Tag Search Results for "Hawks"
In today’s watered-down version of the National Hockey League, it can be easy to forget that in 1966-67, there were only six teams fighting for the chance to raise the Stanley Cup to the rafters. In fact, there were only 28 teams in all of professional hockey, including the American, Western, and Central leagues. That means two full teams of NHL players today would have ...
Yes, I know this is a hockey site and that the title borders on sacrilege. But, stick with me here and you'll understand.
Reason #1: When your team is eliminated from playoff contention, a little piece of you dies. For me being a Hawks fan, that happened sometime in December.
Reason #2: Speaking of the Hawks, watching the games showcases just how far they are fro...
The Chicago Blackhawks had the NHL's fifth-worst record and only an 8% shot at drawing the 1st pick in the draft. I guess it was their lucky day. After grabbing Jonathan Toews last years draft, the Hawks get ready for a possible franchise changing decision in 2007.
Unlike some past drafts many would argue that there is not a clear cut #1 pick this season. Many are tout...
For the past couple of weeks I have been enjoying the spectacle known as the NHL playoffs. As a Blues fan and only 24 years old, last year was the first time I have ever watched the post season without my team. The second time around has been a little easier since I know bright things are on the horizon. While our ownership has the people of St. Louis happy, the same can n...
(Believe it or not, this is written as cautious optimism and is not meant as a rant. Read on.)
Toews is not going to turn this team around and make them a playoff team. Toews is not going to make all of the disgruntled fans return. Toews is not going to make Chicago media realize that there is a sport called hockey. Toews is not going to save Chicago Blackhawks Hock...
My record third blog of the day. I'm sure some folks are getting tired of me, but c'est la vie, as my girlfriend would say.
Manny Fernandez has made it public knowledge that he wants out of Minnesota. Manny said in the Pioneer Press that he wants out of the organization to be with "more supportive team-mates and coaches." I, for one, would've never expected that environ...
I know most of us Sabre fans are upset with the possibilities of losing both Drury and Briere, but I think we will see something happen on the Briere front before Friday.
As for the draft and Drury, this is what I'd like to see if it becomes clear the Drury is not coming back (this probably won't happen, but it's fun to speculate).
1) Trade Kalinin and a forward (Kot...
I have always looked at this time of the year with mixed emotions. While it is exciting as a hockey fan to see teams retool, rebuild, or reinvent themselves, it is also a time of frustration, anger, and sadness.
I am frustrated that my Blackhawks may still suck for yet another season because the ownership is cheaper than my little Italian Grandfather. And that is damned...
Hola guys.
Ice Melts at 32 F, or 0 C for those of you north of the border. And seeing as it got to 92 today, I should be thinking baseball. But with the Reds 40-55 and 13.5 games back, I'm just waiting for the next 78 days to pass, so that I can throw on that sweater and relax. Instead, I'm gonna take a stab at some Central Previews. I'll do another one in September, as...
Before I start, let me just say that last night I was so starved for hockey, I [img:right]http://nhldraftnet.aol.com/NHLDraftNet/file.php?ID=237[/img]watched The Mighty Ducks Two. For all of you movie buffs out there, its definitely not better the second time around. Emilio Estevez's struggle with fame and sponsorships was not a gripping tale. You're coaching pee wee hocke...
In a galaxy far far......oh the hell with that. Everyone knows the Leafs haven't won a cup in 40 years but did you know that only 15 other teams since 1967 have won the cup in that 40 year period? Yep thats right only 15 different teams have won the cup in a 40 year period.
The New York Rangers went 54 years before winning it in 94. The Detroit Red Wings endured 42 ...
If there is one team the Detroit Red Wings need to be looking out for in the rear view mirror, it’s the St. Louis Blues, and this year, the Blues are much closer than they appear. No, the Blues won’t contend for a Cup (at least not for a couple more years) but for the time being, they have a real shot at making life hard for the Red Wings in a very weak Central Divisi...
[b]Originally Posted on [url]www.PredNation.com[/url][/b]
Michael Peca signs with Columbus. Detroit signs Brian Rafalski to replace Mathieu Schneider. St. Louis signs Paul Kariya and re-signs (of a sort) Keith Tkachuk. Chicago obtains/signs Sergei Samsonov, Robert Lang, Patrick Kane, Kevyn Adams, and Yanic Perreault. Those are just a few of the moves made by our div...
steve from chicago writes...
A Captainless Organization searches for a Captain
Posted Wednesday | Comments 6
Who will wear the "C" in Chicago this season?
It will probably be Havlat but can anyone name a team, a franchise, so lacking of captian material?
I've always liked the team that had the classic born in Canada captain like Dirk Graham, Terry Ruskowski or Tom Lysiak. Those guys knew what it took.
Who on the Hawks today can be counted on to say what needs to be sai...
Next, I looked at the Central Division
[b]Columbus Blue Jackets[/b]
Could this be the year the Columbus Blue Jackets make the playoffs... NO. However they will be better. Mainly because the Columbus Blue Jackets fired Doug MacLean and heired Scott Howson. Also the team got immediately better last year when they heired Ken Hitchcock. The Blue Jackets are stacked with ...
[b]Originally posted (and more readable) on [url]www.prednation.com[/url][/b]
In Part I, we took a look back at the expectations going into last season. That look provided a brief glimpse at the players we were going to ice as well. At this time last season, we were a team coming off of a 100+ point season. We were going into the season expecting another 100+ point c...
steve from chicago writes...
The league's best player is not a Blackhawk
Posted Saturday | Comments 0
I heard the guys on XM talking about fantasy picks and top 5 best player lists and I was waiting for somebody to mention the obvious.
Chris Pronger is the best player in the league right now.
Our number obsessed world might not catch it because lots of the things that win games don't show up on the score sheet.
It's no coincidence that St. Louis imploded after he ...
steve from chicago writes...
Who is on the Hot Seat in Chicago? Dale Tallon and it's Hot.
Posted Wednesday | Comments 3
Have you looked a the scheudule for the first 10 games? Detroit twice, Colorado, Dalas, San Jose, Minnesota etc. It isn't until game 10 that the the Hawks get to face their equal in Columbus and Columbus has handled them the past couple of season's.
Have you thought about the fact that there isn't a forward line returning from last season? There isn't even a pair of for...
Time for Part 4 of my 6-part series on the new jerseys. So far, we've covered the Northeast, Northwest and Atlantic divisions. For those who have not read them yet:
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2473
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2499
http://my.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?user_id=2407&post_id=2552
Up n...
Oh, my Red Wings! The lines seem to be starting to come together, and things are starting to click a little......but......
Granted, last night's shootout loss at Chicago followed the loss of Franzen and some shuffling of lines, but the Wings have always shuffled lines and often just because they could. What the Wings haven't always done is scrambled in their own...
The Sharks end their season opening 4 game road trip in Chicago tonight. San Jose is coming off an embarrassing loss to the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday. With a win tonight the Sharks can come home 2-1-1 and earning a point in 3 of the 4 road games. Not bad considering the team has looked like they have been going in and out of cruise control in all 3 games leading up to t...
The Blues finally put the POWER back into the power play last night against the 'hawks. PP goals from Kariya and Walt on sweet feeds from Stempy and Boyes and we're back in business!
Prior to last night, the 'note had been scuffelling along at a 9.something % clip. 2 fer 20 something (research smesearch) and OH fer eleven since rook Erik Johnson scored the game winn...
Well...not quite the same verse (it would have to have been a shut out to do that) but it was close enough as Dan Ellis led the Preds to a 4-1 victory on the road tonight against the Edmonton Oilers. Once again Ellis made some huge saves at critical times...the toe save against Hemsky when the game was knotted at 1-1 was very big!
Great play tonight from Arnott and Legw...
With Nashville and Chicago both looking for 3 straight wins Sunday evening at the United Center, one could only foresee a battle within the Central Division.
Even though Chris Mason of the Nashville Predators has received his fair share of disbelief from the fans, he certainly showed his talent tonight against a young Chicago Blackhawks team. Mason finally snapped his ...
Wow....a .500 record has never looked so good. After a six game losing streak that had many Preds fans on suicide watch the Preds have turned their season around. Sparked by the great goaltending by Dan Ellis the Preds are in the midst of a 3 game winning streak and have won 5 of their last six. So, what has happened that has caused this turn around.
[b]Dan Ellis:[/b] T...
Hawks Craze writes...
Hawks hand Jackets 1st division loss with 5-2 win
Posted Thursday | Comments 0
The Chicago Blackhawks have been up and down so far this season, but Denis Savard took action after Sunday's loss against the Predators. Savard stated that the team "needed to change something up". As a Hawks fan, you should know what needed changing after Wednesday's win against Columbus.
Three separate Blackhawks defensemen put goals up on the board, none of which wer...
As a Chicago Blackhawk fan, I can tell you the excitement and anticipation I've experienced all day long, but I don't want to ramble on and on and on. Not only was Detroit on the schedule for today, Chicago fans experienced a change up if you will.
Rocky Wirtz announced that 7 Blackhawks games would be broadcasted through CSN. The first of course, was televised today w...
Hockey fans like to think tradition is important in our sport. While other sports such as basketball and football cater to the flavor of the day, hockey is built on decades of tradition.
We have our own terminologies, many of which have come under assault in recent years. The traditional hockey term of dressing rooms has been replaced by the unoriginal term locker rooms...
[b]The Predators continue their run[/b] against Central division foes as the Chicago Blackhawks come calling tonight. These rejuvenated Hawks are not the same team that has been a cellar dweller for many years. This is a team with young and exciting talent (Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews), veteran leadership (Robert Lang and Martin LaPointe) and a solid coach in Dennis Sa...
It's official, Blackhawk fans. I hate your team again.
I'm not trying to be mean. It's a [i]good[/i] thing that I hate your team again. Let me explain.
During the early 90s, I hated the Hawks. Belfour, Roenick, Chelios...I hated them all with a passion. Nothing was better than sweeping them out of the playoffs. All the fans brought toy brooms and Eddie the Eagle had ...
It's official, Blackhawk fans. I hate your team again.
I'm not trying to be mean. It's a [i]good[/i] thing that I hate your team again. Let me explain.
During the early 90s, I hated the Hawks. Belfour, Roenick, Chelios...I hated them all with a passion. Nothing was better than sweeping them out of the playoffs. All the fans brought toy brooms and Eddie the Eagle had ...
[b][i]Fortitude:[/b] mental and emotional strength in facing difficulty, adversity, danger, or temptation courageously.[/i]
[b]That is exactly what the Preds showed last night[/b]. After a solid first period that found the Preds leading 1-0, the Preds were out played by the Blackhawks in the second. While some may say that this was a horribly played period by the Preds ...
BluesHockeyOhBaby! writes...
Central Division Is The Most Competitive in NHL Right Now
Posted Sunday | Comments 6
This fact is proven with the Blackhawks beating the Red Wings for yet a fourth time already this season, keep in mind the Wings only have five regulation losses, with the other coming against another central division team, the Blues.
The Central Division is home to the best team in the Western Conference, the Red Wings, and no other division currently has every single t...
I was very impressed and excited for the Blues beating a tough Buffalo team on the road. They have played well at home but they were under .500 on the road and this was a big road win and a comeback win at that.
Being down 2-0, the Blues could have packed it in, but this team has such confidence and fight in them that they rallied with three goals of their own before Bu...
[b]CHICAGO BLACK HAWKS
BEST YOUNG GUNS IN THE LEAGUE[/b]
The next team on my league tour is the Black Hawks of Chicago. When I watch this team all I do is smile it is nice to see a team finally grow into a team. The Black Hawks fans deserve this and now its time for these fans to have fun. The Black Hawks time is now simply because they have the players to win and w...
From The Back Row writes...
Why You Should Stop Worrying...and Love the Hawks
Posted Monday | Comments 1
I'm both surprised and disappointed to hear the doom-and-gloom scenarios scuttling through the cyber-community of Blackhawks hockey after their no-show in St. Louis Saturday night. Have expectations really grown that exponentially in the past 2 months? Yes, it was a divisional match-up, yes, second place was on the line, yes, the Hawks were the only team not to show up e...
I was sitting back watching the Blackhawks last night and decided to do my daily statistical update for my own personal knowledge. For the first time this year I decided to look and see who is leading this years rookie class in the NHL and low and behold Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are standing above all other rookies in points this year thus far.
I'm sure ...
It's too bad the United Center was only at 60% capacity Wednesday evening, because the Chicago Blackhawks finally snapped a four game losing streak when they beat the L.A. Kings 6-3 on home ice.
Many Blackhawks fans believed this game was a "must win" simply because of the competition not only in the Central Division, but the Western Conference as a whole. Fall behind t...
Hawks Craze writes...
Overall look at the Blackhawks, after 3-1 loss to Florida
Posted Monday | Comments 0
It was an exciting weekend for fans throughout the NHL, but Chicago die-hards are feeling mixed emotions. Not only have we dropped 6 out of 7 games in December, our record doesn't appear to be improving. That is of course unless immediate changes are put into place by Head Coach Denis Savard.
Of course, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have stolen the spotlight in their ...
[b]Pathetic. [/b]That's the best way to describe the effort put forth by the Preds in a 5-2 loss against the Blackhawks.
It all started last night with lackadaisical goaltending from Chris Mason who gave up two goals on two shots before being pulled. Dan Ellis could do no better giving Chicago their third goal on only their fourth shot. I knew then it was going to be a...
All is well and looking up in Blackhawk Nation. Or is it?
Certainly, the ascension of Rocky Wirtz, the hiring of John McDonough and the better than expected performances of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Dustin Byfuglien and Patrick Sharp have given new life to this long-dormant (some would say 'decaying') franchise. And it's relatively safe to predict the next 15 years...
[b]I guess I'm not alone[/b] in my feeling today of not wanting to blog about last nights 5-2 loss at the hands of the Blackhawks. I checked out the HB home page and absent were the updates from Paul and Brandon...I guess they don't feel like blogging about last night either.
[b]Who can blame them really?[/b] There was little good in last nights game. Dan Ellis proved ...
Was it when Bob Pulford sent Ed Belfour out of town for Ulf Dahlen, Michal Sykora and Chris Terreri?
Or when Pulford "unloaded" Jeremy Roenick on Phoenix for Alex Zhamnov, Mike Mills (not the bass player from R.E.M.) and a draft pick who turned into the immortal Ty Jones?
Or was it just one (or all) of the many re-emergences of Pulford from the shadows of the Blackha...
During the 90's, Scotty Bowman, Barry Smith and the rest of the Detroit Red Wings were the nemeses of a crumbling Blackhawk organization.
Some 15 years later, it can be argued the Scotty Bowman, himself, is a small part of the Blackhawks' rebirth.
How so? Well, a few years back the Blackhawks hired Bowman's son, Stan, to their front office. A graduate of Notre Dame...
Kudos to the young L.A. Kings. They came in to a sold out United Center last night with the worst record in the NHL, and earned two hard points against a hot team.
That said, last night provided a sobering reminder to Blackhawk fans; this is still a work in progress.
This morning, the Hawks sit in 9th place in the Western conference with 41 points. They are about to ...
Add Jonathan Toews name to the Blackhawks sick bay, out probably from 2-4 weeks with a knee sprain (early diagnosis) suffered early in last night's 9-2 humiliation at the hands of the resurgent L.A. Kings. He joins Marty Havlat, Jason Williams, Brent Sopel, Jim Wisniewski and Dave Bolland. Sopel, Havlat and Williams should all be back within the next 10 days; but the cloc...
Watching Adam Burish throw himself in front of yet annother 90+ MPH slapshot last night, go to war again for a teammate when he pummeled Keith Ballard, recalling that he organized the Hawks home victory salute to the fans . . . just seeing his enthusiasm and energy . . . I ask you, how do you spell captain?
B-U-R-I-S-H.
Sure, he's just holding the job for Toews unti...
Anticipating tomorrow night's game against the Red Wings at the United Center, I'm reminded of the final lines from the epic 1995 film, Braveheart:
"Patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like scotsmen . . . and won their freedom."
I'm officially setting aside my cynicism and real...
As a continuation of my Braveheart theme vis a vis the Hawks' tilt with Detroit last night, the title is my way of saying: right metaphor, wrong battle. Like the Scots at Falkirk (not Bannockburn), the Hawks fought valiantly, but were outnumbered, and in the end succumbed to a superior foe.
Hats off to the Wings. They came out fast and focused and put the Hawks in an im...
There were really two events last night at the Bell Centre: the classy tribute to the Canadiens-Blackhawks rivalry, and the game between the two clubs.
Have to say I had a few goosebumps seeing a lot of the old greats, and honestly the Habs have been my second favorite team for decades. I was never a great, or a very good, hockey player. But as good as I was, part of it...
As the Hawks' losing string reached seven last night, it's my hope that expectations within Blackhawk Nation are getting a bit more realistic.
Yes, there have been moments where this team has been 100% healthy that it's looked like a playoff team. And though the injuries have been ridiculous and crippling of late, they haven't been throughout the season. And injuries d...
John Jaeckel writes...
Hawks trade aging Swedish d-man for future superstar
Posted Friday | Comments 2
Not really.
Well, maybe.
Yes, yesterday, Dale Tallon continued his stockpiling of draft picks in exchange for the Hawks' wretched refuse, picking up a 7th round pick from Florida for Magnus Johansson.
Last night I watched tape of the Hawks' AHL farm team, the Western Division leading Rockford Ice Hogs, playing the Lake Erie Monsters. The Hogs' talent has basicall...
-The MLSE Board is meeting in the wake of a 5-2 loss by the Leafs, with the agenda looking like change. General Manager John Ferguson jr and Head Coach Paul Maurice may both be dumped. It's staggering to see the Leafs playing so poorly.
I have to agree with the multitude of Leaf fans that have started calling for the napalm and dynamite. The Leafs have ability and can ...
Lots to talk about in the wake of last night's 5-2 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Wild, and not much of it good.
Before I dive in to the vitriol, allow me to offer my season-long caveat: this team is on an upward trend long-term, in spite of its recent poor play. Probably about one third of the current roster is composed of guys who should be playing in the AHL, whi...
Evidently, Cam Barker got his wake up call prior to last night's 3-2 shootout win over Nashville. He skated hard, hit people and looked like a totally different player than he did in his sleepwalk versus Minnesota the other night.
The Hawks are still underproducing in key areas, most notably the power play, but played well enough to beat the Predators. The tradewinds ar...
My "sources" tell me Tarnstrom is close to being dealt to the Hawks (A5) =D
Lost in the recent gush of love and goodwill for new Hawks owner Rocky Wirtz and team president John McDonough is an undeniable, hard fact:
If the Blackhawks fail to win a Stanley Cup in the next five years, a lot of people are going to be very disappointed.
With the Bulls stuck below .500 and baby-sitting Joakim Noah, the Blackhawk franchise has the opportunity to d...
Like Frankenstein's Monster, I was nearly driven off the chicagoblackhawks.com message boards the other day by an angry mob of villagers wielding pitchforks, for daring to say that the Hawks had no chance of making the playoffs.
"This is a fan board. Why are you here?" One poster reasoned.
I am a fan. But I am also a journalist, and therefore I need to make objective...
The Blackhawks are looking at Brian Campbell as a possible trade. Willing to trade are Tuomo Ruutu and Cam Barker and also Nikolai Khabibulin. I see nothing impressive with the people they are willing to give up. I would love to take David Bolland off their hands. Besides they have Byfuglien as their offensive defensemen....
Hawks are also trying to go for Liles from C...
(All, I am no longer HB28, but my real name. Nice to meet you)
I just got done responding on Al Cimaglia's blog with regard to Denis Savard's system.
Make no mistake, Savard-Bashers. He has a system. He has a vision. And it's working.
As a Hawk fan, it's very easy to be cynical about any member of the front office or staff who comes from within the ranks. For year...
Heading into tonight's game against the Blackhawks, the Sharks have put in a string of poor efforts. On a homestand that is very important in the middle of the season, the Sharks shave stubmled out of the gates. Hopefully tonight they can put it all together tonight and put in a good 60 minute effort. There have been many things missing from the Sharks' game so far on this...
One thing that struck me during the first period of last night's Hawks-Sharks tilt, is that whether or not Al Cimaglia, myself or anyone else thinks the Hawks are a playoff team, the Hawks themselves think they are a playoff team. That matters. And that is a credit to the youthful exuberance of the players, along with Denis Savard and his staff.
The Hawks came out flyin...
Every coach uses their favorite phrase: "We need to compete for sixty minutes." It is so often overused that it becomes overlooked. You hear the coachspeak and instinctively turn the other cheek. I'm guilty of it, thank god for a digital recorder.
The Blue Jackets celebrated their long-awaited return to Dallas (turns on sarcasm detector) on Tuesday night, looking for an...
In a previous blog, I stated that playing San Jose was a better measure of the Hawks' playoff-worthiness than the Hawks' previous four opponents.
And in some ways, so is Columbus, who the Hawks face off against tonight at the U.C.
With San Jose, it was more a question of: if the Hawks win, then yes, they should be considered a serious playoff contender. But if they ...
Finishing with 3 wins and 2 losses. Could have been two wins, with three losses. Or four wins and one loss. But, we finished 3-2. Winning two in a row, and both could have just as easily been losses.
Ugly games.. you gotta win them. Unless you don’t wanna make the playoffs. If you don’t wanna make the playoffs, lose the ugly games, I don’t care. The Jackets are ma...
OK, maybe not in the best taste as far as a headline. But it is time to "clear the air" on a range of subjects and misperceptions surrounding the Blackhawks.
[b]"Tallon should be fired. He isn't acquiring the players we need to compete."[/b]
FACT: There are roughly 25 teams in both conferences "in the hunt" for playoff spots right now. Most of them, by the way, are m...
It's definitely seemed quiet in Blackhawk Nation of late.
After Wednesday's pathetic 6-3 loss to an even more-injured (than the Hawks) Avalanche club, the Blackhawks have settled in Silicon Valley for tonight's tilt against the Sharks and another two day rest following that.
But some things have changed. The scathing remarks from Denis Savard have become quite positi...
In last night's 3-2 shootout loss to San Jose, Denis Savard made a real head-scratcher of a decision, sending out Cam Barker as the Hawks' shooter on a do or die try in the shootout.
If he made it, the Hawks' stayed alive for another round; if he didn't, they lost. And he was sent out ahead of Tuomo Ruutu, Martin St. Pierre and Yanic Perreault.
He didn't make it. An...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Flames Can't Break Down Bulin Wall, Lose 3-1 To Blackhawks
Posted Friday | Comments 0
The Calgary Flames lost 3-1 to the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, as Nikolai Khabibulin continued his dominance of Calgary with his 19th career win over the Flames. The Flames outshot Chicago 12-6 in the third period, but were unable to tie the game despite several close chances. With the loss, the Flames miss out on an opportunity to take the Northwest divisional lead, as Mi...
With last night's 3-1 victory over Calgary, one streak ends, and another is probably beginning.
Other than a rash of injuries to key players and the emergence of Pat Kane and Jonathan Toews, that's been the story of the Hawks' season thus far: back-to-back-to-back winning and losing streaks of 4-6 games. Those are the hallmarks of a very young team, and a .500 team, bot...
I had to rub my eyes when I read Tim Sassone's column at 1:30 this morning. Was it a dream? Was I hallucinating? Had I had one too many glasses of Barolo earlier in the evening?
The Blackhawks are serious contenders to sign Peter Forsberg.
Checking elsewhere, I read more. Yes, the Hawks have made a strong, multi-year offer for the 34 year-old, oft-injured superstar c...
Daniel Cleary was a first round pick in 1997 by the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks would only see 41 games from Cleary before bailing on him in a worthless trade to the Oilers. The Oilers didn’t benefit much from Cleary either as he played four seasons with the Oilers producing 35 points on season but otherwise wasn’t affective. Cleary would play one more season for a W...
If last night provided a snapshot of the Hawks' lineup the rest of this season and next (with a few tweaks), then Hawk fans have a lot to look forward to: three scoring lines and a really active, dominant defense.
Yes, Columbus came out flat. And they were also without their standout goaltender, Pascal Leclaire. But all games, and all teams, are in some ways measuring s...
[b]The high octane Chicago Blackhawks[/b] come calling tonight to the Sommet Center fresh off a 7-2 thrashing of the Bluejackets last night. One can only hope that they used up their allotment last night.
Led by a core of youngsters that will make this team dangerous for years to come the Blackhawks have fallen out of contention and appear to be destined to be a .500 ho...
[b]Man...I could think of a many headlines to describe last nights game[/b]. I could go for the obvious and make reference to a St. Valentines Day Massacre. Maybe the Preds had a Red Wing hangover following their emotional win on Tuesday. I could go subtle and talk about how the Preds 'Do Little' after a brilliant rendition of the Star Spangled Banner by Melinda Doolittle ...
While most likely out of playoff contention, the Blackhawks appear nonetheless to be on their way to a successful season (as compared with the previous decade and a half of futility) in the ultra-competitive Western Conference.
The Hawks will probably finish over .500. They're 4-1 vs. Detroit this season. Their line-up is studded with young players who are emerging as N...
(Hold your salvos, let me explain first, not trying to pick any fights here)
I started this discussion on Al Cimaglia's blog a couple of days ago, and received a few insults from a guy named "Steve" over it. And yes, a few others on the blog, chimed in that I was being overly optimistic. "Steve" challenged me to blog this subject. So I am. And I can't wait to start read...
Apparently, if one believes the rumors flying around HB these days, the Hawks are considering dealing RW Martin Havlat, perhaps to the Canadiens.
I believe there could be something to this rumor.
First, though incredibly skilled and one of the best forwards in the game when healthy, at $6 mil. per, Havlat has been a part-time player for the Hawks due to injuries. Fu...
Actually, there will be "deals" between now and February 26. And there will be red all over some of them, as in Chicago road red.
Look for the Hawks to make some moves beyond the typical "trade Zyuzin, Perreault and a box of tape to Carolina for a conditional late round pick in 2012 and the rights to Wayne van Dorp."
Look for the Hawks to potentially make some big mo...
The inspiration for this blog came during the third period of last night's 6-3 loss to the Ducks. A fairly major scrum developed when Todd Bertuzzi (more on him in a minute) bull-dozed Patrick Lalime (most likely accidentally), a number of bodies dove in, the most obvious being Dustin Byfuglien, followed by the referees and linesmen.
When the guys in the striped shirts ...
The NY papers are breaking news today that Sean Avery contract talks have been called off ! Are you kidding me? Those of you who still think Sean is the most overrated,worthless,blah blah, in the league can line up and watch you favorite team start bidding the summer. If you still don't think he's good, look at the Rangers record with or without Avery. The deadline mov...
Well, the Ducks ran into the law of averages tonight, and it looked a heck of a lot like the Chicago Blackhawks. Coming in on a 6 game winning streak, and not having lost in Chicago since the early Stone Age, things looked good for the Ducks to tie the franchise record for wins in a row. Of course, as they say, that's why they play the game.
The Ducks flat out looked ...
It's great to see Hull, Mikita, Koroll, Esposito, et al returning to the fold and rejoining the rising tide of Blackhawk Nation.
And in that spirit, there's another old-time Blackhawk who needs to be invited back to the U.C..
He was with the Hawks for eight seasons and three playoff runs. He played on a line with Coach Denis Savard. He scored the last goal ever score...
In roughly one month, the blazing turbines of a rookie race -- which is unfortunately getting ignored from the media -- will cease. Let’s meet the candidates who will most likely raise some eyebrows for grasping the "Calder Trophy".
[b]Patrick Kane[/b]: The 19-year old Buffalo native debuted his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks. Initial expectations were that Ka...
[b]In yet another Jekyll and Hyde performance [/b]this afternoon, the Blue Jackets offense did the damage in a 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Not a misprint. The NHL's worst offensive team exploded for five goals and broke a listless streak (0-31) on the power play with Jason Chimera's game winner with 3:44 left. Nikolai Zherdev fired a one-timer through the legs...
Last night's 6-3 Hawk victory in Columbus was gratifying for a few reasons: snapping a 4-game losing streak, keeping the club's faint playoff hopes alive and icing an intriguing new set of lines.
First of all, no surprise, neither Nikolai Khabibulin nor Marty Havlat were in the line-up. More on that in a moment.
Last night's first three lines were:
Ladd-Toews-Byfu...
[b]Every now and then, the Blue Jackets decide that their coach knows a thing or two.[/b]
When they listen, good things tend to follow. Tonight was no exception.
From the drop of the puck, the Blue Jackets played with an intensity that reminded fans of the team they watched early this season, one that forechecked aggressively and played collective defense in front of t...
How else can anyone explain the resent egregious ticket price increase?
Some tickets almost doubled.
This is a team that has two top nine forwards in Kane and Toews.
This is a team that has one defenseman, Keith, who would beat out any of the defensemen left in the playoffs tonight.
This is a franchise that has missed the playoffs 9 out of 10 years and could ea...
This is a follow up to an early blog this season. I am still waiting to see if any fans are ready to put together the petition to bring back #16. If Sather lets Sean Avery walk, Aves will have no problem getting big market clubs to take him on.
Toronto- The hometown kid can not only replace #16 but put on Tuckers jersey as well. Avery could provide the leafs with...
With only a slim number of talented free agents remaining, fans can now take a look at their UFA acquisitions and either brag about the additions, or crawl into a dark corner pretending nothing happened. Of course, just because you landed yourself a Wade Redden doesn't mean you should be uncorking the champagne just yet, as the terms of the deal play a big part in determin...
As the days towards the regular season draw closer and closer (three months away I know, I'm just comforting myself) the final rosters of many teams are set to go. When the off-season began, GM's around the league were busy re-shaping their rosters, and with that many teams will impose a bigger threat than last season.
I will begin with the [b][i]Eastern Conference[/i][...
SoCalSharksGirl writes...
Sharks Development Camp and Possible Assistant Coaches...
Posted Thursday | Comments 4
There was an article on Tuesday on the Sharks site announcing that the Development Camp will be taking place for the next 5 days at Sharks Ice in San Jose. Unfortunate for us, the camp is closed to the media and the public, to allow for the guys to work without feeling judged.
McLellan will be there, but not on the ice. He will be observing and mentoring from a room abo...
Today, I picked up the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and saw a story about the competition in Rams training camp for the 3rd string quarterback position. So, I decided it was time to start writing about hockey, because I’m already sick of football and baseball. Since the Post-Dispatch isn’t going to satisfy my hockey craving, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. Today, bo...
Just my .02
While rumors swirl in Ottawa about what moving Andrej Meszaros and (possibly others) might mean in terms of future additions to the Sens roster, let's not forget the trade that never was of this past summer: Nikolai Khabibulin to the Sens for something . . . like Chris Neil.
For the Hawks, it's a salary dump (needed to get under the cap) and loosens up a ...
It's hockey season my friends WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Mike Richards is the new captain of the Flyers, he's young but I love the faith they have in him.
I hate when I'm behind a car with a personalized license plate and I have no clue what it says, damn that bugs me.
That being said I was behind a van last weekend and the plate said "Goatboy" Who doesn't lov...
Last night, Hawk Nation endured the spectacle of the Red Wings and Def Leppard cavorting with the Cup. Today is a new day, last season is now officially declared over, it is time to drop the puck. Here come the 2009 Hawks. Here's hoping "One Goal" doesn't become a snarky Comcast Sports Night tag line for our offense.
So...from the perspective of a season-ticket ho...
[b]Arnott Update: [/b]The Predators are reporting that Jason Arnott has fractured one of the fingers on his right hand. He is expected to miss at least the next three games.
Preds did not release which finger it was...odd...does it matter?
Not good news for the Preds but it could have been worse. Let's hope that the timeline of three games is true.
[b]With a sol...
I did a live blog for tonight's Wings/Hawks game...a 6-5 shootout win for Detroit.
Transcript is at [url]http://hawkeycentral.windycitizen.com[/url] if anyone would like to check it out. Would love to hear feedback.
By the way, good on the Sabres for getting another point out west. I completely missed the game being focused on the Hawks' one, but I followed it on N...
steal_your_faceoff writes...
Global Markets Down - NHL "Stock" Soaring Into the Black
Posted Friday | Comments 2
[b]Global Markets Down[/b]
[img]http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee162/JHRIV/primerate1.jpg?t=1227324887[/img]
I'm sure you've read the papers and heard the nightly news. On Wall Street, the Dow hits it lowest levels in 5 1/2 years. On Main Street, U.S. jobless claims hit a 16 year high. From the Great Wall to the Champs d'Elysee, global recession fears send Asi...
Ninety percent of my fellow red-and-black bleeders, I think, would agree with that. Still, there's this bizarre contingent growing in ChiTown that insists on acting like Paris Hilton on a date to Old Country Buffet. They kept lobbying for home games on TV, now they want more games on WGN and the blackout lifted on Centre Ice. For years, they pined for the return of Pat ...
True, the Blackhawks still have one game left, this afternoon against the Kings. Regardless of the outcome, this will have been the most successful "Circus Trip" in years. Here's your fun fact for the day: If the Hawks win this afternoon, they will have exceeded the points they picked up during the last two "Circus Trips" - combined! Here's how it's played out:
2005...
First, I apologize for the lateness of this short but important blog. Yesterday, I went straight from work to United Centre, and this is the first chance I've had to get in front of a computer.
Anyway...
If you're a season-ticket holder planning to stay at the Hilton for the convention this summer, you DO NOT have to wait until 9:00 this morning to reserve your room...
Happy Holidays to all of my fellow HockeyHeads out there...
I Wish the best to all into the New Year which, for the NHL, begins at the corner of Clark and Addison for the 2nd Annual Winter Classic--which seems like an oxymoron, but I digress. In a very short time, the W.C. has unquestionably become one of the too few highlights for the NHL (regular season) that really ...
This was a disgraceful, very disgraceful effort that all Flyers fans had to watch tonight. It was a total disgrace. The Flyers lost 5-1 to the Blackhawks tonight. The Flyers had absolutely no jump tonight, the Flyers were in their own zone way too much tonight. The Flyers got into Chicago a little bit later than expected because of airplane problems, but that is not an exc...
Most of the time, third uniforms are a failure - in all sports. Lot's of teams will go with a color combo - usually to black - to look tough, one supposes. Or, they go with colors that are non-traditional for the team. Or, they find some "designer" to "update" the look.
Unfortunately, on the whole, one gets the impression that the creation of a third look is only d...
nephew23 writes...
Stars Keep Plodding Along - UPDATE - Richards out 6-8 weeks
Posted Tuesday | Comments 0
[b][u]UPDATED[/u] --- Ouch! Just as everyone was healthly and really clicking, we have just found out that Brad Richards broke his wrist last night and will miss 6 - 8 weeks. He will most certainly be missed . . . but maybe not as much as it would appear. I'll grant you that he is highly skilled and a necessary piece of the puzzle, but he is not centering the top line a...
The big question in Chicago this week will not be the ongoing goalie Soap Opera (now starring a new player, unorthodox Finnish import, Antti Niemi).
It won't be the running debate between Hawk fans as to whether 2005 first round pick Jack Skille is the second coming of Bobby Hull or Ken Yaremchuk.
It won't even be rumored minor deals for the likes of Dominic Moore, N...
It seems we have discussed dirty hits and suspension at nauseum, I can't remember a playoffs that didn't involve Marchment with this much publicity about nothing. Mike Cammalleri did not get suspended, partly because he was already punished with a roughing penalty!! Listen, there is a penalty you receive in the N.H.L. for punching a guy in the face and Cammalleri served hi...
Last night the Brandon Wheat Kings gave a valiant effort but eventually lost a hard fought effort to the Calgary Hitmen (who are sailing through the W.H.L. playoffs) and are now one game away from being eliminated by the Hitmen. Keith Aulie is their captain, has a goal in this series and is one of Calgary's top defense prospects. At 6'6" and 220 lbs this isn't your normal ...
Lets see, where do I begin. Lets start with Devils/Canes series. Can game 6 possibly be better than the first 5? The answer is yes, but we'll see tonight. We have had everything in this one so far, great goalies, scoring chances, organized hockey, and everything you wanted out of 2 loud arenas. Looks like the captain is in tonight, Holik "The Caveman" out.
Chicago/Calgar...
Like everyone else, I’ll give my predictions for this upcoming 2nd playoff round of the greatest sport on planet earth. Let me get one thing off my chest before we start. Goalies will make and break everyone of these matchups, and are MY key to who I think wins each series.
[i][b]Pens vs Caps: [/b][/i]
Everyone sees Ovechkin and thinks this one is gonna be close. I...
Joining the rest of my fellow hockey buzz enthusiasts, here are my predictions for Round Two as well as a review of Round One.
[b]Round One[/b]
I'll take a 6-1-1 record into the second round. I correctly predicted wins for Boston, Washington, Pittsburgh (even got the games right), Detroit, Vancouver, and Chicago. San Jose let me down, just like pretty much everyone e...
MichaelBernard writes...
Versus doesn't show National Anthem in Chicago?
Posted Wednesday | Comments 3
Versus dropped the ball last night missing the National Anthem in Chicago. They interview Sharp before the game and he says he can't wait for the anthem, then they don't show it. Get with it Versus. I mean, its no Wayne Messmer from '91 All Star Game, (see below) but still, they should have showed it.
MB
Wayne Messmer = http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvpxVE_kQXg
I was wrong on my Boston in 4 predicition, but who wouldn't have thought the B's were gonna roll through Carolina after their dismantling of Montreal like they did. Down 3-1 in the series, I thought for sure Boston was done. When Boston tied it up 2-2 in game 7 that changed my mind a bit. Then came overtime. What pure domination Carolina showed through the first 10 minutes...
The Chicago Black Hawks made me a believer once again as they passed the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the playoffs. Mr. Patrick Kane showed to the hockey world why he is one of the best players in the world. Particularly, the seventh goal in game 6 was sick. It was terrific back hand.
While I am at it, that game six was one of the most entertaining games I ...
Memo to Bettman:
Don't move up the Stanley Cup Finals without checking Yanni's schedule at the Igloo,first.
And where is that Pan Flute guy playing these days?
And don't forget the WWF. Your pals back at the NBA had to pay big bucks to resolve that conflict with the wrestlers in Denver.
This is the first time I am posting a blog so forgive me if I offend anyone.
First and foremost I am a rabid Sabres fan. I get anxious every summer waiting for Hockey to start again. I have been to HSBC to watch the the pre-season practices all the way to playoff games. Sadly those days are gone. Now the closest I can get is TV or WGR Radio online. BTW- WGR is the best...
A great thing happened for the long-suffering fans of the Chicago Blackhawks last season. After years of futility brought about by poor management and a chintzy owner, the Hawks after capitalizing on several high draft choices and a few astute trades and free agent signings, qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs. Not only did they qualify for the playoffs but they made a ...
Yet again we find ourselves four days beyond the start of the NHL Free Agency period, and yet again Sabres fans find themselves with very little encouragement to purchase tickets for the next season.
The story in previous years was that the Sabres need to not only make it to the playoffs, but also go multiple rounds for it to be possible to break even or potentially pro...
The ongoing issue pertaining to the Blackhawks and the delivery of RFA tenders has certainly piqued the interest of many, me included. However my interest doesn’t stem from my desire to necessarily add any of these RFA’s to my team; my interest is solely in the precedent that this decision will set. I can virtually assure you that this issue will rear its head again ei...
Although I did enjoy watching the Blackhawks have a great run this year, especially considering I am a huge fan of Patrick Kane, I was still keeping a close eye on the RFA situation that has been playing out over the past several days in hopes that it could benefit the Islanders. I am sure many of you have been doing the same as well. Yes, call me selfish all you want for ...
A few years ago Darcy Regier faced some important decisions when addressing his pending unrestricted free agents. The first test was Drury and Briere then a season later it was Brian Campbell. The final test came when he matched the Edmonton Oilers offer sheet for Vanek.
Looking at back at all the scenerio's Darcy paid the one guy that was worth the money he signed ...
Hockey is a business, you hear it all the time and it is true at least at the professional level.
As team President, John McDonough is directly responsible to Rocky Wirtz. He oversees the administrative side of the Hawks. Wirtz is the Chairman of the Board, the man with the money as it were. Wirtz delegates the responsibility of running the organization to McD and becau...
Rumor has it, The Vancouver Canucks are in trade talks with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Newly appointed GM Bowman is looking to make a few changes, and free up some highly needed cap space.
Speculating what might be sent in return for these two,
To Hawks,
Cory Schneider
Rick Rypien
1st round pick 2010
To Canucks,
Barker
Byfuglien
Why the canucks would do ...
I'm sure many of you would agree with me? Dale Tallon took the Hawks from one of the worst teams in the league, to one of the best. He completely re-built the Hawks the professional way, and deserves full credit for it. However, the only thing he got was a stab in the back. I understand that John McDonough believes Bowman is the man for the job, but statistics don't lie, t...
Rumors persist that Burke has offers for other Dmen not named Kaberle coming in.
It would seem wise to retain Kaberle at his cap hit and given the lackluster offensive abilities of Toronto's truculent defense. The key is to turn a 4-10 defenceman with other parts into a "top 6" forward
Given Chicago's cap situation and the recent firing of Tallon regarding that cap ...
Greetings fellow Hawks Fans! I apologize for the length of this blog in advance as it is directed mainly towards fans who may not know what's been going on with the cap situation. Feel free to read or not to read. And that wasn't a question.
I write to you this morning to express my shared excitement for one awesome hockey club out of the windy city. Not only should fan...
The Blues and defenseman Steve Wagner have come to terms on a one-year contract.
The new deal is a two-way contract, which means he'll earn $575,000 in the NHL with the Blues, or $75,000 in the AHL with Peoria.
The 25-year old defenseman will most likely begin the season in Peoria. At times, though, he has shown flashes of being a capable defenseman at the NHL level....
[b]Chicago Blackhawks[/b]
In Chicago we now a better understanding on how Dale Tallon lost his job. He probably should forced Marion Hossa saga taking a physical before he signed the dotted line do you think?
Let me ask you this question did Hossa know that he had a injury when he signed on that dotted line. Did he take the Hawks for a ride or better yet does he ha...
Not unlike Arthur Miller's famous 1949 script, "The Death of a Salesman", many an NHL prospect has failed to taste success and so falls by the wayside!
The summer month of August certainly drains the life out of most talk hockey!
Come September we will be gearing up for prospect tourneys, training camps, and pre-season!
An earlier start to the regular season du...
Please read and post your thoughts and what you like/dislike or what you'd change.
Well, it's early... and it's very safe to say that Power Rankings at this point in time in the season don't mean very much. They're mostly a combination of last year's finish and this year's promise.
I like James Duthie's column on TSN.ca about Premature Evaluation, in reference to ju...
What do you we know so far? Well, safe to say most of us are wondering if some of these teams are contenders or pretenders. The Atlantic Division is going to be TOUGH. Injuries are taking their toll around the league, and Toronto has lost 6 straight; believe me, all of Canada knows the Leafs have lost 6 straight. Should I say it again? The Leafs have lost 6 straight. ...
I'll try my best not to hype up tonight's game between the Preds and Hawks.
However, it does hold rather large importance for the Preds. Its their first game against a divisional opponent in the increasingly competitive Central Division. The team is also coming off two straight shellackings at the hands of the Oilers and Stars, respectively, while having lost 3 straig...
The Preds continue to struggle scoring losing 3 to 1 in Nashville to the Blackhawks. The Preds only could muster 2 shots in the third period and a total of 13 for the game. On the other side they gave up 30 shots. This team is just simply struggling and going down fast. I kept on hearing this team is getting scoring chances, they are, but the problem is this team doesn...
The Predators had a really good team game with Erat (scratched) and Arnott (injured) not playing. Solid goaltending by Rinne stopping all 22 shots he faced. He virtually gave zero rebounds. He was a human vacuum. The Preds defensively were very sound. Good job of back checking by the forwards and good job by the dman to shut down Kane. Especially Weber who laid the...
WarHero writes...
Game 11 - 30/10/09: Mtl - vs - Chi - Let the Battle Begin!
Posted Friday | Comments 0
Welcome back folks! It's been awhile and I apologize for my absence.
Carey Price is starting for the first time in 5 games. He saw limited action in the 3rd period against Pittsburg and surrendered 2 goals (1 breakaway, 1 pp). This will be a very good test of Prices' mental game as the Hawks are an extremely talented, high scoring, explosive team.
I expect Neime to s...
Well the Flames came out looking good against the Hawks tonight…no, let me start again. The Flames special teams were outstanding tonight…wait, lets try it one more time. The Flames stunk up the Saddledome in one of the most humiliating losses on home ice in recent memory. There, that sums it up better.
In a game that was reasonably close through half the game, tu...
S Kaspar Rollins writes...
Flames Exposed At Home By Hawks; How To Turn It Around?
Posted Friday | Comments 4
Any misconceptions “pundits” had about the Flames being a legitimate contender the last few weeks were proven to be so tonight. The bane of their existence, the Chicago Blackhawks, issued a beating that exposed every one of the Flames’ glaring weaknesses, swept under the rug by miracle wins the last few weeks. At a point in the season where the Flames have turned aro...
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