Everything Else

High On The Hog: Holiday Blahs

By 1737

It was a rough holiday stretch for the Rockford IceHogs. The Blackhawks AHL affiliate dropped three games this past week.

Goals were hard to come by, with Rockford finding twine just four times in the three losses. Two of those defeats came at the hands of Milwaukee, who supplanted the Hogs at the top of the Central Division. Rockford also dropped its first game to the Iowa Wild in just over a year.

All of a sudden, the IceHogs are on a four-game losing streak as they prepare to enter the new year. In addition, the Hogs lost the services of one of their leading scorers for a few games.

Everything Else

Stale Leftovers – Hurricanes 2, Hawks 1

By 1542

Box Score
Event Summary
War on Ice

For the second straight game, the Hawks were damn near shut out by a team who had played the night before after having one or more days off themselves. They were outplayed, and none of the scoring chances came when anything in the game was in question. They made a struggling goaltender look positively heroic. They looked slow, old, and stupid. This is what happens to a one-line team when that one line isn’t scoring and half of the defensemen on the ice arguably should not even be in the NHL. This dislikeable group isn’t doing a goddamn thing as presently constituted. What a waste of fucking time.

Everything Else

Hurricanrana: Canes at Hawks Preview/Belt-Loosening

By 1229

Hurricane Carter vs, 250px-Ozymandias

PUCK DROP: 6pm Central

TV/RADIO: WGN for both

HERE COMES THE STORY: Canes Country

The Hawks come out of the Christmas break, a day after most teams, with a pretty soft landing in catching the Carolina Hurricanes on the second of a back-to-back. They’ll be fully healthy as well, with Marian Hossa coming back from the auto-body shop to buff the dents out of his cyborg exterior and will suit up tonight.

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Weather Changes Moods: Stars 4, Blackhawks 0

By 1169

Box Score

Event Summary

War on Ice

Natural Stat Trick

After all the important games the Blackhawks have played over the seven seasons, it’s increasingly harder to put much significance on regular season games. Tonight’s game in Dallas was a little different. Not only were the Hawks getting their first look at the Central Division leading Stars but also their first look at Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya in the green and white.

In fact, the only regular season game that had a slightly similar feel since the first Cup was hoisted was when the Hawks went down to Atlanta in 2010-2011 when they played Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel and Ben Eager for the first time.

So you had a feeling both teams would be slightly more engaged than usual. And they were.

Everything Else

I’m Contributing To The System, The Break Down Scheme: Hawks at Stars Preview/Stocking Stuffer

By 1238

250px-Ozymandias vs. Bowie Starman

PUCK DROP: 7:30pm Central

TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

THEY’VE GOT A WALL INSIDE THEIR HEAD: Defending Big D

Stars Stats

Stars War On Ice

Here it comes.

The storylines are going to drip off this one, more so that most regular season games. First, you have the Hawks getting their first look at the West’s best so far, the Dallas Stars. They will certainly have had this one circled in the DFW area. Second, the first regular season reunion between the Hawks, Patrick Sharp, and Johnny Oduya. Third, you have two of the best lines in hockey, the one of Seguin-Benn-Guest Star (Get it?) and the SuperPAK line for the Hawks. It certainly has a lot going for it for a game still in the first half of the season.

(And none of it will keep me from going to see Star Wars tonight, but that’s not why you called).

Everything Else

High On The Hog: Fighting Fading In Rockford?

By 1952

The Rockford IceHogs have had their share of brawlers in the franchise’s eight-plus seasons as the Hawks AHL affiliate. As professional hockey has seen fighting on the decline, however, the Hogs have followed suit.

Jake Dowell took on Joel Edmundsen in Rockford’s loss to Chicago Saturday night. It was the 17th fighting major assessed to the IceHogs, who picked up three of four points this weekend to stay on top of the Central Division, in 28 games this season. It’s also the second-lowest total for this stage of a season for the franchise.

This got me to thinking; at its current pace, how would Rockford wind up compared to past seasons? Which IceHogs gloves have hit the ice most often? How often do the Hogs scrap, and how do they fare in games when they dance?

If these questions have been keeping you up at night, here’s some food for thought. If you detest fighting and don’t want to know about the dark side of the IceHogs, tough luck. You’ll have to close your eyes until you scroll to the recaps.

Everything Else

Won’t You Ride My White Horse?: Sharks 3 – Hawks 3 (Hawks Win Sketchfest)

By 1288

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

Natural Stat Trick

They’re certainly racking up the goalie wins. After a very even first period that ended a deserved 2-2, and a quite simply dull 2nd period that ever so slowly turned to the Sharks, capped off by Pavelski’s goal where their top line got to run around the merry-go-round that is the Hawks’ 3rd pairing, Corey Crawford held his team in the 3rd period where they were outshot 11-5, out-attempted 21-10, and basically simply outplayed. But thanks to Crow, they had time for Shaw to make Paul Martin look like a clown for the second time in the game, forcing both teams into the bull-riding show where one bad change let Kane and Toews in. That basically only ever has one ending.

The performances this weekend, and for most of the season, haven’t matched the results. But in the Suicide Squad Central Division the Hawks won’t care because they’ll need all the points they can get. There will be time enough to improve the roster and hence the performances, and to have it on a higher platform would be beneficial.

On to it.