Faxes from Uncle Dale

Recent Posts

  • Creme Kev Dineen… And Montelimat

    Creme Kev Dineen… And Montelimat

    Somehow the name Kevin Dineen escaped our attention when we were speculating who would replace Jamie Kompon and whatever it was he actually did here. It probably shouldn’t have. After all, Dineen was a Whaler when Q was, and a very decent one at that. What Dineen didn’t have was previous coaching experience with Quenneville, so maybe that’s why we missed him.

    Dineen has various head coaching experience in a lot of places. He was an AHL coach for six years in Portland, for both the Anaheim and Buffalo organizations. His record there was very impressive, as the Pirates amasses 39+ wins five out of six seasons.

    He then went to Florida, to take over the Panthers in their Garage Sale Binge phase, where Dineen took all of their 11 signings and acquisitions in the summer of 2011 and got the Panthers to a Southeast Division title, even if that division was terrible. It took until overtime in a Game 7 for the Devils to eliminate them. But Dineen only got a season and a month after that, and was axed, even though the team was basically garbage.

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  • Morning Links 7/14/14

    Morning Links 7/14/14

    In one place: ESPN Chicago

    Determination: Chicago Suntimes

    Its starts already:Chicago Tribune

    Johns excited: Comcast AP

    That’s a bad thing? Sportsnet AutoPlay

    Common Sense approach: PD

     

     

  • Friday Free-For-All

    Friday Free-For-All

    With the Free Agency Faucet now slowing down to an annoyingly audible drip, there’s not a lot to kick around other than the looming trade the Hawks will need to make to get under the salary cap.

    For the uninitiated, the Hawks are still approximately $2.2 million dollars over the NHL’s salary cap of $69 million. There have been numerous scenarios fleshed out both here and elsewhere for just how the Hawks can do that. And looming as always is annual self-suck known as the Blackhawks Fan Convention, where John McDonough and Jay Blunk are loathe to trot out players who will not be here come October.

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  • Morning Links 7/11/14

    Morning Links 7/11/14

    It could have been more: ESPN Chicago

    Look into the future: PD

    Hawks set the Market:  SI

    First draft: PHT

    Well okay then: TSN

  • Digging Up

    Digging Up

    Now that Daydream Nation is firmly secured in Chicago until the next lockout and one of them has to be bought out after to get under the $12 salary cap Bettman instills to end that dispute, Stan can start figuring out just how he’s going to put next year’s team together.

    What’s that you say? This year’s team is still over the cap? Why yes, it is. But we’ve been down this road a few times already, and the answers to get under this cap are known to everyone. It’s a punting of Oduya, or Sharp, or Rozsival, or Seabrook, or Versteeg (that would be a miracle) or some combination thereof.

    It’s next year where some of the challenges lie. But is it that bad? Let’s look, yes?

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  • Morning Links 7/10/14

    Morning Links 7/10/14

    Sustained Culture of Excellence: Suntimes

    Worth every penny: SBNATION

    A great day in Blackhawks History: SCH

    I don’t like him but what could he do? Sporting News

    (Photo Credit:Chicago Tribune)
  • A Strange Set Of Priorities

    A Strange Set Of Priorities

    You probably have seen it by now, as the story was shared on Twitter by our compadre Fifth Feather and on NBC Chicago by friend of the program James Neveau and many others. If you haven’t I’ll do my best to recap.

    About a week ago at Johnny’s Ice House West, the official practice home of the Hawks and also home to several men’s and children’s leagues, three men were mugged in the tunnel to the garage after their men’s league game. One was pistol-whipped. This was shared on Facebook by several people, and I’m not sure exactly how but it got the attention of NBC 5 who did a piece one it.

    Tim O’Shea, who plays (or should add, “played”) at Johnny’s spoke to NBC 5 on the piece about the dismissive response he got from management when he raised questions about security at the facility. He was told basically to “go play in the suburbs.” After Tim appeared on the piece, he was banned by general manager Kevin Rosenquist for life. Which seems a total fair and in no way unhinged response for airing concerns that clearly weren’t being addressed. Apparently, Johnny’s public relations theory is “Snitches wind up in ditches.”

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  • Morning Links 7/9/14

    Woohoo: PHT

    Sid hurt again: TSN

    Congrats to a local kid: SI

    Even I won’t make a joke for this: PD

  • When The Spigot Gets Turned On/Kompon Out

    When The Spigot Gets Turned On/Kompon Out

    I’m loathe to go off “internet rumors” again for fear that Barstool Sports will pelt me with more of their misogynist crap because they’re real journalists, but it’s the summer and we’re left to feed on scraps. There’s been a lot of chatter the past couple days that the Kane and Toews extensions are close to being polished off. The combined number I’ve seen a few times is 21.8 million for both, or 10.9 for each. The whole debate of whether they have to get the same contract is one for another time, because they’re going to. I haven’t seen what the term would be. I’ve always thought they didn’t have too much incentive to sign a long-term deal. If they both signed for five or six years they could hit free agency in their early 30s and get another payday. But no one would complain if they sign up for life, obviously.

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  • Morning Links 7/8/14

    Morning Links 7/8/14

    Lets hope he is as good as his brother: SunTimes

    Kneel before his statistical growth: Second City Hockey

    In an all seriousness I love this dude…Keep him in your thoughts: TSN

    What once was: Sportsnet.Ca