Everything Else

Friends, we here and at many other blogs are accustomed to seeing our stuff borrowed, gleaned, stolen, whatever verb you want to use. I’ve grown a thick skin over it. But CSN Chicago has caught me when I’m bored, angry, and with not much else to do. So it’s time to cry havoc and let slip the hogs of War! (Dogs of wars)

A few minutes ago on twitter, CSN producers Katie Fowler, T.K. Gore, and John Ship not only are claiming the #ShawFacts as their own, but garnered a local Emmy nod for it. But as well all know, this was the creation of good friend Forklift at hockeenight.com.

This aggression will not stand, man. We have not bound together in a long time, we have not unleashed the unholy hell that can be you, dear reader when you have a cause. The time has come to draw swords together.

Oh, and in case you need proof: read the last paragraph of  Fork’s entry here in January – http://hockeenight.com/2012/01/25/vacation-mode-predators-3-blackhawks-1.aspx

Katie Fowler’s twitter is @KatieFowlerCSN

TK Gore is @TKGore

John Shipp is @JohnShip99

Rain fire on the site’s contact page: csnchicagowebsite@comcastsportsnet.com

We will defend Fork’s honor, whatever the cost may be!

Everything Else

I guess it’s a regular thing now. I mean, we’ve got nothing else to talk about. So let’s get to what we can.

It’s even more infuriating that there’s no NHL with the first update. Because normally I would see what Phillip Danault is doing in the QMJHL and I would picture him on the ice down the road with what I was seeing on the UC sheet. But I don’t have that picture, and I can’t see Danault doing any of this without some weird internet feed, and I just want to kick a cat. Because he’s didn’t stop crushing skulls this weekend.

Everything Else

Now that we’re in what should have been opening week, we can’t try and find other things to fill what we crave. We have to face up to the fact that only hockey will do, and we can’t force-feed ourselves something as a substitute. Maybe some of you will only accept NHL-level. That’s understandable. I’m pretty much in that camp too. But some of you need live hockey. And luckily, in Chicago you’re relatively close (debatable) to the next best thing next to the NHL, the AHL. Today, we’ll look at the closer of the two options. The Chicago Wolves, aka mini-Canucks.

Everything Else

I think that picture perfectly sums up where we are now and what we’re all feeling. Confusion in a desolate place that we have no control of getting out of ourselves. We only need an army of crabs to guide us to the sea. Maybe we should start with Patrick Kane’s.

There are just some thoughts rattling around my head as we come up to the actual date that will mark the first time we really should have been at the UC and discussing other things. They’re all kind of infuriating.

-It’s been mentioned before, but the staring contest part of this is by far the most deplorable aspect of this. I know, negotiating tactics and all that. But this inhabits a different stratosphere than say, a bunch of machinists striking against the airlines or something. “Well we put our proposal out and now we’re waiting for their proposal but they said that they made their proposal and now they want our next proposal but we didn’t think it was a proposal and ours was  a proposal and they’re bad men and stupid heads and we just need a proposal.”

Everything Else

Even though it’s an abnormal October in that we should be getting ready for the start of the season in just over a week, it’s business as usual as October won’t see any playoff baseball in the 606. That’ll be the fourth straight year that has occurred, after seeing at least one team pop its head in for a look five out of seven seasons. For Chicago, that’s an avalanche of postseason play. But with no hockey, you’ve got to fill the time somehow.

Everything Else

Well, if this were really what we wanted to talk about, I guess we should lose our shit over Rockford’s 6-1 exhibition loss opener to the hated Chicago Wolves. Right, let’s try.

ALEC RICHARDS IS TERRIBLE! OUR HOPES OF GOALTENDING IN THE ORGANIZATION ARE IN THE TOILET! WE HAVE TO GET RAY EMERY STARTS AHEAD OF HIM!

Everything Else

Because we don’t really have anything else to do, we might as well and see what the Hawks’ prospects that are actually playing got up to the past few days, hmmm?

-Phillip Danault, cementing his place as prospect I’ve decided to be most excited about in the next few years, had himself a little weekend. In two wins for the Victoriaville Tigres Danault piled up five goals and six points. Last night in another Tigers’ victory, he had a goal and two assists. After six games he’s the second leading scorer in the league, with 12 points in six games. I guess we should hope this trend continues, no? A caveat should be that the Q is by far the highest scoring junior league, and numbers do get inflated. But two points per game is….well, it’s two points per game.

Everything Else

Dear NHLPA,

I write this to you, knowing you’ll never see it, in the wake of your latest failed meetings with the NHL and on the precipice of losing regular-season games. And a bunch of them at that. While it comes as no surprise, the reality of it being here still stings me and every other fan. Again, we’re well aware that we don’t matter and I’m not here to ask you to “do it for us,” even though I’m sure some of you will run for that cover to justify your stances and actions. That’s fine, we’re used to it.

But over the years, and decades, you the hockey players have gotten a lot of mileage out of the perception that hockey players are different. You’ve actively promoted this about yourselves many times. You extoll your virtue about how much you love your game, how much more or differently you love it than other athletes. You’re just a simple Canadian kid, right? The time has come to prove that.