been slow to produce after ripping it up last year. He started to show a little grit a few games back with some big hits and even a "fight" (read: wrestling match). He needs to keep it up. If he isn't going to score he can bring some much needed intimidation. Mainly because he's fucking seven feet tall and scary looking.

-Kane and Sharp need to continue their domination. They're constantly in the right place at the right time and are opening scoring opportunities for everyone else because of how much attention they are demanding from opposing coaches.

-Toews needs to stay sharp on the draw. After winning 7 of 10 against Vancouver the value of a faceoff win is showing. Small game hockey will win us many games this year. Nobody expects a fundamentally sound team of young kids. With a little focus we can take them by surprise.

-SHUT DOWN COGLIANO. 'nuff said. That kid is a fucking gamer. That means: finish you hits, sopel. don't get beat to the near post Hendry. annnnnnnnnnd most importantly, NOT SO MUCH FUCKING SPACE WHEN ENTERING THE ZONE, BOYS.

that should get us a win
i'm saying 3-1 HAWKS!

TSN blog coverage on Savard firing

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/bob_mckenzie/?id=252817

I think that McKenzie is a fucking dumbass most of the time, but his points here make a lot more sense that I expected them to by reading the title.

It's day two now, and it hurts just as much to not have Denis. I'm a sap, yes, but there needs to be a period of mourning. Even dudes who thought Savvy lacked in experience are sad to see him go.

Interested to hear what Toews has to say after the practice in Bensenville today.
Players were asked not to address the media about the firing until then, but I do know that Toews called a player meeting.

Commit to the Indian?

There are few things that I understand about today's move to fire coach Denis Savard a mere four games into the season. People will tell you that Savard wasn't a great coach and that he was still learning the game. They might also bring up the fact that for the three years he was here he was a notorious line juggler. They might even say that he looks limp and uninspired this season, nose diving in the first two games and losing a close home opener.

Fuck these people.

The reason that I follow the Chicago Blackhawks is not only because i was born and raised on the team. There is a certain history, however tainted it may be, that follows the team. Something that leads the eyes away from the wins and loss columns. I'm not saying that Savard's legacy as a player should secure him an infinite tenure as coach, but I am saying that it warrants him more respect than this. I will follow the Blackhawks if they win or if they lose, but I would rather watch a team with heart lose, than watch a "product" win. Heart is something that is irreplaceable and Denis loved his team and truly wanted to win. He was a passionate and honest coach, and made sure his players trusted him. He basically raised Toews and Kane in the NHL and brought a team with TEN rookies within three points of a playoff spot last year. If this move benefits the Hawks, which it may, am I the only one that thinks Denis got cheated out of his team? Shouldn't it have been Tallon's head on a platter for trading away our 2nd line center to free up cap space and bringing in another goaltender before he had rid us of Bulin? Savard is a patsy, and it is an unfortunate move by a team that, this summer, could do no wrong. Why the downturn? Pressure is a bitch, but sacrificing a team's morale and heart is a dangerous move four games into the year. And why, because we've only got three out of a possible eight points?

Only a fool would have assumed Denis wouldn't be on the way out eventually if the team didn't produce this year with the new guard of McDonough, Bowman, and Rocky at the helm. When Quenneville was brought on in the offseason there is little doubt that Savard was worried. Obviously, Joel was the heir to the throne. Add in the pressure of a Hawks team that is EXPECTED to make the playoffs and you have quite a pressure cooker. Excuses aside, I understand the need to win, and i understand that need far exceeds friendships, history, and loyalty.

But why?

Denis, you were my favorite Blackhawks coach ever.
It was a pleasure to watch you enjoy the game in a suit as much as you did in a jersey.
You are a true Blackhawk legend.
Take a vacation and write 'em some hate mail.

We'll miss you.

Why Martin Havlat will have a career year...

...and it's not because it's a contract year.
Marty has looked better than ANYONE on the ice now for three straight games. Alright, there's still a little cherry picking and stupid "cute" passes, but who'd have thought he would come out of the gates this strong.
That's right.
Me.

McFly will have a wonderful year this year. Yeah, the possibility of him getting hurt is going to rest pretty heavy on everyone's shoulders (no pun intended) for a while, but what can we do about that?

In a discussion the other day I was reminded of the fact that Marty didn't sit out all those games because he broke his toe or pulled a hamstring. His shoulder kept popping out of it's socket, something that probably hurts a bit. Remember last year when he opted not to have surgery so that he could come back and possibly play? Sure, in retrospect, it wasn't a great idea since he ended up going under, but it shows a dedication to his teammates that everyone seems to think he lacks.
in interviews after last night's game against Phoenix, all anyone was asked about was Marty's goal. The goal was incredible. Nobody even batted an eye. "Marty is an elite player and we expect that from him. He's a leader in the locker room and a leader on the ice." "Marty is incredibly skilled those things will keep happening."

Now how would somebody who is reportedly "soft" be so loved and respected by his teammates?
Because the dude is a great hockey player and from all accounts a great locker room presence.

Who was the first guy in Hanzal's face when he pushed Kaner?
Who made that wonderful cross to Campbell?

Marty was all over the ice last night and boy, is it good to have him back.

I love the kids too, but the most important off-season pick up this year may have already been on the team.

good to see...

not much has changed in rene borque land.

Barker and Niemi down to Rockford K. Adams cut...

well, seems there's no real rhyme or reason to these moves yet. i listened to an interview with scotty bowman this morning and he said that the only reason barker is going down (ha!) is because his cap hit is 2.8 million. makes sense.
what doesn't make any fucking sense is why this situation wasn't resolved in a different way. as of right now, khabibulin's contract and uselessness has cost us our second line center, K. Adams (whom i think is an important character guy in the locker room and on the ice, especially for captain serious), and now a 2nd pairing defenseman for the opener.

everyone seems to think that this situation will get resolved before the season starts but i'm skeptical. it honestly seems that things have just come to an impasse. if dale had something to pull the trigger on, it would have been pulled, even bowman said that in the interview (http://www.fan590.com/media.jsp?content=20081007_100942_15020) so what the fuck does everyone think is going to happen???

now, it's possible that we'd be packaging barker with khabby and some more in a three or four way trade, but even then what could (would) we really get in return. i understand that everyone thinks we can land o'sullivan or somehow make a package for marc savard, but we need to be realistic. barker has no way near enough value to draw either of those dudes in, and the fact of the matter is if we think we're going to land a 2nd line center for barks, k-bag, and a few prospects we are in for a harsh dose of reality.

i'm sure by friday we'll have a little better of an idea (at least i hope we will) of what's going on, but until then the skies are way too cloudy to launch a flight.

Bulin Clears

well, nobody wanted him for 6.75 mil. not too big of a surprise. lets' see who wants him for half of that.
supposing he does report to rockford. i'm willing to be that somewhere out there dale has a partner for a trade (or multiple partners) it seems that waiving him doesn't really solve the issue except financially. the locker-room is going to be a mess if we don't add someone before the season. sure, this leaves us an opening to sign some kids and maybe someone around the deadline, but we need to add a center now. we can package some of our prospects and pull down someone who will be a decent stopgap for not a lot of money, i'm sure.
i'll keep updating as this plays out.

Khabibulin on waivers

how they got the balls to do this, i'll never know.
interesting to see how this works out.

Turco is a Jerk-O

there's a lot to talk about i guess. got to go to my first hawks game of the year with mikey yesterday and it was great.
it felt incredible just to be in the building and see the ice. all the characters were back in the building and i forgot how much i missed just talking to people about the hawks. the boys came out of the gates real real strong and ended up on the powerplay right away. capt. serious had us up by one before i even realized what had happened. banked it off of their goalie (who looked kinda tepid the whole night) and Bam! Hawks up by one. let me just say that Brian Campbell is going to be worth every cent if he continues skating the way he is right now. our entrances into the zone last night were incredible (everyone remembers last year, and this was a serious problem) thanks in a large part to Campbell.
I'll admit Campbell has got some work to do learning how to play with his new teammates, and positionally, looked a little lost on the powerplay sometimes. it is preseason so i'm trying to cut the boys some slack on the positional shit, since they're not true linemates yet, but it was sloppy at times.
regardless, soupy had four assists and it seemed that he was ALWAYS on the ice. he was wearing an 'a' as well which i think may be a little premature.
skille looked amazing, and was skating his ass off. easily one of the best conditioned of the kids, he got a great goal off a backhander after a great pass from soupy.
it was great to see kyle beach play as well. as a draft pick this year there's a whole bunch of expectations on him because of the people we've drafted in the past three or four years. he has a ton of grit and is a big big boy. by far the most impressive trait is a simple one. every time the whistle blew for a stoppage the first thing beacher did was take his mouth guard out of his mouth so sean avery could hear exactly what he was saying. beach agitated the avery/ott line for the entire first period, finally getting ott to take a stupid penalty which got him thrown out of the game and the hawks a four minute powerplay (which we scored on).
remind me please of a game where the hawks had scored three powerplay goals?
i know it's early to start the 'all hail dale' chants but it sure looks real nice right now.
niemi also looked incredible in net. at times there were some punk moments, but for the most part, there were two goals that he certainly couldn't take all the blame for (i'm looking at you doug janik or whatever the fuck your name is) and he was so quick with his pads from side to side in the crease that even savvy was getting pumped at points.
the big question is...where's khabby?

khabibulin was listed as the starter for the game all week and when we showed up and saw crawfs and niemi it was a little confusing.
khabby wasn't even dressed.
this is interesting because if you read the post just below you can how i've done a wonderful job of jinxing.
there is talk of nik and "blue chip d-prospect" heading out to the east.
now, if he goes to the eastern conference the only team that makes sense is ottawa. there is talk of gerber coming back, but i really don't think that trading one underachieving/overpaid goaltender for another is in dale's plans for success. gerber weighs in at almost four million to khabby's 6.75, whereas if we were to take on vermette (who fills a much needed hole at center) we'd be much better off. ottawa has little need/use for vermette and has a huge need for a goalie and would love to bring barker up in a system where he has the potential to play behind the best forward line in the NHL. After losing Mezaros this off-season, Barks makes perfect sense. Sure, i would be a little hesitant of just throwing Barker in on a trade for the sake of getting rid of Khabby, but if it means that we'll be able to sign our prospects and get them into the NHL this year, i'm ready to take the chance. Not to mention, if we can land Vermette it will open up the lines positionally and prevent either of the Patricks from having to play center.

We'll see, should be a busy day and i'll keep updating as i see it

Great Khabibulin quote:

good to hear him get behind the motto from last year.
Habby "committing to the indian" could solve a lot of problems.

http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/chi080920.html

The Chicago Blackhawks as a potential girlfriend...

see, i've thought about it.
the parallels are kinda scary.
you know right before a girl breaks up with you something flips.
she starts dressing nicer, being way cooler about how fucked up you got last night, and generally giving you the space you've wanted all along...then, you find out it's because she's trying to pick up dudes at rainbo or something and everything starts to fall in place. the things that were making you feel the relationship were going better end up being the message that self-destructs before you can read it.

i have a sneaking suspicion that this analogy might apply to our Hawks this year.

with all of the hullaballoo about how much better the hawks are, how much better their tickets are selling, and how much we have to look forward to, a simple assessment of our roster leads us in another direction.
Yes, on paper our defense is better.
But, will someone please take a quick peek at our first two lines?:
SHARP TOEWS KANE
??????? KONTIOLA/BOLLAND HAVLAT

havlat hasn't played sixty games since '03.
kontiola and bolland are unproven like a motherfucker.
there is no left wing.
before his season last year, the idea putting patrick sharp on the first line with your youngest studs would've made nostradamus blush.

yeah, we beat the blue jackets last night in the preseason.
why does this make media outlets jump on the idea that the hawks should be booking flights to disneyworld?

things are going good, but why is chicago unable to balance their excitement?

ticket sales are going up too, which is due in a large part to the fact that season ticket holders get a shot to buy winter classic seats before anyone else. likely, a package of season tickets for some people pays for itself the second the seats to the classic get put up on stubhub. not to mention the crowd of douche nozzles that are going to be at every game needing an explanation of offsides. now, i don't mind the hawks getting attention, and i truly believe that hockey should be a more appreciated chicago sport. but i don't want that to happen overnight and have to deal with the same frustrations i've known being a cubs fan for so long. (thanks, john mcdonough. no, seriously.)

shit.

i need to pour out the rest of this haterade.

7th inning stretch tonight

Tazer and P. Kane are doing the seventh inning stretch tonight at Wrigley. Big game for the cubbies too, magic number is down to four and they're gonna find out what kinda shape Harden's arm is in.

Regardless, definitley worth checking out to catch the kids doing the anthem.

Campbell did it a few weeks ago and although he did quite a good job with the song, he sounded like the biggest stoner in the world when they were trying to interview him. Is this guy really that dumb? He's got the kinda cro-magnon man drawl and is rather monosyllabic. Actually, who gives a shit. Just play defense.

game starts at 1:20 and is being aired on CSN locally.
go cubs.

A Good Place to Start

So, it had to happen sometime. I've tried to do the blog thing before for Mannequin Men (see 'Mannequin Man in a Van') but that didn't really work. It's rather hard to update a blog from the road and talk about something that you are doing all day anyway. When i actually thought about it, i realized i would much rather write about something that i really really love. Cue the Chicago Blackhawks. I'll do my best to update this regularly throughout the season and especially in the upcoming weeks with training camp about to start. There's going to some serious action on the Hawks front coming up real soon with a lot of young kids pecking at each other for a spot with the big club.
First things first, the Robert Lang deal this weekend was probably one of the silliest things that i've seen tallon do in a while (Samsonov being the other most recent thing that comes to mind). Of course, people are going to run their mouths about the cap and the reasons this needed to happen. I understand how the cap works, dude. However, why lose sixty points, get nothing in return, and leave us virtually bald in a position we have virtually no depth in?
The way it stands now the Hawks could roll one of two ways on center. Toews, Bolland, Kontiola, K Adams, and Burish would likely be roster centers with a chance at seeing a Nathan Davis or a Evan Brophey if there's flops in camp. That looks pretty shitty. Kontiola was bred a center and is a playmaker, and from what i saw in his short stay with the Hawks last year, he can play defense. He just looked gassed the entire time he was on the ice. Now i'm not expecting Duncan Keith minutes from a center, but this season will drag on and on for a guy who looked exhausted after twelve games with the team last year. Bolland is the guy i'm most confident with, but he would sit much better on a third line with Byf and Andrew Ladd. They'd be gritty and work opposing teams to death, you could try putting Kontiola on the 2nd line with Kaner and an undisclosed left wing (that's quite another big hole, dale) but dropping a rookie into a top 6 forward position on a club with big expectations is a recipe for disaster.
Unless there's a trade coming that we don't know about (please, say there's a trade Dale) we're going to have one center over the age of 24. eek. not to mention the winger problem. so tell me: why trade Lang?

A: because Lang was a hack. sure, he put up a lot of points and brought experience to a line that at times had none, but what kind of experience did he bring? was he teaching the young un's that once you prove yourself at least competent, you don't really have to work that hard? Lang was never in the corners and was definitely not a new Hawks style player. Basically, he was too soft. Remember last year when Denis went on the "commit to the indian" rant? tell me that wasn't directed at mr. robert lang. he loafed the whole season and was truly the definition of adequate. i'm not saying that Denis didn't like him, because i believe Savvy saw the value of Lang, i just don't believe he was he kind of player that Savard wanted around the kids. Oh yeah, and he cost us four million a year. People like Kevyn Adams and Martin Lapointe (please bring him back even though he didn't EVER score) are the kind of leaders this team needs.
Take a look at that photo up there. If you never saw Robert Lang play as a Blackhawk, it kinda looked like that.
See you later, Sloth.