Week start...

Yes its been a week. And yes the Hawks look weak. Yeah, yeah, I know they are 2-0-1 but they certainly are not playing up to their potential. So I admit I have only been able the watch two of the 6 (not counting OT/Shootout) periods. Those two periods were the third periods of the first and third games. But that does not mean I  am not following along with the beats at the game. My thoughts so far...

The good news is that the Hawks do not slump in the third period. Good thing or the Hawks would be 0-3-0. Think about that!

Game one, for two periods the Hawks looked like the Oilers. They finally saved a tie in the third and the win on sick goal by Patrick Kane. Wait for the movie to come out, "The highlight reel of Patrick Kane." They will probably need two intermissions during this film. But can you say, "Call the cops." Q certainly recognized the outstanding play of Corey Crawford. Come on everyone, quit doubting.

Game two. I missed this one because I was in the City of Brotherly Love. CSN chose to show the Flyers game. The nerve. So I followed along via twitter and the BHs app. First the early lead and then they give it away. Hawks take a rest in the second period. Finally the team is sparked again by none other than number 88. A PPG and SHG followed by the ever entertaining Danny Carcillo. I wonder if he wears a diaper just in case he scores a goal. I swear he wets his pants each time. I love watching him celebrate. Again a strong third period by the Hawks and a fun win against Kane's home town.

Now, game 3. Shots on goal listed as 50-18. But I don't this they ever reversed the 2 shots from Morin that they awarded to Calgary. So this should have been 52-16. Hillar is definitely going to need a new jersey after that game after the Hawks pelted the flaming C on his jersey. Time for some shooting practice. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5-hole. BTW Calgary also had 30 blocked shots. So that makes 82 attempts by the Hawks. Let's not even talk about the missed shots.

One final note on the first three... PP = 20%. 3-15. Even with all those shots in game three they had two power plays with zero shots on goal. Hossa talked about the guys getting too fancy. Indeed.

So, My highlights for the first 3:
Danny Carcillo: Always fun to watch. Even more fun to watch him score.
Trevor Van Riemsdyk: The Jersey boy and brother of James. WOW This guy will certainly fill a gap next season when the Hawks D will likely get revamped due to cap issues. Not to say he won't get his far share of time this season.
Patrick Kane: Ever entertaining. A little timing needed on that line will go a long way.

Dissapointments:
Brad Richards: I still have a lot of hope in Brad. He looked great in NY but starting much slower than I would have thought. Give him time.
Jonathan Toews: I admit I have only seen a couple of periods so I am not sure how well his two way game is going. I have to expect that is well, but I am disappointed with his scoring opportunities. SOGs to date 3: by game: 1-0-2
  #blackhawks #PatrickKane #DannyCarcillo #TrevorVanRiemsdyk #JonathanToews #BradRichards

Car bombs and other Hawk news

Danny Carcillo, one of the most colorful players in recent years is Baaaa-aaack! I could actual see him on a line with Tuevo later this year to protect the youngster from the big bad NHL. I much enjoyed Danny when he was with the Hawks and I am sure he will bring a little something for them this year. But Danny also adds $550,000 to our salary. (more on that later)

Speaking of Tuevo, he is now assigned to the AHL. No surprise. I definitely plan to go see him play. More on Tuevo in future blogs.

Leighton and Regin put on waivers. I guess Regin has lost his luster with Q. I won't be surprised if both of them get picked up before they make it to Rockford.

And I have been waiting to post all of that until the news finally broke: D-man Nick Leddy and Goalie Kent Simpson are traded to the Islanders, who can use all the help they can get. As many of you may know, I always liked Leddy. Don't blame him for a bad bounce to end the Hawks season least year. But the signing of Carcillo also made it clear that the Hawks needed to to trade the higher salaried player. Also, I wonder how good Hammer is without Johnny. So there you have it.

In return we get goalie Anders Nilsson, who will remain in Kazakhstan for the time being, D-man T.J. Brennan, who has played 30 NHL games over the past 3 years with many more in the AHL, and Ville Pokka, D-man from Europe. Brennan and Pokka will report to Rockford.

In other news:
I was disappointed that Subban did not play against the Hawks this week. I have heard so much hype and saw his performance against NYR in the playoffs last year where I would have called him mediocre. My east cost contact tells be that Subban was not up to his usual skill level in that series.

Speaking of NYR, I was also surprised that Richards did not make the trip to MSG. I wonder if they would have cheered or booed him?

#Blackhawks

Thinning the Herd

As we approach the last two games of the preseason against two original 6 teams Q's job just keeps getting tougher. First let's talk about the goalies. No doubt Crawford and Raanta will be our top two to start the year. In an interview this morning Q highlighted 3 players including his "darling", Scott Darling of Lemont. But Darling was sent down to Rockford while Leighton stays on for the main team. Q obviously wants Darling to develop in Rockford as they opened camp on Sunday. He will get more play time down there.

Also highlighted by Q today were defenseman Trevor Van Riemsdyk and centerman Dennis Rasmussen. Trevor is already in Rockford while Rasmussen remains with the team. Who he didn't mention was Mashinter who is vying for the "tough guy" position. Also on the bubble are forwards Teravainen, Hartman and Morin as well as D-men Cumiskey and Rundbland. Bass and Lebrie just cleared waivers this morning and have been assigned to Rockford. Morin has been looking good but I still don't believe that will ever stick. I predict he gets traded later this year.

There are still tough decisions to be made regarding the cap and  getting to a final roster. Everyone returned 100% this years except for maybe Oduya who did not get his full summer preparations. But he has looked quite good so far. The current trade rumors continue to be Johnny, Leddy and Sharp. I don't believe Sharp for a minute unless Bowman gets into a real jam. I thought maybe Versteeg but I think he leaves us just a few dollars short of getting under the cap primarily because Tallon is still paying half his salary. Also note the very positive notes that Q has made about Chris over recent days.

We will know more in 9 days.

A couple of other notes:
Khabibulin has not been picked up by anyone. No report on his current health.
Brent Sopel returns from Sweden and will try out with the Hogs.

#Blackhawks

Training Camp Festival

This just broke as I was typing: Cut from Hawks roster are Carruth, Simpson, Schnell, Gotovets, Holl and Miuskovic. I believe they will all head to Rockford.

Unbelievable crowd for the festival. It was a great time but a boring game. I think there there were 2 or 3 checks all night. The national anthem was a little weak by UC standards but still impiring.

As much as I don't think Morin will ever be a regular Blackhawk, he had a great game (at least 75% of his play) last night. He opened up the scoring with a feed from Smith early on and in the third took a pass from Smith again and fed Kruger for a goal and then made a really nifty pass from the corner to Kruger again to complete his 3 point night. BTW Kruger looked great last night.

Only three penalties for the night, two to Bickell for hooking and then tripping. The third was a 4 minute to Matt Carey for a high stick that send Sharp to the locker room for a bit. Kane also took a high hit that sent him out for a shift. The funny part was that Kane, wearing red, crawled into the white bench to leave the ice. Hey, it was the closest exit!

Biggest disappointment for the night, no Teuvo. Upper body after Saturday's scrimmage. Rumor has it due to a hit from Cam Barker. I never cared much for Barker. Also MIA were Keith, on his own bobblehead night, and Hammer. But Keith did come out to greet the crowd before the game.

My second biggest disappointment for the night was the Richards, Saad and Kane line. First, being paired up against Toews, Hossa and Sharp made it hard for anyone to get any room on the ice. Incredible skill set with those 6 on the ice. When the Richards line did get some room they were just a bit out of synch with one another and with themselves. Might have been trying too hard. Richards shanked on at least two shots, made one two many passes when he should have shot and the line seemed to be just missing one another. But I am confident that this will be, as Q would say, "a dangerous line" once they find their groove.

Sharp had an "almost" night again just missing a few and then hitting a post on an open net.

After the game they did a mock shootout. (Oh, my favorite.) Toews, Sharp, Kane and  Smith each scored. Kane's goal was sick. The others all made very nice deaks. Hossa hit the side of the net on his attempt. Even Leddy got a chance. I think he hit the Indian head. LOL

Another disappointment were the new ice crew uniforms. Long sleeve jackets? What happened to the halter tops? Well, things are changing around the league. In Philly they went to an all male ice crew. They were booed by the city of brotherly love last night.

So we prepare for two rounds of playing "Detroit sucks" tonight and Thursday. Each time the announcer says "Detroit" you must respond with "sucks." If you fail to do so you gotta take a drink. My views on tonights game in the morning.

#Blackhawkstrainingcamp #Blackhawks

Some notes on training camp

First let me begin by making note that this is the first training camp since the passing of Tim Sassone. So missed. In my opinion, the greatest Chicago Blackhawks beat writer of all time. Sorry #ChrisKuc, #TraceMyers and #MarkLazerus. Now pause for a moment of silence in his memory.

Welcome back...

So much to say about Versteeg, so let me start there. He was married over the summer and is "on a short leash." He comes to camp healthy and ready to improve from last year. So today he takes one puck to the face and a Keith slapper to the ankle. But after writing in pain for a bit on the bench, he returned to the ice.

Speaking of starting camp healthy, Hossa was tearing up the rink and Johnny "on the bubble" Oduya looks at ready as ever to be traded away. I will miss him.

I am having a hard time visually free agent Cam Barker in a Hawks uniform. At today's practice he made a big open ice hit on Tuevo. I love the tweet from #TraceyMyers, "I'll take 'How do I buy my ticket out of Chicago again' for $200, Alex."

You can read about the Richards, Saad, Kane line in the papers. I can't wait to see them in a real game.

Stephen Johns passed one off to Toews for a goal. Johns, a former ND player, got he bigger applaud.

Two names to remember for future reference (aka 2015-2016 season after cap adjustments are made) are Mark McNiell and Phillip Danault. I will give you my 2 cents after Monday evening.

That's the quick update.

#Blackhawks

Here come the Hawks!

We are less than a week away from training camp. That will start on the 19^th and open to the public at Notre Dame on the 20. The Hawks return to the UC on the 22^nd for their training camp festival and will open pre-season at the Joe on the 23^rd.

With the return of some cooler weather I donned my Duncan Keith jersey yesterday. Looking forward to picking up his bobblehead at training camp.

Also, I will also be on twitter this year! Find me

@jimsbhb

That’s Jim’s Blackhawks Blog. I will be tweeting out information as it becomes available. Much from our beloved beat writers (which I will retweet). Following me you will not be getting multiple tweets on the same topic. I will consolidate these for you. During games I will be also following the beats from the other teams to provide that perspective. So keep up with the Hawks live by following me now.

While we wait for Bowman to make a decision on how the Hawks will duck the cap, let’s look at some rule changes that were currently announced. Shorter and more frequent posts will start next weekend. #NHLwithdrawal

Rule 1.8 – Rink - Goalkeeper's Restricted Area

The trapezoid will be expanded by two feet from the goal post on both sides of the net.

-          I personally this the whole restrictive zone is stupid to start with, but at least the net minders will now have a little more room to play the puck.

Rule 23 – Game Misconduct Penalties

Clipping, charging, elbowing, interference, kneeing, head-butting and butt-ending move from the general category into the same category as boarding and checking from behind ("Physical Fouls"), whereby a player who incurs two such game misconducts in this category would now be automatically suspended for one game.

-          What? Interference? These interference penalty rules are just out of hand! As a form D-man I really hate the way they are calling these. It reduces the defenses mobility trying to get to the player with the puck. In essence, it makes it easier for the offense to set a pick, of sorts, by skating into a zone to prevent the defense from moving around. Stupid.

Rule 24 – Penalty Shot

The 'Spin-O-Rama' move will no longer be permitted either in Penalty Shot situations or in the Shootout.

-          Hmmm, I think I only remember Toews trying this once. Kane has never used the technique.

Rule 38 – Video Goal Judge

Rule 38.4 (viii) has been modified to allow broader discretion to Hockey Operations to assist the referees in determining the legitimacy of all potential goals …

In reviewing "Kicked in Goals," Hockey Operations will require more demonstrable video evidence of a "distinct kicking motion" in order to overrule a "goal" call on the ice, or to uphold a "no goal" call on the ice.

-          I am on the fence with this change. I will have to see how this plays out during the season. I would prefer less league intervention on the play which makes the “kicking” review favorable but I am concerned about how much they may influence the referees’ calls on the ice.

Rule 57 – Tripping

The rule relating to "Tripping" will be revised to specifically provide that a two minute minor penalty will be assessed when a defending player "dives" and trips an attacking player with his body/arm/shoulder, regardless of whether the defending player is able to make initial contact with the puck.

But, in situations where a penalty shot might otherwise be appropriate, if the defending player "dives" and touches the puck first (before the trip), no penalty shot will be awarded. (In such cases, the resulting penalty will be limited to a two-minute minor penalty for tripping.)

-          That’s a lot to think about. So if dive to get the puck and miss, there could be a penalty show. But if you DO get to the puck first, only 2 minutes. Will this change the way D-men attack the puck on the break-away? Time will tell.

Rule 64 – Diving / Embellishment

The supplementary discipline penalties associated with Rule 64.3 (Diving/Embellishment) will be revised to bring attention to and more seriously penalize players (and teams)…

-          Anyone who watched Eastern Conference playoff games last year will know why we have these new rules. Now we need the refs to start making these calls more appropriately. With the new rule both players and coaches can be fined. Love it.

Rule 76 – Face-offs

To curb delay tactics on face-offs after icing infractions, in situations where the defending team is guilty of a face-off violation, following an icing, the defending player who is initially lined up for the face-off will be given a warning, but will be required to remain in the circle to take the face-off. A second face-off violation by the defending team in such situation will result in a two minute minor bench penalty.

-          This will be interesting. So much subjectivity in these calls. I think linesmen call infractions way too often. This will make it more difficult to win a face off in your own zone after an icing call. I know what they are trying to accomplish but I am not sure this is the answer.

Rule 84 – Overtime

Teams will switch ends prior to the start of overtime in the regular season.

The entire ice surface will undergo a "dry scrape" prior to the start of overtime in the regular season.

The procedure requiring the head coach to submit a list of the first three shooters in the shoot-out has been eliminated.

-          Ho Hum…

Rule 85 – Puck Out of Bounds

There have been further rule changes made relating to face-off location to avoid penalizing teams for plays intended to create bona fide scoring opportunities.

-          In essence this rule will keep the face-off in the offensive zone in cases where the offense unintentionally causes the puck to go out of play. The league FINALLY gets this one right.

Rule 1.9 – Rink – Face-off Spots and Circles – Ice Markings/Hash Marks

The hash marks at the end zone circles will be moved from three feet apart to five feet, seven inches apart (international markings).

-          This rule is pending a vote by the NHLPA and won’t become effective until next season. So teams, now need to worry about melting the ice and re-painting, LOL. I kinda like watching the jousting before a face off. This will make that a bit more difficult.

There's a kind of hush.

All has been quiet with the tribe since the convention. That seems like months ago but it has only been a couple of weeks. Bowman stated that he may not do anything about the cap issue until training camp starts. My speculation has to do with that boot that Oduya was wearing at the convention. Hard to trade a guy healing from a broken foot. Get him on his skates during training camp and show the other teams what they will be getting. So I anticipate a team without Oduya to start the season.

Training camp kicks off at Notre Dame on Sept 19. I have not heard anything about those tickets yet. But I do have my tickets to the training camp festival on September 22. Pre-season starts on the 23rd at home against the Wings and then we travel to the Joe two days later for a rematch. Then there are only two games against the Wings when it counts. The regular season kicks off on October 9th against the Stars and we open up the UC two days later against Kaner's home town.

For the full schedule:
http://blackhawks.nhl.com/club/schedule.htm

The biggest changes, so far, this season are with the coaching staff. I couldn't be happier with the changes especially in light of the exiting assistant.
(See my previous blog http://blackhawksinsights.blogspot.com/2014/07/bye-bye-jamie.html)
I think we now have a premier coaching staff with Q, Kitch, Waite and Dineen. Dinnen is going to be great for the organization. He has a great relationship with Q going back to their Hartford days together. He was a head coach for Florida and he is famous for this goal:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HgTjZlOyvs
Notice how he gets himself open in front of the net. Dineen was a mediocre player which means he had to work for everything he did. That work will help him to understand how to help others. Mediocre payers make good coaches.
Dineen also scored against the Soviets in an NHL vs. Soviets series in 1987.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pV_6AZglQXs
See, again, Dineen getting himself in the open. He knew how to work and will be a great coach in that area.

The core remains in place, no drama about contracts for the dynamic duo, and add Richards. Its going to be a great year.