A quick note. You all seem to be caught off guard with the multiple posts recently. I know, it’s weird. But we’re going to keep doing it, so be prepared. Comment on all of them.
Right, to the blue line. There is no surer unit than the Hawks top pairing. There’s no speculation, there’s no controversy, and it remains the envy of a lot of teams in the league. At least there’s one thing we can all count on. So the only thing we have to figure out is how to tweak it.
So let’s clean up the rest of the forwards, as in those who will or might make an appearance or two in the Indian Head this season. It might be more than you expect, as this compacted, back-to-back heavy schedule could lead to the injuries piling up. So let’s wrap it up and we can move on to the blue line.
Well, as we know this has gotten all jumbled a bit, but we’re still going to hold strong with what we see the lineup shaking out as. As long as we get to everyone, we should be ok. Anyway, we’ll do this one and then later today the extra/rookie forwards who might pop up during the season. Then off to the defense and goaltending and such. Who’s excited?!
To it, then:
Well it’s all official now. The t’s are crossed, the i’s dotted (though this is the NHL so it could totally be the other way around), and the schedule it out.
Some highlights:
-The Hawks will start out with eight of their first 10 games on the road, including the Ice Show trip. So yeah, better have your story straight pretty fucking quick this year. Could be buried in a hurry.
-That’s made up with a seven-game homestand to finish out February. That stand sees the Kings and Canucks comes in, as well as the Sharks twice, and the Oilers. And we know how the Oil have done against the Hawks recently.
-For the first time I can remember, the Hawks will play back-to-backs at home. There are three of them, Feb. 24 and 25 against Columbus and Edmonton, March 5th and 6th against Minnehaha and Colorado, and March 25 and 26 against LA and Calgary.
-The Hawks have four other back-to-backs.
-At the end of April there’s a nasty little jaunt back out to Western Canada to face Vancouver and Edmo before returning home to close out the season against Calgary and then at St. Louis, which will be the first time the Hawks don’t end the season against Detroit in I don’t know how long.
-The Hawks see the Blues and Preds five times, and Scum and the Jackets four times.
-There was also a letter from Rocky and McD, which all told was pretty weak. There was no apology, no mention of the lockout, and kind of a thank you. But you know what? It’s probably not worth kicking stuff over. It would have been nice for something better, but it’s not going to change anything either way. I’ll apologize for them. They’re sorry. There.
Moving right along down the depth chart we now come to perhaps the most stable unit of the post 2010 era, Dave Bolland’s third line. While Bolland has never truly become the force of nature that his numbers in junior or his paycheck would have suggested, that he has become one of the premier checking forwards in the NHL is still a victory in and of itself.However, the line he’s been a fixture on is not without its flaws, Bolland included, and it will need to find consistency in short order for this abbreviated season to be a successful one for the Hawks.
Let’s keep this ship rolling right along. We get to the first “hole” the Hawks have, and that’s the second line center. They have wingers who fit here, Marian Hossa and Viktor Stalberg (and before you start, 21 goals without a PP one makes you a second line winger on most if not all teams). You could have Brandon Saad here as well, because I think this is where he’s ending up. We know Kane will end up here at times, and that Patrick Sharp probably should but won’t. But for now, let’s go with how it pretty much looked like last year, and that’s Stalberg-Kruger-Hossa.
Right, to it.
So I know I said next week, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. It’s been so much fun to write about hockey again that I just want to dive in head first, put my face in and blow. It’s fucking taco night around these parts!
This year, with our compressed time-frame, instead of going player by player, we’re going to go unit-by-unit (cue adolescent snickering…which is kind of the official theme of this blog). So all four lines, the extra forwards, all the defensive pairs, goaltending, special teams (wait til McClure lets loose on these). Or at least what we project these units will look like. But we’ll get around to everyone.
The theme this year is just an excuse to post that picture of Ted Knight and think about the wheelbarrow of coke he had with him at all times. I think we’re all ok with that.
Usually we go from the net out on these things, but I’m tired of that. So let’s start with the BIG GUNS! (Number #1)
Well, we’ll kick off this blog for real tomorrow. For now, I don’t want to say I’m excited or even relieved that these morons finally got around to giving us their game that they should have months ago. But screw it, I’m out of anger.
But what I will say is that Our Winter Of Discontent Sale is now a The Stupidity’s Over Sale. Season subscriptions of The Committed Indian gameday program will remain at $40. So get yours right here and help a business that was greatly affected by this lunacy.
As you probably guessed if you saw any of that mess that I puked up last night on Twitter, I’m pretty out of it today. Certainly too out of it to discuss all the silliness that really is just for show in CBA negotiations (they still are slightly more likely to come to a conclusion a week from tomorrow). So let’s get a thread going.
It’s an easy jump from music to food. Or at least I say it is. So, what are you eating tonight? What’s something you made recently that you really liked? Or something that was a total disaster. Everyone could always use an addition to their palate.
Me? With a dwindling bank account, the ever affordable pierogies from across the street was the obvious choice.
Have at it.
In an utterly predictable turn of events, the negotiations over the last 60 or so hours ended with a resounding thud not too long ago, as Bill Daly reportedly informed the Fehr brothers via voicemail that the PA’s latest offer was wholly unacceptable, and that talks would not continue any time soon and all other previous offers were now off the table.
Pardon me while I yawn.
