Everything Else

April 23rd Beard Of The Day: Kevin Owens

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Kevin_Owens_bio

Guess we’ll stick with the wrestler theme, worked on Thursday. Kevin Owens is something of the true wrestling fan’s wrestler on the main roster. While he certainly doesn’t look like the true Greek God that the WWE would prefer, Owens made his name on the indie and Japan and NXT circuit by simply being better than everyone else in the ring. There isn’t an Owens match that doesn’t have you completely riveted, and his NXT title match with Finn Balor last August is considered one of the best of the year anywhere. He also cultivated the perfect heel personality, which certainly is something the Hawks are working towards. Few are better on the mic, or carrying their persona and telling a story through a match than Owens. Oh, and he’s had the same blood feud with Sami Zayn for years now, much like the Hawks and Blues. If the Hawks are going to extend this, they’ll need to Fight Owens Fight.

Everything Else

The Old Familiar Sting: Blackhawks 4, Blues 3 (OT)

By 2069

Box Score

War on Ice

Natural Stat Trick

When this thing eventually runs out of gas, I hope everyone truly appreciates how far Corey Crawford has carried these cast of clowns this year. Much like they’ve done all season, the Hawks were absolutely buried by the opposition and gave up a barrage of shots. SPOILER ALERT: Crawford kept the Hawks in it while they weathered the storm of St. Louis looking to close it out quickly.

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Leave Me Lying Here: Hawks at Blues Game 5 Preview/Dress Fitting

By 1350

Hawk Wrestler vs. old_school_blue_l

PUCK DROP: Somewhere in the neighborhood of 8:42pm

TV: NBCSN round the nation, CSN here

THE SWORD OF DEMOCLES: St. Louis Gametime

All right, let’s get the positive right here at the top. No team has put the Hawks to the sword at first time of asking since the ’09 Wings. It took the ’11 Canucks four tries, the ’12 Coyotes two, and the ’14 Kings three. Quite simply, when the Hawks haven’t won the whole fucking thing they’ve been just about the toughest out around. And that’s with rosters as or more limited than this one. This is also a Blues team that has one series win to its name in this era. So for proceedings to end tonight, both teams are going to have to do something that has gone against their recent nature.

Everything Else

April 21st Beard Of The Day: Triple H

By 1274

960x0

Much like Triple H, the Hawks have been the authority in the league for far too long to some people. And yet every time it looks like they’re going to be knocked off their perch, they somehow find a way to stay at the top of the pyramid. If they’re not going to have the belt, they’ll certainly get a say in who does. Now the Hawks need to find their sledgehammer, or risk losing control of the league they once dominated. But you never rule out the Cerebral Assassin.

And if you have time to kill, check out one Triple H’s greatest matches:


The Undertaker vs Triple H Wrestlemania 27 Full… by irfanalichaudhry

Everything Else

When Is It Now, Hawks?

By 1717

Well, here we are again. Me staring at you, wondering if this is finally the time you’ll do the right thing. You think you’re sick of it…

This one’s obvious. This one’s easy. You don’t have to wait around for the NHL to act, and as we all know there is no guarantee that they will. You don’t need to follow their lead. Take the lead, just once in what has been an utterly miserable year for a section (and a growing one) of your fanbase. For once this season, don’t marginalize a section of your fanbase, one that you’re happy to cater to when it’s a photo op and really a celebration of you. But this is the real test.

Suspend Andrew Shaw yourselves for tomorrow’s game. Don’t wait around for Gary Bettman or the DOPS or whoever else. Take. The Lead. Declare that no current or future player will be allowed to wear your jersey (with however offensive it actually might be in itself) and represent your organization this way. Make it clear it will not ever be tolerated.

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Hockey Games, Medical Claims, Police Reports, Terrible Grades – Blues 4, Hawks 3

By 1507

Box Score

Event Summary

War On Ice

 

Down two games to one, the question on everyone’s mind is whether the Blackhawks still have that something extra. We’ve come to expect it in the playoffs but something keeps nagging, suggesting that this team might not.

The question before every game has been who’s actually going to dress and tonight’s forward configuration seemed pretty decent on paper keeping the first two lines relatively intact while bringing back Dick Panik to play with The Special Boy and The Invisible Flash. Andrew Desjardins would draw back in to his familiar spot with Kruger and Shaw.

Even defensively, tonight would see a distinct lack of Viktor Schintzius who was scratched in favor of countryman Erik Gustafsson who would hopefully see some cushy minutes at the United Center.

Everything Else

I Wanted To Live, So I Pretended To Die: Blues at Hawks Game 4 Preview/Taco Club

By 1452

old_school_blue_l vs. Hawk Wrestler

PUCK DROP: 8:30pm Central (more like 8:42)

TV: CSN here locally, NBCSN everywhere else

JASON HEYWARD FANCLUB: St. Louis Gametime

Blues Stats

Blues War On Ice

This all feels so familiar, mostly because the Hawks were here the last two playoff series they played. They lost a Game 3 at home to both the Ducks and Lightning, the former partially due to some baffling lineup decisions from their coach and the latter because they couldn’t find a way past a goalie who couldn’t move. That was a weird one. Anyway, how will they respond to this Game 3 loss, the first they’ve lost in regulation when leading after 40 minutes in more than two seasons?