Pssssssss……..
Al Cimaglia | Mar 29, 2010 | Comments 41
With my eyes shut I listened intently but couldn’t hear the air coming out of the Blackhawks season. But last night it sure felt like things were slipping away.
Most of the 22,043 in attendance were just happy to be there but some did show displeasure with a few boos.
The Hawks hit an exacta against the Columbus Blue Jackets losing for the second consecutive game. Besides enduring another loss Blackhawk faithful had to sit through one of the most boring games of the season.
The Hawks lost 4-2 on home ice to a team which is playing basically for pride only.
I’m not sure what was hashed out in the secret meeting held on Friday. One thing is certain this team is not playing with passion and determination for a full 60 minutes.
It’s one thing to lose but looking like a frustrated group of whiners does not instill fear in the hearts of opponents.
Unpredictable officiating shouldn’t appear as anything new.
Yapping and glaring at officials isn’t going to help you get the next call. Maybe that was addressed in Friday’s gathering although Kris Versteeg was still turning and gabbing at officials on Sunday night.
Patrick Kane received an unsportsmanlike penalty because he was catching a beating all night long from the Jackets. Kane was frustrated and looked for some help from the officials, but he should know better than to outwardly complain. There is no excuse for receiving such a penalty late in the final period while losing.
Jonathan Toews was also voicing some displeasure with the officiating. He has been silent of late otherwise. Can’t recall hearing many we will work our way out of it… quotes from the young captain.
Toews is still learning how to be a NHL leader. His will can’t be questioned but he and others appear to be in a funk. The frustration of inconsistent play is bubbling over.
Actually the guy doing the most talking to the media is the player who has played the least this season, Adam Burish. Somehow that doesn’t seem right.
Toews and his teammates who were at the Olympics appear tired.
Marian Hossa is trying to do too much on his own.
Toews, Hossa and others can’t sustain a top effort.
The malaise can be stopped with two victories against the Blues and Wild. Right now that appears unlikely but things can change quickly. The Hawks have a big three game road trip this week.
All we see if this team has the fight to battle through bad times.
When a head coach juggles lines and it works he is a creative genius. When Joel Quenneville keeps changing combinations and it doesn’t work, as was the case for the most part last night, it appears desperate and scattered.
I’m sure there is a stat which can support pairing Brent Sopel with Duncan Keith.
Maybe defensively they wouldn’t be too much worse than a Keith and Brent Seabrook pairing, although that seems hard to believe. Certainly the ‘D’ to ‘D’and breakout passes weren’t the same last night with new partners. This does translate into generating fewer scoring opportunities.
Pairing Sopel with Keith, in attempt to balance things out is not the correct answer.
If you woke up one morning and discovered your left front tire was going flat….
What would you do?
Go and get a nail gun and puncture the right tire so the ride would feel the same?
The Blackhawk defense can’t be balanced with two of the top five defenders out.
It would make more sense to play Keith with Seabrook for about 25 minutes a game and then look for a strong showing from the second pairing. By splitting the top two, Keith is still playing more than he probably should. It’s not like he is then being shielded from over use.
In recent games Niklas Hjalmarsson and Dustin Byfuglien were doing fine defensively as was Jordan Hendry and Nick Boynton. When Sopel has to be played his ice time should come mostly on the penalty kill.
No matter how the combinations are juggled the Hawks are not going to be able to score as easily as when Brian Campbell was healthy.
The same misguided Blackhawk fans which wanted to trade Kane because he was soft wished Stan Bowman would deal Campbell. They were wrong both times.
Make no mistake #51 is overpaid but don’t confuse his performances with a Wade Redden.
At this time Campbell is not replaceable, the Hawks are lucky Byfuglien has performed so well while moving back to defense. But big Buff can’t start the offense in the same fashion as Campbell.
The Hawks have to adapt. Maybe that was brought up in last Friday’s pow-wow.
Quenneville wants his team to play at a faster pace but down deep he knows the Hawk offense starts with the defense.
If Kim Johnsson didn’t have a mystery injury maybe he could help provide a faster pace. Byfuglien has made the most of his new/old position but now it should be apparent the Hawks will have to claw for every goal.
The most misleading stat in the NHL is shots on goal.
There was a time when it wasn’t so, but those days have passed. No longer does taking a great amount of shots mean a sure victory. Often the losing team outshoots their opponent.
Goals are still scored the same way though, normally from in close or because of screens and deflections.
When was the last time any Blackhawk set a good screen?
Deflections have become a lost art with this group as well.
Perimeter shots without traffic can be sucked up by almost any NHL goalie.
Steve Mason demonstrated how to diffuse a 35 shot attack by allowing very few rebounds. His teammates outworked the Hawks along the boards and waited for odd man breaks and scored.
Antti Niemi wasn’t to blame but the young guy best stay off his rear end and keep control of his crease.
When things were going good a weaker goal against wouldn’t matter, but when a club doesn’t score everything matters.
That point was probably rehashed in the closed door meeting but it sure didn’t appear to hit home.
For Hawk fans sake, hopefully the shopping center cooking shows and the taping of various TV commercials has ended. That probably should have happened right after Christmas. But excuses and reasons for being tired are a plenty.
Whether it is because of over marketing players, the Olympics, injuries or because of the pressure from heightened expectations, the Hawks can’t muster the effort to play a complete game.
Every team is feeling fatigued.
Those with the most desire and determination survive.
MEETING ADJOURNED
Al’s Shots
Playing Versteeg on a line with Kane is like betting double zero on a roulette wheel. It can pay big but over time it isn’t an effective way to gamble.
The Hawks power play at home has been poor all season.
Now it is scary bad.
Against the Blue Jackets the Hawks were lucky they weren’t losing after the opening period. But they didn’t have the necessary response until the middle of the last frame.
No one has answers. Not the head coach or players.
A simple game plan would be best these days.
The players still talk about being a confident bunch…sooner or later losing will dampen their spirit.
blackhawkswin@comcast.net
Filed Under: Chicago Blackhawks • Featured • NHL
Nice Article Al,
It seems the options for Q is running out and whatever he is doing is failing. At this point it really looks like Q has lost this team, although we are missing 2 key d-men it really has been a tailspin since mid-Jan. His mis-handling of the goaltenders has been ridiculous all season long (not sure if it’s Q’s decision or the big boys telling him what to do) but nevertheless if I were Q I would not be sitting comfortably at home this off-season or for the rest of this season for that matter.
Trent,
I am curioius…What would you have done differently with the goal keeping?
Al,
For one I would not have waited until 5 games prior to the Olympic break to give Niemi the chance to play more then 1 back to back game.
Over the duration of the entire season he has earned back to back starts many times with shutouts or great performances yet the Hawks went right back to Christo.
Now I realize the team wanted to give Huet every chance to take that #1 job but really if a goaltender earns another start after posting a shutout by all means give it to him and roll with it.
My point is we have 8 games left and still have not decided on a number #1 goalie.
The 5 games in a row Niemi played ruined Huet’s confidence and all but said to Huet that Niemi is our guy. Then he calls up Crawford and plays him against the ducks with Niemi having a full days rest yet starting Corey anyways. Sure we had back to back games coming up but if Niemi could not handle that then there are issues. With that said, even if Q and the staff said it had nothing to do with Niemi’s play for starting Crawford, it has to effect the thinking of Niemi regardless.
These are all questionable moves IMO.
Good points.
But if you look at the last month of the season the schedule is very congested.
Huet should still get a couple/3 more starts considering the work load.
They sheltered Niemi in some respect but he had’t been fully tested in an NHL schedule…he didn’t even play more than 40 games at the AHL level.
Niemi has been the playoff starter for awhile…
I agree Christo will get some more starts for sure. And good points on the sheltering of Niemi as well.
Come to think of it I don’t think even Christo has played many more then 40 games at the NHL level prior to this year. Much can be made about that too if one wanted too but I wont lol.
Al, can I respond to this one. Prior to the Olympics, Q went with Niemi. Although he wasn’t “great”, he wasn’t bad either and the team won 4 in a row, including a couple of games that went to shoot-outs where Niemi actually was great. Then after the Olympics against the Islanders, Niemi was arguably having an off night, but Q pulled him after the 3rd goal – a goal I didn’t think was Niemi’s fault as it hit Campbell and went in. I was shocked how quick he was to pull him when he basically was saying with 4 consecutive starts before the Olympics that he’d be the #1 goalie. Not saying the Hawks would have come back to win that game if he kept Niemi in, but how many times this year has Niemi given up a weak goal or two early in the game, but then recovered and came up big late in the game when it counted allowing the Hawks to win the game in regulation, or in some cases, which I eluded to, the shootout. He brought Huet in, he was terrible, and the game was out of reach. Then he goes back to Huet in the next game and it’s back to the rotating goalie game. He should have showed some confidence and stuck with Niemi to begin preparing him for the playoffs. EVERYBODY knows what Huet gives you and it isn’t good. The constant back and both rotation with Huet and Niemi didn’t help either of them in regards to their individual play and in my mind did nothing but created a distraction for this team. He picked Niemi prior to the Olympics and should have stuck with that and not backed off of it because the kid gave up a couple bad goals through two periods.
Well I can fault Q. for a few things but I don’t think he created a goalie controversy.
After the Olympic Niemi had the net and didn’t play well vs. the NYI…and either did the team.
In the next 2 games Huet beat the Oilers and the Canucks….
I agree. He didn’t “create” the goalie controversy, as he has to go with what he’s given. But again, I think he’s mishandled it, waffling back and forth, and turned it into a distraction. Why pull Niemi so quickly? It wasn’t like he was giving up brutal goal after brutal goal. It was still 3-1 with more than half a game to go. As for Huet, he gave up two weak goals against the Oilers and the Hawks had to come back and win that game. Against Vancouver, the first goal he gave up on that long shot from Kessler was awful. He did play well while the Canucks were on the power play and for most of the first period, but then really wasn’t a factor as the Hawks took it to Vancouver and the game was over after the 1st.
1) Playing Huet over Niemi in Columbus
2) Playing Sopel over Boynton against Columbus – Part #2
3) Power Play that is sinking further and further with each passing game
4) Hossa playing on second line with Dave Bolland
5) Constant changing of the lines
6) Playing key guys way too many minutes
7) Poor handling of the goaltending situation
8) Record of 0-6 against Detroit in playoff series
9) Team wins, but plays tentative after getting “chewed out”.
10) Team loses, comes out flat after calling team meeting to “clear the air”
Perhaps we are NOW starting to see what St. Louis and Colorado saw when Quenneville was coaching those teams. Could be that’s why Quenneville was basically out of coaching and asking around for a scouting job when the Hawks picked him up. I still believe it was the right move to replace Savard and Quenneville did a good job in getting this team from the proverbial Point A to Point B, but I believe it’s going to take someone else to come in and get them to Point C. It seems this team has hit the wall under Coach Q.
Good blog, Al. I agree on pretty much everything.. Especially the team looking like a bunch of whiners.
The Johnsson injury reminds me of the Pahlsson trade last season.
Who knows, maybe this team just “needs” to get to the playoffs.
We can hope
Nice article Al. I just think this team knows they are in the playoffs and are laying low until they got there. They’ve played pretty amazing all season. This is all really a psychological issue.
If they win a few straight going in to the playoffs they will be just fine.
Yep Andrew…I wrote a few weeks ago they needed to create some desperation.
Now they can’t turn on and off an effective effort.
If they lose the next two…they may have created desperation the wrong way.
Al, all good points.
The guys are frustrated…that’s clear.
It’s a marathon season and that takes its toll on every team. The Hawks don’t have any excuses but to be struggling at this late stage is clearly compounding the problems.
IMO the Campbell injury had a devastating psychological effect on the team.
The Johnsson injury (ironically the game before in Philly) was overlooked, but Kim Johnsson was turning out to be an excellent acquisition–his loss is also critical.
The players who were ‘energy guys’ last year, Eager and Burish, are ineffective right now.
Huet’s meltdown has also put extra pressure on the Hawks.
If these things had happened back in December or January, the team would have time to work their way through it. They don’t have that margin anymore.
I also agree the relentless hyping of the team by the marketing department is overkill. Let the boys play hockey and enough with the showbiz.
Q is doing the best he can with the players he has, and he’s going to try to shuffle the combinations in order to find out what works. Not easy when you lose important personnel just weeks before the postseason.
The good news is that once the regular campaign is done, the slate is wiped clean. They can call up refinforcements from Rockford without worrying about cap space.
And they’re in the playoffs…most likely with home ice advantage.
Until further notice, the Blackhawks and their fans just have to tough it out.
It was surprising last night they didn’t have an eye of the tiger look for most of the game…
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Al,
Good post overall and I’m going to agree with Mr. Stasiak in both of his posts. It is time to include coaching in this critique and Q hasn’t been able to push this team to the next (needed) level—nor the Blues or the Avs for that matter. He is 0′for in playoffs series against the Wings too.
His handling of the goaltending has been erratic to say the least and he has seen all that we have, and more, in Huet and while he may be a good politician, I agree with Michael he hasn’t done anything constructive for Niemi’s confidence.
Something I’ve noted to myself before, and just saw someone else post over at the DH today was how the return of Bolland has coincided with the downward spiral. Q has been constantly juggling his lines in order to make Bolland fit and it hasn’t worked. I know Bolland’s is as much one of Qs favs as Fraser is not, but it is a fact if you check out the ‘hawks record since his return. Sharp at centre was a better fit for Hossa, IMO. Bolland and Havlat worked well together … not so with Hossa.
Before last night, I thought the ‘hawks had a good shot at top seed, but that is clearly not going to happen without some miraculous recovery here. Now they should be looking in the rear-view rather than straight ahead …
That was a pathetic reply by the hometown boys last night. There is something wrong with this team and everyone has chimed in on what that might be, and everyone is probably correct to some degree.
When all is said and done it is up to Q to shake things up in more ways than juggling lines and jerking people in and out of the line-up. He’s had an easy ride with this team so far … time to earn my respect.
djd,
Saw the comment about Bolland on DH site and heard someone bring it up on the radio this morning as well. Very interesting point. I thought the Sharp, Hossa and Ladd line was building a nice chemistry together and making themselves a factor night in and night out. It seems like they were predetermined to force Bolland into that #2 center spot to try and recreate the success they had last year with the Havlat, Bolland and Ladd line. It hasn’t worked and Hossa has actually regressed in my opinion since being teamed with Bolland. Another thing about Q. I thought his decision to play Huet over Niemi, even though Niemi had a great game against Phoenix was an awful decision. Last night he just about matched it by sitting Boynton and playing Sopel. I know Boynton is no all-star, but he has actually played fairly well since joining the Hawks and was a plus 1 player. I thought he and Henry were a good mix, as long as they were kept at 3rd pairing minutes. Sopel was terrible last night and directly responsible for the Jackets first two goals. It was bad enough that he sat Boynton to play Sopel, but then he pairs him with Keith. WTF? Just the fact that he was paired with Keith meant that Sopel was going to be playing more minutes than I think he’s capable of playing. The last time he played top minutes was in that first Phoenix loss where he ended up a -3 and was in the penalty box for the other Coyote goal. I could see if they went Keith/Hjallmerson and Buff/Seabrook or vice versa, but there is no way Sopel should be playing anywhere, if at all, but on that third pairing. These types of decisions are what makes me think that Q doesn’t have the answers this team needs to come up with right now.
Mike,
I don’t know if you read my blog right after the Huet/Coyote game….I think Quenneville looked at the schedule and thought Huet had to play one of the next 2 games….but he didn’t want to play him at the UC.
Al,
I started coming to the web site a few months ago (before the trade deadline)and I’ve read all your articles since that time. I enjoy them very much. I may not always agree, but your points are well thought out and backed up with solid logic. This is actually the first time I posted to one of your articles, but look forward to doing so more often.
“points are well thought out and backed up with solid logic”
Thank you…
Agreeing is ok but not required.
I guess at some point it come down to epectations.
Are they ready to be a top 4 team and compete for the Cup…Or were they ahead of schedule last year and won’t take the next step forward?
I agree on the 2nd line and Hossa seems to be trying to do too much on his own.
Mssrs DJD, Stasiak…as Al has pointed out, Niemi simply wasn’t ready to assume the #1 job earlier in the season.
And Q shouldn’t be blamed for Huet’s meltdown.
Huet accepted the big money and the added responsibility. He’s had every chance to assert himself as the starter. He’s failed two years in a row.
One can point a finger at Dale Tallon, but the blame rests solely on Huet’s shoulders. Huet’s said as much himself.
Under Quenneville, this team went to the WCF last year after missing the playoffs the previous season; this year, they took over top spot in the Central early, and have maintained it.
Q’s system, his staff and their coaching, along with the players buying in, succeeded in masking Huet’s deficiencies for most of the year.
Now, with critical injuries to key players at what could be the worst possible time, Quenneville has yet another challenge to deal with.
Whatever happens in the next two weeks, might be painful to watch.
But what happens in Round One is what really counts.
If you ever watched Quenneville play, you know he was a smart, tough player and tenacious competitor. If you watched the teams he coached play, they always overachieved despite their gaps in talent.
Quenneville knows what it takes to win a Cup. He has the ring to prove it.
Expecting the Hawks to win it all right now, especially given the loss of Campbell and Johnsson, is simply not realistic.
That said, the old cliche holds true: ‘anything can happen’.
Dave,
Sounds like your making a bunch of excuses for the lads.
Arguably, you could say that Jimmy Howard isn’t/wasn’t ready to assume his role, but Babcock made a decision and stuck too it.
His goalies know where they stand.
Same might apply for Steve Mason last year, who (almost) singlehandedly got the BJs into the playoffs while battling through Mononucleosis. He’s had a setback this year and look what’s happened.
I don’t think we’re blaming Q for Huet, injuries or player performances … merely noting that some of his methods are not helping the team, team chemistry, or the individuals.
I’m not sure his previous teams over-achieved. I’d say they under-achieved.Yes, like you, I saw Q play, but playing doesn’t translate into coaching. Ask Wayne Gretzky.
Fact is he inherited this team which was poised for greatness and has had no major adversity to contend with for two-years. Injuries are part of the game. To date he has not managed his players all that well in many regards. He’s run many of the players into the ground. The well certainly appears to be empty.
You want coaching, take a look at what Mike Babcock has done this year with the Wings and their travails. Sure they struggled for some time, but the effort was always there.
Niemi is not Howard though….
Up until now they took it very slow with Howard and he played a lot of games last year at the NHL level.
From where I sit…although he has had a great year goal keeping is still the Wings vulnerable area.
I agree, Al, goaltending is Detroit’s weakness. But it is complimented with a veteran core of D men. Last I looked, Howard was still eligible for rookie status so the difference isn’t that great between the two. Don’t forget the Wings had Conklin/Osgood last year.
Niemi, with a 20-6-3 record and respectable GAA and Save% is every bit as good as Howard, if not better. The difference, Howard has been given the ball to run with because Osgood wasn’t getting it done—given a chance to find his NHL form. Mason was given the ball too. These were risky coaching decisions and the risks are paying off now. Q on the other hand has played politics with Huet and Anti and while some may consider that a good thing, it, IMO, is messing with their mindsets and perhaps the team as well.
None of us are coaches, but any hockey fan can see that Huet has been a liability for some time. Call a spade just that, and give #31 the job to lose. You can’t gain experience if you don’t get any. At this point there’s nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Dave,
How would anyone know Niemi wasn’t ready? You can’t tell that unless you get extended playing time and he never got that. He’d play a solid game, several excellent ones come to mind (Vancouver, Pittsburgh, Detroit) on the road and the next night Huet was back in the net. Twice Q looked as if he was committed to playing Niemi as a #1 and twice he switched back to Huet because Niemi has a poor game – or I should say a poor period. The first time was against Vancouver when Niemi gave up 3 goals in the first and was replaced by Huet and the other time was the Islander game. I don’t blame Q for Huet’s problem’s I blame him for giving him chance after chance even though it was obvious to everyone what you were going to get from him. To me, that time should have gone to Niemi to see what he could do. It obviously wasn’t Q who signed Huet and maybe he didn’t want Niemi and would have preferred Crawford or a veteran back-up, but that he was dealt was Huet / Niemi and I think Niemi is the better goaltender. Doesn’t mean he is without issue or that I think he solves the goalie problem, but to me, he’s the best option of what you have. I also don’t think Joel is a bad coach, but he has a history of getting his teams only so far in the playoffs and not getting them over the hump. I don’t recall St. Louis or Colorado making the Cup with Q at the helm. Must have been some reason both of those teams fired him. Also, Q was out of the league as coach and came to Marc Bergevin looking for a job as a scout. If they Hawks hadn’t hired him as a scout, which eventually led to the head coaching position, do you think he’d be coaching another team right now? I could go on, but bottom line, I don’t think he’s the coach that will get the Hawks to the cup either this year or next. As I mentioned to Al, I enjoy your articles on the web site. I always look forward to reading them.
Just to keep the record stright Q. didn’t get fired in Clorado….they chose not to renew his contract.
Understood, but whether he was fired or simply “not renewed” the bottom line is that he was replaced with another coach.
@ Dave,
Nice post Dave, I did see Q play and I agree 100% he was as tough as they come. You do however mention the teams Quenneville has coached have overachieved despite the talent. I also agree.
However, this year he is coaching a team with arguably the best overall talent he has had. Would you say they are underachieving at this point OR our Hawks have been overachieving since October and have taken a step back to reality since Mid- January.
They are most likely going to finish with more points than last year…and had worse injuries…still hard to say they regressed.
The playoffs will answer that…
I really can’t see my beloved Blackhawks getting past the first round of the playoffs. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a season ticket holder…. but after the olympic break….. this is ridiculous.
Hawks Loss… Who’s To Blame?
Quenneville’s Pick Up Lines
.CourtSport posted 1 hour, 26 minutes ago | no comments
..CourtSport A life-long Chicago Sports fanatic and a former Miss Illinois United States Teen 2006, but don’t let the blonde hair and tiara fool you of my sports knowledge.
Follow on: ..One thing about Blackhawk’s head coach, Joel Quenneville, is that he has a rather large case of hockey ADD.
We’ve noticed some chaos in his coaching strategies this season: some good and some bad. It seems that good ol’ Q-Stache doesn’t like to commit to anything; he likes variety.
For example, throughout the year, we have seen Q’s ADD with the Goalie situation. “Huet’s our guy, Niemi’s the one,” and we’ve heard it a thousand times.
Aside constantly switching up the goalies and going back and forth between our leading man in the basket, Q-man has been switching up his lines quite a lot. Sometimes his random “pick up lines” (my radio co-host Jon Schatz likes to call ‘em) work and sometimes they don’t.
But one thing’s for certain; he likes to mix them up.
Dustin Byfuglien has been all over the lines as both a winger and defenseman, and Q-man likes his versatility. I do too, but I’ve really enjoyed his performance as a defenseman the last six games, and I’d like to see him there a little bit more. We need his size, and we also need him to wake up and make some big hits.
Q recently changed up his first line by separating Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The new first line is Sharp, Hossa, and centered by Toews. I’m curious to see how this works since Sharp normally centers, and in my opinion, is not worthy of being part of the first line. How often do we see Sharp taking shot but not banking the biscuit in the basket. He also misses numerous opportunities to rack up goals.
Although Hossa is worthy of being a first line monster scorer, I must say I am a fan of the Hossa and Brouwer line. I love it. Two big dudes coming at you with power, size and skill. The only thing lacking is a center. I do not think Bolland works well enough for that powerful line (I do however Like Bolland as the third line center).
Hey Stan Bowman… Hossa/Brouwer line seeking middle man.. don’t forget in the off season.
Next, the new second line we will be seeing is Kaner, Big Buff, and centered by Versteeg. This can work because you have Kaner’s skill on one side, Buff’s size on the other, and Versteeg’s given us several good shows at center. I’m interested to see how this will work in the next game.
However, those two new lines we will be seeing separates Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane which is something we have rarely seen. We don’t want the two to become dependent on each other not being able to play in separate lines, but as fans, we are used to them together. We’ve come to love it.
Also, Patrick Kane should be the star the first line revolves around because after all, he is our leading goal scorer.
We’ll see if the Blackhawks new lines will work for us as they take on the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night at 6 p.m.
I understand Q-man’s ideas and why he feels like he should mix up lines and see if he can come up with permutations that will be successful. He wants these new lines to hopefully bring the Hawks out of this dry and dusty drought they’ve gone into.
http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/courtsport/
[...] Pssssssss…….. | Hockey Independent [...]
[...] • Al Cimaglia is a little more pessimistic about the current state of the Blackhawks, wondering of the air is leaving their tires: "It’s one thing to lose but looking like a frustrated group of whiners does not instill fear in the hearts of opponents." [Hockey Independent] [...]
@djd> I don’t think the players need excuses. The situation is an extremely difficult one.
Campbell played twenty minutes or more, and Johnsson was already playing fifteen. You don’t replace those guys just like that, especially not now.
@ Michael Stasiak> I don’t pretend to know the details behind Q’s hiring. He’s a coach with pedigree, and the Hawks have achieved their greatest success in the last fifteen years under his stewardship.
Coaches in the NHL today have their jobs because they are the best in the business. Such is the competitive nature of the sport.
I understand why fans get frustrated, and why they express that frustration.
The obstacles the team faces now, however, are considerable. If fans at the UC give the team their support, the team can feed off that energy. If the fans boo them, they simply undermine their own team.
Hockey is an emotional game. If you’ve ever played, you know that.
Fortunately the Hawks secured a playoff spot early, so they can focus on finding solutions…the points and games won/lost are simply not that critical.
As for Niemi compared to Howard, Howard was given ample time in the AHL to develop. Niemi was not.
In any case, as Al says, what matters is what the Blackhawks do in the playoffs.
@Trent> I think the Blackhawks overachieved in the early part of the year. They miss having a strong 2nd line center…and a reliable, experienced number one goaltender.
I also think they needed a few more physical players. Al and I discussed this in some other articles. He felt a Matt Carkner type would have been ideal. I agree with his view.
Every team needs at least one ‘tough guy’–preferably one with enough skill to contribute. Ben Eager was that guy last year. He’s been a non factor this year.
That notwithstanding, the Blackhawks managed to overcome their shortcomings because they were well coached; and because they executed the ‘skill game’ very well.
But as the effects of the loss of Campbell and Johnsson become increasingly evident, Q and the staff are obliged to re-tool the way the team plays.
Two weeks before the playoffs is not the ideal time to do that.
Dave,
That’s all fine and dandy, for Howard, a grand total of 9 nhl games in 3yrs before this year. AHL is not NHL. Then 57 games this year.
Brian Elliot—in your home town—is another case in point. The ‘hawks don’t have the AHL luxury because of the particulars of Niemi’s contract, which I’m not familiar with, but I do know that he’s free at season’s end, and must clear waivers before being sent down. Don’t you think he was scouted before being signed?
So, please, redress the question posed by Michael, why is Niemi not ready? How is Huet ready?
Yes, we all know the shortcomings of the team and yes, of course, the playoffs will tell the story, and how much Campbell means, so shed some light here for me … how is Q retooling the way the team plays? They never were any good against the trap and they still aren’t …
The lads are bagged and to say that Eager is a big factor in the lack of team toughness doesn’t hold with me. He never had anyone worried about his presence on the ice. Why does Fraser sit? Why does Boynton sit yesterday? He’s arguably the toughest D man on the squad.
They win because they outwork the opposition, something that has not happened with any consistency for a couple of months now. They win because they do not blow leads and play hard for the full 60. Yes, I can throw out the clichés … bottom line, this has been going on for awhile now and the symptoms were/are easy to spot. IMO. Coaching should have been addressing these issues some time ago, and they probably were. Where has that skill game gone? Where has the the PP gone? Where is the forecheck? Why no improvements? It’s too easy to blame it on the injuries to Campbell and Johnsson.
Nobody is saying Q isn’t a good coach, but like I said earlier, he was handed this team after Savy took the budding stars through the growing pains and had them on the cusp. The team was poised to be good. Sure they’ll finish with more points than last year—is that because they over-achieved in the first part of the year or because they’re well coached. They should be better than last year, and they should also know that you can’t just turn it on when the playoffs arrive … to borrow from Orv Tessier, they may need a heart transplant, because lately they do not appear to have any desire at all. Something, notably team chemistry, has gone AWOL since the olympic break … the confidence went on vacation with lads and it hasn’t returned yet.
@DJD> Al pretty much answered your and Michael’s questions about Niemi.
As Al has said in a previous article, the plan was that Antti would be developed this year while serving as a back up to Huet.
It’s logical to conclude Huet’s inconsistent play forced management’s hand into playing Niemi ahead of the planned development curve.
Fortunately, Niemi is playing very well now.
As to your other thoughts, many are questioning the team’s confidence and work ethic.
The fact is, they are dealing with the loss of critical players at an especially critical time.
And maybe the team just isn’t as good as some Hawks fans and writers seem to think they are, or expect them to be.
It takes time to build a championship team…this is just Q’s second year. And there are still some changes to come re: the roster.
Morning Dave,
Yes, agreed but, the best layed plans often change …
I guess the fact of the matter is, the team is not firing on all cylinders at a critical time of the year and it really is a combination of all of the things that many of us die-hards are bringing to the table in this blog. You’re right to a degree about points aren’t important, now that the playoffs are in the bag, because anything can, and usually does happen. That old cliché: your best players need to be your best players and for me that includes Niemi.
From Finland through the olympics it has been a long tough haul for the team this year, and add to that the injuries and the inconsistent goaltending and it is what it is.
I’m disappointed but not without belief that things can improve.
I’m not seeing a strong team effort of late and I’m confident things will improve. Let’s hope sooner than later …
The contract sitaution for Niemi is as follows.
Because of his age..etc., he is a RFA this summer who is arbitration eligible…Not actually free to go but not the situation the cap squeezed Hawks would like to be in.
An arbitrator will award him with a one yr. contract if he is doesn’t come to an agreement with the Hawks first…
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@ Dave
Thx again for the reply. I agree with you and Al about having a tough type d-man and Carkner would have been a nice addition. And I will be the first to admit I would have gladly accepted Wisniewski back prior to the deadline as well.
I also agree that every team needs a “tough-guy” that can play. I also thought Eager fit that bill perfectly…and like you say last year he did.
The guy I really like and I thought was a great pick up is Michael Rupp of Pittsburgh. I would love to see a guy like that on the Hawks next year. He can play the game, he is huge body and can duke it out with any player in the league.