Everything Else

After seeing it in person tonight, I’m more convinced than I was before that the Hawks are going through nothing more than a midseason malaise, combined with some injuries to key players. While the Hawks can pay lip service to saying that they thought this was an important game because they hadn’t beaten the Ducks, upon evidence on the ice I’m not buying it.

Tonight, it wasn’t so much anything the Ducks did. The Hawks for the first 40 were missing passes by feet instead of inches, they were bobbling whatever passes did actually land on tape, and just generally looked like they’d been at The Houndstooth a little too late last night. It seemed like the Ducks were even more conservative in this one than they had been in the previous two games. Usually, it was only one Duck forward in on the forecheck, which the the Hawks made harder than they had to too often.

Everything Else

vs.

FACEOFF: 7pm Central

TV/RADIO: NBCSN, WGN Radio 720

WHY DID I MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA?: The Royal Half, Surly and Scribe, Jewels From The Crown

After two weeks, four games, and maybe slightly more teeth-gnashing than there should have been, the Hawks return home to start the sprint to the finish of the season. It begins with the third home back-to-back of the year, kicking off with a visit from the champs, the Los Angeles Kings.

Everything Else

If you’ll allow me to sidetrack for a moment (if that can be used as a verb). With Opening Day two weeks away, today I’d like to announce a new venture I’m undertaking. It’s called “The Ivy Drip”, and it’s my new Cubs Digital Weekly.

I know you Sox fans out there, or you baseball agnostics, are rolling your eyes. That’s totally fair. I usually mourn my Cubs fandom as much as a cherish it. I’m told that’s what it’s like to be Catholic. But anyway, for those that are still reading, let me go on.

Everything Else

I’ve never made any secret of the fact that I loathe St. Patrick’s Day. There isn’t one aspect of it that I like. Yeah I know, I’m not Irish. But guess what? Unless you’re Mighty Mike D, then neither are you. I don’t give a flying fornication that your last name might be O’Ryan or Gallagher or McDuffy (or McClure I suppose, but he doesn’t claim to be Irish all that much). Unless your parents are off the boat, or maybe your grandparents, you’re fucking American. And there’s nothing wrong with being American (at least some parts of it).

You know what you get when a group of people insist on clinging to their vision of Irish heritage? You get a stinking hellhole like Boston. And the only thing they know of being Irish is wearing green, being fucking racist, and listening to The Dropkick Murphys. You want any part of that? They certainly couldn’t point out Cork on a map.

Everything Else

vs.

GAME TIME: 6pm Central
TV/RADIO:
CSN, WGN Radio 720
HOLDING ON, SLOOPY:
The Cannon

It’s rare that three days off in a hockey season seems like we were all thrown into the hole, but that’s what this season has brought. After losing their first two games of the season, partly due to exhaustion, the Hawks embark on a pretty lax two-week trip that contains only four games. But if they’re not careful, the games themselves will be anything but lax.

Everything Else

This was last night’s Editorial from me in the Committed Indian. It got a lot of response, so I provide it here for everyone. If you want stuff like this and more, get a subscription to the CI by hitting the button on the top right of the page. Or just buy one outside the UC. We’re freezing our ass so you can laugh off yours. 

I’m not sure I’ve had as complicated a relationship with people I actually know than I’ve had with Patrick Kane. There are some people who think I hate him, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
There are some who criticized my pummeling of his social habits because they feel it is his right to do whatever he wants away from the rink. And I agree with that. I only called for him to stop drinking not because he’s a role model or any other bullshit reason like that. I did because he simply isn’t any good at it. Same for Lindsay Lohan. She doesn’t need to stop ingesting whatever chemical she can get her grubby paws on because it might kill her. She needs to stop because she’s just no damn good at it.

But I finally put my finger on it. The bell went off, and I know why I love the kid and will defend him against any attack from any moron fan who wants him traded.
It went off as soon as Kane buried that shootout goal in Detroit, and gave the crowd that arrogant sneer I love so much, combined with the “Da fuck you gonna do about it?” raising of his palms. I get it now.

Patrick Kane is a showman. He’s a performer. He’s a rock star.

Everything Else

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Game Time: 7:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
Bear? Wolf? River? Trees? Sun?: Hockey Wilderness

The Wild come into this game with a feather in their cap that few others can make so far this season. They’ve taken two points from the Chicago Blackhawks. Sure, they had to do it via the skills competition but at this point, I would imagine most teams would consider that a pretty decent bragging point. We’ll have to get used to seeing these new North Stars since they’ll be division mates coming up next year. It could get interesting, seeing as how the two fan bases already have a healthy history of mutual dislike stemming back from before the North Stars became just the Stars. At least more of a rivalry than the Hawks have with the Avs anyway…

The Wild stumbled out of the gate a bit after making a big splash in the off-season but seem to have found their footing as of late as they’re now sitting just two points behind Northwest leading Vancouver and are 6-3-1 in their last 10. Of course, that’s one against the Oilers, two against the Flames and one against the Flames. I’m only impressed by the win against the Wings, seeing as how we’ve seen how much they can actually play when they feel like it.