More Bling! Chicago Tribune Blackhawks
I think the roster is set: Comcast
Hossa is ready: SunTimes
Unsung hero: Daily Herald
We tune it up for real now. The Hawks have picked their roster that will head into the regular season…..for at least one or two games. Remember, it’s not been beyond Q and Stan to change things early. And considering the moving parts the Hawks have, we should expect all of those who lasted until the last cut to get a look at some point. They might all get one before October is even out. So chin up there, J-Mo, Pirri, and one or two others.
Now that the roster is set, let’s pick through the decisions that were made.
-The upset was that Joakim Nordstrom will skate out on Tuesday with the big club, which I don’t think anyone saw coming when camp started. It’s always slightly easier for an energy player to make a splash and carve out a spot on the 4th line, but Nordstrom wasn’t the pick of most.
Like everyone else, I’ve liked what I’ve seen. Fearless, quick, looks like a player who can help keep the puck in the other end which is all you ask of a 4th line. But I wouldn’t get those #42 jerseys just yet. I remember Pirri making the team two seasons ago out of camp and getting all of one game.
The other thing to watch is that Nordstrom is only 21 and has played 11 games on this continent that count, those being last year in the AHL after his Swedish season ended. If he’s here he really needs to play. While the Hawks are no longer in the business of development, it would be kind of a waste to just have him in the pressbox every game. But a 4th line of Smith-Shaw-Nordstrom would be extremely annoying to play against. Nordstrom also will get a look on the kill, which should save a top-sixer the duty if he sticks around. As we’re all interested in conserving minutes for the big guns, that’s a good thing.
That is of course, until he sits for Bollig.
Yes, it is on TV on CSN+ (channel 285).
This will be the final audition for the kids, but it will also be the first Marian Hossa spotting of the fall, which is usually an indicator of a bountiful autumn harvest.
Corey Crawford is a late scratch, with Antti Raanta getting the call up to back up Nikolai Harvey Birdman. Crawford is listed as having lower leg stiffness, which sounds like a Kane pick up line more than it does a real injury.
Have at it one more time before it counts.
Well, we’re about to embark on it all. Before we head into the dress rehearsal tomorrow (please Brandon Pirri, have like four assists), and before we roll out our Central Division special on Monday and then it all kicks off on Tuesday, there’s a few questions we should wrap up. So, let us away, friends.
Will Patrick Kane crack 100 points?
He’s going to make a run at it, that’s for sure. There’s something that happened to Kane last year. He seemed to thrive in cementing himself as a top five player in the league, at least offensively. There seems to be a new determination in him to do things he hasn’t done before. He wants an Art Ross, he wants to be in the Hart conversation, he seemingly wants to erase what he used to be known for. But, as good as he was last year, he was only on pace for only 95 points.
Well, we’re about to embark on it all. Before we head into the dress rehearsal tomorrow (please Brandon Pirri, have like four assists), and before we roll out our Central Division special on Monday and then it all kicks off on Tuesday, there’s a few questions we should wrap up. So, let us away, friends.
Will Patrick Kane crack 100 points?
He’s going to make a run at it, that’s for sure. There’s something that happened to Kane last year. He seemed to thrive in cementing himself as a top five player in the league, at least offensively. There seems to be a new determination in him to do things he hasn’t done before. He wants an Art Ross, he wants to be in the Hart conversation, he seemingly wants to erase what he used to be known for. But, as good as he was last year, he was only on pace for only 95 points.
By now, what else can be said about the Toronto-Buffalo scrap from Sunday night starring old friend John Scott. I’m not going to turn this into an enforcer debate because I’d rather hear about your religious beliefs or thoughts on abortion.
Instead, the part that’s tickled me are people who try to compare the situation to what happened in the 60’s or 70’s. “For those people who are offended at this line brawl, what would you think about this fight from 1974??” they say.
I’m guessing those people would be equally offended but that’s just a hunch.
I put no stock in predictions, but damn this is a cool cover: Blackhawks.Com
This goes against everything I was ever taught: SunTimes
New Role for an old face: CSN
Pressure on Bickell: SunTimes
I like this story:Washington Post
Continuing our look around the NHL, we continue to our own conference with a look at the Pacific Division. I have to say, I really liked the idea of having no conferences whatsoever and re-seeding for the last four teams, but understand why they scrapped it. When the NHL adds two teams — and you know they will — I hope they go back to it. Anyway, let’s look at all the fodder for the Kings.
Roster shrinkage: Blackhawks
This is a thing that happened for some reason: PD
Nashville fake games will be a little less handsome: PHT
That’ll learn’em: ESPN
I’d joke but I live in a state that may end up with a whites only town: SI
It’s been a long summer for the IceHogs and their fans after the team missed the playoffs by a mere 2 points to the Milwaukee Admirals in 2012-13. The Hogs finished 9th in the Western Conference with a record of 42-31-2-1 (87 points). The roster turnover will be noticeable this year for Rockford, which is different from last season where the majority of the team was the same from the year before.
