All Entries Tagged With: "Eager"
An Affordable Change Could Make A Big Difference
Achieving a playoff berth is still in question and the Blackhawks could use some tweaking. To make a playoff run the Hawks will have to be fully dialed in, even though they may not be facing a team with the depth of the Philadelphia Flyers in an early round. In the post season many times [...]
A Clogged Pipeline, Rumors and A Good Effort
There is about six weeks to go before the trade deadline. Rumors are around and it is a good time to share some thoughts. To get an understanding of the Hawks’ needs and wants, let’s look at the state of the Rockford Ice Hogs. My own view on young prospects is I hesitate to get [...]
What’s Next?
Stan Bowman did what he had to and got himself some breathing room heading into the draft. The young GM walked away with a well thought of prospect in Jeremy Morin, a good depth center in Marty Reasoner plus the 24th and 54th pick in the upcoming draft. Bowman’s salary cap clean-up is not over [...]
MEET TWO FACES OF CUP FRUSTRATION: Chris Pronger & The Flyers
There is two extreme sides of the Chris Pronger coin that we saw flipped yesterday. With it, in that metallic shimmer, we got to peer beneath to see the true Flyer psyche in these Stanley Cup playoffs. First it was the post-game 1 loss that had him dropping jokes, remaining light, if not full to [...]
It’s as Simple as Going North and South
From the opening puck drop the Blackhawks appeared to be a different team on Wednesday evening. The defensemen were jumping into the rush and the forwards were back checking. Everyone seemed to be playing with urgency at the start and throughout the contest. The Hawks don’t have to play at a snail’s pace or become [...]
Partially Engaged and Cycle Paralyzed
The best news from last night for Chicago fans is the Hawks played one good period. The other positive was Ben Eager answered the bell against Blues tough guy Cam Janssen. Eager probably wishes he never had to drop the gloves. I’m sure he would rather fight only a couple times a year and play [...]
Quenneville Needs To Instill Some Desperation
The desperate Blackhawks which showed up in Los Angeles to halt a losing streak were MIA on Saturday night in Phoenix. If the script to Lord Stanley’s Cup could be written there would be certain conditions a team would have to respond to in the regular season. The first would be adversity and the second [...]
Today’s Trade Deadline…*Update 2:20 CST
As the pre- Olympic trade deadline is upon us one thing has become obvious. There are only a handful of teams which are clearly out of the playoff chase. That would be the reason for a general manager to acquire someone today, before a two week hiatus and pay his salary. There is a more [...]
Another Shutout Win and The NHL Still Isn’t Paying Attention
To give a balanced view it should be mentioned the Red Wings played without eight of their regulars last night and did have a game on Saturday. A prudent hockey mind would realize the Blackhawks had a big edge. For the Wings to have a chance at victory Chris Osgood would have to be great [...]
Winning Without All The Pieces
Before this season began my thinking was Dave Bolland was going to be a key player for the Blackhawks. It seems many have discounted his loss but it does matter. Bolland’s absence is felt even if it is not always apparent by looking at the scoreboard. The understated Bolland does everything well without a lot [...]
Swarm Attack
I kept a Blackhawks game from last year’s playoffs on my DVR, and I have watched the third period of that contest quite a few times. It was the elimination game against the Canucks when the Hawks mounted a thrilling comeback win. The reason it hasn’t been deleted is because it was a perfect illustration [...]
Bolland’s Bad Back Is A Real Concern
What Blackhawks fans should be concerned with are not the last two losses. What should matter is how much better this team could get this season. Taking into account the injuries their record is good, although the schedule has been slanted with home games and the tougher competition is coming. But to those who think [...]
Current NHL Injury List – Who’s Your Team Missing?
Team by Team Injury List. Read on to find out who is injured on your team and how long they are expected to be out…
Is Huet Facing Same Fate as in Montreal?
The Hawks lost for the second time this season but again performed well enough to win on many nights. Goal keeping has decided many of the Hawk-Wing battles in recent years and last night was no exception. Chris Osgood was outstanding and was the main difference. The Detroit defense was staunch and blocked many shots, especially while [...]
Wings Tonight….Could Hawks Already be Planning for Next Year?
Everyone is focusing on tonight’s contest in Detroit as a statement game. This battle has significance, but let’s not got carried away. What is very important is for the Blackhawks to accumulate a lot of points this month with a home game friendly schedule. So a win tonight would be great, but no game can be overlooked. [...]
Empty Seats in Finland Looked Bad….Did the NHL Notice?
Last weekend must have been a special experience for a few NHL players who were able to play in their homeland. Considering there are some NHL fans abroad, spreading the popularity of hockey to other countries is not necessarily a bad thing. But the money which was spent to travel over 8,000 miles round trip by [...]