All Entries Tagged With: "Campbell"
Old Friends Return as Blackhawks Host Panthers
Dale Tallon and the Florida Panthers are in town for match at the United Center Friday evening. The Blackhawks are on a nice roll, and the Panthers have had trouble finding traction of late. Currently, Florida is clinging to the eight spot in the Eastern Conference. With the recent addition of John Madden, the Panthers [...]
Hawks Win Depite Themselves As Crawford Shines
Blackhawks fans will either look back to the beginning of the 2011-2012 campaign as a foreshadowing of great times or as an indicator of future problems. The Hawks keep winning, but they often succeed despite themselves. On Thursday night, the Blackhawks defeated the Florida Panthers 3-2 in a shootout. The game marked the fifth time [...]
All In…Or You’re Out
In case anyone has been stranded on a desert island for the past three years or so, let me bring you up to speed on the Blackhawk’s agenda. Certain things are the same. Hawk management doesn’t linger, they can cut ties as quickly as any franchise to those who stray. Players are treated really well [...]
Filtering GM Speak and Some Speculation
The feedback from Blackhawk fans concerning the July 1 acquisitions is mixed. Some feel change was needed and the new arrivals will help their favorite club progress next season. Others believe the Hawks are now an older, slower team. Both sides have valid points. Back on April 18, concerning the future direction of the Hawks [...]
Hawks Trade Brouwer and Dump Campbell
Sometimes things work out with an obvious trade partner. There was only one team that could swallow Brian Campbell’s contract and it was Dale Tallon’s Panthers. Stan Bowman somehow got Campbell to approve the deal and the rest is a math equation. I hesitate to call this transaction a trade. This wasn’t a talent for [...]
Improving On The Cheap Without A Big Trade
Since the Blackhawks’ season ended there have been some very good comments made by fans on this site and also by John Jaeckel’s gang at Hockey Buzz. Most agree the Hawks need to make some changes but the manner GM Stan Bowman goes about his business is up for debate. For a number a reasons [...]
A Big Name To Trade…Is It Hammer Time?
There are three established Blackhawks which many fans seem to think could be dealt this summer if Stan Bowman wants to retool. They are Brian Campbell, Patrick Sharp and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Let’s take a look if trading any of the three is a real possibility. If the Hawks are able to deal Campbell they would [...]
Not So Soft Hawks Face A Stiff Challenge
There is still enough fight left in the Blackhawks to beat any team on a given night, when they play effective hockey. This is especially so when the opponent doesn’t win board battles and can’t slow down the Hawks’ attack. The San Jose Sharks might regret not taking advantage of a shorthanded Hawks’ squad on [...]
Jive Talk
In all sports playing at a consistently high level is an indication of a very good team. When a team doesn’t have as much success it is a function of inconsistency due to a number of reasons. Not the correct mix of players, not enough talent, too many injuries and somewhere near the bottom of [...]
Pretend No More
This has to be sounding like the same old same old, but unfortunately for months a similar story has surfaced. On the bright side, well maybe a less cloudy side, the pretense appears over. This season the Blackhawks have pulled fans along with the hope that eventually all will be well. It wasn’t intentional deceit [...]
Determined
It wasn’t a perfect win. At this point perfect isn’t necessary as long as victories are recorded. Last night what was needed for the Blackhawks to take a small step toward gaining a playoff berth was to play better as the game went on. Once Corey Crawford kept the ship afloat in the opening period, [...]
Too Much To Fix?…..And a XM Interview
Last night three teams which are competing for a playoff berth with the Blackhawks all came away with two points. The Blues, Coyotes, and Flames all won in regulation. Not great news for the Hawks as making up ground at this time of the year is a difficult task. The Sharks have gone 7-2-1 in the [...]
Hawk Fans… Save Some Emotional Capital
Objectively all of the upcoming opponents have a better chance to gain a playoff berth than do the Blackhawks. In my view the Hawks will have only a slight chance of playing hockey in mid-April if they don’t win the next two games in regulation. Die hard fans and recent band wagon members should stay [...]
The fallout from Pens, Isles “Friday Night Fights”
The fallout from the “Friday Night Firestorm” on Long Island became public just after midnight Sunday morning. The NHL slapped the Islanders with a $100,000 (U.S.) fine and players Trevor Gillies and Matt Martin with nine and four game suspensions, respectively. In the third period, Gillies charged and elbowed the head of Pittsburgh rookie Eric [...]
New Look Hawks Win Again
On Wednesday night the new and improved Blackhawks stifled the Nashville Predators and came away with a well deserved victory. As has been the case in their previous two wins the Hawks controlled the play for the majority of the game. In some ways they beat Nashville at their own game. Chicago won the one on [...]
Ah-Ha Moment = Realization and Transformation
Throughout this season Joel Quenneville has mentioned the Blackhawks haven’t played with good pace. Jonathan Toews has also commented the team wasn’t playing fast enough. Generally speaking, to play any sport at a fast and effective pace requires two elements. A high level of skill and great deal of know how. This would be especially [...]
The Bad,The Good and The Confusing Reality
When every Blackhawk isn’t dialed in the results will be the same as we have seen so far this season. Some games the Hawks will look like a soft bunch which will not qualify for post season play. At other times the boys will look like a dangerous team which can beat anyone. Until proven [...]
Hawks-Rangers…Scott vs. Boogaard?
Tonight the Blackhawks will look to follow their most complete effort of the season with another strong performance. The Hawks will skate against the Rangers who are also dealing with key injuries and a hectic schedule. The Rangers will be playing without the injured Marian Gaborik and Chris Drury. The Blue Shirts will be doing [...]
Will Unproven Hawks Thrive Or Melt Under Pressure?
There is never a good time for a key player to suffer a significant injury. Losing Brian Campbell for at least the first month of the season will not be easy to overcome. The Blackhawks start the campaign with a very congested schedule. Considering around 40% of the roster has been turned over along with [...]
10 Tidbits on Kings dman Willie Mitchell
Get to know the LA Kings newest defenseman, Willie Mitchell. It’s a story featuring pickles, long sticks, Don Cherry and the value of endorsements. All made possible due to injuries to Matt Greene and several blueline prospects.
