It was refreshing to listen to Mike as he gave straight forward, no fluff opinions on many Hawk prospects. We discussed Kyle Beach and Igor Makarov plus some players which have flown under the radar.

Mike was very high on a defenseman Ryan Stanton who was undrafted and signed as a free agent in March of 2010. In Mike’s opinion Stanton is closer to becoming a NHL regular than any Ice Hog defenseman. Often the most interesting prospects are not low round draft picks which are highly touted.

Mike and Chris pointed out Rob Klinkhammer failed to score on about 20 breakaways throughout the campaign and still recorded 17 goals. Klinkhammer was awarded a whopping total of three penalty shots last season. They both believe Klinkhammer might not be too far away from a NHL career. Mike explains what Klinkhammer needs to improve on to take the next step to become a big league grinder and penalty killer.

I learned a lot listening to Mike and Chris I think you will too.

Chris and I chatted a little about the Canuck series and then discussed last season.

The Hawk inconsistencies and spotty efforts were also talked about with a look towards the future. In particular we chatted about Duncan Keiths’ up and down season and possible changes for the Hawks’ blueline.

We discussed Marty Turco, Alexander Salak plus other additions and deletions to the rosters.

Here is the link for the website which contains the blog talk radio link for the interview…..

http://thethirdmanin.com/

Long time Hawk fans realize the outlook wasn’t always rosy, but many watching the Blackhawks today haven’t experienced much disappointment. Now an eight place finish in the Western Conference is viewed with disgust. It wasn’t long ago a 97 point campaign would have been cause for celebration. Although no doubt it is a drop off from winning the Stanley Cup.

Before the game on Sunday night I did an interview with Terry Mercury and Rob Higgins for the XM, Ice Cap show. Maybe listening to it will help put the dismal end to this season into some perspective and provide some optimism for the future.

We first discussed the Blackhawks’ home ice record. I pointed out the Hawks lost a number of important games this past season at the United Center.

The two losses against the Oilers, within a short period of time, stand out the most. I also mistakenly mentioned a home ice loss to the Islanders. It should have been a UC loss to New Jersey instead. That misstep occurred in November when the Devils were playing poorly and was another costly defeat.

I then gave Terry and Rob my opinion about inserting John Scott into the lineup for a playoff game.

The discussion then move towards the future.

The questions became focused on changes for next year and the Hawks’ salary cap situation. I mentioned this summer would be a big test for Stan Bowman as he will have cap space to make meaningful additions unlike last year.

Blackhawk management will first have to decide what style of game they want to play going forward. In my view the NHL is moving toward fewer penalties for interference as well as other infractions. That doesn’t help a non-physical, puck possession team.

We then chatted about a hot topic, especially after the Hawks slump….Patrick Kane.

The contracts of Kane and Jonathan Toews were discussed in regards to whether the young guys are worth their hefty salaries. We also talked about their differences and the effectiveness of each player.

The final topic was the goal tending situation for 2011-2012 involving Corey Crawford…. And Marty Turco??

Here is the audio link of the interview….. 2011-04-17th – Al Cimaglia -

Tomorrow there will be a blog discussing Game 3 and a look ahead to Game 4.

Some say the Hawks have the talent to compete with every team in the league. Those thinking in that way believe the reason their favorite team struggles is because the players don’t put forth enough effort.  

The other camp of Hawk loyalists believe the team tries hard enough. They think the reason for losses is because this club is lacking ability and know how. 

The truth lies somewhere in between.  

Consistent effort is a function of talent. It is that way in hockey and every other sport.. 

The Hawks have lacked effective effort in many losses which is a function of not having enough talent. This is especially so when missing top end players like Dave Bolland and Patrick Sharp

Effective effort is different from trying hard enough. Having the will to win is essential but players also have to have the know how to play effectively. 

It is virtually impossible to have the same burning desire to win in every contest over a grueling 82 game schedule. There have been times the Hawks have fallen short and weren’t ready to play. For the most part the players have wanted to play well but as group they haven’t been as consistent as everyone would have hoped. 

In professional sports consistency, effort and talent are all needed to be successful. It is virtually impossible to win consistently with a lack of talent and effort will only take a club so far. 

When a franchise reaches elite status, such as the New England Patriots and the Detroit Red Wings, it is almost becomes plug and play. Certainly talent is needed but those clubs have a system of play which is structured and defined. Although talented players are needed the individual pieces become more interchangeable. A successful system of play can better absorb injuries and misfortune. 

If the Hawks could have kept the majority of the Stanley Cup winning roster together they would have had a chance to reach the elite, interchangeable status. Injuries would have been easier to overcome because know how and depth was in place.

The Patriots have lost many key players to injury the last few years but always make the playoffs and have a chance at the Super Bowl. The same can be said about the Red Wings, injuries or not they qualify for the post season. Each season the roster changes for the Wings but they always play the same style and do it well. 

The Blackhawks are in a tough spot. Their heart is in it but many players lack consistency and know how. Fortunately there are other teams trying to reach the playoffs in the same boat. But there is a long list of Blackhawks which can’t string together good games.  

Six games to go and the Hawks are stuck on 90 points…

My guess is the Hawks will need at least 97 points to qualify for the post season. Seven points in six games doesn’t sound too difficult but……. 

The Blackhawks are 11-4-2 in the second game of back to back affairs. That is an outstanding record and the Hawks will play on consecutive days once more this season. 

Let’s say the Hawks aren’t as fortunate and lose the second half of the upcoming back to back. That isn’t a stretch considering fatigue, injuries and maybe the law of averages. 

If that were to happen the Hawks would need to capture seven points in five games, which isn’t as easy. 

Fans can rest a lot easier, at least for awhile, if the Blackhawks win the next two games. At this point two wins are a must against the Blue Jackets and Lightning. 

Al’s Shots 

Unfortunately, Patrick Kane as he sometimes does is attracting the wrong kind of attention. 

It appeared to me and was supported by comments from Troy Murray following the loss to the Bruins that… 

Kane must have chirped at Shawn Thornton on his way off the ice after his forehead was split open. Kane was a target after on his next shift and caught a slash. 

I’m not sure Kane knew Thornton had been sliced open by Fernando Pisani’s skate. Maybe Kane was still upset as Thornton appeared to stick out his leg earlier when he tried to run Niklas Hjalmarsson. 

If Kane knew Thornton has suffered a serious cut, it would have been best to not chirp at him. Maybe Kane didn’t realize it…If he did then it was stupid to say anything. Afterward the Bruins came on strong and they certainly didn’t need any additional motivation. 

As far Thornton going knee to knee with Hammer….I don’t think that was his intent but Hammer stopped and Thornton was caught off balance. Those on the bench as well as Hammer should have been upset…They probably didn’t have the benefit of a replay. 

Concerning the rumblings about Kane’s conditioning and spotty effort versus the Bruins…. 

Maybe he could be in better condition, but the Hawks back to back record defies the thinking that the club isn’t in good shape. 

In every difficult game Kane expends a lot of energy.  He goes up against bigger men and they lean on him. 

Kane still had enough stamina after playing over 20 minutes in Detroit. He went through two Red Wings in the closing seconds and the result was a Hank Zetterberg hooking penalty. 

Kane looks bad when he skates by players and waves his stick as he did in Boston. But before you hang him out to dry consider the complete body of work. 

Yesterday, the Hawks signed Jimmy Hayes, another highly touted draft pick. 

It amazes me how many fans are influenced by glowing stories on young prospect. Teams always seem to puff up their draft picks. 

On rare occasion, when you see an elite talent like Kane or Jonathan Toews their ability will be obvious. 

As was correctly pointed out all year by Chris Block in the Third Man In.com, the Hawks highly touted players in Rockford haven’t lived up to advanced billing. 

That’s why there hasn’t been any help shipped to Chicago from Rockford. 

Stan Bowman had to reach all the way to the Swedish Elite League for Marcus Kruger. 

In a perfect world an Ice Hog player should have been the first choice. 

After all those players are acclimated to playing in North America and have played the Hawks’ system. 

Lastly, Joel Quenneville had no real choice but to start Corey Crawford versus the Bruins. 

I thought he may pull Crawford after two periods because the Bruins like to crash the net. Toews went hard into Tim Thomas and the last thing the Hawks can afford is an injury to Crawford. Despite a soft goal Crawford was good. 

Don’t forget, although Marty Turco is a veteran he hasn’t been a back up goalie for many years. Maybe Turco would be ready in an odd start and then again it could be just as likely he would be stale. 

On Tuesday night the Hawks could have played two more hours against the Bruins and still wouldn’t have scored three goals. 

Starting Crawford wasn’t why the Hawks lost…..The Bruins were much better.

We will see if the surging Blackhawks can keep the pedal down and beat the depleted Florida Panthers. Tomorrow the Tampa Bay Lighting should be a stiffer test. I would imagine Marty Turco will shake off the rust and play in Tampa. After playing two times in Florida the Hawks will meet with President Obama and then regroup to face the Capitals on Sunday.

No doubt there will be a lot of distractions. If this group handles the next few games and takes care of business it could set the stage for a successful playoff berth.

Tonight’s game is a trap in many ways and the Hawks will have to stay on task. The current Panther team has been gutted and they shouldn’t be able to stay with the Blackhawks. But as Hawk fans know so well their favorite team has a habit of making things more difficult.

The audio clip below is from a XM Ice Cap interview with Jamie Shalley and Terry Mercury. The talk took place late last night and unfortunately I did have a couple of brain cramps. I managed to string some thoughts together about the new and improved Blackhawks and hopefully you will enjoy the commentary.

I mentioned the Hawks would not have another back-to-back sequence until the end of March. That is incorrect as the Hawks will play the Capitals on Sunday and then return home Monday to face the Sharks.

I do believe Wednesday’s game in Tampa represents the best chance for Turco to start. The Caps game on Sunday will be over by early afternoon, so Corey Crawford could likely play again on Monday night at the United Center.

In my view a main reason for the recent success has been the play of Tomas Kopecky and Ryan Johnson. Those two have helped solidify the fourth line.

Last night I incorrectly commented Troy Brouwer has been playing on the fourth line. Brouwer and his mates on the third line have done a fine job as well. Actually Joel Quenneville has been giving all of the bottom six forwards about the same amount of ice time. This is significant and has led to consistent effective play.

Yesterday my youngest son turned 21….Someone is getting old and it’s me.

Hopefully the short term memory loss I experienced during the interview won’t be a sign of early dementia….And hopefully tonight the Hawks will be focused.

11-03-07 – ICE CAP – Uncle Al

Lastly, please stop by the Hockeenight.com website. Our buddy Frank Nova, aka Forklift is taking part in a Susan G. Komen for The Cure event on March 11. Unfortunately we all have been touched by the loss of a friend or loved one from cancer. Take a minute and make a donation towards the cure for breast cancer and help Fork Lift achieve his goal.

Die hard fans and recent band wagon members should stay grounded. 

Look at the rest of this season the same way you do when purchasing scratch off lottery tickets. Many people use their spare change and aren’t upset when they throw away losing tickets.  At this point don’t invest too much of your emotional capital in the Blackhawks. 

If the Hawks win the next two games in regulation, keep some hope alive. 

But if your favorite team can’t respond to the challenge of the Wild and Blue Jackets on home ice they don’t deserve to make the playoffs. If the win a game lose a game theme continues for the next couple of weeks, playoff hopes for Chicago will rest with Derrick Rose and the Bulls. 

Here are the upcoming games in February for the Blackhawks. 

The next three matches are at home versus the Wild, Blue Jackets and Penguins. The Hawks then take to the road to face the Blues and Predators. The boys return for a game against Coyotes and then go to Minnesota to face the Wild. 

What a difference a year makes…. 

Last season the Hawks won because they wore down opponents and were the model of consistency. Seldom did the 09-10 squad play two bad periods in a row and because so they avoided long losing streaks. Last season the Hawks were successful due to a bevy of talent and because everyone understood their roles. 

Now in late stages of games the Hawks get outplayed and are often tired and beaten before the final outcome is decided. They have turned into a one line team which has trouble scoring at even strength. 

No doubt fatigue played a big part in the loss to the Coyotes. Three games in four nights will take a toll. 

Turning what should have been a coasting win in Dallas into a long hard fought contest hurt the Hawks the following night. The Duncan Keith turnovers and sloppy play from Brian Campbell are mostly the result of fatigue. The Hawks are an underdog when those two have an off night in the same game.  

In Dallas… 

The Hawks played a fine first period. But the Stars didn’t really start the game on time and stumbled around chasing the Hawks for the opening twenty minutes. 

In the second frame Dallas realized it would only take one goal to get back into the game. So the Stars came out and slowed the Hawks attack by taking the body. It’s no secret the Hawks often stop skating when they have a lead and are physically challenged. 

The Hawk weaknesses are known by all. 

Lately they aren’t a confident team which finds a way to win, but rather resemble a scattered group which waits to lose. No excuses are allowed when a three goal lead is blown but… 

To make matters worse the Toronto War Room boys spit the bit by not allowing a Brent Seabrook tally which would have given his team a four goal lead. By now the video review process should have progressed. 

What would make the most sense is when a puck is caught and the goalies glove moves the net….The on ice official should not automatically signal a no goal. 

If a goalie’s trapper is far enough behind the goal line to touch the net it would be best to not immediately assume the puck didn’t cross the line. It appeared the puck had to be over the line and it looked like it was visible in Lehtonen’s glove. 

There seems to be reluctance by the War Room to overrule the on ice official. The first mistake was by the ref and that led to another miscue by the review team. 

If the on ice call was a good goal or indecisive, my belief is Seabrook’s score would have stood up.  If the on ice official just pointed up stairs the Seabrook apparent goal could have counted. 

I don’t understand how immediately the signal was no goal. It was the perfect opportunity to review the play because the puck was caught and held. 

Marty Turco played one of his better games but still allowed a softy. In the shootout Joel Quenneville would have been better off using a cardboard cut out. The Stars familiarity with Turco became apparent. Turco has never been a great shootout goalie. 

The next night in Phoenix… 

Corey Crawford was very good for the most part. But unfortunately Crawford is starting to resemble Turco. The former Dallas Star always seems to allow at least one soft goal and lately Crawford is doing the same. 

For the Hawks to have any chance at consistency Quenneville has to lean on one goalie from here on out. 

Crawford has never been asked to lead a NHL team into the playoffs. He doesn’t need any additional pressure. The number one job should be Crawford’s without question. He has proven to be more consistent than Turco, who was given the starting role following training camp. 

Quenneville owes it to Crawford to stop the audition. 

For the most part the Hawks put forth enough effort on the road trip to realize better. Bad calls, soft goals, the flu, injuries and fatigue are all part of an NHL season. 

Versus the Coyotes, a tired and shorthanded team came out with a strong start and had nothing to show for it after the opening frame. The Hawks fell behind and could have folded their tent in the second period. But there is still some fight left in this dog. The Hawks showed a lot of determination to capture one point in the desert. 

The question that will be answered soon is whether the ship can be righted and adjustments made. Somehow desire and will has to lead to consistent performances. 

The Hawks still do a lot of good things. Hopefully it will be enough to lead to a string of victories. 

Al’s Shots 

I wasn’t a Jack Skille lover or a hater. Trading Skille was fine by me but… 

If trading Skille meant Tomas Kopecky would become the permanent second line center the deal doesn’t look as good….At least not for this season. 

Not only is Kopecky winning only 35% of his faceoffs in the last two contests but he is also getting more ice time than Troy Brouwer. 

That’s an issue, because Kopecky can’t finish as well as Brouwer. Kopecky is being asked to do what he can’t. 

Michael Frolik has been ok.

Like the Hawks the Atlanta Thrashers are clinging to playoff hopes. 

Last night the Thrashers suffered a very tough loss losing at home to Carolina. 

Stan Bowman may only have one trade left. 

The Hawks miss the versatility of Sopel. If he was here, Keith and Seabrook would not have to play as many hard minutes. Sopel was very good on the PK.

I don’t know if the Thrashers will raise the white flag soon enough to help the Hawks. They could be close because the teams which are a few points behind them have three or four games in hand. 

Maybe Sopel can get to Chicago in time to make a difference. But first the Hawks have to stay in the chase. 

Coming soon….

My take on the Seabrook re-signing and more tidbits concerning the Skille/Frolic-Salak deal.

This season, only the Atlanta Thrashers (64) and the Ottawa Senators (63) have had more goals scored against them in the third period than the Blackhawks (61). The Hawks have played one less games than the Senators and three fewer than the Thrashers. 

In Vancouver the Hawks should have been content with picking up at least on point after going into the final frame deadlocked.  With playoff hopes flickering from game to game, coming away with at least one precious point should have been the prime consideration inside of five minutes of regulation time. 

If there is any team in the NHL which needs to understand clock management it’s the Blackhawks. But the Hawks are still trying to sort things out.  

Patrick Kane is asked to do too much at times, but at critical moments he doesn’t practice “safe hockey”. Kane and all other Blackhawks’ need to know when it’s time to not to take any chances. 

Friday night, Kane raced up the ice and crossed the Vancouver blueline with 4:11 left in regulation and the score tied at three. Positioned in front of Kane were four Canucks, planted like a picket fence. Instead of practicing Hockey 101 and putting the puck into a corner, Kane tried to make an improbable pass to Bryan Bickell. The pass failed and the puck was launched out of the zone. The Sedins’ did the rest and the result was at least one blown point and a heart breaking loss. 

The Canucks were fortunate as they scored a fluky winning goal. But especially on the road, with little time remaining, playoff implications in the balance, because the opponents’ best players were on the ice….. 

Kane and every other Blackhawk should know better. 

But this is still a group which tries to do too much at times and sometimes doesn’t do enough. Against the very best teams there is little margin for error. 

The defeat was a bitter one because the Hawks can’t play much better. Against many opponents the Hawks would have won, but to beat the very best everything has to be precise. 

Winning only 37% of the faceoffs versus the Canucks did not help the cause. Especially considering Dave Bolland was matched against the Sedins’, as he won only five of 22 faceoffs for a dismal 23%. Outside of faceoff trouble Bolland played a strong game. But the Twins’ don’t need anything made easier for them. 

Marty Turco was ok….Although no matter how well Turco performs he often allows a goal he should have saved. At this point, it doesn’t seem likely Turco can play much better than against the Canucks. No matter what your opinion of Turco’s performance, the play of Roberto Luongo was stronger. 

Often the difference between a third or fourth liner and a top six forward is the ability to score goals. Tomas Kopecky doesn’t have the “finish” of a goal scorer. He gets into prime scoring position but for a variety of reasons doesn’t convert. Kopecky could have scored two or three goals. A true goal score would have potted at least one against Luongo. 

The Hawks fourth line had a great first shift and another good one late in the game, but for the most part they were outplayed. That group had little offensive zone time. If the third pairing is playing at the same time as the fourth line… Watch out. 

The Canucks won the special team battle as they potted two power play goals. The Hawks 5 on 3 power play attempts have been awful the last few years. That was the case again. The Hawks get caught playing out on the perimeter when they have a two man advantage and that won’t work against Luongo. In general the Hawks shot the puck up on Bobby Lu….which made it easier of for him to control rebounds.

Give the Blackhawks credit, many clubs would have folded but they kept coming back. 

The officiating was brutal and the Blackhawks could have deserved better in Vancouver.  

The NHL is quick to point out they were the first major sport to embrace video replay. It has always seemed odd to me that every “no goal” call is not reviewable in Toronto. If the technology is there why not use it on the most important plays. If it extends the game time …..So what? The game is played in far less time than it was years ago. 

Whenever a goal is taken off the board or a play surrounding a scoring sequence is in question it should be reviewed. Troy Brouwer’s goalie interference should have been looked at in Toronto and so should the blown offside call on Christian Erhoff’s score. 

Concerning a goal……. What makes a questionable goal tender interference call or a wrongly whistled offside, any different from a high sticking review? Both involve a score change. If reviewing more plays increases the average time of every game by five minutes, it would be a good trade off. Maybe the end result would be more responsibility shown by officials on the ice. 

A blown call could mean millions in lost revenue. In my view it is silly to limit the reviews to include only the following. …

*In the National Hockey League, goals may only be reviewed in the following situations:

• puck crossing the goal line completely
• puck in the net prior to end of period
• puck in the net prior to goal frame being dislodged
• puck being directed into the net by hand or foot
• puck in the net after deflecting directly off an official
• puck deflected into the goal by the high stick by an attacking player

*source Wikipedia.

Now it’s on to Calgary where the Hawks need the best from Corey Crawford. The Flames are playing inspired hockey and will be a difficult challenge on home ice. Hopefully the tough loss in Vancouver will inspire the Hawks to have a top effort tonight. 

Maybe at last a lesson has been learned and poor clock management will no longer be an issue. 

Al’s Shots 

According to a Chris Kuc tweet….Yesterday, Brouwer was working with the No. 1 power play unit replacing Marian Hossa. 

Hossa isn’t doing much in the way of scoring goals. He isn’t creating scoring chances either. 

Maybe Hossa can do something he hasn’t done much of all season…..Force the opposition to take penalties. 

If the light bulb hasn’t gone off in Hossa and Kane’s head it should have by now. 

Teams are successfully defending these two by keeping them on the perimeter. 

Kane at times goes to the slot, because he has Jonathan Toews to feed him the puck. 

Hossa lugs the puck….He needs to play more north and south. Even if Hossa doesn’t score he could create a power play opportunity. 

There probably isn’t a stat for only the amount of offensive zone time compared to penalties drawn. If there was, Hossa would be near the bottom in that category. 

Having a very good power play doesn’t matter as much if power play opportunities aren’t being generated.

Lately the Jackets have been one of the softest touches for the Hawks, getting anything less than two points could have started a slide. Vancouver is playing great hockey. If the Hawks can manage to snag only a single point tonight, it could go a long way towards a strong trip.

The best chance for the Hawks will be to stay discipline versus the Canucks. The Hawks power play must remain hot and their penalty killing must be solid. It will be a difficult task but maybe Marty Turco will be the best goalie on the ice…..Maybe.

Mike Haviland steered the PK unit in previous years. For whatever reason the special team responsibility was split this season between Mike Kitchen and Haviland. According to Pat Foley’s comments, Haviland is back solely in charge of the penalty killing….Probably a good thing.

Here is the audio from an XM interview with Jamie Shalley and Ryan Paton.

2011-02-03rd – Al Cimaglia -

We discussed the road trip, possible trades and other Hawk topics.

Al’s Shots

In Columbus, Turco started out shaky and improved as the game went on. He is more accustomed to getting a lot of work.

Turco gives up too many goals on plays which start behind his net. He doesn’t secure the puck very well and that has cost him. Many times the Hawk defensemen haven’t helped either.

Apparently Joel Quenneville is giving Turco another shot at being the #1 in Chicago.

Possibly there could be a problem with Corey Crawford….Otherwise putting Turco between the pipes versus a very strong team on the road is an interesting decision.

But the whole season has featured some out of the ordinary thinking by Q.

I don’t think the Hawks will be able to score seven goals tonight…If I were Crawford I wouldn’t get too comfortable sitting on the bench. 

Troy Brouwer played a good game and got into a needed dust up. When your smallest player is slammed into the boards and ends up turned upside down like a sack of potatoes a response needs to come….Even though it was a clean check. 

Last season, once the “big three” were resigned the Hawks didn’t have tagging space, otherwise Niklas Hjalmarsson and Antti Niemi could have been inked to new contracts early. The Hawks probably could have saved a lot of money and maybe Niemi might still be here. 

Now it’s different, the Hawks have the cap space available for next season to resign players now.

Even though Brent Seabrook is the first priority there should be a RFA which the Hawks look to resign early.

Brouwer is a power forward who can skate well and play at a quick pace with skillful players. Brouwer has the combination of skill, size, speed and grit which the Hawks need more of. He really can’t be effectively replaced by anyone currently in the organization….Bryan Bickell isn’t the same player and Kyle Beach isn’t ready.

It wouldn’t be a bad idea to lock Brouwer up early with a nice three year deal. If Brouwer went somewhere else he would probably be in a better position to score more goals.

Maybe Brouwer would put up numbers like Rene Bourque did after he was traded to the Flames.

Brouwer and Bourque were both high scoring forwards in the AHL. My feeling is Brouwer could provide more offense than we have seen.

In a perfect world Nick Leddy would be in Rockford playing upwards of 20 minute each game. The Hawks don’t have that luxury and Leddy is too good not to be in Chicago considering the current defensive depth.

Leddy is going to be a good one….He sees the ice well and for the most part plays with the poise of an older player.

The other night, Leddy placed a nice wrist shot through a screen to score his second goal of the season…… That was a veteran play.

It would be nice if Marian Hossa could get on a roll like he was on the first seven games of the season.

Hossa was credited with 11 points in the first seven contests of the season….Since then 18 points in 28 games. Hossa is being paid to be at least a point per game player.

In many games Hossa hasn’t been the best Blackhawk….

On the trade front…

Nothing in particular to relay concerning the Hawks but I did hear an interesting rumor.

The Thrashers will have a dman to spare when Tobias Enstrom returns from injury. The speculation was Ron Hainsey or Brent Sopel could be trade possibilities.

The Thrashers are looking to make a deal and have offered a defenseman around and from what I hear it is……

Former first round pick, Zach Bogosian.

Rick Dudley will trade anyone….While in Tampa the rumor was he almost dealt Vinny Lecavalier.

If the Thrashers are still in the race I doubt they will deal Sopel….they need the veteran stability.

If what I hear is correct Dudley must feel the same.

As far as the Hawks are concerned it is doubtful they would have any interest in Bogosian and the Thrashers need help on offense. The Hawks don’t have a sure fire goal scorer to spare.

I will be surprised if Stan Bowman doesn’t make a trade in the next seven to 10 days….

But this season has been full of surprises.

Basically players were not put in a position to succeed and more often than not the team wasn’t successful. Almost always it was not a case of players not providing effort. Mostly the wrong type of effort came about because players were asked to perform beyond their capabilities. It became difficult to watch because the outcome was so predictable and the losses continued to mount. 

Years ago many of my blogs included questions. There was so much uncertainty because the picture was always cloudy. The questions needed to be asked but the correct answers were not always obvious. 

After the recent injuries and this summer’s salary cap purge the Blackhawks haven’t come full circle but there are some disturbing similarities.  

Let’s start with a few questions. 

Has a team which leads the league in goal against in the third period ever qualified for the playoffs? 

Since 2000 it hasn’t happened, and probably seldom if ever before that period.

Last year the Anaheim Ducks came rather close, as they missed qualifying for the playoffs by six points. 

Teams which hold the ominous honor of leading in third period goals against usually finish near the bottom of their respective conferences. Normally they aren’t considered good hockey teams. 

Currently the Blackhawks lead the NHL with 47 goals against in the third period. After looking at past results, 47 goals against in the final frame is a high total after 39 games. Usually even the worse teams don’t finish with more than 100 third period goals against for the entire year. This season, the lowly New York Islanders have allowed five fewer goals in the third frame than the Blackhawks. 

Let that sink in for a minute. 

Is it just me…Or does it seem like Tomas Kopecky is always on the ice? 

Kopecky reminds me of Hawk players from the past who were in over their head. Really Kopecky can’t be faulted because he is trying. But the more Kopecky tries the more mistakes happen. 

He can’t play center effectively. Besides making 10 foot passes to Marian Hossa, Kopecky usually isn’t able to make a play. When he does do something good, like the assist on the Patrick Sharp goal he follows it up with dumb hockey, a bad penalty and frequent poor passes. 

Kopecky is not being put into a position to succeed and most on the coaching staff and in the front office must know the same. But sometimes there isn’t a better option and Kopecky is not the only player who is now overmatched. 

Unless Joel Quenneville has forgotten how to coach, Kopecky wouldn’t be taking important faceoffs. Some of the line combinations and ice time distribution has been curious. Maybe Quenneville is being forced to stick with certain players. Or simply there is no other choice for the head coach or Stan Bowman. 

This club was built around top players and when they are injured things seem to crumble quickly.

Even the loss of Fernando Pisani is significant because it changes line combinations. 

If Pisani were healthy, maybe Brouwer would go to the top line and Dowell would become the third line center. That could mean Kopecky would play wing alongside Ryan Johnson on the fourth line. It could also mean Kopecky wouldn’t play 17 minutes a night and take important faceoffs. Not to mention always being used on the power play. 

But now Quenneville’s hand is forced or there is another agenda I don’t understand. 

If there are still any believers in Rockford Ice Hog help, stop kidding yourself. In my book Jeremy Morin should be here but most likely no one else. In a perfect situation Morin would stay in Rockford and maybe come up towards the playoffs. But the Hawks are certainly not a playoff lock and Morin could be needed sooner. 

Sometimes players with affordable contracts are cheap for a reason and it isn’t because they are a bargain. 

Look no further than the Hawks third pairing, of Nick Boynton and Jassen Cullimore. 

Cullimore has played more responsibly than Boynton but the combination of the two is scary. They are playing for near minimum salaries and could still pass through waivers a dozen times before a claim would be entered. 

So far Marty Turco has been what I expected, some games very good other times sub-par. For the most Turco has been adequate, but on a struggling team just ok usually isn’t good enough. 

Turco took more than a $4 million pay cut to come to the Blackhawks, but I wouldn’t consider him a bargain.  

When Turco looks slow going from post to post, or can’t secure rebounds he appears fairly priced. Many of his acrobatic great saves come as a result of poor rebound control and the inability to secure pucks in goal mouth scrambles. 

On Thursday night the stage appeared to be set for a Blackhawks come from behind victory. 

The Sharks are one of the best faceoff teams in the NHL but the Hawks were better at the dot last night. 

Antti Niemi wasn’t at the top of his game which meant a lot because Turco wasn’t great either. In essence neither goalie would help a team which was outplayed steal a win. So all the Hawks had to do was win the final twenty minutes. 

The Blackhawks played a more physical game and outhit the Sharks by 19. Bear in mind the team without the puck does most of the hitting but the Hawks answered the Sharks’ physical challenge. 

The Hawks scored a fluke goal and one which beat the horn by less than a second to even the score at the end of forty minutes. A little luck never hurts. 

The Hawks did show up, they came with a renewed sense of determination, but in the end the wrong type of effort resulted. Two more home ice points were squandered and the Blackhawks record when tied going into the third period stands at 2-7-1. Out of a possible 20 available points in that situation, the Hawks have captured only five. 

The better teams, those which are playoff bound usually get stronger as the game goes on.  

Those clubs don’t make mental mistakes due to fatigue or inexperience late in games because they know how to win. Winning teams don’t take careless penalties because they are out of position and get caught reaching. Confident winning clubs play with the same effectiveness throughout a contest and don’t appear to scramble when the game is on the line. 

Last night the Hawks wanted to win, it wasn’t the same lay down effort that happened in St. Louis. They just weren’t good enough to seal deal.  

Al’s Shots 

Last night’s game was poorly officiated, bad calls for each team. 

The Seabrook hooking penalty was an awful call. 

The Hawks finished December 6-5-1. That isn’t good enough especially considering eight games were on home ice. 

For January the Hawks will play 11 times with seven games to be held at the UC. 

I caught the game at home last night and Edzo said the Hawks should shoot for one game over .500 while Jonathan Toews is out.

That’s probably a realistic goal but if that were to happen it could mean another wasted month.

Let’s say Toews returns January 15, which would mean he misses six more games.

Considering the upcoming competition and their current injuries the next six games might be the Hawks softest stretch for the rest of the season.

The next two games will be on the road while the following four will be at home.

Here are the next six opponents, the Ducks, Kings, Stars, Senators, Islanders and Avalanche.

Even without the captain the Hawks need to win at least four of six.

The Hawks record for January needs to be better than December.

After January only 12 of the final 32 games will be played at home.

When teams do things they haven’t done in decades it is time to take notice. Last year’s Hawks’ team immediately comes to mind.

The other night the Canucks skated into Philly and beat the Flyers. That is the first time Vancouver has won in Philly in 21 years. Granted they don’t play every year but still a significant win.

Vancouver could be the class of the West, although Detroit won’t go away.

The Sharks are good enough to have beaten the Hawks three times in a row but they seem to be a couple of players short of the Canucks and Wings.

2010 was a tremendous year for the Blackhawks and their fans.

Unfortunately the story hasn’t been as rosy this season.

To end on a positive note there are a few good things to report.

Eddie O. and Pat Foley have signed a three year contract extension.

The second printing of ‘One Goal’ will be released by the end of January.

Finally, the players will be accompanied by their mothers on the two game road trip to California.

Hopefully 2011 will be filled with positive on ice events.

To All…..A Happy and Healthy New Year

Not one Blackhawks responded to the challenge after their captain was steamrolled by Matt D’Agostini. John Scott gave Cam Janssen another shot at his belt but he didn’t respond in the necessary fashion after Jonathan Toews was hurt.

Recently, when Patrick Kane was injured it was Toews who carried the load and willed his team to victory. Last night when Toews was knocked out of action his teammates shriveled up and went away.

More times than not when the Blues play the Hawks it seems like the seniors versus the freshman in high school tackle football. The Blues look bigger, tougher and more defiant than the Hawks. 

To lose a game against a team which has its best players out injured is one thing. To continually get bitch slapped and not have one legitimate response is unacceptable for any hockey club, especially one which has just won the Stanley Cup.

Marty Turco was the best player on the ice, if not for his top effort the Blues might have won by a touchdown. 

The second best player on the Hawks was probably Scott. He had four shots and almost scored a goal.   

That’s right, the same John Scott who could be among the 10 least talented players in the NHL. When your worse player is one of your best….Trouble usually follows and it did last night. But Scott isn’t on the team to score, and although the Janssen fight was entertaining it didn’t help the Hawks find a backbone. 

Give Scott full marks for his battle with Janssen. It was a long bout and Scott showed he could last and take a punch. But if you are Janssen, it’s a victory just to survive. Trying to fight Scott is like doing battle with a giraffe that has arms. 

After D’Agostini made sure he finished his check against an off balance Toews, who was in a vulnerable position….Scott had no reply and neither did any other Blackhawk. 

This will be last time I write this, because anyone who doesn’t understand the message by now never will. 

Scott doesn’t change the behavior of most opponents. Don’t misunderstand, others won’t fight Scott but they will still run every Blackhawk player they can. They will pound away regardless if Scott is dressed or not. 

The reason is simple, the game has changed and for the most part players don’t retaliate against the same person who took liberties. It is almost like brawlers have a secret code and they will mostly fight each other, kind of like job justification. Also the instigator rule has stopped most of the retaliation.  

Should Scott really have cared if he would have been suspended for a game or two for instigating a fight with D’Agostini? 

Wasn’t it more important to send a message after Toews was knocked out of the game? 

The D’Agostini hit looked legal, but that doesn’t matter. He made the most out of the check and injured a very important player. If Scott is going to be paid to be part of the team, there was no better time to fight. Maybe somehow the rest of the club would have found some courage. 

But for whatever reason Scott chose not to go after the player who took a run at Toews. Doesn’t make any sense to me, but Scott wasn’t alone in shirking responsibility. Maybe fighters really would rather do battle with other fighters. 

Case and point was on Monday night when the Islanders Trevor Gillies fought the Rangers Brandon Prust. This story was told on NHL Live Tuesday afternoon. 

At the time of the fight the Islanders were winning the game 2-1. As soon as the bout happened an Islander analyst commented it wasn’t a good time for Gillies to fight. The Islanders were winning the game and there was no need to risk changing momentum. The game did turn and the Rangers went on to win, 7-2. 

Gillies was asked after the contest why he chose to fight Prust. His commented he owed Prust a fight because he gave him a chance to have his first NHL bout the previous year. Prust wanted to fight so Gillies obliged. Somewhere Gillies dad Clark, who was as tough as nails, was cringing. 

Does that seem a little selfish? 

I look at as the unwritten fight club code. In essence, let’s make sure we fight enough so some will believe there is a reason to have us around. More often than not heavyweight tilts hurt a club as much as they help, and sometime they have no effect at all. 

Back to Scott…. 

I know Scott couldn’t catch D’Agostini to deliver a check. But why he wouldn’t go after him or even Janssen again is a head scratcher. Scott had more ice time than usual…Maybe he got caught up in the moment of being a real hockey player. 

The reality is Scott and every player like him is on borrowed time in the NHL unless the instigator rule is abolished. 

The only way to stop others from delivering punishing checks to your skill players is by making sure their top players get the same treatment. The Blackhawks didn’t care enough to respond. The Blues have kicked the snot out of the Hawks before Scott got here and the same thing happened last night.  

Certainly Joel Quenneville gave his team another tongue lashing. The Hawks took a big step backwards last night. Q. can teach the boys how to play a certain way but he can’t teach desire. 

The text messages from the Blues’ players should be going to friends around the NHL today. They have to feel great as they dominated the Cup champs and kicked them to the curb all night. The San Jose Sharks are bigger and more talented than the Blues and they are on deck. 

One could believe if Kane would have scored on his breakaway at the midpoint of the game the result might have been different. I doubt it and ….Sometimes it is better to lose a game than win when you don’t deserve to, maybe something can be learned. 

The Hawks played poorly in the opening 40 minutes versus the Blue Jackets and still won. They followed that spotty performance with a lay down effort against the Blues. 

Quenneville knows you can’t teach desire….His club needs to fine some. 

Al’s Shots 

Awhile back I was asked which Hawk player could the team least afford to lose to a lengthy injury.

I responded Duncan Keith, then Toews and Brian Campbell.

The way Keith has played this season…Toews is the most important Blackhawk.

Keith looked preoccupied last night and had another poor game.

Nick Boynton has turned rushing when there is no need into an art form.

Tomas Kopecky continues to get more ice time than he deserves.

Kopecky and good puck management should never be used in the same sentence.

Kopecky was at his worse last night and had another poor night at the dot. Kopecky took 13 faceoffs and won only twice….for 15%. It’s not easy to be that bad.

Jake Dowell scored a goal which went through Ty Conklin…He was only 33% to the good at the dot. But at least he doesn’t lose individual battles and take bad penalties. Dowell was a +1 for the game.

When healthy the Hawks have four forwards out of the top six, which could play on the top two lines on almost any team in league. That’s the good news.

The bad news is if Dave Bolland is a legit third line center than the Hawks don’t have a second line pivot. With Toews out they no longer have a first line center.

Sharp will probably have to fill the void which creates another hole. It doesn’t seem like Jeremy Morin will be of much help for awhile.

Dowell and Kopecky have never scored very much.

Dowell a little in college and Kopecky not really at all. Dowell should still get more ice time than Kopecky, who is a defensive liability.

We will find out later today most likely if Toews has suffered a significant injury.

If it is rotator cuff problem, a broken collar bone or a concussion….Stan Bowman might have to scramble.

Unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be any help in Rockford unless….Mathis Olim or maybe Ben Smith??

Maybe a young guy could step up because otherwise Bowman is currently handcuffed due to a lack of cap space.

Although Turco was great.. I would start Crawford versus the Sharks.

Turco makes every goal mouth scramble too difficult…..The Sharks have big forwards so Crawford would be my choice.

Marian Hossa and Viktor Stalberg return to action tonight. Marty Turco gets the start as Corey Crawford is sick.

Hannu Toivonen was recalled fom Rockford and will back-up Turco. Patrick Kane is still out and has been placed on Injured Reserve.

The Blue Jackets are coming off an embarassing loss to the Canucks. They will be highly motivated and Turco will need to be up to the challenge.

Chicago won the one on one battles, protected the puck, and made the most of their opportunities. When there was a miscue, Corey Crawford was solid and never allowed the Predators an opportunity to capture momentum. 

Can the Hawks make winning in this fashion a habit? 

“Consistency is probably the best measuring stick for progress.” 

That was a Joel Quenneville answer from a post game interview….In response to a question about the progress of Bryan Bickell and Jack Skille. 

Quenneville’s response could be applied to not only Bickell and Skille, but to the entire squad. In the last few weeks the Hawks had been playing better. But in their last three games they have shown the consistency they have been lacking.  

By now we know what the win a game-lose a game Hawks look like. The question which will be answered from here on out is if the Hawks can be consistently successful. Only time will tell if they will stick with a defense first mind set. It takes a lot of work and everyone must buy into their roles. 

Goals will happen because of controlling the puck through winning one on one battles. The recent games haven’t been exhilarating to watch but results count most. There is still a lot of wood to chop and a playoff birth isn’t a foregone conclusion just yet. But there is reason for optimism. 

The Blackhawks can head into the Christmas break with a smile. We will find out Sunday if they can bring the same effective effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

Al’s Shots  

The improved play of Dave Bolland and Niklas Hjalmarsson is a big part of the Hawks recent success. 

Recently Brian Campbell has been getting the most minutes on the blueline…Well deserved. Campbell has been doing a fine job since returning from injury. 

Fernando Pisani seems to work well with Bolland. 

Jake Dowell continues to impress but…

Last night Dowell won 60% of his draws in the first frame but wasn’t very good afterward…only 43% to the good for the entire game. 

Ryan Johnson only took five faceoffs but was strong at the dot once again. Johnson won 60% of his faceoffs and has been a nice addition to the team. 

I was surprised Dowell kept taking faceoffs in the third period when paired with Johnson on the PK unit. Maybe Q. will be using Johnson in the future when Dowell isn’t as successful. 

Jonathan Toews had another fine outing and won 60% of his faceoffs. 

When it comes to consistent efforts the captain leads the Hawks. 

I don’t know if Skille will ever score enough goals to be considered a top six forward. What has become evident is the less than frantic Skille is a much better player. 

Versus the Preds, Skille scored two goals but I doubt if he would have converted either opportunity back in October. 

A couple of months ago, the Skille in constant overdrive wouldn’t have waited to get into proper shooting position like he did on his first score. Instead he would have either shot at a bad angle, or just charged the net. His second goal can be attributed to him knowing his situation and being confident. Skille was in the slot and shot through the defenseman’s legs and startled a screened Anders Lindback. 

Skille is making fine progress…Now he will have to find consistency. 

Bickell is no longer surprising anyone with his great wrist shot. There aren’t any secrets in the NHL. Goalies are aware he is going to shoot as often as possible. 

Bickell is scoring because his shot is top notch. His quick release and accuracy makes it difficult on opposing goal keepers. 

It’s amazing how many in the national media continue to cite weak goal keeping as a problem for the Blackhawks. In case they want to know… 

So far Crawford has been better than good. 

Their comments are probably because many considered Marty Turco to be the Hawks only hope. 

Turco had problems winning in Dallas too, but a shoddy defense was usually given as a reason for his shortcomings. 

Maybe that was part of the problem, but Kari Lehtonen has a 2.55 GAA and .917 save percentage this year. The Dallas blueline isn’t loaded with All-Stars this season either. 

Maybe Marc Crawford has had an influence by instilling better team defense. 

Or maybe Turco’s best days are in the past. 

Below is an audio clip of a pregame interview on XM radio with Jamie Shalley.

10-12-22 UNCLE AL – ICE CAP 

We talked about the new version Blackhawks. There were also comments about Bickell, Skille, Johnson, Scott and others. 

Take a minute to read this joke sent to me by a very young 70 year old woman. Hopefully it will help relieve the stress of the season. 

A Little Christmas Story

When four of Santa’s elves got sick, the trainee elves did not
produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began

to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit,

which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three

of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped

the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards
cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were

scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider

and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard,

he discovered the elves had drunk all the cider and hidden

the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the

cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces
all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and

found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, and an irritated Santa marched

to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with

a great big Christmas tree.  The angel said very cheerfully,

‘Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn’t this a lovely day?

I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to
stick it?’ 

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the
Christmas tree.

Not a lot of people know this…

Please Stay Safe and Have a Merry Christmas…..Al

If Morin wasn’t one of the 12 best forwards in Chicago, the Hawks would be wise to send him back to Rockford and save a year on his entry level deal. For me it wouldn’t be a difficult decision. 

Morin can help the big club and should play in Chicago. Whether Morin skates on the first line or fourth line wouldn’t matter as long as he could contribute. Where I sit there is little doubt Morin would make a meaningful contribution and would help the Hawks gain a playoff birth. Before Morin can secure a lineup spot Stan Bowman may have to make a trade.

I wrote awhile ago the best Blackhawk defensive prospect might still be in college. That wasn’t my opinion but came from a NHL coach. Today it was announced, former first round selection Dylan Olsen has been chosen to represent Canada at the World Junior tournament. Congratulations go out to Dylan. 

Most likely Blackhawk prospects Nick Leddy and Morin will be selected to represent the US World Junior team. 

Another big game tonight…actually at this point they all are big games. 

It was mentioned Marian Hossa could be back to face the Av’s. I don’t see how that could be possible as Hossa has just begun to skate. If Hossa progresses maybe he can return this weekend. Dave Bolland will return tonight. 

Stan Bowman was interviewed today on NHL Live. There was not a single question about Morin. The only players discussed were Corey Crawford and Marty Turco.  Bowman mentioned Crawford has been groomed to be a NHL starter and he isn’t surprised at his progress. To no surprise Crawford will start in goal tonight.

Below is an Ice Cap audio link of an interview with Jamie Shalley from last night. 

We talked about the problems for Marty Turco and the rest of the team. Corey Crawford’s role as a starter and the emergence of Morin were also discussed.

ICE CAP-10-12-14-Uncle AL

If the Blackhawks make the playoffs the Avalanche could be their first round opponent. So far the Av’s have had the Hawks’ number, but there is a rematch scheduled in Chicago on Wednesday night. 

Hawk fans have to be disgusted with the outcome in Colorado. But if the Hawks lose the rematch trouble could follow.  

With a win last night the Hawks could have captured momentum going into their  homestand. By winning both games versus Colorado, the Hawks could have put some distance between themselves and a tough Western Conference opponent. Now all the pressure will be on the shorthanded Hawks because this would be a terrible time to hit a losing streak.   

If the Blackhawks squander their upcoming home games in December they will be out of second chances for this season. After Colorado, the Hawks will face the mighty Red Wings on Friday night. In case you are wondering, probably none of the injured Hawks will be back until next week, at the soonest. 

One could argue the Hawks didn’t deserve the loss in San Jose. On Monday night the hockey gods tried to give the Blackhawks two big point against a Western Conference rival. But in another of many shoddy third period efforts the Hawks managed to skate out of town without a point.

The Marty Turco bandwagon should be about empty by now as Corey Crawford came on in relief to almost save the day. But this defeat involved more than a couple of soft goals by Turco. If there was ever a time for the Hawks defense to stand tall it would have been last night. But collectively the defense wasn’t good at all. 

In particular Brent Seabrook played his poorest game of the season. Seabrook was the goat on Colorado’s fifth and sixth goals. 

Throughout the contest Colorado players were left alone near the Hawks’ net. It would be an understatement to say the Blackhawks didn’t have the required focus and some of their better players were not very good at all. 

Some might be disappointed in Turco this season, he is about what I expected. But now Turco faces a difficult challenge. Turco is getting old and it appears he will have to learn a new role. 

Some goal keepers can go long stretches without playing in a game and still stay sharp. Unless Crawford turns out to be a flash in the pan, Turco will have to learn how to prepare for games as a backup goal keeper.   

All four goals were not Turco’s fault but he needed to make a couple of saves. Because of the time between games and due to the fact Turco hasn’t been good, Joel Quenneville has no choice but to stick with Crawford. 

Make no mistake, Crawford is the number one goalie these days. Every Hawk fan should hope he makes the most of his opportunity. If Crawford falters and Turco can’t improve, playoff hopes will have to wait until next season. 

Al’s Shots 

The Comcast super slow mo camera apparently wasn’t in Colorado. It would have come in handy on the Av’s fifth goal. It looked like the puck might have been tipped and then went through Crawford. 

Either way Crawford did his job considering the Hawks defensive zone coverage. 

I’m not saying Jeremy Morin will be a savior and he still has lessons to learn…But is there any doubt he should be skating full time in Chicago? 

Duncan Keith had another scattered performance, but his partner didn’t help at all. 

Niklas Hjalmarsson continues to have a sub-par season. I thought Hammer was turning things around but his last two games haven’t been good. 

Maybe Hammer is feeling the pressure of his new hefty contract. 

If that is the case he needs to respond and regain his old form otherwise he will fall into the very overpaid category. 

You have to admire David Koci, he is a tough dude. I have to wonder how long he can last because he takes too many punches to the head. 

Losing a fight to John Scott is nothing to be embarrassed about. But Koci had just returned to action after suffering a broken jaw at the hands of the Kings’ Kevin Westgarth. Hopefully Koci won’t suffer a more serious injury. 

According to post game comments, Q. was yelling at his club following their poor effort.

Yelling and sceaming only works for so long…..Ask any parent.

Here are few observations concerning the road trip.

There is more to team toughness than winning fights.

The San Jose Sharks showed how to defeat the Hawks, but really it isn’t a secret. Every club knows they need to play a physical game against the fast, skillful Hawks.

The Hawks have been guilty of being a soft team not because they don’t fight but because there is not enough commitment to finish checks and punish opponents.

It takes a lot more energy to commit to a physical game. The effects of pounding skilful offensive players may take awhile to play out. The same with making defensemen weary of turning their back to chase pucks. But over time the physical punishment can change the behavior of an opponent.

The Hawks need to be physical and only one or two players each game won’t be able to do it. Everyone has to buy into playing with a physical edge.

There are reasons to fight, but winning a scrap doesn’t necessarily translate into becoming a successful team.

How often did the Minnesota Wild qualify for the playoffs while heavyweight champ Derek Boogaard played there?

The answer is twice out of five seasons.

Last year the Hawks were physical enough to hold their own. They also didn’t fight very often. But Adam Burish and Ben Eager knew when not to fight. The Hawks seldom engaged in a tussle when they were winning a game. Burish and Eager didn’t fight very often when their teammates were playing well.

A fight can help energize an opponent as much as derail their effort. Actually the other night in LA was an example of how losing a fight still provided energy for an opponent.

When John Scott pummeled Kevin Westgarth and the young guy left the ice bloodied but still clapping his hands….His teammates took notice.

Before the fight the Hawks were controlling the game and just scored a goal to take the lead. Westgarth was looking to provide a spark and seemed to challenge Scott.

I don’t fault Scott for fighting because he needs to justify his job. Scott doesn’t get many chances to fight. Partly because he hasn’t been dressed and when in the lineup he can’t find an opponent.

But make no mistake, even though Westgarth took a beating he did spark his club.

Up until the fight the Hawks were outhitting LA and were playing their most physical game of the season. After Westgath’s blood was scraped off the ice the Kings got a lot more physical. Actually from that point on the Kings had the next six hits. Both teams finished the contest with 31 hits on the night but before the Westgarth beat down the Hawks had a sizeable edge.

Especially with the injury to Fernando Pisani, Scott will probably stay in the lineup versus the Blues. Cam Janssen won’t be afraid to fight Scott, and if ever Scott is going to dress it should be when playing the Blues.

Without the injured TJ Oshie the Blues are at a disadvantage.  Scott needs to be careful not to help the Blues regain momentum by fighting when it really isn’t necessary.

Whether Scott is in the lineup or not the Blues will be throwing as many hard checks as possible. Winning a fight won’t change the St. Louis battle plan. The entire Hawks’ team has to respond with physicality.

Corey Crawford appears to have come of age.

The Hawks played a good game against Anaheim, although without Teemu Selanne the Ducks are a one line team. But if it wasn’t for the play of Crawford the Hawks might have been trailing going into the final period instead of tied. Although facing only 15 shots through 40 minutes in Anaheim, Crawford came up with many big saves.

Crawford’s performance against the Kings was almost flawless. Crawford has been big and solid in his net while controlling rebounds.

The big question is whether Corey can become a consistently good and there is no way to tell unless he gets more starts.

The Hawks front office would love nothing better than Crawford becoming the affordable starting goalie for the future. Marty Turco won’t be pushed out of his starting role but over time Crawford could emerge as the #1 in Chicago.

For the first time this season, Brian Campbell has been pitching in on the penalty killing unit. This wasn’t Joel Quenneville’s first choice but appears necessary. Unfortunately the Hawks don’t have a physical crease clearer except for Brent Seabrook. But Seabrook and Duncan Keith need some help.

Niklas Hjalmarsson finally resembles his form of last season. Nick Boynton and Jassen Cullimore aren’t the answer when the Hawks are down a man. So if Campbell can help out on the PK the Hawks will be better off. Certainly Hjalmarsson appears more comfortable playing alongside Campbell.

The penalty killing unit has sunk to 25^th in the league, improvement is needed.

The first home game after a long road trip is always difficult and the Hawks need to bring back the buzz to the United Center. Compared to last year the crowds have been dead, but losing always dampens enthusiasm.

Tomorrow night the Hawks will need to go north and south and make things difficult for Jarolav Halak.

If the Hawks can bring the same effort they displayed against the Kings for the Blues’ game and into December they can get on a nice roll.

Al’s Shots

The officiating in the LA game was dangerously poor.

I like the way Viktor Stalberg is trying to play more physical but…

His check on the pesky Wayne Simmonds late in the middle frame was a dangerous play. Stalberg should have gotten at least four minutes for boarding and could have deserved a major. Instead Stalberg received only a two minute minor for boarding.

Stalberg will learn he needs to keep his head up, especially after making that type of hit.

Dustin Brown made an even more dangerous hit in the third period on Stalberg.

The Kings captain took steps and hit Stalberg late and while he was away from the boards.

Brown saw what Stalberg did to Simmonds and went out of his way to make a point.

The officiating once again spit the bit as Brown was received only a 2 minute minor for roughing….Which was a joke.

The Brown hit was a text book example of either charging or boarding, plus it was late.

The hard hitting Brown retaliated even though the game was close. There was no fear of any retribution coming from Scott as Stalberg was almost knocked into next week.

Is was great to see all the Hawks come to the aid of Stalberg, led by captain Toews. That type of reaction has been missing this season.

Having the injured Pisani sure would have come in handy while the Hawks were shorthanded late in the third period. Fortunately the PK unit came through because the Hawks really deserved two points.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

Until proven otherwise the Hawks are no more than a .500 team which pretends to be somewhat interested. Or maybe they are a much better club which doesn’t bring enough effort on many occasions. Either way they need to change.  

On Friday night the bad Blackhawks showed up and were embarrassed in Calgary. The good Hawks showed up the next day and put a beat down on the Canucks. Many Hawk loyalists are confused by the scattered performances. Include me in the group.

The Bad…. 

Against the Flames the Blackhawks appeared uninterested for most of the contest. The Hawks did manage to do something amazing as they were credited with only three hits versus Calgary.  

Each club has a set of off ice officials who are responsible for keeping the stats for each game. There is some subjectivity involved and the home team seems to get the benefit of the doubt at times. Even if the Calgary crew missed a few Hawk hits they didn’t miss many. 

To be credited with no hits for a NHL contest would be similar to a baseball team never hitting a foul ball during an entire nine inning game. 

Last season the Hawks were outhit in many games. The club without the puck is the one doing most of the hitting, so a puck possession team will often get outhit. But on Friday night the Hawks were the club doing most of the chasing. To only be credited with three hits is an indication of how little effort the Hawks exhibited against the Flames. 

Instead of battling hard and pressing the slower than average Calgary defense the Hawks withered away. There was no fight and no determination. The frequent turnovers and careless penalties led to a lopsided loss and indicated a lousy effort. 

The only thing which could have saved the Hawks would have been a stellar effort by Marty Turco. The bad Turco showed up in Calgary as well, so the Flames skated away with two points and the Hawks crawled out of town.

The Good…. 

Fast forward some 24 hours and the good Blackhawks made an appearance in Vancouver. 

Against the Canucks, barely a minute had gone by and the Hawks already equaled their hit total from the night before. The Hawks won board battles and protected the puck all game. The Canucks chased and took some dumb penalties, a couple of which didn’t appear to be deserved. 

Although the Hawks only scored one power play goal the Canucks couldn’t gain any traction. By taking eight penalties the Canucks kept their potent offense handcuffed. They had no answers for the revitalized Hawks. The Hawks pressure made the remodeled Vancouver defense appear slow. 

Turco’s style might be more exciting to watch than Corey Crawford. But sometimes a controlled, efficient goal tender produces more consistent results. The Hawks only slipped a few times but Crawford was strong and didn’t allow the Canucks even a glimmer of hope. 

Turco and Crawford would both benefit from more of a shared workload. Crawford has had six starts and it would be nice if he could end up with close to 30 for the regular season. Crawford is a RFA come July 1 and with more work his potential could be better understood. 

So far Crawford has been very good…..Can Crawford be as consistent if his workload increased? It would be great to find out. 

For now Turco is the man but Crawford has shown his time to shine could come this season. As far as the rest of the road trip goes, Crawford should get another start….Maybe in Anaheim. 

Vancouver head coach, Alain Vigneault was upset about the Hawks playing their first power play unit after the game was decided.  

Maybe Vigneault should be worried more about his own job than what Joel Quenneville does. Actually Quenneville did use his third and forth line players during the power play in the latter stages of the game. On the 5-3 power play which was the focus of Vigneault’s comments, Viktor Stalberg and Nick Boynton were on the ice. Neither are normally used on the power play. 

From ESPN Chicago.com.- 

“We basically embarrassed ourselves tonight in front of our fans, and they did everything they could tonight to rub it in our face. [Leading] 6-0 and they throw their No. 1 power-play unit when it’s 5-on-3,” Vigneault said after the game. “They have every right to do that. They did it. They were pushing it, and they did.”   

Actually the Hawks did not score on the power play at all during that time which makes the comments from Vigneault even sillier. The Canucks often fall into a similar trap against the Hawks. They get behind and get frustrated as their head coach has not been able to solve that problem. 

If I’m the head coach and my team is getting boarded, high sticked and slashed I’m going to try to score on the resulting power play. 

After the Hawks took a 4-0 lead the Canucks took five penalties. One infraction was for tripping and another was for hooking. The other three penalties were for boarding, slashing and high sticking. Vigneault should tend to his own knitting. 

Reality has set in as the season rolls along. 

I am often asked who Stan Bowman can trade to make his club better. 

Bowman has done a good job since being promoted. But I doubt if he or his father has been given absolute authority. 

When possible trades for the Blackhawks are brought up the same three players are usually mentioned. 

There is Dave Bolland, who has a contract which runs through the 2013-2014 season. No franchise is going to bet about $10 million that Bolland can stay healthy. He isn’t going anywhere. 

Brian Campbell has a no trade clause and earns over $7 million a year, with a contract running through the 2015-2016 season. His hefty contract plus the uncertainty surrounding the next CBA makes him untradeable. My belief is the Hawks wouldn’t make the playoffs if Campbell was dealt. Although overpaid, Campbell is a necessary component for the team’s success. 

Then there is Patrick Sharp. He was taken off the trade table this summer and there is no reason to believe anything has changed. Sharp is very popular, not only with teammates but fans as well. The organization won’t upset the apple cart by trading a very popular player during the season. 

Although every date will be sold out this year, fans must actually attend each game to provide the most revenue for the franchise. The Hawks still lost money last season even though they won the Cup. Every penny for parking, beer, $7 hot dogs and $15 hamburgers matters. Things can change as the Penguins just had their three year sellout streak broken. 

It makes little sense to trade Sharp for players which can fill in on the third and fourth line. The Rockford roster is full of grinders and they are often available around the league. 

If a Jordan Staal for Sharp deal was on the table, I would think about it. 

But….Even though they earn close to the same money and Staal is a lefty center that could fit nicely with Marian Hossa…I wouldn’t pull the trigger. 

Staal is signed for a year longer than Sharp, whose contract expires after next season. Staal is a fine young player but he is often injured. Being injury prone is a big problem with Staal. 

Sharp won’t be traded during this season and he has a good chance of staying in Chicago for a long time. 

For now Bowman is somewhat handcuffed. 

The Hawks do need a crease clearing defenseman that can also play effectively on the penalty kill. The need for a crease clearer was also there last season but Brent Sopel did fill the void on the PK unit. The Hawks do need to find another defender. 

If Jordan Hendry can’t play ahead of Jassen Cullimore, maybe he shouldn’t be here. Hendry might have some trade value. As it is now his only purpose is as an insurance policy but that may be enough of a reason to hang onto him. I think Hendry would get claimed if placed on waivers. 

Cullimore is a big guy who plays with the same physicality as a small man. Cullimore can block shots at times, but he isn’t quick and loses positional battles in front of the net. The PK unit needs improvement and he isn’t the answer. 

Some of the reason for the recent shake up on defense is probably because Boynton looks bad when paired with Cullimore. Boynton can still skate and does get the job done, with limited expectations. But playing him with Cullimore isn’t the best option. 

Next the Hawks need to find a wing which can somewhat replace Andrew Ladd’s contributions on the third line. Troy Brouwer could be that player. But in half of the games this season he has been missing in action. 

Jake Dowell and Fernando Pisani have been steady and have contributed. 

Jack Skille is still a work in progress as is Stalberg. But it is too early to give up on either as their real potential is still a mystery. 

A bigger problem is with the play of Tomas Kopecky and the signing of John Scott. 

The tether between Hossa and Kopecky should be cut. Kopecky is not a goal scorer. 

There are probably a lot of Hawks that would have at least 10 points in 22 games while playing the majority of time with Hossa. I can’t justify all the ice time Kopecky has been given. 

A bigger issue than not being an offensive threat is that Kopecky is a defensive liability. So are Skille, Stalberg and others but they can use a lack of NHL experience as a reason.  At this point Kopecky has no excuse for being a -11, the poorest plus minus on the team. 

It’s time for Kopecky to prove he is a top six forward rather than a role player. For my money he has little value as a third or fourth line grinder because his defense is poor. 

I give Kopecky credit for not shying away from contact as he takes more physical abuse than anyone on the team. Kopecky is a UFA on July 1 and is a $1.2 million cap hit. Maybe he has some trade value and Hossa will have to accept change. 

If Scott could play at all he would have been in the lineup against the Ducks. 

The Ducks fight more than any team in the Western Conference. They also dress a true heavy weight, George Parros, who can actually play and is used during the third period of close games. The Canucks have a couple of chippy players who deserve to be put in their place, but once again Scott wasn’t dressed. 

The realization has set in the team is better off without big John. Now the front office needs to own up to their mistake in judgment and waive Scott so his cap space could be better utilized. At the every least the Ice Hogs may sell a few more tickets. 

Normally Scott’s salary of $512,500 wouldn’t be a big issue. But the Hawks could sure use the cap space to acquire a player which would make the team better. 

I have no idea how Scott was able to negotiate a two year contract. His agent should win an award. What’s done is done but now is not the time to ignore a mistake. 

This team can use some help and Scott is not going to provide any. With Scott gone and another move the Hawks could be in position to acquire players which can fill a void. 

Depending on how the standings look closer to the trade deadline there could be opportunities for Bowman. 

Sopel would improve the third pairing. Everything I have heard indicates Sopel won’t be with Atlanta next season. He could be available at the trade deadline as his contract is up after this year. Bringing back a player or two from last year wouldn’t be a bad idea. 

Another former Hawk, John Madden, could also help. He is on a one year contract and might be moved before the trade deadline. The Hawks could use another center that can win faceoffs and help out the penalty killing unit. 

The likelihood of Sopel or Madden returning this season is far greater than the Hawks trading Bolland, Campbell or Sharp. 

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This year Marty Turco and Corey Crawford for the most part have come to the rescue, but last night their efforts were poor. Even if the goal tending would have been top notch the Hawks probably would have come up short. 

Sometimes the best way for a team to realize they are putting forth the wrong kind of effort is to get the results they deserve. 

Getting outplayed but still winning can make a head coach’s s job all the more difficult. Bad performances are more difficult to correct when the pain of a loss isn’t realized.

If the Hawks are going to rely on great goal tending to bail them out while getting badly outshot in almost all close games it will be a very long season

On the opening Oiler score Turco’s allowed a very soft goal and the second Edmonton tally wasn’t too good either.

Let’s call a spade a spade, about half the Hawk scoring has come from two players and now one is out hurt. Patrick Sharp struck again last night and Marian Hossa will be out of action for about two weeks.

If the Hawks offense is going to rely on only a couple of players to score they will struggle.

Last night was another example of just one line being able to consistently generate scoring chances. When Jonathan Toews, Viktor Stalberg and Sharp were on the ice the Hawks were threatening to score. But the Hawks haven’t had a balanced attack all season.

The problems for the Hawks start with their defense.

Nick Boynton had a few good games early on but now he is more of a liability than a defensive force.

The third Oiler score happened because Boynton wasn’t able to control a puck at the Edmonton blueline. Boynton had more miscues throughout the game.

The fourth goal was unlucky for the Blackhawks. The referee was in the wrong spot and deflected a Keith clearing pass directly to the Oilers.

Many believe luck evens out over time and that might have been the case last night for the Hawks.

Give the young Oilers their credit, they weren’t overwhelmed by the big city. The National anthem can help set the tone for the game but only if the Hawks win the opening period and that was hardly the case.

Tonight the Hawks will travel up to Minnesota to play the Wild. A couple of weeks ago the Wild were not firing on all cylinders and their head coach skated them for about 90 minutes on a Sunday. Since then they have only lost once.

The congested Hawks schedule doesn’t allow for much practice.

Quenneville will have to take away playing time as a deterrent for bad performances. Ultimately the motivation has to come from within so the correct effort can take place on a consistent basis.   

Al’s Shots 

This is my speculation and is not rumored based.

Early this week, after receiving two days off from practice Dave Bolland was given another day off.

Unless it was a personal matter, Bolland would not have gotten another day off unless he had an injury issue. There was a chance of a personal issue so I didn’t bring it up…wasn’t sure about an injury.

Yesterday morning Bolland didn’t take part in the morning skate on a game day.

Bolland played only 9:45 versus the Oilers and didn’t have a shift in the last frame.

My bet is he is hurt and might be nursing a nagging or more chronic injury….Which isn’t good, especially if it is Bolland’s back. He doesn’t seem to be moving well on the ice and has struggled this season.

Hossa has an upper body injury. He doesn’t have a head injury because Quenneville has said Hossa will still be able to skate.

By pegging Hossa’s return time at about two weeks or so…

My guess is Hossa might have some inflammation in his surgically repaired shoulder.

Maybe it is his other shoulder or a wrist injury or something else….

But if it is the same surgically repaired shoulder flaring up this early in the season…??

I thought rookie Ben Smith played pretty well last night, although he was a -2.

It isn’t easy to turn up with a -5 on the evening but Tomas Kopecky managed to have that distinction last night.

To say Kopecky wasn’t very good would be kind.

Niklas Hjalmarsson hasn’t played well all season, and last night was no exception.

Nick Boynton has crashed back down to earth.

The Hawks are counting on Jassen Cullimore to be something beyond his pay grade.

Troy Brouwer and Bryan Bickell have been invisible.

On a positive note Jack Skille is using his speed and had 6 shots on goal.

As important, Skille was not in the minus column last night.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

Marty Turco was very good and also was fortunate a few times. Regardless his play shouldn’t be questioned but that’s not the case for other Blackhawks. 

The worse news of the evening might have been Marian Hossa leaving the game in the second period due to injury. It seems like when a player leaves a game and no one can figure out why, there should be cause for concern.  Those are often the times when a bad injury occurs. 

Can anyone tell me how former Hawk defenseman Kim Johnsson suffered a concussion last year? 

Johnsson is still not playing hockey in the NHL. 

Not to panic Hawk faithful, Hossa might just have a muscle strain or another minor injury. But Joel Quenneville’s comments about him being reevaluated today sounded a bit ominous.  

The party line is Hossa suffered an upper body injury. With the Hawks about to begin a grueling three games in a four day stretch, Hossa’s loss could be very significant, even if he only missies a week or ten days. 

In any event, the tone of Quenneville’s post game comments is cause for some concern and the Hossa injury update should be out soon. 

***Out at mid-day….Per Quenneville’s comments…Hossa will miss about two weeks with an upper body injury. 

It appeared Patrick Kane was the target of some unflattering coach speak from Quenneville early in the third period. 

Kane is playing too careless in the Hawks zone. Maybe nonchalant is a better way to describe his play at times. Often Kane doesn’t appear aware of the game situation or his defensive responsibility. 

The red flag went up when in the first part of the last frame Kane was on the ice with Jake Dowell and Fernando Pisani, both fourth liners. On a side note, Bryan Bickell was usually in that group as the entire line played well last night. 

Kane was fumbling the puck in the Hawks zone near the side boards. He wasn’t able to clear the puck and the Hawks got hemmed in their zone. All that was needed was a determined effort and a simple play and there would have been no pressure by the Kings. 

As Kane came off the ice Quenneville directed a vocal burst in his direction. 

When Q. gets upset he talks with hands. When emotionally charged, Quenneville will put his thumb and forefinger together and point at a player, a reporter or whoever else has gotten his dander up. As Quenneville lit him up, Kane put his head down and sat on the bench. 

Q. put Kane right back on the ice with his usual mates and didn’t bench the young Hawks’ star. Quenneville seldom chews out one player in particular from behind the bench. But he gets his point across and isn’t afraid to make his feeling known to star players. 

My view is Kane needs to play differently soon, or he will not play as much. Quenneville nudged Kane by placing him on the checking line…Now Q. will push harder.  Plus/minus can be a somewhat misleading stat, but there are reasons why Kane is a -6 on the season.

Shortly after Quenneville got the Hawks’ job he benched Kane and Patrick Sharp for taking careless penalties. He made a statement and only had to do it one time. 

Quenneville is not very happy, and one way or the other he will get his message across. 

Just look at how the Hawks scored their three goals last night…..Simple and effective plays. 

Dowell and Sharp drove to the net and scored. Viktor Stalberg knew his responsibility and showed a nose for the puck. Stalberg drove hard to the net and found a rebound. There was no flash involved on any of those plays. All the goals scorers did was to realize their mission and dig down deep with hard work. 

I’m about done with hearing how great it is to have a puck handling goalie. Not to place blame on Turco but there is still too much confusion in the defensive zone.  

When Duncan Keith or Brent Seabrook is on defense it is better to let them skate to the puck and then turn up ice to distribute it.  The same case can be made for Brian Campbell. The Hawks offense starts with their defense and it is no wonder why the shot against are so high. 

Last night the Hawks play in the defensive zone was poor. 

When Turco long passes the puck, or there is hesitation on the hand-offs, the defensemen are standing still. They aren’t in motion and many times area caught flat footed. That isn’t the only problem but it doesn’t help the cause. The Hawks were caught running around in their own zone too often. 

The passing and puck support by the forwards also has been spotty. Blend it all together and the results show. The Hawks will play fine for parts of the game but can’t manage a complete effort. Last night the Kings deserved a better fate. 

After an even first period, the Hawks dominated the opening half of the middle frame and then were completely outplayed in the final thirty minutes of the contest. Once the Hawks failed to score on two consecutive power plays the Kings took control in a big way. Sharp and Turco were the best Hawks and the fourth line was solid along with Stalberg and Jack Skille.   

The Kings were in the midst of a long road trip and played on Monday night. Yet they maintained a more effective effort throughout the final 30 minutes. More than anything else the Hawks are guilty of not putting forth the correct effort.  

Most likely Quenneville made that same point to Kane last night. The Hawk head coach has been around the block a few times and he is in a secure position. 

Quenneville will continue to pound his message home. The Hawks had a few days off but some key players still look tired. Duncan Keith appears to be playing in first gear. 

The schedule doesn’t give the Hawks a break and neither will Quenneville. 

Al’s Shots 

Skille was a physical presence. He led the game with 6 hits. 

Troy Brouwer and Brent Seabrook chipped in with 4 hits each. 

Dave Bolland was terrible in the faceoff circle…..4-11 for an awful 27%. 

Tomas Kopecky made a few careless plays last night while at center but he was good at the dot…63%. 

Sharp had a game high 7 shots. 

Jordan Hendry (+1) was able to play 14:09 which helps lessen the load on others.

Keith was on the ice for ONLY 26:18.

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St. Louis came out like a well rested bunch and was all over the Blackhawks in the opening frame. If not for some top goal tending and the hot stick of Patrick Sharp the Hawks could have been trailing by a few goals. At around the mid-point of the second period things settled down and it appeared the Hawks might sneak out of the Scott Trade Center with a point or two. 

Unfortunately, the Hawks attack was stifled and Marty Turco surrendered a very weak goal which sealed the loss.  The Blues were the better team throughout and notched a well fought victory.  

The Hawks are not playing like club content on just being defending Stanley Cup champions. They come to play every game, although fatigue is definitely starting to surface. When the Hawk captain shows signs of being a little off his game the Blackhawks are usually in trouble. Jonathan Toews looks tired, and has in the last few games. Almost all of the Hawks appeared to be ‘off’ versus St. Louis. Make no mistake the Blues had a lot to do with the sub-par performances. 

This past summer a friend, who was a former NHL player, shared his thoughts as to why John Scott was signed by the Hawks. He commented Scott would help keep the flies off the Chicago skill players. By that he meant Scott would deter another team from constantly finishing every check, legal or not. In his view Scott was brought to Chicago to cause opponents to take pause, so the physical pounding against the Blackhawks would be curtailed. 

Last night the Blues were all over the Hawks as if they were flies on a pile of steamy dog feces. There is no doubt Hawk management knew the Blues and a few other team would approach the Hawks in that way. Hit, hit and hit again. The oppositions’ intent being that constant physical punishment would wear out a skilful opponent. 

It is safe to say the presence of Scott in the lineup did not alter the Blues’ game plan.  

For those thinking Scott could cause a spark by dominating a fight….Keep waiting. Scott finally found a dance partner in Brad Winchester but the outcome wasn’t decisive enough to spark the Hawks energy level. Keep in mind Winchester isn’t considered a top flight NHL heavyweight. But give Winchester credit as he hung in against Scott who is the bigger man. 

Last night was the poorest performance of the year for Duncan Keith and Nick Boynton. Actually among Hawk blueliners, only Brent Seabrook had a better than average game. It’s unfair to criticize Jassen Cullimore because at this stage in his career he has to do the work of two players. Cullimore has been teamed with Scott and that puts him at a big disadvantage. 

It is beginning to appear that some Blackhawks are reluctant to pass the puck to Scott. The Blues hemmed the Hawks in their own zone when Cullimore and Scott were on the ice. Because of a lot of luck and some good saves by Turco, Scott wasn’t on the ice for any St. Louis goals. But make no mistake Scott wasn’t helping the cause. 

Tonight the Blue Jackets make their way to the United Center.  

The Jackets are probably more of a work in progress than any other team in the Central Division. Last time the Hawks faced Columbus, Rick Nash and Steve Mason didn’t have sparkling performances. This time around they will be hungry for a win. The Jackets played at home last night and were swamped by the Flames 6-2. 

Whether Scott plays or is replaced in the lineup by Jordan Hendry, the big Blue Jacket forwards will be looking to pound away and crash the net. There are no secrets in the NHL as everyone knows about Chicago’s grueling schedule. 

The Hawks will look to keep it simple and stay out of the penalty box. The Chicago power play hasn’t been good the last two games, although they did score once in three attempts versus the Blues.  

Staying out of the penalty box could be key for Chicago. Penalty killing can drain a lot of energy. Corey Crawford should be in goal and my guess is Hendry will also dress. 

With a win tonight the Hawks will have taken eight of a possible ten points since last Saturday’s victory against the Sabres. That would be a great achievement and next week’s schedule will be slightly less demanding. 

After tonight’s contest the Hawks won’t play until Wednesday versus the LA Kings.  They can take a well deserved break and rest up at home. 

Al’s Shots 

The audio link below is from a XM interview with  Bruce Bolton.  We covered the Blues game and previewed the Blue Jackets. We also discussed the Hawks start to the season and the play of Hossa and Sharp. 

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Since the Blues allowed Monday night’s game with the Hawks to slip through their fingers they have been at home awaiting this rematch. The Blues have had plenty of time to work out their issues during practice and should be dialed in front of a sellout crowd. 

The Hawks have been on a torrid pace and will play their ninth game of the season while the Blues will compete in only their sixth contest. The Blues have lost three games in a row and will be hungry for a win. 

Sometimes a team coming off a layoff could experience some early problems. 

The Blues could be too amped out in front of their raucous fans and play a scattered undisciplined style to start the contest. If so, the Hawks will need to stay focused and out of the penalty box. A good start and a successful power play could be the key to victory for the Blackhawks. 

Popular opinion is Joel Quenneville will dress the same lineup he used in the win over Vancouver. 

Corey Crawford should get a start this weekend. But Marty Turco is on a roll and Quenneville will probably stick with the veteran on the road and look to start Crawford tomorrow night at the United Center. 

Quenneville could waiver a bit because Turco has had a very good record when facing the Blue Jackets. The rest of the Hawks’ lineup will most likely stay the same as on Wednesday. 

That would mean the fourth line of Jack Skille, Jake Dowell and Viktor Stalberg will be in action. Big John Scott will be back on defense and probably looking for someone to tangle with. Quenneville will have to shield Scott from some of the speedy St. Louis forwards and that won’t be as easy to do on the road. 

The talented David Perron danced around Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook for a goal on Monday night and made it look easy. Perron and other speedy forwards could pose a problem for Scott as well as Jassen Cullimore. 

Quenneville is hoping all of his defenders will respond with a top effort. If so Q. might be able to keep Keith’s playing time down in the 24-26 minute range. Keith has been on the ice for over 30 minutes in all but two games this year. 

The Blackhawks can’t take careless penalties by looking to stir things up.  

The one Blue most likely to dance with Scott is Cam Janssen, and he won’t be back in action for about another week. It would be far better for the Hawks to let the referees focus on the Blues. 

According to a St. Louis Post-Dispatch article the Blues have outshot their opponents 190-124 this season.  

The Blackhawks will have to play a structured game and keep the Blues on the perimeter as much as possible. The Hawks are dressing a big group of defenders and they have to clear traffic and safely dispose of any rebounds left by Turco. If the trend continues Turco will face a lot of rubber so the Hawks need to limit the quality chances by the Blues. 

A split this weekend by the Hawks would be fine, especially considering their heavy workload. The Blues will look to even up the season series and do have some things slanted in their favor. But if the Hawks can muster a smart, complete effort they could skate away with their fifth consecutive victory. 

Al’s Shots 

I have been working on an idea concerning NHL suspensions and will have a blog out Monday concerning this topic. 

The audience of readers continues to increase, not only for myself but for the entire website…Thanks for reading. 

Hockey Independent has under gone a bit of a face lift and there will be a few more changes to come. 

As the audience grows let’s all remember comments are encouraged as long s they aren’t “personal” in nature. We have had some strong hockey discussion and expect more of the same in the future. 

I will have a new feature beginning shortly and will announce next week when it will start. 

What could be better than a Friday night Hawks-Blues game?….Let’s hope it is a good one.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

Say what you want about Bobby Lu. Although he was yanked seven times last season he bounced back in his next game to post a sparkling 6-1 record. So it was not a surprise Luongo was in excellent form last night following his dud in Minnesota. Luongo was almost unbeatable and that made the Blackhawk performance more impressive. 

A short time ago, Marty Turco appeared uncomfortable in net and seemed to be fighting the puck…. That was then.  Versus the Canucks,  Turco took control of his crease and kept rebounds at a minimum to lead his team to their fourth stright victory. If it wasn’t for one prolonged goal mouth scramble Turco would have been perfect.  

Last season Turco didn’t sparkle in shootouts and had a losing record. For now that has changed. Turco, with a lot of help from the Canuck shooters outlasted Luongo and sealed the Hawks win. 

The Hawks could be the most tired team in the NHL but Joel Quenneville has found a way to keep their battle level high. The insertion of Viktor Stalberg in the lineup helped the Hawks fourth line to work their magic. 

Stalberg scored a goal off of a nice shot. So far he looks to have a goal scorer’s touch. But what made his tally even more special was the effort of the entire line.  

Jack Skille worked to keep the puck alive and got it to center Jake Dowell. The simple play would have been for Dowell to send the puck out to the point. Brent Seabrook was calling for the puck but Dowell was playing with his head up. The young center saw the wide open Stalberg who made a smart move and found some open ice.  Dowell then delivered a nice pass to set up the goal. 

There are reasons for Quenneville to keep that group together, especially if they continue to play well on both sides of the puck. 

Before the season began I broke the Blackhawks’ start down to 17 games which were going to be played in 32 days.  

Because of the injury to Campbell and the congested schedule my thinking was the Hawks would struggle. If the Hawks were to achieve 20 points during that stretch, fans shouldn’t be bewildered. 

After eight games played the Hawks have a total of 11 points, which in my view is a very good start. 

Looking ahead to the next nine contests the Blackhawks have a good chance of coming through the 17 game stretch in very good shape. The Hawks will play five of the next nine at the United Center. Campbell should be back before the Circus road trip begins in mid November. 

Once Campbell gets back in form the puck possession game should improve. Hopefully the shots against total will fall to below 30 per game. 

John Scott dressed again but played on defense. He was about as good as he can be. 

Quenneville can shield Scott much easier on home ice. It isn’t as noticeable on TV but Scott can’t turn to chase a puck. He will lose the vast majority of the foot races which puts a lot of pressure on his partner. 

Scott played a total of 8:55, but only 58 seconds after the second period and that is a big issue. 

Last night Duncan Keith played 30:28 which included 3:16 in the overtime. Quenneville continues to keep the pedal to the metal as the top players continue to get a lot of ice time.  Because the games have been tight the heavy workload keeps building on the better players. 

It would be helpful for the Hawks to win a couple of games soon by a wide margin. 

Quenneville could then back off on the top six forwards and let the third and fourth lines play more shifts. If the Hawks could get away from all the close battles, Keith and Seabrook could catch their breath before Campbell returns. 

Fatigue will be an issue at some point unless things change. For now Quenneville realizes wins in October count for the same amount of points as those in February and March. 

Winning is still the priority in Chicago and the team has responded well during a difficult time. 

Al’s Shots 

Many years ago Hawk center Tom Lysiak was suspended 20 games for tripping a linesman. 

Unless all that was apparently so wasn’t….The Rick Rypien fan incident in Minnesota should warrant at least the same amount of time off. 

Sam Fels from the Second City Hockey website publishes the Committed Indian. Long time Hawks fans may remember the Blue Line from years ago. The Committed Indian is sold in the same way, outside of the UC on game nights. You can also subscribe and receive it via email before every Hawk home game.

The publication is filled with some strong hockey commentary and a lot of adult humor/satire.

There is a Top Ten section and last night they focused in on big John Scott…. 

Top Ten Excuses For Dressing John Scott 

10. It’s expensive to make a jersey that big, so we’re going to get our money’s worth.

 9. Think it’s important to make all 20,000 in the UC to feel that they

    could also play NHL hockey.

 8. Jassen Cullimore needs to feel fast.

 7. Noticed Bulls injuries on the front line and wanted to showcase.

 6. Comedy is where you find it.

 5. Beating the Blues with him in the lineup shows them just how

     pointless they really are.

 4. Someone left nitrous tank open in coach’s room.

 3. Thought it was 2001.

 2. #7 but with the Bears offensive line this time.

 1. None. 

Sometimes we all need to remember to laugh. 

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

After the first frame Chicago held a slight edge in play, but as the game progressed the Blues became more potent. Throughout much of the opening forty minutes the Blues were able to keep the Hawk attack on the perimeter.

Marty Turco was very good, but Jaroslav Halak was even better until the Hawks found a way to get to the St.Louis goal. Halak was not going to be scored on from long range.

The Hawks didn’t begin this game with a poor effort. Last night it was more a case of not being able to put forth an effective attack until late in the game. When the Hawks created a commotion in front of Halak, he cracked. 

With John Scott in their lineup the Hawks were spotting the Blues one player. Scott skated four shifts in the first period and accomplished nothing except to draw a careless penalty. During the 1:47 which Scott was on the ice in the opening frame, the Hawks were in essence shorthanded.

Scott playing in the NHL can be compared to an NBA player who can’t run or catch. If there was any question as to the purpose of inserting Scott into the lineup by supplanting a Jack Skille, Viktor Stalberg or whomever else, there should be no doubt now.

Seldom will Scott find a dance partner, but he will often draw an unnecessary penalty. The most important point is Scott did not deter the Blues from throwing their weight around. 

St. Louis still went out and played a tough, gritty game. The Blues managed to pound Marian Hossa, Tomas Kopecky, Jonathan Toews and any other Chicago player they could find. The Blues had no fear of any retribution from Scott. Actually St. Louis outhit the Hawks 20-17 and punished the Hawks near their net. 

The St. Louis bench knew full well that after the first period in a close game, Joel Quenneville could not afford to put Scott on the ice. During periods two and three, Scott played one shift in each frame. During the last 40 minutes of regulation the grand total of ice time for Scott was 42 seconds.

The Blackhawks put forth a great charge and proved when their top players bring a supreme effort they will be difficult to beat. But sooner or later games will have to be won by utilizing the entire team. The most talented lineup has to be iced because at some point Hossa and Patrick Sharp will cool off. 

If Scott can’t find a fight he won’t help the team in any other way. The Hawks front office made an error by signing Scott this past summer.

It’s time to realize Scott doesn’t make the team better and admit the mistake. 

Al’s Shots 

Audio link is from a XM interview with Jamie Shalley and Bruce Bolton last night during the second intermission. They were also interested in Scott’s role with the team.

A healthy Hossa is a treat to watch.

Duncan Keith played over 31 minutes last night….The warning bells should be blaring on West Madison.

When Brian Campbell returns Keith’s workload will reduce…Somewhat.

Unless Quenneville and company finds a third pairing they can feel comfortable with….Keith will still play over 26-27 minutes on many nights.

After the Cup run and Olympics it is only a matter of time until Keith’s play suffers because of extended ice time.

Stan Bowman is probably trying to remedy the situation. But he will have to find a bargain as the Hawks don’t have much cap space left and those in Rockford aren’t ready.

Jack Skille had a nice game, especially considering he was on the ice with Scott in the opening period.

Stalberg and Skille need to be in the lineup.

Sharp should stay on a line with Kane as they have great chemistry.

Hossa can be best be utilized with a left handed center…Toews. 

A big problem with playing a very congested schedule is there is no time to practice. 

Quenneville will make a few points today as the Hawks will practice.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

As much as the Hawks have seemed to have had a spell over the Canucks, the feisty Blues are a different story. St. Louis has made life difficult on Chicago even though they haven’t matched up in talent. The talent levels are a lot closer now but the Hawks still have the edge in skill players.

The addition of Jaroslav Halak hasn’t hurt the Blues cause although he does need help. The Blues have lost two straight road games and will be hungry for a victory. The Hawks did win four out of six games last season between the two, but the Blues do push the Hawks buttons and are a tough opponent.

Joel Quenneville could be in the mood to build consistency throughout and have a set defense in place. The Blackhawks have used a different group of defensemen in each of their six games. Quenneville pointed that out after the Buffalo game.

The Chicago offense has looked scattered in almost every contest. Sooner than later Quenneville will try to keep the same group of forwards together as some chemistry needs to be established.

There are stretches when the Hawks can’t seem to complete passes. Often they aren’t leading in puck possession time, and this means their opponents have gotten off a ton of shots.

Last year the Hawks were seldom outshot and hardly ever gave up more than 30 shots in one contest. This season, in six games the Hawks have averaged almost 34 shots against while taking only 30 shots on goal. Fortunately the Chicago special teams have been great. The Hawks are among the league leaders in penalty killing and power play efficiency.

Nick Leddy has been sent down to Rockford to learn some lessons. It is a case of Leddy being overmatched physically and not looking very comfortable in the defensive zone. Leddy has good vision, nice hands and a very good shot but the Hawks have to tighten things up.  

It looks like Jassen Cullimore will stay in Chicago at least until Brian Campbell returns, which won’t be for awhile. Word going around is Campbell may begin to skate in the next week to 10 days. In many ways Cullimore is a safer choice for Quenneville as long as he can be used correctly.

Quenneville scratched Jack Skille on Saturday night to keep John Scott in the lineup. Scott could be in the lineup tonight as well, although the Blues Cam Janssen is out with a concussion. Skille certainly didn’t play himself out of the lineup although he does need to be more productive.

Marty Turco will most likely start tonight versus St. Louis. The Blues will crash the net so Turco will have to control rebounds.

Now that Dave Bolland may have finally come around, maybe Quenneville will try to establish some consistency on offense as well. Both Viktor Stalberg and Skille need a center that can dish the puck at the correct time. Both have speed and need to get passes into space and then roll to the net. Stalberg showed a glimpse of that against the Blue Jackets.

Maybe Q. will give this lineup a try… 

Brouwer-Toews-Kane  

Kopecky-Sharp-Hossa 

Stalberg-Bolland-Skille 

Bickell-Dowell-Pisani  

It will remain to be seen whether Quenneville will want to keep the two hottest Hawks, Hossa and Sharp on the same line. We also will find out if Scott dresses against the rough and tumble Blues. If so, Pisani might take a turn in the press box.

I would think Cullimore and Jordan Hendry will be the third pairing, unless Scott is used on defense. If that is the case, and Hendry is scratched, the Blackhawks could ice the slowest third pairing in the NHL.

There is still a lot of uncertainty, but one thing is certain the Hawks will have to play a complete game to extend the Blues losing streak.

Weekend Recaps…

Hawks 5- Blue Jacket 2

The Blue Jackets were coming off an extended hiatus since their trip overseas ended and still appeared to be suffering from jet lag.

The Jackets were playing their home opener, and the building looked to be almost full. Financially the Blue Jackets franchise could be on shaky ground. It isn’t a good sign if they couldn’t pack the house in the first home game of the season against the defending Stanley Cup champions.  An immediate concern for the Jackets was their two top players, Rick Nash and Steve Mason had sub-par performances.

The Hawks controlled most of the game although Turco does keep things exciting. While the game was scoreless the Jackets hit the post on two drives. If they would have connected the tone of game and maybe the outcome would have been different. Turco seemed to be fighting the puck but he still outperformed Mason.

Patrick Kane was out with a sudden mystery illness and the Hawks offense kept it simple and Patrick Sharp led the barrage. The Hawks had 40 shots on goal, 13 came from Sharp and another six were fired off Tomas Kopecky’s stick. Cullimore made his debut and played well.

The Hawks only missed the net six times, but were beaten soundly in the faceoff circle.  Bolland still appeared to be suffering from a Stanley Cup hangover. Bolland has had sub-par start to the season and was a miserable 2-12 (14%), in the faceoff circle.

The Hawks took advantage of a poor effort from Columbus and rolled over the Jackets.

Hawks 4-Sabres 3

For the most part the Sabres did not seek payback against Niklas Hjalmarsson. The boys from Buffalo were more concern with gaining a win. The Hawks couldn’t have played much worse in the opening period, and they are making poor starts somewhat of a habit.

The Sabres could only manage a one goal advantage after the first frame and that probably cost them the game. Turco was the difference and kept his troops in the battle. The Buffalo netminder, Patrick Lalime was a human rebound machine.

Fortunately for the Hawks they turned on their focus and came at Buffalo with a top effort in the final period. The Sabres scored three goals which probably should have been enough to achieve victory but they made enough mistakes for the Hawks to sneak one out.

In particular Tomas Kopecky, Marian Hossa, Patrick Sharp, Brent Seabrook and Patrick Kane all had top efforts. Bolland awakened from a summer slumber and scored a huge goal to even the score at three. Bolland made young Sabre defender Tyler Myers look younger than his years, and it was no surprise Lalime couldn’t come up with a big save.

Al’s Shots

I didn’t want to start in on the officiating so soon, but Saturday’s crew did an awful job.

Not only did the incidental contact wave off call of a Hawks goal make zero sense, but the officiating was inconsistent.

The cross checking penalty given to Jonathan Toews could have been called all night. But the first time it was whistled caused the Hawks to lose a power play chance during the third period.

Also if an official is going to whistle a slashing penalty in the least minute of a one goal game…It should be well deserved.

A Duncan Keith like slash wasn’t called up until that point and could have been whistled before during the match.

So why blow the whistle in the last minute of a close game when the outcome could have been changed?

In general the refs have been letting a lot more go this season.

Gary Bettman has stated the officials were not instructed to call fewer penalties…You can believe that if you would like.

What hasn’t improved is the consistency by officials from period to period, or game to game.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

The following article appears courtesy of www.MayorsManor.com …

Over the last week or so we’ve brought you season previews from around the world of hockey – including thoughts from Kelly Hrudey of Hockey Night in Canada, NHL Insider Kevin Allen and ESPN’s John Buccigross.

Today, we catch up with Pierre LeBrun, a regular across the U.S. and Canada via outlets like ESPN and the CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada.

In this exclusive MayorsManor interview he shares his opinions and discoveries from a recent trip through camps in Phoenix, Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver. It’s the latest in our Season Preview series – today we’re joined by Pierre LeBrun…

MM: As you went on your training camp tour, what was the most surprising thing you observed with the Kings?

PL: I was a bit surprised, and actually I think it’s a good decision, that Dustin Brown was back on the top line. They had sort of gone to so much effort to make him a second liner last year and had really stuck to that. Now they’ve loaded up with him and Ryan Smyth and Anze Kopitar. I just wonder with Dustin, after spending so much time on a terrific second line last year, why the sudden change of heart? Perhaps it’s a byproduct of not signing Kovalchuk. Maybe they wanted a little more offensive direction from Dustin. This will certainly give him a better chance of doing that, by playing with those two great offensive players.

How about over in Phoenix, that’s a real hodgepodge of parts the Coyotes have right now.  Did you get a sense of just how ready any of their young blueliners might be?

That’s going to be an area of concern for them.  In a perfect world, they probably would have wanted to give Oliver Ekman-Larsson another year to develop.  But, Michalek left July 1st and was not replaced.  They still have a pretty solid top-4, with Morris, Jovanovski, Aucoin and especially in Keith Yandle - he’s a real emerging star.  After that, it really drops off.  No doubt, there’s no doubt Ekman-Larson is going to be a player.  The question is whether he’s ready now.  From the days I spent in their camp, that was something there was a lot of internal debate on.  If he’s ready, that’s a big break for them because they have a gaping hole with Michalek gone.

The Sharks announced earlier this week that Joe Thornton will be their team captain this season.  It’s sort of a surprising move, considering he’ll be a free agent next summer.  With Rob Blake gone from the team now, who do you see as the real leader in San Jose?

Two guys stick out for me.  One is Dan Boyle, an emotional guy who speaks his mind in good and bad times.  He is absolutely the team spokesman.  He’s always been that way, even in Tampa Bay.  Another guy that I think is leading by example, with how clutch he’s already been in his young career – both for the Sharks and Team USA, is Joe Pavelski.  He let his play do the talking last year in the playoffs.  He was just uncanny, always seeming to score late to tie it or even in overtime.  That’s another form of leadership.  Eventually, Pavelski will be captain of the team.

Another captain, Roberto Luongo up in Vancouver, lost his ‘C’ this summer.  Was that a necessary move for the Canucks to take the next step forward or is this really just a story that the media and fans like to talk about?

I do think it was a little more media and fan driven than what it was realistically.  Except that, even Luongo when I spoke to him, said that perhaps subconsciously he was thinking about what he was going to say, as team captain, after the game.  It’s pretty amazing to hear that.  As team spokesman, it put Luongo in some interesting positions some nights – when the reality was he defense was brutal, but he couldn’t say it because it would sound selfish.  I think, in the end, he did find it a bit cumbersome to have to speak for 23 guys.  It’s an unusual position for goalies, unless their name is Patrick Roy.  In the end, I think it was a slight distraction – not nearly as big as everyone made it.  In a market like Vancouver, the team captain has to talk twice a day on game days and once a day on off days.  So, that’s a lot of talking he won’t have to do now without the ‘C’, or at least not as often.

Many media folks are predicting the Canucks will win the Stanley Cup this year - so we’ve already heard why they WILL win it, tell us why they WON’T win the Cup…

Luongo still has to prove that come playoff time he can be that same great goalie he has shown in the regular season and that he’s shown a couple of World Championships.  In ’03 and ’04 he was unbelievable, leading Canada to gold.  But, he has yet to translate that really, especially in the two playoff losses to Chicago in back-to-back years.  That would be one of the reasons.

Another would be, while I do like what they’ve done with Ballard and Hamhuis, essentially replacing Sami Salo and Willie Mitchell - we’ll have to see what those two can do in Vancouver.  They’ve never played in a market like this, to begin with.  They’ve never really been in a top pairing either, a one-two.  So, there is a lot of pressure on these two young guys.  They’re being asked to do a lot.  That’s still an X-factor as to whether they’re ready for this role.

The two coaches in the Western Conference who are probably on the hot seat more than anybody as we start the season are Marc Crawford in Dallas and Randy Carlyle in Anaheim.  Do you think both of those guys can survive the whole season with their jobs?

Mathematically, I cant imagine anybody being fired in Dallas because there isn’t an owner to pay the new guy or the old guy.  I think Randy Carlyle is one of the best coaches in the league.  But, he’s been there a long time and even Scotty Bowman had to exit some stops along his legendary career.  We might be getting near that time with Randy.  He does have a real close relationship with GM Bob Murray.  So, that’s certainly on his side.  However, right now I’m not too sure how enamored Saku Koivu and Teemu Selanne are with the prospect of being separated, with the idea of  Bobby Ryan playing center.  That’s a real interesting gamble, on and off the ice.  On the surface, I think it’s the right decision to put a big star like Bobby Ryan at center.  Or at least try it out, maximize your assets.  But, Koivu and Selanne did come back purposefully to play together one more year.

Rank these three captains, from one to three - Shane Doan, Dustin Brown and Brendon Morrow…

Holy cow, I love all those three guys honestly.  That’s like 1A, 1B, 1C.  But, if I had to start a team tomorrow, I’d go Dustin Brown #1.  The other two would be tied for two.

Which is going to be the better third line this year – Detroit (with Hudler, Modano and Cleary) or Los Angeles (with Simmonds, Handzus and Ponikarovsky)?

I’m going to go with the LA line because Modano will have pulled a groin by Christmas.

Who will have more points this year - Ponikarovsky or Frolov?

Frolov.  They don’t play any defense in New York.

If you could only have one of these three players, who you take – Ryan Kesler, James Neal or Anze Kopitar?

I’d have to go with Kopitar right now.  Of those three, he’s the only pure-bred number one center right now.

If you were a GM in the Western Conference and had your pick of these three goalies, who would you take - Turco, Niemi or Luongo?

No question, Luongo.  He’s had his up and downs, but let’s not forget he was in goal for the most pressure packed game in the history of hockey, last February in Vancouver.  You’d have to be Canadian to understand, that really checked your temperature if you’re a human being.  And he delivered.  He wasn’t very good against Chicago, but I think people forget what he did for Team Canada.  He’s still a great goalie and I’d go with him.

Conventional wisdom says that Dean Lombardi is going to try and add a piece to the Kings at some point over the next couple of months.  Go out on a limb here, who is somebody you could realistically see coming to Los Angeles in a deal?

I’ll give you one name for sure.  If the Calgary Flames flame out, no pun intended – and decide that they need to rebuild and blow up there team, I wouldn’t be surprised if Dean Lombardi phoned Calgary about Jarome Iginla.  That’s certainly up his alley, in terms of a character guy that brings that to a dressing room.  Obviously, he’s a star quality trigger man.  So, he’s a name.  Again, only if Calgary is totally out of it.  But, I think LA would sniff around.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

For what it’s worth, he predicts the Kings will win the Pacific Division and has Vancouver atop the Western Conference regular season standings.  For some reason, he likes the Sharks to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals this year.

The Mayor
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RELATED ARTICLES:

Season Preview with John Buccigross of ESPN

Season Preview with Kelly Hrudey of Hockey Night in Canada

Season Preview with Kevin Allen of USA Today and NHL Radio

Scoop from Pierre LeBrun – Rob Blake joining the NHL front office?

The Mayor predicts the Western Conference standings
.

Two games do not indicate a trend but it isn’t too early for some candid criticism. 

In my opinion Marty Turco hasn’t been thought of as a great NHL goalie in many years. I wasn’t looking for him to be great. My thinking was Turco could be consistently good, a strong veteran influence on a young team. Wrong….At least so far. 

The opening night loss to Colorado could have been pointed at Turco. That wasn’t my conclusion although he allowed at least one, possible two goals which should have been saved. If you are looking to place blame, Saturday’ loss to Detroit has to be pinned on Turco’s sub-par performance.  

After a fantastic, emotional pre-game ceremony the Blackhawks still managed to stay focused enough to be even with the Red Wings after the opening twenty minutes. Playing without Patrick Sharp and Brian Campbell would be difficult to overcome against any club. The Red Wings are still one of the NHL’s elite teams so the Hawks had their work cut out for them.

Sharp’s loss was especially felt on the power play, and his replacement at the point, Dave Bolland, did not have a good performance. Despite injuries and a younger than usual lineup the Hawks still went toe to toe with the Wings, but the two points did slip away. Unfortunately pucks have been slipping through Turco on a regular basis.

The first Red Wing goal came on a text book tip in. The next two Red Wing tallies are almost completely on Turco.

A note to Patrick Kane: Stop trying to do too much and watch your shift time. When Detroit scored their first goal Kane was on the ice for 61 seconds. That is a long shift and Kane looked like he was out of gas. Tonight, in his home town, Kane will have to avoid overstaying his shift as his emotions will be sky high.   

While discussing Turco’s ominous Blackhawk start with some people at the home opener, the word “leaky” was used to describe his performances. Pucks are going through Turco, and he isn’t strong on plays near his crease. Thus the term “leaky” fits as an accurate description. 

Pucks coming out off the end boards have been an issue for Turco. There are no secrets in the NHL and Turco will see more caroms caught and shot directly back at him. Turco doesn’t appear strong in his crease and is too active at times. Cristobal Huet was too passive when he played poorly, Turco appears too active.

Another knock on Turco so far is he has lost his net and is not ready for shots. Saying the second Valtteri Filppula goal came off a shot could be a stretch. It was a whiff which barely was able to get across the goal line. Turco wasn’t ready and yet anther puck went through him.

Some may want to fault defenseman John Scott, who did have a blow out at the Hawks blueline on the Wings go ahead score. But let’s be real, most NHL goalies would have made that save. The Hawks won’t win very often against the better teams if Turco can’t eliminate the soft goals, it really is that simple. 

As has been written here since I first saw him play in training camp, Scott is very slow and a defensive liability. For now, Joel Quenneville doesn’t seem to agree. Maybe Jordan Hendry was hurt and couldn’t play against the Wings. Nick Leddy is going to be a good player but he has lessons to learn. But at least Leddy can add to the offense and isn’t slower than molasses running up hill in January.

Possibly Quenneville thought he should have a big body in the lineup against Tomas Holmstrom.  Although Holmstrom was held off the score sheet, he was often planted in front of Turco. Scott doesn’t move well and does little to add to the Hawks puck control game.

It should not be forgotten the Hawks offense starts with their defense. Scott played only nine minutes but he seems to be more of role player. Scott will serve a purpose against the Blues, maybe the Canucks and a few other clubs but as a regular…I am not seeing it. 

Now for some good news …The Hawks bottom six forwards played really well against the Red Wings.

In particular the fourth line of Jake Dowell, Jack Skille, and Viktor Stalberg was very effective. Skille was credited with four hits and four shots. Dowell won 60% of his face-offs and added two hits along with two shots. Stalberg was held off the score sheet but he used his speed to generate some opportunities and was an effective fore checker.

After a slow start the Hawks got their emotions in check and managed to outshoot the Wings for the match. More important, Detroit was held to only 26 shots on goal. There were a few good saves by Turco, but the two softies standout.

In the end, key injuries or not, Saturday night’s game was a wasted opportunity to gain two points and make a statement to the Red Wings. Turco needs to be better and Corey Crawford should get an opportunity soon.

I’m still not looking for Turco to be great but he needs to be solid. 

Al’s Shots 

Brandon Pirri was re-assigned to Rockford and it appears Sharp will play tonight in Buffalo.

No hard facts were out as to why Sharp was held out of the lineup Saturday night. It seems likely Sharp suffered some sort of head trauma during the Colorado game and was being held out as a precaution.

The Hawks would be in trouble if Sharp and Campbell were both out for a long time.

The Sabres will be hungry for a win in front of their fans. This will be the first of two games between the Hawks and Sabres this week.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net

Craig Anderson was the difference in the second half of the contest as the Hawks got better as the game went on. Marty Turco’s performance was ok, but he was  especially good in the opening period but it wasn’t enough. In the end the Hawks were playing without two defensemen, Brian Campbell and Nick Boynton and the Av’s are a talented, speedy club.

Joel Quenneville has had a poor record in openers and the Hawks have not won their first game of the season since 2006.   The trend continued last night, but picking up one point after falling behind by two goals was important.

Quenneville quickly saw there was too much running around and not enough attention to detail. The coach called an early first period time out to settle his troops down but they were still outplayed in the opening frame. The Av’s started out as the more efficient club.

The Blackhawks will struggle with the top teams, especially without Campbell. With all the recent additions, the Hawks will have to control their emotions and stay on task.

During Quenneville’s second period comments on TV he mentioned gap control. This is something he always stresses and it is very important. You usually can’t pick it up on TV but when the spacing between the defensemen and offensive players is too big trouble soon follows.

Bad spacing or poor gap control was the main reason Colorado flew through the neutral zone. They were able to enter the Hawks end with a lot of speed and made some of the Hawks defensemen look slow. Actually, now the Av’s probably possess more team speed than the Hawks and that was also why Quenneville was so concerned.  Not having the correct coverage against a team with great speed will mean a lot of goal scoring chances against. Colorado had the puck too often and their transition game was better than the Hawks.

The days of the Blackhawks allowing an average of only about 25 shots per game against are probably in the past. But giving up 41 shots on goal was too many. Considering the Hawks had more power plays and were still outshot also illustrates they didn’t control the puck often enough.

It appears Nik Hjalmarsson really misses Campbell as he had a difficult night. With Nick Leddy as his partner maybe Hammer is trying to do too much. Hammers’ preseason play wasn’t anything to write home about either.  Leddy had a turnover which led to a goal but he improved as the game went on. The young guy did have three shots on goal and will continue to get better and feel more comfortable.

In the overtime it was Leddy who was often on the ice instead of Jordan Hendry or John Scott. That speaks volumes about what Quenneville thinks of his young defenseman and probably is equally telling as to his feelings on Hendry and Scott.

Hendry may have been hurt after a crunching second period check, because he played less than six minutes for the game. Hendry was on the ice for only 31 seconds in the third period and had no shifts in overtime. Scott played less than seven minutes for the game and didn’t participate in OT.

Scott is going to be a thrill a minute when on the ice, and it looks like he will be in the penalty box often even if he doesn’t fight. There is no reason to call Scott anything but slow and unless shielded from top players he will be a defensive liability. When caught out of position Scott has no choice but to hook or hold his opponent. Referees will have a bulls- eye on his back.

The Hawks showed they still will battle back as the effort was there. The players and coaching staff will go over film before their next game versus the Red Wings and try to correct mistakes.  Saturday night’s contest will be at an energy charged United Center. It’s banner night and the Stanley Cup champions will be honored for the first time in front of their home town fans.

Quenneville will have to control the amped up emotions of his young team when facing the wily Red Wings. It should be a wonderful night no matter what the outcome of the game.

Colorado is going to be better than most realize and dropping an away game in OT is nothing to be overly concerned about. There is a lot to improve upon but it will take the players and coaching staff awhile to adjust.

As Quenneville mentions, this is a work in progress. Fans should stay patient, especially until Campbell returns as the Hawks will have to battle hard to win on most nights.

No matter what the outcome on Saturday it will be a night for fans to savor.

Al’s Shots

Here is a brief overview of the Western Conference.

*Denotes Playoff Qualifiers

Anaheim-A great top line might not be enough to carry the Ducks into the playoffs. In my book they will struggle to make the post season and could benefit from a low round draft pick.

Calgary-Not on my playoff list and time might be running out on this crew, management included.

*Chicago- Although not the same team which skated away with the Cup in June, the Hawks are still one of the better clubs. Odds say they won’t repeat but there is still a lot of talent left. If you believe the TSN ratings of the 50 best players in the NHL the Hawks have three in the top 15 (Toews, Keith, Kane), and Sharp is also on the list. That should be enough to insure a playoff birth as long as injuries don’t take a big toll. For those who want to believe…All of the previous Cup Champs which didn’t repeat since 1998, did not replace 40% of their lineup….Maybe the Hawks have found the magic formula.

*Colorado-A young club looking to show last season wasn’t a fluke. Anderson is in a contract year and will look to silence his doubters. The Av’s take another step forward and will take part in the post season once again. They are better than most realize.

Columbus-New coaches and one of the NHL’s best player’s in Nash. But the Jackets are still a work in progress. If Mason rebounds they could battle for a playoff birth but are still a long shot.

*Dallas- This group needs to have some young players step up in a hurry. They will also need Kari Lehtonen to live up to potential and stay healthy. If Dallas gets great goal keeping and things fall into place they could be the surprise team in the West. Maybe the Stars can be this year’s Coyotes.

*Detroit-They aren’t much younger but the Wings will be competing for the Conference crown if Howard can play as well as he did last year. Detroit had injury problems throughout last season and if they can stay healthy they will be dangerous.

Edmonton- The Oilers should be fun to watch but they are in an all out rebuilding mode. One more good draft can help hem get back to the playoffs but they should be a lot better this season. They will be exciting and score goals but their top players are very green.

*Los Angeles- The Kings are a solid group which can still use another scorer and could be active at the trade deadline. They will rely on their big guns and a great defense. Unless overwhelmed with injuries the Kings should be playing into April. LA could challenge for the top spot in their division.

Minnesota-The Wild are in the same category as a few other teams. They can make the playoffs but would need all the stars to lineup. A full season with Latendresse should bode well for the offense.

Nashville- One can never count out Barry Trotz but the Preds could be ready for a step back. The way they lost to the Hawks in Round 1 will either energize them are create some doubt. They have a very good young goalie that will have to be great all year because the Preds still lack scoring.

Phoenix-Speaking of taking a step back…My guess is the Coyotes will do just that this season. They are a well coached group with good goal tending. But the Coyotes will have their work cut out and will need to get big contribution from their blueline once again.

*St. Louis-The Blues are the sexy Western Conference pick. They added a fine goal keeper over the summer but will need a few players to take the next step. They have some young talent and with some luck the Blues could become a playoff team.

*San Jose- If the Sharks don’t make it to the Finals they may undergo a big house cleaning next summer. Those changes could also include management. Jumbo Joe is finally the Captain and that appears to be a good move. Thronton is the Sharks best player so he may as well have the most responsibility, maybe big Joe will silence some critics. If Niemi is a flash in the pan, as is the opinion of XM radio’s Denis Potvin, the Sharks would have been better off signing a free agent defenseman to replace Rob Blake. The Sharks may miss Blake’s leadership and haven’t replaced his shot from the point.

*Vancouver-Many so called hockey experts figure this is the Canucks’ year. They are another club which will have a new coach if they fail to advance deep into the playoffs. The Canucks are a well balanced group but they will need Luongo to not lose games in the playoffs. If they can avoid beating themselves in the post season they could skate away with the Cup. But until proven otherwise, Luongo isn’t a top playoff goal tender.

blackhawkswin@comcast.net