Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Brad Richards

  • Love Is A Long Road: Hawks Win Stanley Cup

    Love Is A Long Road: Hawks Win Stanley Cup

    I’m going to eschew the normal wrap here. Because who the fuck would want to read it anyway? If you’re lucky, you get one game per season where the minutiae doesn’t matter at all, only the ending. Around these parts, we’ve gotten three of them. It’s still hard to get my arms around typing that.

    In fact, all of last night is hard to get your arms around. Just a surreal day, with the weather playing a huge part in it. I’ve been doing this seven full seasons now, and never in all the games I’ve sold programs before had it rained like that. Sure, it rained hard for 20 minutes at times, or a steady drizzle for an hour. But this was relentless. I was trapped in my car for 15-20 minutes, and when I could finally get out the water in the street was over my ankles. I think my socks still weigh four to five pounds.

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  • At The End Of A Gun – Game 4 – Lightning vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Site Survey

    greased lightning vs oldschool

    Game Time: 7:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, CBC, TVA, WGN-AM 720
    Piss And Vinegar: Raw Charge

    Tonight on the west side the Stanley Cup Final makes the turn to the back stretch with the Hawks needing a win at home to keep the Lightning from heading back to Tampa with an opportunity to clinch. While not literally a “must win”, it’s as close as it gets for the Hawks, who are looking to even up the series and put themselves in a far more advantageous position moving forward.

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  • In Search Of… – Game 7 – Hawks at Ducks Preview, Pregame Thread, Instrument Recalibration

    oldschool at draft_lens1960363module9273829photo_1209145008daffy-duck-donald-duck

    Game Time: 7:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBC, CBC, TVA, WGN-AM 720
    Story Of My Life: Anaheim Calling, Battle of California

    It has been 363 days since the Blackhawks lost a Game 7 in the Western Conference Final on home ice, blowing two separate two goal leads and a lead going into the third period. Tonight they will finally get a chance to take another step in righting the wrong that was last season, and all that stands in their way is the West’s number 1 seed on their home ice in the form of the Anaheim Ducks.

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  • You Gotta Keep 'Em Separated: Ducks 4 – Hawks 5 OT (Series Tied 2-2)

    You Gotta Keep 'Em Separated: Ducks 4 – Hawks 5 OT (Series Tied 2-2)

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War On Ice

    Natural Stat Trick

    Even the next day I’m not sure where to begin this. So let’s flip it and look at it how a Ducks fan (if there is such a thing) might look at it. You still haven’t lost in regulation, and had Corey Crawford not put on two borderline-incredible overtime performances in Games 2 and 4, this series might already be over. Your 3rd period magic has now worked both ways, in that the Ducks were able to protect leads, and rather easily, rather easily in Games 1 and 3. And then there was that comeback, which has been a Ducks specialty this season, in Game 4. You’ve rolled the Hawks in the overtimes, they still only have four ES goals in the series. So yeah, things probably look pretty rosy, even if you think you can’t waste a three goals in 37 seconds burst like that.

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  • You Gotta Keep ‘Em Separated: Ducks 4 – Hawks 5 OT (Series Tied 2-2)

    You Gotta Keep ‘Em Separated: Ducks 4 – Hawks 5 OT (Series Tied 2-2)

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War On Ice

    Natural Stat Trick

    Even the next day I’m not sure where to begin this. So let’s flip it and look at it how a Ducks fan (if there is such a thing) might look at it. You still haven’t lost in regulation, and had Corey Crawford not put on two borderline-incredible overtime performances in Games 2 and 4, this series might already be over. Your 3rd period magic has now worked both ways, in that the Ducks were able to protect leads, and rather easily, rather easily in Games 1 and 3. And then there was that comeback, which has been a Ducks specialty this season, in Game 4. You’ve rolled the Hawks in the overtimes, they still only have four ES goals in the series. So yeah, things probably look pretty rosy, even if you think you can’t waste a three goals in 37 seconds burst like that.

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  • See You In The Shallows – Game 1 – Hawks at Ducks Preview, Pregame Thread, Radiator Flushing

    oldschool at duck tales

    Game Time: 2:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBC, CBC (Anglo), TVA (Franco), WGN-AM 720
    Waste Of Mind: Anaheim Calling, Battle of California

    Yes, they are in fact still playing. And the Western Conference Final at long last begins this afternoon in Orange County, where the Ducks look to advance to their first Cup final since 2007, and the the Hawks attempt to win their third Cup in six seasons.

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  • Kick Your Door Down – Game 4 – Hawks at Wild Preview, Pregame Thread, Asphalt Resealing

    oldschool vs wildthings

    Game Time: 8:30PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, SportsNet (Anglo), TVA2 (Franco), WGN-AM 720
    Blood Makes The Blade Holy: Hockey Wilderness

    Mark it 2-9 in road Game 3’s now. On Tuesday night the Hawks won their first road game three since 2010 in the second round against Vancouver, and even in that series it was to take a 2-1 series lead. And now for the first time in the Renaissance Era the Hawks have the opportunity to end a series unblemished on opposition ice.

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  • Here Comes A Regular – Game 3 – Hawks at Wild Preview, Pregame Thread, Paradigm Shift

    oldschool at wildthings

    Game Time: 7:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, CBC (Anglo), TVA (Franco), WGN-AM 720
    Raspberry Beret: Hockey Wilderness

    With the series now shifting back to the Twin Cities for games 3 and 4, the expectation is that the momentum will naturally shift back to the Wild, given the Hawks’ abysmal record in game 3’s on the road under Joel Quenneville. The only victory in 10 tries has been Game 3 in 2010 in Vancouver, but that doesn’t mean that anything is a foregone conclusion tonight.

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  • Oh There You Are: Preds 3 – Hawks 4 (Hawks win series 4-2)

    Oh There You Are: Preds 3 – Hawks 4 (Hawks win series 4-2)

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War On Ice

    Natural Stat Trick

    The talking point of the Hawks “turning it on” had become just about as tedious as “Good Rex Bad Rex, “Good Jay, Bad Jay,” “Why no one goes to Comiskey Park, ” and “The Wrigley Bleachers.” It had gotten silly, and I fell into it, because the Hawks aren’t selectively playing well or not based solely on their whims. They’re inconsistent because that’s the team that they are.

    And then of course they went ahead and turned it on.

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  • Color Me Impressed – Wild vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Dermatologist Appointment

    jesse ventura vs oldschool

    Game Time: 7:30PM Central
    TV/Radio: CSN, NBCSN (national), WGN-AM 720
    Computer Blue: Hockey Wilderness

    While the Hawks first game of consequence in the month of April did not go as planned against the Trailer Park Boys, the Hawks are still in the conversation for home ice provided they get some help while taking care of their own business. And that business involves the Wild tonight, where the Hawks can clinch no worse than the third seed in the Central with a single point.

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