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Game Time: 8:00PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN+, NHLN (US), WGN-AM 720
That John Denver’s Full Of Shit, Man: Mile High Hockey, JibbleScribbits
And so the second half of this shortened season begins same as the first, with the Hawks on the road. In this case, it’s not quite as far west as before, with the Hawks taking on their soon-to-be divisional opponent Avalanche in Denver on the tail end of a home-and-home.
Hossa, Shaw and Montador will travel to Denver: (Blackhawks)
Defense: (Comcast)
Revenge of the stat nerds: (Puck Daddy)
Signed, Sealed and Delivered: (TSN)
So no one gets hurt: (The Globe and Mail)
Doesn’t really do anything:(CBC)
No Regrets: (Third Man IN)
Need to know basis: (ESPN)
Jesus Christ…Retire dude: (TSN)
This was last night’s Editorial from me in the Committed Indian. It got a lot of response, so I provide it here for everyone. If you want stuff like this and more, get a subscription to the CI by hitting the button on the top right of the page. Or just buy one outside the UC. We’re freezing our ass so you can laugh off yours.
I’m not sure I’ve had as complicated a relationship with people I actually know than I’ve had with Patrick Kane. There are some people who think I hate him, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
There are some who criticized my pummeling of his social habits because they feel it is his right to do whatever he wants away from the rink. And I agree with that. I only called for him to stop drinking not because he’s a role model or any other bullshit reason like that. I did because he simply isn’t any good at it. Same for Lindsay Lohan. She doesn’t need to stop ingesting whatever chemical she can get her grubby paws on because it might kill her. She needs to stop because she’s just no damn good at it.
But I finally put my finger on it. The bell went off, and I know why I love the kid and will defend him against any attack from any moron fan who wants him traded.
It went off as soon as Kane buried that shootout goal in Detroit, and gave the crowd that arrogant sneer I love so much, combined with the “Da fuck you gonna do about it?” raising of his palms. I get it now.
Patrick Kane is a showman. He’s a performer. He’s a rock star.
This was last night’s Editorial from me in the Committed Indian. It got a lot of response, so I provide it here for everyone. If you want stuff like this and more, get a subscription to the CI by hitting the button on the top right of the page. Or just buy one outside the UC. We’re freezing our ass so you can laugh off yours.
I’m not sure I’ve had as complicated a relationship with people I actually know than I’ve had with Patrick Kane. There are some people who think I hate him, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.
There are some who criticized my pummeling of his social habits because they feel it is his right to do whatever he wants away from the rink. And I agree with that. I only called for him to stop drinking not because he’s a role model or any other bullshit reason like that. I did because he simply isn’t any good at it. Same for Lindsay Lohan. She doesn’t need to stop ingesting whatever chemical she can get her grubby paws on because it might kill her. She needs to stop because she’s just no damn good at it.
But I finally put my finger on it. The bell went off, and I know why I love the kid and will defend him against any attack from any moron fan who wants him traded.
It went off as soon as Kane buried that shootout goal in Detroit, and gave the crowd that arrogant sneer I love so much, combined with the “Da fuck you gonna do about it?” raising of his palms. I get it now.
Patrick Kane is a showman. He’s a performer. He’s a rock star.
In tonight’s Indian, as I listed the things that were not totally up to snuff through the first half of the season, I wondered if it was going to matter if it all. Maybe the Hawks had just fallen down the rabbit hole, and logic and reason and anything that made sense was simply not going to make a difference any more.
Well, here’s tonight for you. Phil Collins would probably tell you there’s something in the air.
vs
Game Time: 7:00PM Central
TV/Radio: NBCSN, TSN2 (Canada), WGN-AM 720
Trust Fund Hippies: Mile High Hockey, JibbleScribbits
Believe it or not, tonight already marks the halfway point of this abbreviated NHL campaign (Thanks Don and Gary!). Fittingly, tonight’s opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, is the last one the Hawks have yet to face so far in the intra-conference only schedule.
Sometimes I feel like I’m beatin’ a dead horse….and I don’t know why you keep bringing me down….
That’s kind of what it feels like to try and write about the Hawks these days. There’s a little left to say. We’ve entered the territory of the absurd, and very few people have experience with this sort of thing. But we’ll try.
The 3rd line – Few would argue that the troika of force that is Andrew Shaw, Bryan Bickell, and Viktor Stalberg haven’t been the Hawks most effective line for the past few games. It seems every shift, they’re pinning whoever they’re against in their own zone for minutes at a time. They’re completing line changes while the other team is still pinned behind their own net. They should have had at least two goals yesterday, got a goal for Bickell against Columbus, had the dagger goal against St. Louis, and we could go on and on.
Stop me if you heard this before: The Blackhawks and Red Wings played a Sunday matinee at Joe Louis Arena that ended in a shootout.
In the last four seasons, it seems like the two teams have engaged in roughly 33 games that followed the script from today. One team controls the tempo, then the other team. By the end of regulation, one of the teams scores a late goal to send the game to overtime and in the overtime, both teams have opportunities for the winner.
In other words, today’s game was no different than any of the previous years between the Hawks and Wings. Except for that whole winning streak the Hawks have going. So let’s get to it.
Tonight, it became clear that the Hawks know when to pick their spots. Are they intentionally doing this? I’m going to guess no. Because I doubt Q is in the dressing room telling them to do just enough to get by the Jackets. But what were the Hawks worst games this year? Against the Flames for sure, there have been three games against Columbus where they’ve been nowhere hear their best, and they were ok against middling Sharks and Stars squads (the Sharks at home).
When have they been at their best? Against the Canucks — Luongo singlehandedly kept them out once and only a 3rd period el foldo kept the other one out — the two games against the Kings, and the Blues last night. Sure, there are some exceptions, but for the most part the Hawks have specialized in doing whatever is needed to get the two points. So it was tonight, for 21.
