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See you at Chicago Now,

Hostile Hawks

It is Hard to Stomach.

On the bright side, the Hawks picked up 4 of a possible 6 points in the last 3 games. Less pleasing was the 6 of a possible 12 that they grabbed over the road trip, and they gave 2 teams ahead of them 2 points each in overtime. Are the Hawks just a .500 team?

Maybe, for the first time in a while, the Hawks showed a sense of urgency. However, they still couldn’t get the 2 points. Just like they have been doing, they came out strong in the first. What was less consistent with their pattern was how hard they came out for the second half of the game. You could see the Hawks getting stronger as the game went on. Down 2-0, they fought back to force overtime thanks to Brouwer in large part and the power-play. Crawford also found his A game late, and made some big saves to give the Hawks a chance.

It was a surprise to see Hossa in the lineup tonight. A last second add for reasons we probably all know, Hossa was a factor in this game. I question having him go in the shootout, and it would still be nice to see him contribute more on the scoreboard, but the Hawks lose in regulation if he had not been added. I really have not seen a reason to use Hossa in the shootout, although his percentage is not all that bad. He is fairly predictable as far as I am concerned. Someone that I would throw into the shootout is Bolland who seems to score on every breakaway he has.

I watched the game from the Phoenix feed and I found it pretty interesting to listen to. All night, the topic of conversation was how badly the Hawks have been playing. They mentioned that only 4 teams in the history of the sport have won the cup and did not made it to the playoffs the following year. Their big fan-poll question was, “Why do you think the Hawks are having such a rough year?” The reason people voted on wouldn’t surprise anyone, but I am really tired of hearing nonetheless. Of course, it was losing the amount of players that they did over the summer. I will say it over and over that the issue is not talent. There is talent up and down this roster. What did intrigue me was that one commentator spoke about how important it was for hockey that the Hawks fix what is broken and make it to the playoffs. He added that with all of the fans across the country, having the Hawks win is a win for the NHL.

Still, the question is what is wrong, why is it wrong, and how will they fix it, or will they even fix it? Toews had no comment after last night’s game. Q makes angry faces and says his players don’t want it enough. Some players have pointed to chemistry.

Chemistry is probably a huge part. Hunger for the win seems to be the larger part.

There is an obvious issue with the hunger to win on this club. In the final seconds of regulation, Seabrook took his time getting to a puck for icing. He might have blown a second or two, and that is the kind of stuff that gets a team in this position. Not having that hunger to win is a possible explanation for the inconsistency. Kane had a 2 on 0 breakaway near the end of overtime that should have resulted in a goal. Instead, he took a weak shot right at the goalie. A simple move might have in the least made it look like he tried, but a drop pass to the trailing player would have more than likely led to a goal. Not converting on chances is another big part.

I just keep coming back to coaching though. The Hawks are making too many mistakes with the puck, making bad passes, bad decisions, and taking weak shots . Keith made a bunch of mistakes tonight. Leddy looks like the veteran on the club. They have come out strong in one period and then blown it in another. They are weak physically, frustrated mentally, and careless as a result. This why they are where they are, and all of it points to coaching. No trade will make an impact here. Are the Hawks willing to part with a core player? Will moving that player even make the difference? I have said my piece about Hossa, but moving him is highly unlikely. Campbell would open up the salary cap, but no one is taking him. The quickest way to make a change in the team is to change the atmosphere and that means coaching staff. Or take the risk and see how things play out until next year.

With the talent there is a big chance that things start clicking in time, but I am not betting on it. Trading Skille will not be the change necessary to get that puck rolling. It is way beyond moving 4th liners around.

 

Sounding Like a Broken Record.

That was a sick move. I haven’t really seen anyone pull a fake like that and execute so smoothly.

Last night was a long night, making for a long morning. But, now I am refreshed and ready to relive last night’s disappointment.

“Do or do not, there is no try.” Wise words spoken from a powerful little green dude. The Hawks really came out trying, they tried their little hearts out, and if the game was only 20 minutes long they would be the best team hockey. However, once again, like a broken record, the Hawks were able to flat out dominate the opposition for 20 minutes of play, only to fall short for the remaining 40. Also like a broken record, the Hawks had a goal disallowed that should have counted, and then one handed to the opponent that shouldn’t have. Like a broken record, the Hawks could not be physical enough, could not stand up for the teammates who were being beaten down, and once again the Hawks fell just short of a really big win.

“Do or do not.” What the hell is going on in that locker room that causes a different team to come out period after period? I was going to call this post, “Man Handling Some Texans,” after witnessing the first period. That was not to be for this game. Setting the stage was a new player, a missing Hossa (shocker), and some new line combos. I will throw the question out there now. How do you feel about the defensive pairings? I find it interesting. Leddy recorded almost 18 minutes, while Hendry only had 10. There is some mixing and matching going on, and I am not sure how to feel about it.

I sure as hell felt good about the Toews, Sharp, Kane line to start the game. Saying they came out strong would be an understatement. All 3 of them take huge rolls in 3 straight goals, and Seabrook finally gets on the scoreboard, PRAISE GRETZKY! Bolland was looking great, his line getting the job done. Keith was looking Keith-like, making some really big and difficult plays. Leddy was proving to be a safe protector of the defensive zone, playing the puck with a calm and settling ease. Unfortunately, the key word in all of those statements is was.

This ridiculous momentum was carried into a power-play for the Hawks that resulted in a 2 man-advantage. Looking like the aggressive PP that we all have hoped for, a beautiful passing combination resulted in an across the slot pass to Seabrook who wasted no time burying the puck. But buried it was not, because Lehtonen had other plans. With an amazing effort to slide across the crease and catch a fast (very fast) moving puck, Lehtonen was successful in grabbing the puck in mid-air. The problem is that he caught it behind the goal line. Absolutely no question about it, that puck is in the net. Not taking anything away from the effort by Lehtonen, it was a goal and should have been called one by Toronto. I am beginning to think Toronto has it out for the Hawks. Maybe they called it the way they did because of the effort by Lehtonen. I sure hope so, because if not it must mean that goalies can catch a puck and take it into the net with them without it counting as a goal.

The sense was that the goal wouldn’t matter anyway, but Im sure like the rest of you, I was uneasy about it.

Into the second where everything changed. Dallas gets a questionable power-play and gains some momentum. Shortly after, Turco gives up a weak goal. Continuing their newly found momentum, I say out loud that the next goal will be scored by the winning team. I think Dallas knew it too. They decide to start steamrolling the Hawks. One would have to think it was a completely different game. Maybe the Hawks got cocky with the lead and settled down too much, maybe the Dallas push was just too much for them, or maybe it was all the hits by Dallas that sent 3 Hawk’s players to the locker room. Actually, Johnson hit himself.

Eventually Dallas gets another PP and with under 2 minutes left in period 2 puts on a strong show. Hjammer being the monster that he is, blocks a blast with his rib cage, falls to the floor in pain, and still manages to attempt another shot block. Not even this monster could block the second attempt. “You can’t get the puck past the goalie if you can’t get it past me.” Isn’t that the truth. Hjammer is a beast, and if every player played with his heart and tenacity, we would not be complaining about this season.

Period over, 3-2 Hawks, and Dallas records 17 shots on net in the second period alone.

Not even a minute into the 3rd the score becomes 3-3. However, keeping with the pattern of Hawk’s games this year, this goal should not have counted. The goal is accredited to Morrow, meaning that they believe him to be the last to touch the puck. With that established, an on-ice perspective reveals that his stick is above the crossbar when he hits it. I saw no doubt in that. Nevertheless, it is a 3-3 game. Both of the questionable goals probably stood the way they did because of the call on the ice.

How bad have the refs been lately? Once again, they have stolen a game away from the Hawks. Not that the Hawks didn’t give this one away, but still. Is there a team who has been screwed this much bey the refs this year? How many goals have other teams had wrongfully taken away?

How was it that the hit on Pisani that forced him to leave early was called interference? It should have been an elbow or nothing else. The elbow would have given Dallas a double-minor, which would have changed the game in the Hawk’s favor.

Long story short, the Hawks have to finish the game with only 3 lines, Toews records a crap-ton of ice time, Turco makes some big save to keep the Hawks in it, some even huge, and surprisingly the Hawks storm back a bit. It would all be in vein though, because they would eventually lose in the shootout.

In closing, I am left with a huge doubt that the Hawks will make the playoffs this year. It just doesn’t seem to be going their way. I wonder what the hell happened to Kane after the 1st period. He was a force and then a shadow later on in the game. The verdict is still out on Frolick. Not enough to judge him on yet. He did not do anything that Skille didn’t do.

Now the Hawks are left battered and bruised. They could have cruised to an easy win, but instead had to fight it out till the final second. Not the best shape to be in heading into another game tonight. I hope Hossa is feeling better.

 

Oil Country Proves Lucrative.

It may have taken 4 breakaways to put one in, and it may have taken 6 powerplays to convert on, but the Hawks were still victorious in oil country. A win is a win, especially with the standings the way they are, and though it may have not been a game without mistakes; it is still nice to see the Hawks grab a win. We would have been in bad shape if the Hawks hadn’t.

It was nice to see Bickell score on a sweet move, it was also nice to see Sharp score again, it was great to see Kane get on the board, and unfortunate that Crawford could not grab a shutout.

Lines were juggled, players were traded and things were said. The administration is not happy, Q is not happy, and the players are not exactly happy with their play. Surprised we are not, because we all have said numerous times that this Hawks team is much better than what they have accomplished this season. There have been some ups, and many downs. Inconsistency is a word heard all too often. In fact, the only thing that has mained consistent, and consistently great is our good old (I mean young) Captain Serious. Even after line juggling, trades, harsh words, and whole bunch of other stuff, Jonathan Toews continues to be a great foundation and drive for this squad. He was a huge part in 2 of the Hawk’s goals.

And thank god Hendry was in the line-up. What took so long?

Someone who has not delivered anywhere near wat he should be producing is Hossa. He came out of the gate looking to prove something last night. Getting involved in most of the play during his shifts, getting a shot or 2 off on net, and setting his linemates up. Unfortunately, after missing on a breakaway, Hossa just kind of dropped out of my sight. I am really beginning to wonder if he can lift the puck off the ice. I have seen him bat the puck out of mid-air, but it has been a really long time since I have seen him shelf it. What is it going to take for this guy?

Honestly, for a while I was a tad worried about the game. Only up 2-0 when the Hawks were pretty much dominating and a few PPs under the belt was not extremely promising. Crawford had to make a few big saves, so it could have easily been 2-1 or 2-2. The Hawks continue to struggle in taking advantage of their chances. If they started converting on a few more here and there it would make all of the difference in where they sit.

Going 0 for 5 on the first 5 powerplays is absolutely unnacceptable. That brought the total to 15 or something PPs without a goal. Let us hope that the 6th powerplay that rendered a goal has broken up that slump.

Lastly, before I get back to work, lets talk trade. Skille has left, with a few other names, and what looks like a decent pick-up will join the line-up shortly. I am sort of impressed that the Hawks were able to pick up a name that might add what they need in the roster. I thought trading Skille would only bring a less talented player. Frolik has lots of promise, especially given his size and maybe, just maybe, he can get Hossa to wake up.

Burn Notice

Well, that pretty much sucked. I watched the game after work so I was kind of tired, but there wasn’t a whole lot that really kept me awake. Playing some of the missed opportunities back in my head when I go to sleep later might keep me up, but then again, visualizing the powerplays ought to counteract that. Well, since the game was painful enough, maybe I should just try to keep my word count down today to spare you all further agony. (Yeah, like that’s gonna happen)

First period SOG, Hawks =3, Flamers=10. That tells you a lot right there. Overall, there were some things I liked that I saw from the Hawks here, but I will lump those in together later. I don’t think the Hawks got outworked, but they just could not seem to really generate the kind of pressure needed to get shots on net. In the first two periods overall, the Defense made some really, really good open ice hits. But, with just five minutes to go. One of the Flames younger players set up Backland, who was left completely untouched in blown coverage, with a great pass that he buried pretty decisively. Give the Flames credit, this was a sweet play on their part.

Second period, SOG were dead even at 11 apiece and the Hawks finally dented the net 6 minutes in after catching the Flames in a line change. I still don’t know exactly how it happened, but Toews took a clearing pass up the left boards near center ice, had to pull it back but then manages to carry into the offensive zone. After the puck got down low behind the net, the Flames looked like they were in a four man PK box around the net and they left Kane completely open in the slot to receive a Toews pass that he then buried.

Third period, Hawks actually edged the Flames a little in SOG, but it was for naught as once again the Flames capitalized on blown coverage. My notes say Brouwer was the closest guy both times. Near the very end of the game, the Hawks seemed to be finding some momentum (kinda makes you wonder where it was earlier) but with just about a minute and a half to go, Seabrook pretty much negates what had been a good game for him by yapping at a ref and getting sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct. This set the stage for Rene Bourque to get of the schnide with an empty netter. Note from coach Rene: you still can’t go back to the second line yet.

So what, you might ask, was positive in that debacle? Not much cept for some little things. For maybe the first time this season, I saw players consistently standing up for each other. No fights, no major retaliations, but nonetheless there were guys after the whistle coming in to give some hard shoves and show a little emotion. From the defense, there were some real nice open ice hits. Up until the end, I thought Seabrook actually  had a pretty strong game. Couple of big hits, decent puck decisions and at least one really nice diving effort to interrupt a break away. Leddy looked okay and Boynton was…..Boynton. On the downside, they just could not put any sustained pressure on Kipper. Yeah, they created some goalmouth scrambles but not enough to eventually force a goal. I’m getting tired of hearing Foley or his sidekick say, “And Hossa couldn’t elevate the puck over the stacked pads. ” It’s another close game loss and they have got to find a way to start winning these. When they break open a game, everybody and their brother scores; when it’s a tight game though, they just look controlled.

Something I think the Hawks should do is watch tape of Iginila’s line to see what is possible with a three man weave. This line has gotten VERY good at this. For the most part, I thought the Hawks D handled it really well, however, the forwards on the back check frequently got pulled way out of position leaving plenty of time and space for the Flames. The Flames are not yet a good team, but with the big Sutter gone they seem a hell of a lot happier and have played much better hockey as of late. For the Hawks, I hate to say it, but they look to be in schnide mode. Not playing horribly bad, but not good enough to win games they clearly have a chance in. A win in Edmonton is not going to change their lot in the standings right now, but they need a slump buster date and need to vent some frustration. Let’s hope they don’t take this next game for granted.

This One Stings.

Not the outcome anyone was hoping for, but there is some good in a sea of ugliness here. Incase you missed the score somehow, Hawks fall in Vancouver 4-3. There is so much that could be said about this game, some positive and some negative. The first positive is that the Hawks tallied 45 shots against the top team in the NHL and dominated most of the puck-possession. The 1st period was all Hawks, and the 3rd saw the Hawks take 19 shots in that period alone. The biggest negative would have to be not converting on the all important 5 on 3, and also failing to stop one of the two goals scored against them when shorthanded.

Here are my keys to the game, and there are many. An obvious observation to point out was the absolutely terrible job done by the refs in this game. 1st was taking Bolland’s goal to start the game off. The official washed a goal away, unquestionably when there was absolutely no reason for the call. That was the first garbage handed to the Hawks. 2nd was a Vancouver goal that should have never counted. Now, this play might have been tough to see, but one has to wonder how the first goal was so quickly waved off, and this one not when Ehrhoff shot the puck from behind the blue line. 2 goals and 2 terrible calls. One allows a goal when it was not one, the other takes one away that should have counted, but both times are against the Hawks. True score of the game, Hawks 4 – Vancouver 3

3rd, the Hawks might have given up 2 shorthanded goals, but both came off of terrible calls. The first was on Dowell when he received a slashing call even though it was his stick that went flying into the boards. The second was on Seabrook for holding when he clearly never had a hold. I almost forgot about the one on Brouwer even earlier when he lightly pushed Ehrhoff into the boards, who then put on a huge acting routine and fell to the ice. Ehrhoff’s reaction was an obvious overreaction to a light shove. Summary, the refs blew it.

Back to the Seabrook call. If Seabrook had done what he was should have done and hit his man behind the net, he never would have had the call against him Happen. Seabrook is our big guy and he needs to lay the body on players more often and show it. This was unfortunately far from being his only mistake of the game. He continues to be a liability on the ice and I have to question what is going wrong, and why his ice-time has stayed so high. He was guilty for way too many turnovers.

Speaking of turnovers, Kane was the root cause of Vancouver’s last and winning goal. He came in against a 1 on 4 and failed to get the puck down low. If he just dumps it instead trying to be fancy, maybe the Hawks get to it first, but the Nucks sure as hell don’t score on the play. That play caused the Hawks at least 1 point.

Enough about Seabrook and Kane’s clumsy mistakes though. Another huge factor and key to this game was getting production out of star players. Vancouver did not have that many great opportunities, far less than the Hawks actually, but when their stars had chances they buried it. Toews scored for the Hawks, and a huge goal it was. Toews continues to be the elite and best player on the team night after night. However, no one else answered the call. Hossa is still without an important goal, Sharp couldn’t convert, and Kane had more than a few chances that ended with nothing. If the Hawks are to become the team that I think they have within them, then these names need to score in big games like this.

Although Keith has picked his game up, he still has not resembled the consistent Keith we should expect to see.

The Hawks capitalized big during a 5 0n 3 last game, but failed to do the same tonight. What was different. For starters, the Hawks stood still. They made lofty saucer passes across, threw and over Vancouver’s sticks, but never really moved their bodies around. When you have a 2 man advantage, the only thing you really need to do is move the puck and change positions. The opposition is completely helpless if you press the issue. Mike Kitchen, the Hawks PP guy at the moment stated that he wanted the Hawks to get the puck down low. Something that I find surprising given that most of their PP goals have come off of shots from the outside. Trying to force the issue low kept the Hawks from making use of their space.

I could really go on and on about this game. Even though Boynton scored, why have we not seen Hendry who seemed to be playing strong hockey? Going with Turco probably would have not been my choice here. I am not blaming him, but I also would have liked a big save to make the difference. Luongo was huge in this game. He was the difference for the Nucks. The Hawks had prime chances that went out matched by Luongo’s glove. As a result, the Hawks fail to get the win they surely deserved. Kopecky will probably be reliving a few of his big chances in his sleep tonight, and maybe Bickell will too from the early empty net he missed.

 

 

 

Crucial Points found during the Snowacalypse.

Exciting game on an exciting night. Looking like they were fighting off the rust from a long break, both teams started off with some sloppy play. The clumsy play would give Columbus the early lead, but eventually rerouted into a Hawk’s 7-4 win. Very nice! The Goalacalypse coincided with a crazy snow storm that left me without parts of the game, and weak internet this morning. Like every good snow storm, it also landed me with the day off, so cheers to that. Tit for tat I guess, because I had to listen to much of this game on the radio, filling myself in with some short video clips this morning. Like I said, the Hawks picked up 2 very important points, as the West continues to be a dead heat. But who is watching that anyway, right?

The game had a little bit of everything, and a little bit of contribution form many players. Of those contributions to the win, the player who stands out the most was Captain Serious. At a +3 and 3 points on the night, including a beauty while short-handed, Toews was the defining role player in the game. Stalberg also had a big moment, and continuing his strong play was Brouwer who stood up for his team at a turning point in the game. Turco gave up 4 goals, but you could also say that he made a few very timely saves in only his 2nd appearance of 2011. Probably the most absent from this win was the Hossa, Sharp, and Kopecky line. Combining for a -7 on the night, the MVP of the Allstar game and big #81 were missing in the action tonight.

Not only were there ample goals, there were also quite a few penalties. It has been said a thousand times over, if you fail to convert in a 5 on 3 situation, you probably will not win the game. This could not be more true of this specific game. The Hawks gave up the first goal of the night, when Keith missed his man and the struggling Seabrook let players have their way in front of the net. Then Turco sort of miss played the puck allowing Columbus to get their first lead of the night. Leddy proved a few minutes later that winding up for a huge slap shot is not always necessary when he wrists a shot past Mason to tie the game. As mentioned, a 2 man advantage in favor of the Hawks had us all thinking the same thing shortly later, “win or lose this game here.” Thankfully, Kane and Keith get the job done by moving the puck, sending a quick pass, followed by a quick one-timer. Bing, Bang, Boom. That is all you need. Just move around and shoot. You have 2 more guys on the ice, it is easy. All you have to do is not stand still. Keith picks up the go-ahead goal and the teams were off to the races.

Here is some quick perspective in a game that was won 7-4 by the good guys. The Hawks were outshot 33-27 which included 17 blocked shots, they were outhit 33-25, and lost the majority of the faceoffs. In a nutshell, not the kind of stats you want to see from the Hawks. Some things that might have played into that was Bolland getting quite a bit of ice-time. He has shown issues towards winning draws lately. Also, Leddy only had 9 minutes of ice while Keith racked up 27. It has shown to have a helpful reaction when Leddy (paired with Hendry and not Boynton) received more ice which leveled out some of the big names. Those guys move the puck really well and it leads to puck possession. When was it decided that Boynton was to start playing instead of Hendry anyway?

As I noted above, Stalberg had a big moment. After showing some emotion and taking a bad penalty, he stormed out of the box and took part in a big goal with the help of Toews. This had tempo change written all over it. I welcomed the energy from Stalberg and welcomed his goal even more. Unfortunately, Columbus would have the next laugh when they tallied 2 within 40 seconds of each other. Once again it would be Captain Toews to the rescue with his big time shorty. This moment, coupled with the killing of Columbus’s very own 5 on 3 advantage were the pivotal points in this game.

The Hawks looked very shaky at times, and Columbus took advantage of those moments. All in all, you have to say that when the Hawks wanted to be in charge, they had it. Mistakes and clumsy play almost lost this game. My hat is off to Brouwer due to his willingness to stand up for Kane and initiate a round of boxing. He was also the leading player in physical play all around. Bolland picks up another nice goal as he continues his strong play. Kane was looking poised and filled with energy (that line was huge for the Hawks). Keith got involved with the scoring, and the Hawks won. So, there is lots to be happy about. The Hawks have what it takes. They can be the team to beat by the end of the season. They just have to want it, and they have to show self control. I would like to see Hendry back, and I would also like to see Sharp start fixing that terrible +/-.

Big game on Friday. A win against the Nucks could give the Hawks a boost into the monthe of February which sees a lot of Western teams in the next few weeks. The Hawks are tied in the 7th spot with the Sharks as of now, who play the Ducks tonight. The Coyotes lost last night which placed them within striking distance, and they also face the Nucks tonight. 4th place might only be a win or two away.

Enjoy the SNOW!

 

C+ Players.

With the allstar break upon us, the “draft” over, and no Hawk’s games to talk about in the past 4 days, it seems time to talk about the future. In order to understand the future, we have to look at the past. So, this post is kind of like a look back at what has happened, where that puts the Hawks now, and what needs to happen for them to end up in an “acceptable” position. I was fairly intrigued with the comments in the last post. Being an educator myself, I welcomed the references to student’ performances, however, I do not have the same outlook on it. My job is to get that C student to a B level, or maybe even an A level. Sometimes I am successful in that endeavor, and sometimes it just never happens. There are many variables at play. When it doesn’t happen, I usually reflect on what I could have done differently. So, using that analogy, I would rather place the association onto Q rather than the players. More on that in a bit.

First, lets talk trade. Getting all fired up with that awesome allstar draft has put me in a mind set to be GM. There have been some rumors going around, even some names mentioned. The Hawks are obviously better on paper than they are in actuality. Trading someone only makes sense in that situation, right? Well, first off, where are the Hawks right now?

Everyone knew the Wild, Wild West was getting crazy tight, but I never would have expected this at the allstar break. Okay, your probably going to want to write this down, because it is hard to keep it straight. Chicago is currently sitting in the 7 spot, but is also completely tied in games played and points with the 2 other teams below them. San Jose and Colorado have 56 points with 50 games played. In other words, the 7th, 8th, and 9th placed teams are all dead even. The Hawks have 1 more win. The 10th place team is Minnesota and they have 55 points. But, they have only played 49 games, so technically they are tied with the hawks too. L.A., and this surprises me the most is in 11th place, but only has 1 point less than the Hawks. Calgary is in 12th place and only has 2 less points than the Hawks. This means that with one more loss the Hawks could be dropped down to 13th place. It doesn’t even end there, because the 13th and 14th place teams have 51 points, only 5 less than the Hawks, and both those teams have played 1 less game. This is beyond crazy and I almost have to wonder how it even happened. You might be asking, Hostile Hawk, does that mean the teams on top are way out grasp? No silly, wouldn’t you know it, Anaheim, who is sort of tied for 4th has only 60 points, 4 more than the Hawks, but has played 2 more games. Meaning that they could easily end up tied as well. To summarize, the Hawks are in 7th, could easily end up in 13th place in about 5 to 6 games, or could just as easily end up in 4th in the same amount of time. “Some straws go straight to the mouth, those straws are sain, but this straw is CRAAZYY.” In all reality, probably the only spot that the Hawks are not likely to end up in at the end of the season is 1st or last. Everything else is a toss up.

Maybe that puts things in perspective for you, maybe it makes things worse. It is just the way things are. So lets get back to that trade stuff. Im of the mind to agree with most of the comments made by the faithful readers here on the last post. Getting that one player probably will not make a difference. Even if it could, how realistic is a trade with the current roster?

Lets quickly break it down. First of all, Toews, Keith, Hjammer, Kane, Turco and Campbell are not going anywhere. Some have no trade clauses, some you would not get rid of anyway. Campbell has 8 teams he can be traded to, so there could be a chance. With his salary he probably goes no where. Kane could be a possibility, but who thinks that one is happening?

Next is Sharp. You could move him in a heart beat with his production and low salary, but that would be even crazier than the standings. Brouwer and Bickell are also playing way beyond their salaries. Brouwer is one of the best playing Hawks at the moment. Bickell is having a tremendous rookie season. Another guy having a great year is Kopecky. Like him or not, he is averaging just about as many points a game as Hossa and at a fraction of the price. He might make mistakes often, but his energy and intensity make up for it.

Crawford is our goalie now. Even though he had a rough couple of games, he is or guy.

Who the hell would want Boynton or Scott?

That leaves, beside a few big names, Skille, Dowell, Stalberg, Johnson, Pisani, Hendry, and the young guys like Leddy and Morin who represent our future. Even if you did trade any of these guys, you probably get little in return. I know people are going to call me crazy here, but Skille and Stalberg have lots of talent. Whether it is a result of first year clumsiness, coaching, our lack of the correct mindset, they are producing well beyond their capacity. Stalberg who has seen a decent amount of top 3 line ice-time should have more points. So maybe you move these guys, but I bet you get a less talented player in return. Both of them should find their groove at some point and finally start producing. Hendry is a stud, and unless you can get a big guy who can also skate, he goes nowhere. Dowell is also great. That 4th line is probably one of the best in the league.

Maybe Pisani gets moved, but for what in return?

This brings me to the 3 guys not mentioned yet. Bolland, Seabrook, and Hossa.

Bolland has had his name thrown around. Given the way he has been playing lately, coupled with his fair salary, I would not expect him to go anywhere. But it is possible.

Hossa costs a pretty penny. While he is a great skater and does accomplish the little things, the Hawks could buy a guy who does the little things for a fraction of the cost and still have money to get a guy who scores more than 15 goals in a season. Hossa has a mere 11 through 50 Hawk’s games. Honestly, I am not sure what to do with this situation, but we sure payed too much for him. He needs to stay healthy and start scoring goals for the Hawks to be successful.

Lastly is Seabrook who I think is probably the most likely to be moved at this point. His play has been extremely sub-par this year and his defensive blunders have resulted in too many goals. However, he is still a decent buy at his salary. Most likely this season’s play has hurt his chances of a raise next year which might help things for the Hawks down the road. Also, do you really want to split up the Keith-Seabs duo? Who knows what that would do. He and Hossa are the two players who need to step it up more than any other guy on the ice. If they did, It would probably be the boost needed to grab that 4th place spot.

To summarize my long-winded ramblings, I do not see a trade coming. There is little chance for improvement as a result. However, like I mentioned above in regards to teaching. If I have a classroom of C students at the start of the school year and end with a classroom of C students, then I have not succeeded in my mind. My goal is to have an impact on students that leads to a better performance in all areas of life. In contrast, if I have a classroom full of A and B students and then end with a class full of C students, then I have really failed and should start looking for a new profession. In my opinion, that teacher is Q right now. On paper this team should have at least 10 more points than they do now. Too many games have been lost at the result of unpreparedness or stupid mistakes. If I was Stan B trying to fix the situation, my easiest and most effective move would be the movement of Mr. Q. He is failing as a teacher and as a coach. How many coaches would jump at the chance to coach this squad?

Enough said.

Things are Wild in the West.

Im tired, and that game just pissed me off. It pissed Bolland off too. When it starts with the guy on your shit list (Seabrook) handing the puck over to the opposition after failing on a pass miserably, and that play ends with the puck in the back of the net, you know things aren’t going to be easy. The Wild score on their first shot of the game, and wouldn’t you know it; so did the Hawks. Wild. Seabrook made a few more boneheaded plays throughout the game, which makes him maybe the only consistent things about the Hawks. There was one play midway through the second when he dropped the puck to Kane in the Offensive zone and then Kane took a hard shot on net that gave a rebound. Seabrook just left the puck and coasted into the corner as if he was done on the play. If he goes hard to the net, something might come of the rebound. What is his problem this year?

Sharp tied the game shortly after the 1st Wild goal on the PP when he cashed in on an empty net opportunity from a Kane pass. I feel like I have heard that scenario before.

The Wild started with pressure, and kept that pressure going through the game even though the Hawks probably controlled more of the play than the Wild. Shots were 33-22 in the Hawk’s favor, but it just seemed like the bounces were going in the favor of the Wild. Brouwer might have scored, but he also missed an empty net while being in the crease just before it.

There really isn’t much to be happy about from this result. The Hawks seemed doomed to battle this season to the very end regardless of how much they improve. Im thinking about joining Jerry Kane in just waiting till there are a few games left. It will save me the heartache.

The Wild scored quick in the first and ended the only Hawks lead of the game early in the second by picking up a goal you would have liked Crawford to stop. Crawford was obviously off of his game tonight, much like he was against Philly and let 2 more in before the night was done. I hope it is short lived and he gets his stuff back after the allstar break.

Things really weren’t clicking for the Hawks tonight. The 2nd period was their worst overall played period, but they still had a few scrambles in front of the Wild’s net that could have easily gone their way. A lot of rebounds went without being taken advantage off. The pointmen missed a lot of point blank opportunities. The wingers were feeding them passes all night that ended in a lot of missed nets. One such moment couldn’t have been louder than when Keith blasted one off the post in the third. And a game that isn’t bouncing in your favor is not complete without having the ref steal a goal from you. A terrible call that involved the ref whistling a puck dead after it crossed the goal line is the nail in the coffin. Not only was the whistle extremely quick, and the puck was obviously still loose, but the puck was in the net before the whistle even blew.

Like I said, not much to say besides this game sucked and things just weren’t working out for the Hawks. Missing opportunities while your opponents cash in hard on theirs is a recipe for disaster. I thought Johnson looked alright, made a few good plays. I missed Hendry in the line-up and I never heard what happened with Hossa. Why the hell wasn’t he playing? But I did think Sharp looked better than he has recently. Maybe he shouldn’t be on a line with Hossa in the future.

12 more games at home, the next 6 on the road, and they dropped their last 2 home games. It is not going to be easy. Allstar break is upon us, time to regroup and get some rest.

 

Flyers stop the Blackhawk’s parade.

Thats not what I was expecting to see. I mean, obviously I hoped that they would take this game and deliver a statement somewhere along the lines of, “we are back,” but it was more than just a hope. I thought with the way the Hawks were playing that they had a better than 50% chance of winning today. I guess not. Looks like this is not going to be a day for Chicago fans, we just didn’t have it today. The win would have said a lot, but luckily, the loss says little right now. The Hawks keep the 7th spot and bring fans like me (who were singing the Hawk’s praises after yesterday) back to earth. Before getting into this one, let us remember that Hossa scored on a penalty shot. I am told that it was for the first time in the United Center.

Hossa was going to be the focus for part of this post until he netted that one. Since he scored, lets just say he is still on my radar for being one of the Hawks that needs to step up. Offensively speaking anyway. No can deny his amazing talent, just start putting the puck in the net more consistently.

Honestly, the score makes this game look worse than it was. I have heard some Philly fans say that the Flyers dominated, and while they did have the upper hand, one perspective could have the Hawks besting the Flyers in 2 of the 3 periods. In all reality, this game could have gone either way. One might be able to say the same about yesterday’s game too from some perspectives that saw the Hawks on better side of a 4-1 game. Im just not completely unhappy with the Hawk’s performance today, and when taken with the past few games, especially the Detroit game, I feel there is more to be happy about. I had hoped the Hawks had it in them to build a giant win streak that would remove them from the clutter that is the West. I guess some things just don’t go your way.

The game started off looking quite similar to yesterday’s game. The Hawks come out harder than their opponent, get some really good chances and give up the first goal on somewhat of a fluke. Not protecting the home like they did in Detroit, this ultimately caused their defeat. A dirty goal is scored while a flailing Crawford seemed unable to get himself off the ice and the Hawks couldn’t clean it up. Alright, down 1 but still with the upper hand in play. Unfortunately, the 2nd was all Philly, and this is where this game is lost. I don’t know if the Hawks just became tired or what, but something changed.

In the second Philly brought their A game, and the Hawks got a taste of just how good this Philly team is at the moment. They played a smart and composed game that relied on a neutral zone trap. Keeping the Hawks from getting their speed working and waiting on mistakes to happen, which soon came in the form of a Campbell blunder. The second goal has Campbell’s name written all over it. Not only did he loose a race to the puck after having a giant lead in that race, but he also let his man get away after the fact and even impeded with Crawford’s ability to slide to the other side and make the save. A weird bounce off the glass was also partially to blame as well. This is where this game was ultimately lost. After giving Campbell some street cred, he came out and gave a weaker performance. Maybe I shouldn’t give Campbell compliments in the future. The third Philly goal was a little bit of brilliance and a little bit of luck. Im telling you, the hockey gods were not on Chicago’s side today. Batting a puck in mid air at that speed and from a pass like that will not happen very often. Kudos to Carter and Giroux for making that happen and also for being pretty much, the only reason that Philly won this game.

The Hawks needed someone to be their Carter and Giroux today. It almost looked like Kane and Toews had it a few times on a few nice plays. Kane is someone Im also looking for a few goals from in the near future.

You have to hand it to the Flyers. They are a tuff squad to beat, and they want it bad. Maybe more than the Hawks right now. A Philly fan called into the radio about 30 minutes after the game ended and started blasting the Hawks, commenting on how much worse they are this year. Im not really sure that a game which shows both teams pretty even in shots, hits, and puck possession is the game to use as an example for how bad the Hawks are compared to Philly. Look, no one is happy with where the Hawks are right now. They are fighting it out in a conference that has a lot of fighters at the moment and every game is big. However, one has to take into consideration the grueling schedule to start the season and the injuries. Speaking of which, Toews was obviously playing hurt, and I have to wonder how Sharp is feeling given his performance lately. It looks like Toews hurt his upper leg, maybe hip or groin in the Detroit game on a weird play. Anyway, the Hawks are not where they want to be, but they are playing better hockey than before. Starting the season playing like this would have them in a much better position. They might not have had it today, but they are getting better. A few deflections in their favor and they even win without a perfect performance. Not that they weren’t out played, Im just not ready to throw in the towel from what I saw.

Im not liking playing Scott over Skille either. I don’t care who the Hawks are playing. Scott was credited with 2 hits and I can’t even remember seeing them. His size does not in any way out weigh Skille’s offensive skills. Not to mention I bet Skille has in the least 3 hits in this game. Overall, Im happy with how the Hawks handled that aspect of the game and having Scott on the ice had nothing to do with it. Bickell is the big guy as far as I am concerned, and Dowell showed just how determined he is to be worthy of some respect as well.

All and all, lets just move on and get ready for the Wild. It would be really nice to see the Hawks put together a win streak longer than 3 games, but I am not counting on it anymore. Still, 5-1-1 in the last 7 is not bad. Especially when those game include Nashville twice, Detroit, and Philly. Enjoy it Philly, cause we shall see what the playoffs will bring.