Joakim Nordstrom has started the last 5 games for the Blackhawks. Jeremy Morin has watched from the stands since the first game of the road trip in Calgary. The 22 year old Nordstrom joined the Icehogs late in the 2012/13 season. He had 16 games with the Hawks last year and 5 so far here. He stands at 6'1" and a mere 160#s. Morin has been around since mid-way through the 2010/11 season when he split his time between Rockford and the Hawks. He played 3 games in each of the next two years, 24 games last year and 15 so far this year with the Hawks. He is 23 years old, also stands at 6'1" but bulks up at 192 pounds. Now I personally thought Morin was playing pretty well and I am a bit surprised that Q had him sit these last five games. But Jeremy, while he has moments of grandeur, is also prone to mistakes. Morin hits our cap at $800k this year and next. There are plenty of teams that can absorb that salary and use a player like Morin. That could be some well needed cap space for the Hawks. I keep thinking, look for that trade.
How about that goal by Danny tonight. Follows up on his own rebound slapping one out of mid-air. Nicely done.
Give Richards credit for being in the right place for his goal getting up toward the net. His line is on fire. That goal never would have happened without the neat little drop off from Kane to Versteeg. But Kane misses out on an assist on a play he made happen.
The second half of the second period seems to be a problem for the Hawks. During the first 30 of this game the Hawks led both SOGs and FOs. But by the end of the second they were only up one SOG and down one FO. While they did not give up a goal during that time they seem to struggle with the long change during the last half of the period. Great game overall but that second period always scares me.
And the Hawks return home with 10 out of 12 points defeating some of the hottest teams in the league. They get three days off and then play the Blues, who also have 3 days off, at the UC.
#Blackhawks
Saturday, November 29, 2014
333 North
We took a trip downtown today to visit 333 (that's pronounced "tree turty tree") North Michigan Avenue, home of the new Blackhawks store. The store is very bright, flashy and spacious unlike the old store that was dark, dingy and crowded. While I didn't check numbers, I believe they had a Jersey on the wall for each of the active players. There was plenty of staff walking around to help answer any question you might have and even someone at the front of the store greeting you and wishing you well when you left.
So herein lies the rub. I was actually looking for a backpack that I saw online. I asked one of the wandering clerks who informed us that they, indeed, had none. We were informed that they were tying to be more of a boutique store. Wha, huh! I thought this was "THE" Blackhawks store. A boutique store? Boutique, scmootique. Bring back the old dingy store loaded with all the chotchkies, random shirts, hat and gloves an the occasional autographed item. I used to love scanning around the room and finding little treasures tucked away in the corners of the displays.
Keep the new larger store, but pack it to the gills with product and memorabilia rather than try to sell a small assortment of high end products.
My advice to you: Don't bother making a special trip to 333. Just stop by if you are in the neighborhood.
As an aside, we also went to the store in Oak Brook mall a couple of weeks ago. That store had much more to choose from. Maybe they did not have every jersey in stock, although they could have in the back, but they had a much larger selection. Oak Brook is worth the visit.
So herein lies the rub. I was actually looking for a backpack that I saw online. I asked one of the wandering clerks who informed us that they, indeed, had none. We were informed that they were tying to be more of a boutique store. Wha, huh! I thought this was "THE" Blackhawks store. A boutique store? Boutique, scmootique. Bring back the old dingy store loaded with all the chotchkies, random shirts, hat and gloves an the occasional autographed item. I used to love scanning around the room and finding little treasures tucked away in the corners of the displays.
Keep the new larger store, but pack it to the gills with product and memorabilia rather than try to sell a small assortment of high end products.
My advice to you: Don't bother making a special trip to 333. Just stop by if you are in the neighborhood.
As an aside, we also went to the store in Oak Brook mall a couple of weeks ago. That store had much more to choose from. Maybe they did not have every jersey in stock, although they could have in the back, but they had a much larger selection. Oak Brook is worth the visit.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Shooting the Duck(s)
It could be that Richards is turning the corner. After whiffing on a shot in first he then seemed to settle in and looked a bit more comfortable. He finally found the net and later made a diving one handed pass to Versteeg who then set up Kane. I think is he stays comfortable and stops trying too hard we might see more out of him.
Much of the second period looked like the Hawks were on the power play when they were 5 on 5. They probably looked better at equal strength than they did on their actual power plays. That trend pretty much continued into the third.
Let's talk Corey Perry...#10...hit him early and often. The next game I think we will see some action taken against his after he hit Crawford and later cross-checked Hossa. I was surprised that Q did not send Bickell or Carcillo out for the face off after the Hossa hit but I think Q was more concerned with winning the game. Perry can wait for another day.
Overall, great game. Hawks well in control.
#Blackhawks
Much of the second period looked like the Hawks were on the power play when they were 5 on 5. They probably looked better at equal strength than they did on their actual power plays. That trend pretty much continued into the third.
Let's talk Corey Perry...#10...hit him early and often. The next game I think we will see some action taken against his after he hit Crawford and later cross-checked Hossa. I was surprised that Q did not send Bickell or Carcillo out for the face off after the Hossa hit but I think Q was more concerned with winning the game. Perry can wait for another day.
Overall, great game. Hawks well in control.
#Blackhawks
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Scouting the Icehogs...
I made a scouting visit to watch the Icehogs play the Wolves. #1 on must list to watch was Teuvo Teravainen. I believe he still has some developmental issues which is why he has not been called up to the NHL. Let's start with face offs. I am not sure how many he took, but I don't recall him winning a singe face off. He was actually pulled out of the face off circle in the second period and also pulled from a key PP face off. But I think that is a fixable problem.The bigger problem was his tentative play. He is not large at 5' 10" and a mere 169#s but he needs to be a bit more aggressive. He spent most of his time "floating" high in the zone beyond the dots. He has a lot of skill but his size is going to be a bid problem. More bacon cheese burgers.
Garret Ross had a great game scoring two goals. Mashinter with a assist and an empty net goal.
Y'all remember 6' 9" Viktor Svedberg? He cross checks a guy in the corner and they both go down, Svedberg on top cross checks him again. Its the AHL, so no call yet. So Viktor brings his stick over the guys head, down to his upper chest and starts choking him! Finally the arm went up. Unbelievably stupid.
I didn't realize that Terry Broadhurst moved to the Wolves. Not sure how that happened. Alex is still with the hogs but I never saw the brothers on the ice at the same time.
Mac Caruth made some fantastic saves and got the shutout in the 3-0 victory. Darling sat on the bench. Mashinter looked really good. I think he would be the next forward to get pulled up if needed. Klas Dahlbeck and Kyle Cumiskey played great defensive games.
As for the Wolves, they have Colin Fraser playing for them. You old timers might remember him. Brent Sopel now playing with the Wolves. He looks like he gained a few pounds over his listed weight of 201#. Looks more like 220 or 230.
Ty Rattie had a great game. He going to be someone to look for on the Blues once he develops.
And lastly Jake Chelios, son of Chris Chelios, is now with the wolves. Tripped over his own two feet in the first as he attempted to cross over to go after a puck, never saw that from daddy, but played just OK. Didn't see NHL talent there. We'll see if he develops.
Garret Ross had a great game scoring two goals. Mashinter with a assist and an empty net goal.
Y'all remember 6' 9" Viktor Svedberg? He cross checks a guy in the corner and they both go down, Svedberg on top cross checks him again. Its the AHL, so no call yet. So Viktor brings his stick over the guys head, down to his upper chest and starts choking him! Finally the arm went up. Unbelievably stupid.
I didn't realize that Terry Broadhurst moved to the Wolves. Not sure how that happened. Alex is still with the hogs but I never saw the brothers on the ice at the same time.
Mac Caruth made some fantastic saves and got the shutout in the 3-0 victory. Darling sat on the bench. Mashinter looked really good. I think he would be the next forward to get pulled up if needed. Klas Dahlbeck and Kyle Cumiskey played great defensive games.
As for the Wolves, they have Colin Fraser playing for them. You old timers might remember him. Brent Sopel now playing with the Wolves. He looks like he gained a few pounds over his listed weight of 201#. Looks more like 220 or 230.
Ty Rattie had a great game. He going to be someone to look for on the Blues once he develops.
And lastly Jake Chelios, son of Chris Chelios, is now with the wolves. Tripped over his own two feet in the first as he attempted to cross over to go after a puck, never saw that from daddy, but played just OK. Didn't see NHL talent there. We'll see if he develops.
Saturday, November 22, 2014
Hawks now 12 goals to 1 against Edmonton this year
I checked the Brovada odds today. Penguins to win the cup 13/2, Hawks remain at 7/1. Still early in the season and the Hawks have hopefully completed their "slump."
I remember when the Oilers were feared. Not so much these days. Lots of #1 draft picks and an $18M first line. But 200/1 for the Stanley cup. And tonight they showed us why. One of if, if not the, worst defenses in the league.How many #1 draft picks really make it big anyway?
Bad break for Rannta tonight. Maybe he could have gotten the shutout. Actually I am not sure there is a goalie in the league that could have stopped that Edmonton goal. As Corey prepared to catch that one in his glove it deflected in on his stick side. Let's hope that Rannta hasn't spread that flu around the team. We certainly don't need anyone else out of the line-up.
I still think Richards needs more time working with this team. He's just not connecting with Kane or Versteeg. Versteeg's goal came while playing with Toews and Hossa. Kane's goal came from Versteeg and Hjlrmarsson.
So it's one to see the Sendin twins and the rest of the Cnuckleheads who lost 4-1 to the Ducks on Friday night.
And by the way, all 8 goals scored by Kane this year have been in the third period.
#Blackhawks
I remember when the Oilers were feared. Not so much these days. Lots of #1 draft picks and an $18M first line. But 200/1 for the Stanley cup. And tonight they showed us why. One of if, if not the, worst defenses in the league.How many #1 draft picks really make it big anyway?
Bad break for Rannta tonight. Maybe he could have gotten the shutout. Actually I am not sure there is a goalie in the league that could have stopped that Edmonton goal. As Corey prepared to catch that one in his glove it deflected in on his stick side. Let's hope that Rannta hasn't spread that flu around the team. We certainly don't need anyone else out of the line-up.
I still think Richards needs more time working with this team. He's just not connecting with Kane or Versteeg. Versteeg's goal came while playing with Toews and Hossa. Kane's goal came from Versteeg and Hjlrmarsson.
So it's one to see the Sendin twins and the rest of the Cnuckleheads who lost 4-1 to the Ducks on Friday night.
And by the way, all 8 goals scored by Kane this year have been in the third period.
#Blackhawks
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Hawks dig deep and win.
I've talked about the depth of this team, in particular the defense. We saw that tonight as Q brings in the new kids, each 22 years old. One of them, Clendening, scores on his second shift and then the other one, Nordstrom, was key to setting up the second goal. On the good side, we won't need to test that depth any further as Hammer returned to the ice in the second after taking that puck to the face late in the first.
The best PK in the league did not look that way tonight giving up 2 goals on the first two PKs. Before the first penalty by Kruger the Hawks were up 10-3 on the SOGs. Finished the first period up 12-11 and then fell to 13-12 by the end of the Toews penalty. UGH This is why we try to stay out of the box. But noooo, they go on to draw 6 penalties for the night, giving up momentum, if not goals, each time.
After a lull in the action early in the second, geez that was boring, the Hawks finally turned on the speed and paid off with a goal from Seabs. But Calgary has good speed as well and answered with a goal from Monahan less than two minutes later.
Great stick movement by Kane to poke in the 4th Hawk goal. While Kane has a great game and played 17:50 minutes, Toews still led the forwards with 20:03 minutes.
For the Hawks, only 4 SOGs in that third. That will be a topic of conversation in the locker room.
But we go on to win the first game of the circus trip against a pretty hot Flames team.
So on to play the lowly Oilers on Saturday and then the Cnuckleheads on Sunday. Buckle up your seat belts, this road trip is not going to be any easier as we move forward.
#Blackhawks
The best PK in the league did not look that way tonight giving up 2 goals on the first two PKs. Before the first penalty by Kruger the Hawks were up 10-3 on the SOGs. Finished the first period up 12-11 and then fell to 13-12 by the end of the Toews penalty. UGH This is why we try to stay out of the box. But noooo, they go on to draw 6 penalties for the night, giving up momentum, if not goals, each time.
After a lull in the action early in the second, geez that was boring, the Hawks finally turned on the speed and paid off with a goal from Seabs. But Calgary has good speed as well and answered with a goal from Monahan less than two minutes later.
Great stick movement by Kane to poke in the 4th Hawk goal. While Kane has a great game and played 17:50 minutes, Toews still led the forwards with 20:03 minutes.
For the Hawks, only 4 SOGs in that third. That will be a topic of conversation in the locker room.
But we go on to win the first game of the circus trip against a pretty hot Flames team.
So on to play the lowly Oilers on Saturday and then the Cnuckleheads on Sunday. Buckle up your seat belts, this road trip is not going to be any easier as we move forward.
#Blackhawks
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Go West Young Hawks
The circus is hitting the United Center. I remember the times when it was hard to tell the difference between the Blackhawks and the circus. How things have changed. Thank you Rocky.
TVR - We now know he suffered a broken patella (aka kneecap). He will have surgery on Thursday and be out 3 or 4 months. That is a really tough break for a guy who jumped up from college to one if, if not THE, top teams in the league.The good news is that this is an injury from which he can fully recover and be back in time for the playoffs. Keep your fingers crossed.
Two young Hawks, Nordstrom and Clendening, join the team to head west to Calgary to open a 6 game road trip to complete November. Clendening is excited to be with the team but feels terrible for the TVR situation.
I attended the Hawks send-off practice today over at Johnnies Ice House West. Based on that practice it appears that Roszival might actually sit and Nordstrom will be in. Clendening pretty obviously the odd forward out. He even played some defense at practice taking a wrist shot from Hossa in a place where no man wants to get hit. No cup is perfect.
All rostered Hawks, sans Sharp and TVR, were present. There was some quick PP practice but mostly drills for timing and shooting. Richards, playing between Versteeg and Kane, still struggling with finding Kane on the passing plays. If they stay together long enough this will work itself out.
Q indicated Crow will be in the net tomorrow night. Raanta said he wasn't worried about his quick trip to Rockford. He would told that the team "had a plan."
So to start in Calgary I believe the lines to be:
20-19-81
23-91-88
29-65-13
42-16-28 (42 = Nordstrom)
and on D:
2-7
4-27
6-5 (6 = Clendening)
#Blackhawks #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
TVR - We now know he suffered a broken patella (aka kneecap). He will have surgery on Thursday and be out 3 or 4 months. That is a really tough break for a guy who jumped up from college to one if, if not THE, top teams in the league.The good news is that this is an injury from which he can fully recover and be back in time for the playoffs. Keep your fingers crossed.
Two young Hawks, Nordstrom and Clendening, join the team to head west to Calgary to open a 6 game road trip to complete November. Clendening is excited to be with the team but feels terrible for the TVR situation.
I attended the Hawks send-off practice today over at Johnnies Ice House West. Based on that practice it appears that Roszival might actually sit and Nordstrom will be in. Clendening pretty obviously the odd forward out. He even played some defense at practice taking a wrist shot from Hossa in a place where no man wants to get hit. No cup is perfect.
All rostered Hawks, sans Sharp and TVR, were present. There was some quick PP practice but mostly drills for timing and shooting. Richards, playing between Versteeg and Kane, still struggling with finding Kane on the passing plays. If they stay together long enough this will work itself out.
Q indicated Crow will be in the net tomorrow night. Raanta said he wasn't worried about his quick trip to Rockford. He would told that the team "had a plan."
So to start in Calgary I believe the lines to be:
20-19-81
23-91-88
29-65-13
42-16-28 (42 = Nordstrom)
and on D:
2-7
4-27
6-5 (6 = Clendening)
#Blackhawks #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
Saturday, November 15, 2014
Four goals for the Hawks!
One of those goals actually went into the Detroit net. The other 3 were great feeds to Detroit setting up the Wings goals. That was an ugly loss. I was wondering what Q was going to do when Kane coughed one up. He couldn't very well let that go after benching Versteeg for about 14 minutes. But it would be tough to leave Kane on the bench. So instead Kane gets the demotion. I'm not really convinced that helped the cause.
And so the Hawks fall to 9th in the conference and prepare to play the 11th place Stars. This should be a team that the Hawks can score a few goals against. We just need to be sure we don't give them any freebies. Seaguin leads the team with 12 goals and 10 assists and Spezza with 3 goals and 10 helpers.. It should be Lehtonen between the pipes with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV%.
I think it is time that Q turn off the blender and go back to our regularly scheduled lines. That goes for offense and defense. I thought Richards played pretty well last night. Might be time for him to work with Kane. Morin was also chipping away last night. Might I say he could move up to the third line. (Wait a minute, did just say that! If Morin keeps it up I could be eating crow. That's crow with a small "c".)
#Blackhawks #JeremyMorin #PatrickKane #BradRichards
And so the Hawks fall to 9th in the conference and prepare to play the 11th place Stars. This should be a team that the Hawks can score a few goals against. We just need to be sure we don't give them any freebies. Seaguin leads the team with 12 goals and 10 assists and Spezza with 3 goals and 10 helpers.. It should be Lehtonen between the pipes with a 2.72 GAA and .912 SV%.
I think it is time that Q turn off the blender and go back to our regularly scheduled lines. That goes for offense and defense. I thought Richards played pretty well last night. Might be time for him to work with Kane. Morin was also chipping away last night. Might I say he could move up to the third line. (Wait a minute, did just say that! If Morin keeps it up I could be eating crow. That's crow with a small "c".)
#Blackhawks #JeremyMorin #PatrickKane #BradRichards
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Not another shootout!
While the Hawks are 3-0 in the shootout this year I still don't like the shootout. Even watching Patrick Kane roof another SO goal isn't enough to change my mind. But, it's what the NHL wants so I'll take the second point. Let's recap the actual game itself....
0 for 6 on the PP is completely unacceptable. Actually they were -1 for 6 as they gave up their 4th shorty of the year! Passing a problem most of the night again and nothing came out worse than Kane's pass that got picked off resulting in that shorty.
Here is a note to Quenneville, "Put the $%&*@# defense back together again." There is chemistry between Keith and Seabrook and Hjalmarsson and Oduya. van Riemsdyk and Rundblad were also getting things together. Rozsival just seems too inconsistent at this point. Let's just hope Oduya does not miss any games here.
Was anyone at that game last night? I am wondering what Morin is doing to agitate the other teams. He did it again last night and gave the Hawks another PP. Not that getting a PP matters at this point.
Couldn't be better than to play the Redwings on Friday night. Time for a game of Deetroit sucks! For you new readers here are the rules... Each time one of the announcers says "Detroit" you must respond by saying, "sucks!" (Yes, with enthusiasm please.) Failing to do so means to take a shot or a 5 second beer chug. It gets harder as the game goes on.
Nyquist top scorer to date for the Wings with 8. Datsyuk and Abdelkader with 5 each. Zetterberg with the lead in assists (12) and total points (16). Jimmy Howard with a 2.03 GAA and .923 SV%. That save percentage a problem for the Hawks struggling to find the back of the net. Detroit will be coming in after a four day rest having lost, in none other than a shootout, to, none other than, the Lightening on Sunday.
#Blackhawks
0 for 6 on the PP is completely unacceptable. Actually they were -1 for 6 as they gave up their 4th shorty of the year! Passing a problem most of the night again and nothing came out worse than Kane's pass that got picked off resulting in that shorty.
Here is a note to Quenneville, "Put the $%&*@# defense back together again." There is chemistry between Keith and Seabrook and Hjalmarsson and Oduya. van Riemsdyk and Rundblad were also getting things together. Rozsival just seems too inconsistent at this point. Let's just hope Oduya does not miss any games here.
Was anyone at that game last night? I am wondering what Morin is doing to agitate the other teams. He did it again last night and gave the Hawks another PP. Not that getting a PP matters at this point.
Couldn't be better than to play the Redwings on Friday night. Time for a game of Deetroit sucks! For you new readers here are the rules... Each time one of the announcers says "Detroit" you must respond by saying, "sucks!" (Yes, with enthusiasm please.) Failing to do so means to take a shot or a 5 second beer chug. It gets harder as the game goes on.
Nyquist top scorer to date for the Wings with 8. Datsyuk and Abdelkader with 5 each. Zetterberg with the lead in assists (12) and total points (16). Jimmy Howard with a 2.03 GAA and .923 SV%. That save percentage a problem for the Hawks struggling to find the back of the net. Detroit will be coming in after a four day rest having lost, in none other than a shootout, to, none other than, the Lightening on Sunday.
#Blackhawks
Monday, November 10, 2014
Practice and retraction....
First let me start with a retraction. I have to say that the video reply in the NHL is out of hand. As a result of Toronto reviewing all goals well into the night after the games, TVR will now need to continue to look for his first ever NHL goal. Awarded, instead, his first NHL assist.Come one NHL!! Let's let this stuff go after the first review during the game and move on. Recalling this is stupid. BTW - Versteeg was handed the goal.
On to this mornings practice:
Missing from practice were Hossa, Richards and Carcillo. [Sharp we already know about, right?] Hossa and Richards "are fine and will play tomorrow," according to Q. I stayed late and never saw Carcillo come out to skate. He has skated for the past couple of days and may be planning something later in the day.
Raanta was the first on the ice for some early warm ups. He also stayed after the half hour official practice working with Waite. Andrew Shaw was the first skater on the the ice and the last to leave. He did a lot of shooting practice but no tip-in practice.
Q conducted a lot of practice that entailed multiple passes. After last night's second period I am not surprised. What did surprise me is that there was no board battle practice. This could be tomorrow before the game.
After the official practice Raanta and others stayed about for almost the rest of the hour. Shaw, Smith, Regin, Kruger and Morin spend a lot of time working with Kevin Dineen on picking up pucks and shooting. Rozsival and van Riemsdyk worked with Kitch on point shot practice.
Lines for today were:
23 - 19 - 88
29 - 65 - 20
28 - 16 - 32
(Rozsival in for Hossa. Likely out for tomorrow.)
11 - 65 - 12
(Shaw working REALLY hard today double shifting to fill in for Richards)
So the Quenneville blender has been turned off for the moment.
It was pretty hard to put together any defensive pairing due to the drills that were being run. Q did indicate that Seabrook and Keith "could" be together again tomorrow night. Put that through my Q secret decoder ring... They WILL be together tomorrow.
#Blackhawks #TrevorvanRiemsdyk #ChrisVersteeg #MarianHossa #BradRichards #DannyCarcillo #AnttiRaanta #AndrewShaw
On to this mornings practice:
Missing from practice were Hossa, Richards and Carcillo. [Sharp we already know about, right?] Hossa and Richards "are fine and will play tomorrow," according to Q. I stayed late and never saw Carcillo come out to skate. He has skated for the past couple of days and may be planning something later in the day.
Raanta was the first on the ice for some early warm ups. He also stayed after the half hour official practice working with Waite. Andrew Shaw was the first skater on the the ice and the last to leave. He did a lot of shooting practice but no tip-in practice.
Q conducted a lot of practice that entailed multiple passes. After last night's second period I am not surprised. What did surprise me is that there was no board battle practice. This could be tomorrow before the game.
After the official practice Raanta and others stayed about for almost the rest of the hour. Shaw, Smith, Regin, Kruger and Morin spend a lot of time working with Kevin Dineen on picking up pucks and shooting. Rozsival and van Riemsdyk worked with Kitch on point shot practice.
Lines for today were:
23 - 19 - 88
29 - 65 - 20
28 - 16 - 32
(Rozsival in for Hossa. Likely out for tomorrow.)
11 - 65 - 12
(Shaw working REALLY hard today double shifting to fill in for Richards)
So the Quenneville blender has been turned off for the moment.
It was pretty hard to put together any defensive pairing due to the drills that were being run. Q did indicate that Seabrook and Keith "could" be together again tomorrow night. Put that through my Q secret decoder ring... They WILL be together tomorrow.
#Blackhawks #TrevorvanRiemsdyk #ChrisVersteeg #MarianHossa #BradRichards #DannyCarcillo #AnttiRaanta #AndrewShaw
Sunday, November 9, 2014
A good 30 minutes
That was a good 30 minutes against the Shaaaaarks! I am not sure what happened in the locker room between the first and second period, but let's hope that does not happen again. Hawks came out forgetting how to pass, forgetting how to fight on the boards and just basically running around like keystone cops. After 20 shots in the first period they get 6 in the second? Oy. They recovered for the last ten minutes.
For the record, I think Seabrook is one of the top defensemen in the league. I actually have his jersey and overall he had a fantastic game. But did you catch the play late in the second where the Hawks offense got caught on a line change and Seabrook basically stopped in his own zone as the Sharks came charging in? Rundblad saved his butt by breaking that one up or Q might have been calling him out again.
It will be interesting to see what happens at practice tomorrow. I will be there and post a brief report tomorrow afternoon.
So let's talk about the good parts of the game. TVR with his first NHL goal. Great shot and a well deserved first star in the game. I get Pavelski getting number two but thought that Bickell deserved number 3. What a great play he made coming out from behind the net and finding a way to spin and shoot. Great work by big Bick.
And I just have to say, as a former D-man myself, it was great to see 3 goals by the defense.
Next is the Lightning. This will be a team to recon with that has started the season with an 11-3-1 record. This team has scored 4 or more goals in their last seven games. Stamkos leads the team with 10 goals and Tyler Johnson comes in with 18 points. Ben Bishop will likely be between the pipes with a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV%
#Blackhawks #BrentSeabrook #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
For the record, I think Seabrook is one of the top defensemen in the league. I actually have his jersey and overall he had a fantastic game. But did you catch the play late in the second where the Hawks offense got caught on a line change and Seabrook basically stopped in his own zone as the Sharks came charging in? Rundblad saved his butt by breaking that one up or Q might have been calling him out again.
It will be interesting to see what happens at practice tomorrow. I will be there and post a brief report tomorrow afternoon.
So let's talk about the good parts of the game. TVR with his first NHL goal. Great shot and a well deserved first star in the game. I get Pavelski getting number two but thought that Bickell deserved number 3. What a great play he made coming out from behind the net and finding a way to spin and shoot. Great work by big Bick.
And I just have to say, as a former D-man myself, it was great to see 3 goals by the defense.
Next is the Lightning. This will be a team to recon with that has started the season with an 11-3-1 record. This team has scored 4 or more goals in their last seven games. Stamkos leads the team with 10 goals and Tyler Johnson comes in with 18 points. Ben Bishop will likely be between the pipes with a 2.44 GAA and .910 SV%
#Blackhawks #BrentSeabrook #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
Saturday, November 8, 2014
A Capital offense
Well, all was going well. A first period lead, a PP goal to start the second and then late in the second the Hawks turned into zombies. Did anyone catch that play where Richards came in on a 2 on 1 with Kane and just stopped at the hash marks? What was he thinking? He is going to stay on the fourth line if he doesn't start thinking differently. He blew a great opportunity.
But what of that late 2nd period rush. The Caps have an explosive offense. And if your defense starts making stupid mistakes they will, as they did last night, "Capitalize" on the situation. Seabrook, again, really? I am not sure what is on his mind lately. Q responded by giving Rundblad and van Riemsdyk some extra ice time in the third. Both of them looking great. Rozsival is going to spend a lot of time watching from the stands in the near future.
So what did Q think?
"We played a perfect 35 minutes and then we basically shot ourselves in the foot with mental mistakes."
"A couple of plays were totally unacceptable."
"No reason to come in off the point there on that situation" (Ref: Seabrook. Up two goals late in the second.)
"We've gotten scored on too many times in the last or first minute of periods. We need to do better in those times."
"Note good enough." In reference to the 7-6-1 record.
Right now the Hawks are 4th in their division and 9th in the conference. Would miss the playoffs at this point. The good news, Brovada still has the Hawks taking is all at 7-1. So let's not give up hope yet.
So on to the Sharks on Sunday. Maybe we can gets the two Antti's in goal? Would that be a first? The ever chatty Burish will certainly be chattering at the Hawks bench all night. Hawks will likely laugh all that off. #classclown. Sharks may be tired after a game on Saturday with the Stars, but it is a short trip to Chicago from there.
#blackhawks #BrentSeabrook #BradRichards
But what of that late 2nd period rush. The Caps have an explosive offense. And if your defense starts making stupid mistakes they will, as they did last night, "Capitalize" on the situation. Seabrook, again, really? I am not sure what is on his mind lately. Q responded by giving Rundblad and van Riemsdyk some extra ice time in the third. Both of them looking great. Rozsival is going to spend a lot of time watching from the stands in the near future.
So what did Q think?
"We played a perfect 35 minutes and then we basically shot ourselves in the foot with mental mistakes."
"A couple of plays were totally unacceptable."
"No reason to come in off the point there on that situation" (Ref: Seabrook. Up two goals late in the second.)
"We've gotten scored on too many times in the last or first minute of periods. We need to do better in those times."
"Note good enough." In reference to the 7-6-1 record.
Right now the Hawks are 4th in their division and 9th in the conference. Would miss the playoffs at this point. The good news, Brovada still has the Hawks taking is all at 7-1. So let's not give up hope yet.
So on to the Sharks on Sunday. Maybe we can gets the two Antti's in goal? Would that be a first? The ever chatty Burish will certainly be chattering at the Hawks bench all night. Hawks will likely laugh all that off. #classclown. Sharks may be tired after a game on Saturday with the Stars, but it is a short trip to Chicago from there.
#blackhawks #BrentSeabrook #BradRichards
Thursday, November 6, 2014
A Saad day for the Sharp dressed man
Last night the Hawks unveiled the jersey that they will Don for this year's winter classic. Scheduled to take the runway was every girl's favorite Patrick Sharp. But instead it was Brandon Saad, the 1st runner up, that made the appearance. [More on this in a bit.] Sharp is out for about month with a lower body (knee) injury he suffered against Montreal. We should hear today who gets called up from Rockford to fill the void. I am not sure that they Hawks are prepared to have Teuvo play in the NHL on a regular basis. If it was only a week we would probably see him. My guess is Mashinter unless Q wants to try Regin out again but he would need to be a wing man. Regin does shoot left.
So we should see more shifting of line, if that is possible, from Q. Morin now in a position to play more and make or break his destiny. As I noted before, I think he is getting his last chance with Q. In recent games he has looked pretty good. All in all, it will be interesting to watch how this plays out on Friday night when the Caps join us on the UC ice surface.
Now, back to our jersey. A 1957 "like"jersey will be used on that throwback Thursday on Jan 1. I like the letter/number look but thought the tomahawks looked kinda funky. Here is Brandon sporting the look:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/blackhawks-unveil-jersey-to-be-worn-at-winter-classic/
Compare that to an actual 1957 jersey:
http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_treasurep197504.shtml
Hawks marketing department chose not to go back to that old Indian head on the front. I wish they had to complete the effect. But in any case, it will be great to see this game come the new year.
#Blackhawks #PatrickSharp #BrandonSaad #Teravainen #BrandonMashinter #PeterRegin
So we should see more shifting of line, if that is possible, from Q. Morin now in a position to play more and make or break his destiny. As I noted before, I think he is getting his last chance with Q. In recent games he has looked pretty good. All in all, it will be interesting to watch how this plays out on Friday night when the Caps join us on the UC ice surface.
Now, back to our jersey. A 1957 "like"jersey will be used on that throwback Thursday on Jan 1. I like the letter/number look but thought the tomahawks looked kinda funky. Here is Brandon sporting the look:
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/blackhawks-unveil-jersey-to-be-worn-at-winter-classic/
Compare that to an actual 1957 jersey:
http://www.hhof.com/htmlSpotlight/spot_treasurep197504.shtml
Hawks marketing department chose not to go back to that old Indian head on the front. I wish they had to complete the effect. But in any case, it will be great to see this game come the new year.
#Blackhawks #PatrickSharp #BrandonSaad #Teravainen #BrandonMashinter #PeterRegin
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
The Price is wrong
Carey Price got shelled tonight. It would be really hard to blame him for any of the Hawks goals. Each of the 5 goals were beauties. But none better than the Toews to Kane goal. Toews gets his 200 goal and 250th assist.
Corey Crawford with the shut-out and well earned I might add. He certainly made a few great saves.
I'm not sure if this was Q's plan but he really shortened his defensive bench for most of the game. About 5 minutes into the 3rd Rundblad and van Riemsdyk only had about 7 minutes of ice time. They both finished with more than 12 so they got regular shifts late in the game. Overall it was a fairly easy game for the D-men as Montreal looked week in the offensive zone. That might be the reason he was able to rely mostly on this top 4.
How about the Hawks getting all three stars in Montreal. But really, did any of the Habs stand out?
Now on to the Canadians. I watched a lot of the NYR/MTL series during the playoffs last year. There was so much diving in that contest I thought I was at a swim meet. Both Mike Weaver and Brandon Prust get embellishment calls tonight. That puts coach Michel Therrien half way to getting fined for his players actions.
Subban, Subban, Subban. Over 25 minutes of play. I have read so much of his greatness. In the NYR series he was ho-hum. Tonight, much of the same. Really did not see a lot from him. But then the team he was playing with was pretty much half asleep it seemed. One day maybe I will get to see this guy, who is making $72M over the next 8 years, play like a guy who won the Norris trophy in 2013.
So it is on to a preview of the winter classic on Friday as we play against the waning Ovechkin.
#Blackhawks #JonathanToews #PatrickKane #DavidRundblad #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
Corey Crawford with the shut-out and well earned I might add. He certainly made a few great saves.
I'm not sure if this was Q's plan but he really shortened his defensive bench for most of the game. About 5 minutes into the 3rd Rundblad and van Riemsdyk only had about 7 minutes of ice time. They both finished with more than 12 so they got regular shifts late in the game. Overall it was a fairly easy game for the D-men as Montreal looked week in the offensive zone. That might be the reason he was able to rely mostly on this top 4.
How about the Hawks getting all three stars in Montreal. But really, did any of the Habs stand out?
Now on to the Canadians. I watched a lot of the NYR/MTL series during the playoffs last year. There was so much diving in that contest I thought I was at a swim meet. Both Mike Weaver and Brandon Prust get embellishment calls tonight. That puts coach Michel Therrien half way to getting fined for his players actions.
Subban, Subban, Subban. Over 25 minutes of play. I have read so much of his greatness. In the NYR series he was ho-hum. Tonight, much of the same. Really did not see a lot from him. But then the team he was playing with was pretty much half asleep it seemed. One day maybe I will get to see this guy, who is making $72M over the next 8 years, play like a guy who won the Norris trophy in 2013.
So it is on to a preview of the winter classic on Friday as we play against the waning Ovechkin.
#Blackhawks #JonathanToews #PatrickKane #DavidRundblad #TrevorvanRiemsdyk
Sunday, November 2, 2014
We can now officially call this a slump
I know its only two games but the Hawks should have gotten 3 points out of this weekend, minimum 2, but instead they got zilch.
I'm not sure what is up with Seabrook. Lot's of mistakes in the early going. He starts the game by missing a poke check letting the Jets into the zone and then a few seconds later mis-played Frolik to give the Jets the lead. I guess the game could have just ended there.
Richards at it again giving the puck away on that first power play. He really needs to stop that. That first PP was really weak. Much better on the second power play. Both shifts were all over the Jets but the closest they got was a post.
Not sure why Q started shortening the bench in the first and second. Morin had only 1:11 in the first and 1:32 in the second. Bickell and Shaw not too much more.
It was a definite roller coaster ride for this game. The Hawks continue to miss the openings. They are also failing on their primary objective of puck control. The only guy that could do it today was Kane. Everyone seemed to be trying to give the puck up too early. Results: 19 give-aways for the Hawks. This has been a problem for the past few games.
No surprise that Rozsival sits this one out. After his performance the night before.
#Blackhawks #BrentSeabrook #BradRichards #Rozsival #JeremyMorin #AndrewShaw #BrianBickell
I'm not sure what is up with Seabrook. Lot's of mistakes in the early going. He starts the game by missing a poke check letting the Jets into the zone and then a few seconds later mis-played Frolik to give the Jets the lead. I guess the game could have just ended there.
Richards at it again giving the puck away on that first power play. He really needs to stop that. That first PP was really weak. Much better on the second power play. Both shifts were all over the Jets but the closest they got was a post.
Not sure why Q started shortening the bench in the first and second. Morin had only 1:11 in the first and 1:32 in the second. Bickell and Shaw not too much more.
It was a definite roller coaster ride for this game. The Hawks continue to miss the openings. They are also failing on their primary objective of puck control. The only guy that could do it today was Kane. Everyone seemed to be trying to give the puck up too early. Results: 19 give-aways for the Hawks. This has been a problem for the past few games.
No surprise that Rozsival sits this one out. After his performance the night before.
#Blackhawks #BrentSeabrook #BradRichards #Rozsival #JeremyMorin #AndrewShaw #BrianBickell
Saturday, November 1, 2014
Hammer'd
Tough loss for the Hawks tonight. With 47 SOGs and 15 blocks by the Leafs the Hawks had 62 attempts headed to the netting. It got a little old hearing "shot wide!" and "shot high!" all night. But at least the Hawks were aiming at open areas tonight rather than shooting into Reimer's pads. 2 for 4 on the power play and a perfect 3 kills was great to see. All in all, in the offensive zone, the Hawks looked good.
Poor Hammer, first a few stitches to the face and then a shot in the un-padded thigh area. I'm not sure who takes more punishment in a night, Nik or Andrew Shaw.
Tonight's problem seemed to be a lot of mental breakdowns. Keith and Seabrook giving up a bad goal in the first. Rosival was Mr. inconsistent tonight with moments of greatness followed by bad turn overs and missed plays. Oh, and I almost forgot his shot on Corey Crawford. Rosi in his last year of his contract and 36 years old. Probably his last season. But I hope he can pick it up this year. By pick it up I really mean, "less mistakes." And there is is Oduya. All I can say is UGH. So many mistakes.
As for Toronto, give credit where credit is due. They tied the Hawks up fairly well most of the game. Reimer protected the net well and their 3rd line had the Hawks number all night. If they keep playing this way they WILL make the playoffs this year.
#Blackhawks #NiklasHjalmarsson #AndrewShaw #DuncanKeith #BreantSeabrook #MichealRosival #JohnnyOduya
Poor Hammer, first a few stitches to the face and then a shot in the un-padded thigh area. I'm not sure who takes more punishment in a night, Nik or Andrew Shaw.
Tonight's problem seemed to be a lot of mental breakdowns. Keith and Seabrook giving up a bad goal in the first. Rosival was Mr. inconsistent tonight with moments of greatness followed by bad turn overs and missed plays. Oh, and I almost forgot his shot on Corey Crawford. Rosi in his last year of his contract and 36 years old. Probably his last season. But I hope he can pick it up this year. By pick it up I really mean, "less mistakes." And there is is Oduya. All I can say is UGH. So many mistakes.
As for Toronto, give credit where credit is due. They tied the Hawks up fairly well most of the game. Reimer protected the net well and their 3rd line had the Hawks number all night. If they keep playing this way they WILL make the playoffs this year.
#Blackhawks #NiklasHjalmarsson #AndrewShaw #DuncanKeith #BreantSeabrook #MichealRosival #JohnnyOduya
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