Faxes from Uncle Dale

Recent Posts

  • I See You’ve Constructed A New Light Sabre: Hawks at Sabres Preview/Cantina Fight

    250px-Ozymandias vs. image-sabre_medium

    PUCK DROP: High Noon Central

    TV/RADIO: WGN for both, SportsNet up dere in da Nort

    BUFFALO? WHY DON’T YOU JUST SLEEP IN YOUR REFRIGERATOR?: Die By The Blade

    Sabres Stats

    Sabres War On Ice

    Isn’t it too early in the year for a noon start? I guess it doesn’t matter, as that’s when they’re going to drop the puck.

    Anyway, the Hawks will get their first look at one of the two Wonder Kids of this year’s draft. They won’t see McJesus until next season now due to his busted collarbone, but barring injury they’ll get to see Jack Eichel over the next few weeks.

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  • Friday Funnies

    They’re both about the Scuderi trade, and the second one is… well, I don’t know whether to be proud, feel old, or simply pack it all in…

    SLow and dead

    Opposites attract

  • Morning Links 12.18.2015

    Morning Links 12.18.2015

    Domination from the top:DH

    Tuevo Time:SI

    All I want for Christmas:BU

    Classy:LGH

    More records to fall:NHL

    Doesn’t surprise me in the least:TSN

    Can they ever get something right? SN

  • Haunting, Familiar Yet, Can’t Seem To Place It: Oilers 0 – Hawks 4

    Haunting, Familiar Yet, Can’t Seem To Place It: Oilers 0 – Hawks 4

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War On Ice

    Natural Stat Trick

    The top line. There it is. I knew it was around here somewhere.

    The Hawks finally got an explosion from Hossa-Toews-Teravainen, and they were the difference in what was otherwise a pretty even contest. Both goalies played well, though Talbot eventually blinked and Crawford didn’t. The Hawks didn’t even need a power play goal this time, getting all four at evens to skip away from an interesting yet deeply flawed (and deeply depleted) Oilers team. With the wonky Sabres and Sharks next, the Hawks certainly have a chance to wash away the taste of yet another loss to the Avs in a hurry.

    No reason to wait around, let’s get to it.

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  • ‘Elo Kiddies – Oilers vs Hawks Preview, Encounter On Ord Mantell

    oil plainview vs evil empire

    Game Time: 7:30PM
    TV/Radio: CSN, WGN-AM 720
    Tikkanese Interpreters: Oilers Nation, Copper ‘n’ Blue

    With all of the talks of streaks around these parts recently, one that flew under the radar is the six game winning streak tonight’s vistors the Edmonton Oilers only had snapped on Tuesday at MSG. And in an absolute kitty-litter-covering-kindergartner-vomit-on-astroturf-carpeting Pacific Division, that’s been enough to actually have the Oilers in the playoff conversation. And all without their most recent franchise cornerstone Conor McDavid.

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  • Morning Links 12/17/15

    Oil: Blackhawks

    Dr. Rasmussen: CSN

    Shaw safe: Trib

    Cup camps: PD

    Let’s make a deal: ESPN

  • Marian Go Round In Dreams

    Marian Go Round In Dreams

    For the better part of this season, especially lately, we’ve been trying to sound something like alarm bells at the struggles of the Hawks at even-strength. And that’s a big deal, because you can’t be considered a very good team or have prospects of going all that far in the spring if you’re doing so on the back of special teams (unless you’re the ’06 Hurricanes). And the Hawks are a middling, at best, even-strength team right now. They have a -8 goal-difference at 5-on-5. The teams around them? The Flyers are just behind and the Maple Leafs are just ahead. That’s the seat on the bus between with the guy coughing up a lung and the woman yelling out Kentucky Derby winners randomly from the past 35 years (stick tap to friend Brendan McGowan for that line. Follow him at @BMGComedy). Their score adjusted Corsi-rate of 52.0 is solid, as is their Scoring-Chance rate. But their high-danger scoring chance rate is basically an even split of 50%, placing them 14th in the league. Again, middling.

    A lot of this I’ve and we’ve laid at the feet of Jonathan Toews and his eight even-strength points this year. Maybe it’s time we look to his right a bit.

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  • Morning Links 12/16/15

    Morning Links 12/16/15

    Haven’t we seen this before?: Blackhawks

    26: CSN

    Aggressive: CST

    “it isn’t being given to you”: PD

    Looking for help up north: PHT

  • It’s Ned Ryerson: Avs 3 – Hawks 0

    It’s Ned Ryerson: Avs 3 – Hawks 0

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War On Ice

    Natural Stat Trick

    They didn’t even have to play this game.

    Because we’ve seen it already. We saw it twice last year. We saw it twice the year before that. And the year before that. If you’ve watched the Hawks for any length of time, though you might not have fully admitted it, you knew deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties how this one was likely to go.

    Jammy, annoying Matt Duchene goal followed by his rich kid punchable face smile. Another Avs goal from some jamoke that isn’t on their top line or top pairing, this time Zach Redmond (but it could have been Holden or Guenin or Skille or Mitchell or anyone else, it really doesn’t matter). The only variable is whether the Hawks would toss a ton of shots at Varlamov or just a bunch. Not that it matters, because we already know he’s going to stop them all. In the meantime the Avs top players will basically run wild over an either uninterested or ill-equipped or both Hawks team.

    And so it went. It’s hard to think of another matchup that feels quite as scripted as this one. Anyway, to it…

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  • Let It Snow – Avalanche vs Hawks Preview, Dental Cleaning

    Avalanche Snowman Christmas vs evil empire

    Game Time: 7:30PM
    TV/Radio: CSN, NBCSN, WGN-AM 720
    Rocky Mountain Oysters: Mile High Hockey

    While the Hawks’ schedule at first blush would indicate an opportunity to get right over the next couple weeks while facing teams behind them in the standings, things don’t always end up playing out that way. Especially against the Avalanche who visit tonight, who continually have given the Hawks problems over the better part of this decade.

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