Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Brad Richards

  • Angry At Numbers – 3/19

    Angry At Numbers – 3/19

    There’s still a bit of a glow about last night’s win, though around these parts we know there’s really no such thing as a signature win in the regular season. But still, holding the Rangers to 25 shots when they average 31, and to shut them out when they’re the 4th highest scoring team in the league when they’d had three days off and the Hawks were on the second in two nights and now this has become quite the run-on sentence but hey that’s how things go, there’s a half bounce in the step. So let’s check out some trends, shall we?

    58.3%

    That’s Brad Richards’s Corsi-percentage the past six games. As we’ve said all year, we’ve had a real fear that Richards would fade as the season went along as he did last year with the Rangers, which got him the buyout that landed him in Chicago in the first place. So this is pretty encouraging. It hasn’t resulted in an avalanche of points or anything, just a goal and an assist in those six. But if you keep pushing play this much, the points will follow (Bickell and Desjardins won’t biff every chance they’re presented you hope, and a motivated Versteeg would really help).

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  • Tuesday Randoms

    Few things floating in space today. Let’s clean them up.

    -While the main goal of these last five weeks is tightening up the Hawks’ game and that alone, so that they hit the playoffs with momentum and a confidence, that doesn’t mean things aren’t up for grabs in the Central. Because of the Preds regression, anything is possible here. Though thanks to the Wild’s surge, there now really isn’t anything you’d call a “good” matchup. If you think getting the Wild at any point in the playoffs will be easy, then you’re very much mistaken.

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  • Thursday Throwaways

    Thursday Throwaways

    Just some notes to cover.

    -We never did get around to analyzing the Smith-for-Desjardins trade, mostly because most of us here think it doesn’t matter in the long run. At least hopefully it doesn’t. If Ben Smith becomes the difference between winning a Cup and not, then there were probably bigger issues at play.

    By now, everyone’s realized this is a cap move. Smith was signed for one more year, and there are alternatives for his 4th line/PK role next year. While Nordstrom’s past few strong games are hardly sample size enough to have convinced the front office to do away with Smith, it does at least offer hope that any gap will be made up pretty quickly. Looking ahead to next year, Nordstrom, Hartman, and/or Danault could all find themselves on the 4th line. If Garret Ross gains 30 pounds, he might even get a look too. (I also have this sneaking suspicion that if Tyler Motte were to leave Michigan after this season he’s going to be the kid who surprises everyone at training camp. But I doubt he leaves Michigan this year).

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  • Atop The Sugar Pile – All Star Break Edition

    Atop The Sugar Pile – All Star Break Edition

    With the weekend-long bacchanalia of sponsors and meaningless events now upon the NHL season and no actual Hawks game until late Wednesday night at Staples, now is as good a time as any to take a look at where things stand.

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  • Enter The Great Gate – Predators vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Reheated Leftovers

    predator vs oldschool

    Game Time: 7:30PM
    TV/Radio: CSN, SN-1, SNP, WGN-AM 720
    Dollywood: On The Forecheck, III Communication

    While the tradition of the Boxing Day game at the UC has now been lost to the new collective bargaining agreement, and the Hawks have already played once since the Christmas holiday, tonight’s game still has the the look and feel of a game on the 26th despite being on the 29th. It remains to be seen if the crowd will be as raucous, but with two of the top teams in the league going at it for Conference III supremacy nearing the halfway point of the season, there should be plenty to get fired up for anyway.

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  • Back To Work, Casual Vomit: Hawks at Avs Preview/Pregame Thread/Beef Seasoning

    Hawk Wrestler vs. abom_bugs

    FACEOFF: 8pm

    TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN

    NAME THEM GEORGE: Mile High Hockey

    Once again, the Hawks and Avs will meet the day after Boxing Day, this time reversing venues and playing in The Pop Can in Denver. The Hawks will hope it goes a little better for them than it did the Avs last year, where DLR was called in from the pen in the 2nd period.

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  • Big Gun, #1: Hawks 4 – Kings 1

    Big Gun, #1: Hawks 4 – Kings 1

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    War On Ice

    Before and after the game last night, Darryl Sutter called the Hawks the best team in the league. Before it sounded a little strange, especially as Sutter was saying it because of different stats people should look at and Sutter always strikes people as someone who can’t add (but of course, the Kings are one of the more advanced metric team in the league and Sutter’s a big part of that). It also sounded strange to those of us who watch the Hawks every game, who get in a little deep with picking apart cracks we see because there’s just not much else to do.

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  • Angry At Numbers – Brad Religion Edition

    Angry At Numbers – Brad Religion Edition

    After today’s morning skate and yet another line jumbling putting Brad Richards on the fourth line, coach Joel Quenneville remarked “It really doesn’t matter what line he’s on. We expect consistency”. 

    Fortunately for Quenneville, there are a few numbers out there that Richards has accrued to this point in the season that might indicate just what kind of player he’s getting.

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  • Handsome Dick Manitoba – Jets vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Daylight Savings Fall Back

    benny vs AltLogo

    Game Time: 8:00PM CST
    TV/Radio: WGN, WGN-AM 720
    God Save The Queen: Arctic Ice Hockey

    Fresh off a frustrating loss in Toronto last night, the Hawks are left with no time to feel sorry about themselves as their tour of Canadian opponents continues this evening against the Jets back on the west side.

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  • Morning Links 10/28/14

    Morning Links 10/28/14

    Now or Never: LGH

    Beat it Olli: PD

    I enjoy most of this: ESPN

    Cue the meatball from Ajax bitching about Ticket prices: FS

    That’s it? CBC

    Ummmm. TS