54 Minutes of Crap Gets 2 Points – Versteeg Shines in Final Six Minutes

Lasts night’s Blackhawks game may have been the worst hockey I have seen played for a long, long time…at least for 54 minutes. Outside of Patrick Sharp’s powerplay goal late in the first period where Toews and Kane did some excellent work along the boards to get the puck to Sharp, there wasn’t really anything good to talk about for the Hawks. And for that matter, outside of Selanne’s powerplay goal in the second period for the Ducks, there wasn’t much good to talk about for them either. It was and all around sloppy and very boring game.

When I got back from the game last night, I checked the stat sheet again to notice the Hawks somehow got 41 shots on the Ducks netminder, Jonas Hiller. From watching inside the UC (which is sometimes a different perspective than on TV) it looked as though most of the Hawks shots were coming from outside the circles with little to no traffic in front. Although it appeared that Hiller made some really good saves, the shots from beyond the circles with no traffic in front are the kind of shots that NHL goaltenders are supposed to stop.

The Hawks had trouble all night gaining the Ducks zone and then keeping the pressure on. Their passing was poor last night and it really didn’t look like either team had a lot of interest in getting two points last night. For the Ducks, at least they had the excuse of playing their third game in four days on the road. The Hawks, however, had three full days to rest and were returning to the home crowd after a 2-week hiatus.

If it weren’t for Steeger’s fantastic move along the boards that led to the Hawks game tying second goal, they may very well have lost that game last night. After Havlat buried the second goal, I thought we were in for another OT game, as it seems the Hawks have the tendency to play not to lose if the game is tied late. But last night, they stayed hungry after the second goal and played aggressive, which ultimately led to Jonathan Toews game winner with just over a minute left in the game.

In the end, the Hawks got two points that they probably didn’t earn…but gaining two regulation points against a team that’s higher in the standings is always big. However, I’m certain if they come out and play like that on Saturday at Detroit, they’ll get run out of Joe Louis Arena.

Notes:

-Dave Bolland’s hooking penalty was exactly the type of penalty the Hawks need to avoid. It occurred 160 feet from Huet and the other four Hawks that were on the ice were in between the Ducks player and Huet
-Teemu Selanne now has 13 powerplay goals this year and 14 total goals. Next time the Hawks play the Ducks (or any other team for that matter) can they just put one guy on him and play 4 on 3? He’s scored 59% of their PPG (13/22)…not bad for a 38 year old.
-To the guy sitting behind me last night, go f yourself. Telling me to sit down during the Steve Larmer video and while he was out to drop the puck. If a guy wins the Calder Trophy and plays 884 straight games, he deserves a standing ovation.
-Last night’s crowd was dead. Yes, it was a Wednesday night, but it reminded me of the first game I attended last year in the fall. Granted, when the Hawks finally decided to wake up…the crowd joined in the final six minutes.

Is Michael Phelps also Evgeni Malkin? Vice versa?

After writing a post earlier today which forced me to do a little research on Evgeni Malkin and having also read a story on how Michael Phelps was named SI's Sportsman of the Year, it made me realize that these "two" people may actually just be one, awesomesuperhuman. Is it just me? Quite possibly and most certainly it is...but whatever, it's my blog.

Sundin? No. Jordan Staal…Now We’re Talking

The push to get Mats Sundin to sign with the Blackhawks is something that I just cannot get my support behind. Yea, the guy has been great over his NHL career. However, I just don’t see him fitting in with the Blackhawks plans now and for the future.

The facts: He’s 37 now and will be turning 38 in a couple of months. He’s expensive; reports indicating that he could cost around $9 million per year. There are roughly ten teams interested and he said he’ll narrow his search to three or four shortly.

First, let’s get one thing straight Hawk fans…like it or not, we really cannot realistically expect to make a serious run for the Stanley Cup this year. Don’t get me wrong, I would love to see it just as badly as any other Hawk fan…but I’m being realistic. The Hawks are still rebuilding and winning one or two playoff series this year would be a serious step in the right direction.

I will be the first to agree that the Hawks can only get better with the acquisition of a second line center, even if it means giving up a good winger and/or a good defenseman in the process. But the talks of getting the older and really expensive Mats Sundin (and Michael Nylander for that matter) are not what the Hawks should be looking for. Instead, they should be looking to acquire a young, explosive center with potential sky high. Only if the Hawks could be so lucky to get a player like that…or can they?

His name? Jordan Staal. His age? 20. Explosive? You better believe it. Potential? Sky high. His talent? 2nd line center now, with 1st line center in his sights down the line.

But why would any team in their right minds be looking to move a guy like this? Most teams wouldn’t. Unless you are the Pittsburgh Penguins and have the likes of Sidney Crosby (age 21) and Evgeni Malkin (age 22) centering your top two lines (not to mention, making almost $9 mil each per year).

In an article over on MVN, the writer gave his thoughts on Staal’s future and potential and it sounds spot on:

"In order for him to really reach his potential, the Pens will either have to spend the money necessary to have third line wingers good enough to be first or second line guys, or they have to trade Staal to a team where he would get the chance to be a first or second line player (pretty much any other team in the league).

Jordan Staal may have finally turned the corner...right onto someone else's roster.”

Staal is set to become a free agent after this season and to date, there have only been talks and rumors about what Staal may receive from the Penguins if they decide to keep him. It is tough to know if Staal wants to be playing in the shadows of Crosby and Malkin for the foreseeable future; I guess that’s something only he truly knows. However, if he wants to get into a role where he shines and really has the opportunity to showcase his talent, switching teams may be in his best interest. And maybe joining a team with Kane, Toews and company may be something right up his alley.


-One more quick thing about Sundin… for any baseball fans out there, does this not sound eerily similar to Roger Clemens? Sit for a good chunk of the season and then come in, making a crap load of money but not really help the team all the much? If he really wanted to play for the Hawks, maybe I’d be more inclined to support his arrival. But for him to say he’s going to narrow down his list from ten teams to three or four and then decide, forget it. If he doesn’t want to be with us that badly, we (or at least I) don’t want him either. There Mats, we mutually agree…go somewhere else.

Winter Classic Commercial Can Be Summed Up In One Word -- FREAKINGAWESOME

During halftime of the Bears/Vikings game last night, NBC aired a commercial for the 2009 Winter Classic game where the Red Wings will visit Wrigley Field to take on the Blackhawks. Whatever team was behind this commercial, I applaud you. You hit the nail right on the head.



Via PuckDaddy

Circus Trip Over – And Yes, It Was Successful

There seems to be a lot of sour taste in mouths of Hawk fans coming off their annual Circus Trip, which ended Sunday with a 5-2 loss at the hands of the LA Kings. This sour taste, although understandable for the way the trip ended, really isn’t warranted. That kind of a road trip (especially the usually very unsuccessful Circus Trip) needs to be looked as a whole; not focusing on how it began and/or how it ended.

As you’ll recall (or won’t since you probably didn’t read my pre Circus Trip post), I said that Hawk fans should set their sights on the number 6. It didn’t matter how the Hawks got those 6 points, but getting 6 out of 12 was the goal for the road trip. I predicted they would get 7 and wouldn’t you know it, I actually got a prediction right! My genius aside though, the Hawks made this trip very successful, despite the way it ended.

The Good: In Phoenix, they were outplayed for much of the 2nd and 3rd periods, yet still found a way to prevail in a shootout. In Dallas, they dominated after a horrendous first then minutes and took advantage of a struggling Marty Turco. In Toronto, they started sluggish but clawed and fought back to earn an OT victory. In San Jose, they played with (and outplayed at times) the best team in the NHL, only to lose a heartbreaker in OT…while losing their starting goaltender near the end of the 2nd period.

The Bad: The 1-0 loss to the Ducks, minus Jean-Sébastien Giguère. Jonas Hiller played well for the Ducks, but the Hawks missed two or three golden opportunities, helping Hiller secure the shutout. A frustrating loss to say the least.

The Ugly: The Hawks came out in Sunday’s game flat. Despite leading 2-1 after the first period, it was just one of those games that you could never feel good about. Cristobal Huet played well for the Hawks, despite giving up 4 goals. The only goal I really fault him for was the third goal, where he left a crucial rebound that was put in behind him. The Hawks, in my opinion, looked like a team playing its sixth road game on a six game road trip, while also playing back to back afternoon games less than 24 hours apart. And credit has to be given to the Kings. We’ve had our troubles with them in the past and they looked much improved from last year and will be a tough game for almost any team this season.

Again, in the end, the Hawks finished the trip at a very respectable 3-2-1, earning seven points. Would Hawk fans have liked to see it end differently? Of course. Eight or nine points would have been spectacular. But don’t let the way it ended blind you from the seven points they earned on the trip. I’m not sure how people feel about me quoting myself, but what I said two weeks ago still applies and will continue to apply throughout the season…

“If the Hawks can stay relatively healthy over the course of the season, they’ll be fine. They’re still the 2nd youngest team in the NHL and Q has only been behind the bench a little over a month. They’re still going to have their ups and downs, because a team like this, like it or not, has the tendency to be streaky. So get ready to ride the wave the next couple of months and watch this young Hawk team grow into its own.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself…

A few Circus Trip Notes:

-The Patricks (Kane and Sharp, duh!) led the Hawks with 4 goals each on the trip. Kane ended the trip with seven points while Sharp had five.
-Coach Q benched, ironically, Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane during the second period of the game vs. Phoenix for both taking stupid penalties. Kudos to Coach Q for that move.
-Nikolai Khabibulin was injured late in the second period against the Sharks. There hasn't been much official information since then, outside of him being listed as day-to-day. Hopefully he's not out for too long. Corey Crawford was called up from Rockford to back up Huet while Khabibulin is out.

Khabibulin Named Week’s 3rd Star in NHL. Nylander Now? No Thanks.

Let me start by saying that the Hawks starting off 3-0 on this road trip is great. Before this trip started, I stated that Hawk fans should set their sights on the six points. It didn’t matter when/how the Hawks got those six points, but I didn’t see it happening this quick. And now, it’s impossible not to want more out of it…like nine or ten points.

I didn’t get the opportunity to watch the game against the Leafs on Saturday night. (Instead, I wasted four hours watching an inept, poorly coached and intense less Notre Dame football team lay an egg against a lowly Syracuse team…and then passed out only to wake up after the game had finished) I, however, have read the articles and watched the video recap and have to say, I’m quite impressed. That’s the type of game you love to be on the winning side of. They were outplayed for a better part of the first half of the game, yet somehow continue to push, dominate the Leafs in the 3rd period and prevail in overtime. Awesome…just awesome.

I know a couple of weeks ago, I stated that the Hawks were probably going to have to end up trading Khabibulin and that I was ok with that. However, things change and so did my mind on this issue. The Hawks CANNOT trade Khabibulin right now. It’s clear he has earned the #1 starting spot in front of Huet and one would have to believe that the Hawks feel more confident when Q announces Khabibulin as the starter every night he’s in net.

Do I think the Hawks still need that true second line center to be serious contenders this year? Yes, undoubtedly yes. However, I’m not sold on Nylander. He’s 36 and would bring a hefty price tag for the Hawks this year and in the two years to follow. We could always hope he plays well and then turn and trade him after the year, but you just can’t count on that.

The whole goalie situation was a mess before the season started. But almost 1/5 the way in, I’d say that it’s a good mess to be in. I still believe Huet is the Hawks future goalie after this year. Having almost $12 million in goalies is not usually in the plans before a season starts, but that’s where the Hawks are now and things seem to be working well. If they want to move Sopel and/or Byfuglien to nab a second line center, then I’m all for that. But the goalie situation, no matter how big of a mess it appears to be on paper, is working right now. We’ll need to rely on Huet later in the season when Khabby hits a cold streak and vice a versa. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it…at least now right now; and not for Michael Nylander.


Here’s the write-up from the Blackhawks website on Khabibulin’s 3rd star recognition:

Khabibulin posted a 3-0-0 record with a 2.90 goals-against average and .918 save percentage as the Blackhawks (10-4-5, 25 points) began their six-game road trip with three consecutive victories. Khabibulin stopped 36 shots and both shootout attempts in a 3-2 victory at Phoenix Nov. 18, made 31 saves in a 6-3 victory at Dallas Nov. 20 and finished the week with 34 stops in a 5-4 overtime victory at Toronto Nov. 22. Khabibulin improved his season record to 7-1-4 with a 2.51 goals-against average and .920 save percentage. He has not suffered a regulation loss in his past 11 appearances, going 7-0-4 since Oct. 15.

Preview - Blackhawks @ Stars 7:30pm CST

The Blackhawks and Stars will face off for the second time this season tonight at 7:30pm CST at the American Airlines Arena in Dallas. The Stars will try to avenge their 5-2 loss back on Halloween at the United Center.

This is a very winnable game for the Hawks and I have to say I feel more comfortable now that I know Khabibulin will be making the start between the pipes tonight for the Hawks. The Stars, interestingly enough, lead the NHL in goals for and against while playing at home; which, obviously, is a good and bad thing for the Hawks.

The key thing for the Hawks tonight is easy: STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX. Okay, I admit, they won’t “stay out” entirely. But they have to cut back on the number of stupid penalties they commit 180 feet away from Khabibulin, especially when they are already on the power play. If they can accomplish this tonight, I find it hard to see them losing this one unless Marty Turco has an unreal game in net for the Stars.

After a not so deserved two points on Tuesday night, I find this to be a key game for the Hawks to gain some momentum for toughest stretch of the Circus Trip at the Leafs, Sharks and Ducks before ending the trip at the Kings.

Blackhawks Still Trying To Acquire Nylander, Deal Getting Closer

Over at The Fourth Period, they are reporting that the Blackhawks are moving closer towards a deal that would bring Michael Nylander back to Chicago.

http://www.thefourthperiod.com/news/chi081119.html


The possibility of moving Sopel sounds like it's a both welcoming and possible option for the Hawks. I know Khabibulin will probably not finish the season with the Hawks, but with the way he's playing right now, I really do not want to see him go.

Hawks “Circus Trip” the Seaon's Turning Point? NO

If you’re reading this, you know the Hawks are about to begin their annual “Circus Trip” tonight when they face off against the Phoenix Coyotes. It seems like a lot of writers/fans are placing an enormous importance on this 6-game road trip. Is it important? Well, of course. Six games is a good chunk of games. Will it make or break the season? No. Definitely No. Of course, if the Hawks lay a giant goose egg and come home from the trip with six straight losses, that’s going to hurt. But let’s be realistic, that’s just not going to happen.

During last year’s trip, the Hawks went a very respectable 2-2-2; nabbing 6 out of a possible 12 points. If the Hawks can match that same point total on this year’s road trip, I will easily consider it a successful road trip.

The more important thing Hawk fans should be worried about is how this team holds up physically in the middle of this demanding NHL season. After November last year, the Hawks sat at a comfortable 14-9-2, but then the injuries started to show up. Havlat, after already missing many games, went down again with another injury as did James Wisniewski and Jason Williams. The biggest injury came January 1st when Jonathan Toews sprained his knee and missed the next 16 games, where the Hawks posted a 5-9-2 record without him. During the months of December and Januray, the Hawks went a combined 9-15-2, thus dropping them below .500 before heading into February.

The key for Hawk fans during this stretch where the Hawks are away from the UC is to put things in perspective. If the Hawks go out tonight and lose on the road to Coyotes, don’t go running for the message boards to complain that Player X and Goalie Y sucked and the season is over. Instead, set your sights on the number 6. If the Hawks get 6 points or better on this trip, consider it a success. If they come up short, be a little concerned, but do not panic.

I’m not usually one for predictions…well, because there are way too many factors that can go into a game’s outcome (and maybe I’m not historically very good), but here are mine for the Circus Trip:

@Phoenix: W
@Dallas: W
@Toronto: L
@San Jose: OTL
@Anaheim: L
@LA Kings: W

If the Hawks can stay relatively healthy over the course of the season, they’ll be fine. They’re still the 2nd youngest team in the NHL and Q has only been behind the bench a little over a month. They’re still going to have their ups and downs, because a team like this, like it or not, has the tendency to be streaky. So get ready to ride the wave the next couple of months and watch this young Hawk team grow into its own.

Blackhawks Avg Home Attendance #1 in NHL

The Chicago Blackhawks attendance at the United Center sits atop the NHL's average through the first month of the season. A lot of people may argue that is due to the record number of season tickets sold this year (due to the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field), but regardless, I'm proud of my fellow Chicagoans for getting out to the UC this year and cheering on this young Hawks team. For the most part so far this year, empty seats have been scarce and the crowd has been ready to go when Jim Cornelison takes the mic for the National Anthem.

Coach Quenneville had this to say about the crowd at the UC this year:

"It's a great motivator for our club. With their backing it creates a great environment with excitement and noise. The pace of the game is quicker when they're into it. It's been a great start. It's 21,000 every night. It has to be the greatest place to play."

Friday night should be a rockin' crowd at the UC when the Blues come to Chicago for the first time this year. I'll be there, again, making it my 4th straight trip to the UC to see the Hawks. God it's nice to be excited about the Hawks again!

Savard Rejoins Hawks as Team Ambassador

The Blackhawks announced today that Dennis Savard will be rejoining the organization (not like he really left) as a team ambassador. He will join the likes of Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony O as Blackhawk team ambassadors.

It's really nice to hear this news. It really looks like the Hawks made the right move by letting Savvy go and bringing in Quenneville to head the team. Savvy was thrown into a tough situation with the Hawks; and given his prior coaching experience, I think he did a good job with what he had.

If you weren't at the game last night or had a chance to watch the #3 retirement ceremony live last night, Savard received the biggest ovation last night when he was introduced...a very nice moment to witness.

Bulin Wall Stellar – but Hawks still fall in Shootout

Last night, the Chicago Blackhawks faced off against, to my surprise, a very good Boston Bruins team. The game started off almost the entire opposite way the game started off Sunday night against the Flames with the Hawks on the powerplay for the majority of the first period. Despite getting off 18 1st period shots, the Hawks were unable to find the back of the net.

From my thoughts at the game, our powerplay was pretty poor last night. They had trouble gaining the zone and once they did, it was tough to keep the puck in for an extended period of time. When they did get shots off, they were not the high quality chances you like to see on the powerplay. Most of the shots came from further back in the zone and when it looked like they had set up a good screen, the shot wouldn’t find its way all the way to the goaltender. When a team spends that much time on the powerplay in the first period and cannot convert, it usually doesn’t bode well for the momentum and confidence for the rest of the game.

After the first period, the Bruins seemed to gain almost all of the momentum from then on out. They notched a key powerplay goal late in the 2nd period. Jonathan Toews did tie it at 1-1 on a powerplay goal midway through the 3rd period, but were clearly outplayed after period one. The Bruins, after the 1st period, outshot the Hawks 33-14, including an 8-1 advantage in the OT.

The Hawks had a golden opportunity in the OT when Patrick Sharp was hauled down from behind when he was on a breakaway and was awarded a penalty shot. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Sharpie didn’t convert and they eventually lost in the shootout.

The biggest story of the night (after the Pilote/Magnuson retirement ceremony of course) was Nikolai Khabibulin’s play between the pipes last night. The guy was absolutely magnificent last night. He wasn’t just making all the saves he should make, he was making all the saves he should not have made as well. He had multiple saves stretching from one post to the other, was in great position all night and just absolutely stood on his head for the Hawks. The Hawks really had no business receiving any points last night, but Khabibulin almost earned that point for the Hawks entirely by himself. I don’t care that Tim Thomas got the win or played pretty well himself, Khabibulin was better last night…albeit in a loss.

After the game, during my drive home, I heard Adam Burish talking on the radio. He talked about how that was a good game and test for them to have. Sure, they would always like to win 6-2 and have the ability to relax in the 3rd period, but last night’s game resembles playoff hockey. I know people don’t like to hear the “it’s a good learning experience” line, but for this team, it was.

Few Notes:

-Jonathan Toews scored his 2nd goal in 2 games. After going goalless for the first 12 games, he now has a goal streak!

-Our penalty kill continues to play extremely well. I think Burish had four blocked shots last night. If people still have the qualms about him, fine. But at least admit his work on the penalty kill this year has been tremendous.

-The ceremony for Pilote and Magnuson was a really awesome experience to witness first hand. I knew a little about Magnuson (and have his autograph) before last night, but outside of a short email from my Dad yesterday, knew nothing about Pilote. The #3 on the Hawks sweater will forever be represented by two great hockey players; and more importantly, great people.

-To the kid sitting next to me last night, you were probably the most annoying type of Hawks fan around. Constantly complaining about their play and saying "Come on Campbell (or insert popular player's name)" like it was cool that you knew who all the popular players names were. It was great to hear you say "This is bullshit" referring to the Hawks powerplay exactly three seconds before they scored. Get over yourself.

Hawks Notch Their Fourth Straight; Toews – One Goal

Boy oh boy, how can you not be excited for this team right now? Almost everything seems to be clicking on all cylinders for the Hawks! They’re scoring…a lot. Their playing better defensively and the goaltending has been very, very solid. Last night was my fourth game at the UC and I find myself looking forward more and more to every game that I am able to attend. (Thank you to United Airlines for getting me back from Boston on time so I could make the game for the anthem…and forget about how terrible ND football is right now).

The game, last night, did not start under the best terms. The Hawks were more or less shorthanded for the first ten minutes of the game and I don’t remember the Flames getting more than a couple good scoring chances. The penalty kill was outstanding last night and helped push our 90.6 PK% to 2nd in the NHL, only behind the Wild’s 92.4 PK%.

As for the offense, they also played tremendous last night. Sometimes teams fall into the habit of making one too many passes and mitigates a really good scoring chance. Last night, however, the Hawks were shooting when they should and making that last pass when they should. Three of the six goals last night were scored, basically, on an empty net. If a Hawks player has an almost completely open net to shoot at, I’m going to go out on a limb and say those shots will result in goals, oh, 99% of the time.

I watched the highlights this morning and could not believe at some of the saves Kiprusoff was forced to make last night. Don’t let the final score fool you because the Hawks could have easily put up ten goals last night if it weren’t for Kiprusoff and some ridiculous saves. I’m sure a lot of people around the NHL will see that Kiprusoff surrendered six goals and think he played bad…but I have to give credit where credit is due.

And finally (and no I didn’t forget), congratulations to Johnny Toews on finally putting the biscuit in the basket last night! I find it fitting after getting robbed a few times earlier in the game, his first goal needed to squeak through a Kiprusoff hole and then barely trickle its way into the back of the net. In the four games I’ve seen at the UC so far this year, the Hawks have scored a combined 21 goals (wow, I’m pretty lucky) and honestly, that was the most excited I’ve been for any of those goals. Granted, I haven’t seen a game winner late in the 3rd period or an OT winner, but still, probably had one of the biggest smiles I’ve had for any goal all year at home. And did anyone else notice how excited Kane was? I think he was the most jubilant guy in the house last night. That’s something you just love to see. (God I hope those two are both wearing Hawks jerseys ten years from now).

And now some quick notes:

-It took Toews just under 736 minutes of play this year to finally tally goal #1.

-The Hawks special teams are right up at the top of the NHL after 13 games. The Hawks PK% is 2nd in the NHL at 90.6% while their PP% is 4th in the NHL at an even 22%.

-The Hawks are 3-0-1 when I am in attendance at the UC (must be all me, right?!).

-Wendesday night, the Hawks will retire #3 to honor the greatest defenseman to wear a Hawks sweater, Pierre Pilote and long time Blackhawk, Keith Magnuson.

Adam Burish Avoids Suspension

Late in the 3rd period during Monday night's 6-2 victory over the Quebec Nordiques Colorado Avalanche, Adam Burish appeared to have left the bench during a skirmish along the Blackhawks bench. According to NHL rules, when a player leaves the bench, it usually requires and automatic 10-game suspension. However, Burish had just completed a line change when he stepped back onto the ice and avoided throwing any punches towards any Avs players. Apparently, that was sufficient enough evidence for the NHL only to slap Burish with a fine. Burish made special mention of teammate Andrew Ladd pulling him back into the bench during the altercation, an act that may have ultimately saved Burish from missing 10 games.

"I'll grow from it, but at the same time it's part of who I am, it's part of how I play," Burish said. "That situation is one where I shouldn't have done that."

I'm happy to hear he won't be missing any time. I know some people have their qualms with Burish, but I think he plays his role nicely.

Via: Chicago Tribune

Winter Classic Random Drawing Now Open

For all of those who have been eagerly awaiting the exciting moment of filling out a form and then hoping your entry gets picked for "public" Winter Classic tickets, well wait no longer! The drawing is officially open and accepting entries. Good luck and have fun waiting a month for the drawing to happen "on or about December 4, 2008."

Martin Brodeur Out 3-4 Months

So as a Hawks fan, you may be asking “Why do I care?” Here’s why you care. Currently, the Blackhawks have 2 goalies in Cristobal Huet and Nikolai Khabibulin who are both playing really well (outside of what some Hawk fans will tell you). Khabibulin is ranked 10th in both GAA and Save % (2.38 and .919 respectively) while Huet is ranked 12th in GAA and 13th in Save % (2.73 and .910 respectively). It’s a good mess to be in…for the time being. At some point, we’re going to have to ship one of these guys away. And most likely, it’s going to be Khabibulin and his $6.75M.

Don’t get me wrong, I like Khabibulin. However, I ultimately think it will benefit the Hawks…especially, Cristobal Huet. Once he is officially the #1 goalie in Chicago and starting the majority of games, I think we’re finally going to see what he’s capable of (similar to what we saw on Saturday night @ Columbus with 48 saves on 51 shots).

I looked over the Devils roster and I’m not really sure what/who would benefit us and who the Devils are going to be willing to trade. But I have to think that the Devils are going to be shopping for another goalie now that Brodeur is officially out for a good chunk of the season. Unless they want to stick with Kevin Weekes, but I just don’t see that happening.

Dealing for Khabibulin may put the Devils in a tricky situation when Brodeur does return, but if Khabibulin is playing well for the Devils, he would probably be pretty easy for them to unload him at the trade deadline. 3-4 months is a long time to lean on your backup goaltender. If the Devils are smart, they’ll at least take a long look at acquiring the Bulin Wall.

Blackhawks and NHL Announce Public's Long Shot at WC Tickets

If you're a Cubs fan, then you're all too familiar with this process. The awesome news came out yesterday that the Blackhawks and the NHL will hold a random drawing for the opportunity to purchase Winter Classic tickets. Registration will begin tomorrow around 11am CST and end on Friday Nov. 28th at 10:59 CST.

What does this mean for those of us in the public? It means the public will be going head to head with ticket brokers/scalpers/people who are buying tickets only to resell them in an all out battle to see how many email addresses you can register with. Not only will you make a few more email addresses that you will otherwise never use, but you will ask friends to sign up as well and then hope they don't stab you in the back if they do win the superawesometotallysweetandgreatfun random ticket drawing!

I'm frustrated to say the least, because I know sometime in early December, all my registrations will receive some email saying, "Hey hockey fan! Thanks for your interest in the Winter Classic at historic Wrigley Field. Unfortunately, you were not selected for the opportunity purchase tickets, but we do thank for your interest. The suits that are taking your place will be sure to talk about nothing hockey related and only catch a few minutes of the game in between portfolio and stock market talk. Oh, and don't forget, there are still tickets available!! Just check our best friends over at StubHub. There's plenty of options available, if you don't mind spending a month's rent on a ticket! Thanks again!"

Pretty sure you know how I feel. Anyway, good luck with the random drawing...and if you've got an extra, ah screw it, sell it for big profit and enjoy the money.

Glenn Hall - Mr. Goalie -- History Lesson(1)

They called him Mr. Goalie, the pioneer of “butterfly” goalie style used so widely today. Playing through injury after injury and persevering through over 250 career stitches, this man’s man played 502 games in a row (551 including playoffs) and he did all of this WITHOUT WEARING A FREAKING GOALIE MASK! Seriously, take that in for a second. Imagine the Rocket (Maurice Richard) or Gordie Howe or Alexander Ovechkin (for you younger folk) barreling down on you and knowing you’re the only thing between them and the goal. Do you think they would have cared about your maskless mug? No, they definitely wouldn’t have; but that didn’t stop Hall putting his face in harm’s way.

Hall officially made his mark in the NHL during the 1955-1956 season for the Detroit Red Wings. In his first season in net, Hall recorded 12 shutouts, won the rookie of the year and, of course, played every game.

During his 1957 postseason with the Wings, Hall was netminding a game against the Boston Bruins when he took a slap shot to the mouth that knocked him out cold. That surely would have ended his game and his consecutive game streak, right? Wrong. Instead, the game was delayed about a half an hour for Hall to receive 23 stitches and thus, return to action. For any human to endure that much pain and, say, return a few games later…that would be awesome. This dude returned to a game 30 minutes later with 23 fresh stitches knowing full well that he could be hit in the same spot again! Again, a man’s man. Hell, I’d go as far as a man’s man’s man (if that even makes sense).

At the end of his second season (1956-1957), Hall was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks where he led the team to the 1961 Stanley Cup championship (their last Cup). His consecutive streak finally came to a halt against the Bruins, but had nothing to do with a shot to the face. Instead, as he was tying up his pads before the game, he felt his back go out. He tried to play through it, but eventually pulled himself out.

Before the 1967-68 season, Hall was chosen by Scotty Bowman’s St. Louis Blues in the league’s expansion draft where he would go onto leading the Blues to three straight Stanley Cup Finals, but no championships. Despite being swept 4-0 in the Finals by the Montreal Canadiens, Glenn Hall still won the Conn Smythe as the playoffs most valuable player; one of only five players to win the award on the Finals losing team…and impressive honor to say the least.

Glenn Hall was an awesome goalie and even more awesome for playing 502 consecutive games without a mask. I know people hear the phrase “that record will never be broken,” only to see that record broken a few years later. This record, however, is different and I can assure you that it will never be broken. Outside of knowing the 23 stitches story from my Dad telling me years ago, I really did not know much about Mr. Goalie. I now have a newfound respect for him and now have a better understanding exactly why his #1 is hanging from the rafters at the United Center.

If you have time, I would definitely recommend watching the video below as well.


Sources:
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1004416/1/index.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_Hall

Blackhawks History Lesson

With the start of a new blog, ideas for posts and daily/weekly things to cover are flowing. One that came to mind today was giving Hawk fans (and non Hawk fans) a Blackhawks history lesson. I’m thinking about posting something once a week that covers a player, group of players, a certain team, a game or a season and some interesting information about them. Having been born in the early 80s, there are a lot of things I either do not know about or only vaguely remember from my Dad telling me stories about the Hawks during my younger days. Look for something later today on Mr. Goalie, Glenn Hall.

Picture credited to nhluniforms.com

Winter Classic Seating Chart and Prices Announced

Just got news that the NHL has released the seating chart and prices for the 2009 Winter Classic at Wrigley Field. There are only three sets of prices and one undetermined price (for limited view seating) and they are as follows: $325, $275, $75. For clearer information regarding where those prices correspond where seats are, see the picture below:



It also appears that partial season ticket holders (like myself) are not included in the pre-public sale purchase (if there even is a public sale). I am somewhat upset, but at the same time, do understand the need to put Blackhawks, Red Wings and Cubs (because it’s their building) full season ticket holders before people like my friends and I.

As for my thoughts on the whole pricing and seating chart, I am not a big fan. Chances are, it’s probably going to be really cold. I know the odds of me scoring good seats at face value are slim and I definitely do not think it’s worth $600-$1000 to sit in the better seats. If I were able to get my hands on a bleacher seat at $100 or less, then yea, I’ll probably go. Outside of that, I’d rather save the ridiculous sum it is going to cost to sit in a semi-decent seat and use it for airfare, hotel and ticket accommodations for Notre Dame’s bowl game in a warm climate in January. Yes, the Winter Classic at Wrigley is a once in a lifetime event. But I’d rather watch the game on HD television in my warm apartment or listen to it on the radio from a beach in Florida/Arizona/California than pay a greedy ticket scalper $600 to freeze my butt off. Sure, I won’t get to say “I was there,” but that’s no big deal. I’m looking more forward to the day when the Hawks win the Cup at the UC and 20 years after, I can say “I was there.”

Campbell and the Spin-o-rama

There is a lot of complaining going on over on the message boards today regarding Brian Campbell's spin-o-rama gone bad that led to the Wild's 2nd goal last night. I talked about this below, but he was clearly tripped. There's a reason why guys use this move (Denny Savard anyone?) and it always seems to electrify the crowd. One example is shown below when Campbell was with the Sharks.



If you want to complain about Campbell's contract, yea, I get that. But as someone noted on the message boards, it's ridiculous to complain about the guy's on-ice play. Give me a break.

Most Ridiculous Comment on the Blackhawks "Official" Message Board

Since I have made my way back to being an avid follower of the Blackhawks again, I have also had the opportunity over the past year to read the message boards over at the Blackhawks official homepage.

I don’t need to go on any long spiel about how outrageous a lot of people on message boards are because everybody knows this. I try to stay away from reading those boards as possible; it’s just way too frustrating to read what some people say on there. However, I always find myself there because, believe it or not, there are a few people who do have an idea of what they are talking about. Most of the time, though, they are drowned out by all the idiots who love to rip players, blame everyone and panic after each and every loss.

I’ve been around hockey enough to know when a team plays great, good, mediocre, bad and downright abysmal (Trust me, my high school team won a combined 10 games my last two years, I know). It’s a sport and every team is going to have games in each of those categories every year. Why do I bring this up? Mainly because, yes, the Blackhawks, for the most part last night, played pretty mediocre. There were some bright spots, but, mostly mediocre. However, people tend to forget (or not realize or refuse to admit) that they played on the road against a team who has yet to lose a game in regulation (currently the Wild sit at 6-0-1). Is it possible that the Wild are good, possibly really good this year? The Hawks are young (3rd youngest) and it’s something I will return to many times this year. Should they make the playoffs? Yes. Should they win the Cup? No.

So where am I going with this? Because I regretfully find myself on the message boards at some point almost every day, I’m going to introduce a new segment to this new blog: “Most Ridiculous Comment on the Message Board.” I don’t think it really needs much more explaining. So without further ado, I give you today’s most ridiculous comment:

“Campbell is an albtross on defense and he will be the downfall of the team. It is possible this is the worst signing by the Hawks and might make the top three in the NHL.”

I don’t even know where to start. It’s comments like this that get me very frustrated, but I think pointing them out to others to take in may just help ease my frustration.

Hawks fall to Wild 3-2 in Minnesota

The Blackhawks dropped their 2nd game in a row tonight in somewhat frustrating fashion against the Minnesota Wild. The turning point, in my eyes, was when Brian Campbell attempted to do his spin-o-rama in the Wild zone, was tripped and lost the puck. The Wild picked it up, stormed down the ice and somehow slipped the puck past Huet. Admittedly, I think it was a very weak goal on Huet’s part, but I really think the refs missed Campbell getting tripped up.

The Hawks did outshoot the Wild tonight 2 to 1 (36-18), but it seemed most of the shots were from outside the circles with nobody screening Backstrom. To Backstrom’s credit, he did play really well tonight and made the big saves when he needed to, but if the Hawks are going to settle for long distance shots, they need to get bodies in front of the net.

As for Huet, he looked a little shaky again in net and just doesn’t quite look like the same goalie that ended last season on such a hot streak. I don’t think there was much he could have done on the first and third goals, but he just looks a little shaky to me. It’s still too early for me to panic about Huet, but I think this whole mess with him and Khabibulin is affecting him more between the ears and less actually between the pipes. No doubt he has the ability; let’s just hope he finds it sooner than later.

Now a few notes from the game tonight:

-Dave Bolland had a great penalty kill shift during the Wild’s second penalty. He looked like a man on a mission and that’s always a welcome sight.

-Again, I thought Campbell was tripped and it was a bad no call from the referees. You can be the judge from the video below…and you can also watch the second goal again.

-The Hawks did have some good chances on the 5-3, but you just have to bury those chances.

-Duncan Keith’s decision to step up right before he scored their second goal was a great decision. That’s the perfect opportunity to do so.


The Hawks have the rest of the week to prepare for the Stars. The Stars sit at 3-4-2 and host the Wild Wednesday night before they take on the Hawks Friday night at the UC at 7:30pm.

Welcome to Chi-City Hockey!

Let me first take this moment to welcome everyone to the official, unofficial, unofficial, official Blackhawks blog!

So, where to begin? Let’s first get the name of title of the blog out of the way. Why “Chi-city hockey?” Two reasons: 1) Because just about every other name surrounding the Blackhawks, Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks has already been taken in the form of a url. 2) Because Kanye West says it in “Homecoming” numerous times!!! Seriously though, I’m just trying to stay hip and look cool by staying current with Chicago’s most recent nicknames.

So a little bit about me: I’ve been a hockey fan for as long as I can remember. I started playing on the ponds when I was about 6 or 7 and began playing competitively at age 10 when they finally open an ice rink in my hometown. Although I played many sports growing up, hockey has always been and will always be my true passion surrounding the sporting world. It’s the best game to play and is without question the most exciting sport to watch in person. And with HD television bursting onto the scene the past couple of years, you won’t hear many grumblings about not being able to see the puck while taking in a game on TV. (And never will you ever have to witness something like this ever again!)

As far as my NHL knowledge goes, I’d say it is somewhat limited. I paid very little attention to the Blackhawks after the era of Roenick and Belfour passed through the Windy City. Sure, I’d watch the occasional road game on TV (because, as most know, home games were not offered on tv) with Foley broadcasting, but that was about it. However, that all changed last year when the Hawks former owner, Bill Wirtz, passed away, leaving the team in the hands of his son, Rocky. Rocky pulled almost all the right strings during his first few months on the job and just like that, I was back in.

Last year, I attended about 6 games during the season at the UC, which is pretty good considering I did not live in the city at the time. This year, I’m in on a 9-game “Hull” plan with my friends that included this past Saturday’s game against Wings. And despite the SO loss, the game/crowd/play was invigorating and included a record crowd for a regular season Blackhawks game played at the United Center.

So, needless to say, I am extremely excited for this season. A few years ago, the Blackhawks played on 82 nights a year and I maybe caught 2 or 3 of those games. Now, I find myself looking forward, home or road, to every game. That’s 82 nights where I normally wouldn’t have much to look forward to and now will be glued to the radio or tv whenever possible to catch the action. It’s a great time to be a hockey fan and even greater time to be a Blackhawks fan. I’m not sure what direction this blog will head or how often it will be updated, but that’s something I’ll find out as I go.

To leave you with something that will send chills for any current Blackhawk fan, watch the video of the 2007-2008 highlights below. That Matchbox 20 song has been one of my favorites since they showed this video at the last home game last year vs. the Preds (where I had standing room tickets to). LET’S GO HAWKS!