Hello Old Scum: NHL
So um heal up Jimmy..Starting Wednesday at 10 pm: Chicago Tribune
No love loss: Comcast Chicago
HAHAHAHA: SN AUTOPLAY
I think there may be worse problems: TSN
Can’t think of much else to do today after a day off for most. So let’s see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice.
The Dizzying Highs
Marian Hossa – Well I’m not sure I quite agree with the Tribune’s assertion today that at 35 he’s better than ever (more people probably needed to see him play in Atlanta), he was certainly vintage stuff this week. Three goals and four points in three games, while firing 16 shots. We’ve talked about what Hossa’s shot totals mean, and it’s always heartening to see him getting his share. Maybe he’s taking some of Toews’s opportunities away, but no one cares at this point. I’m still jumpy about what he’ll look like after the Olympics and in the playoffs, and we know that there will be some nights where he never gets out of third gear. You can also look for him to not be in the lineup for a game or two in March, as that back is always a concern. But for right now, he’s the dominant force we know and love.
Ben Smith – This one might be a bit of a stretch, because there aren’t really any numbers to back this up, and he was a -2 over the week. But watching him play he’s been a badass. Simply everywhere and never stops working, and his PK work has improved. I still don’t know what he is (my heart says 3rd-4th line tweener), but his high rate of work definitely makes up for the lack of mobility on the other side of his line.
Crow honored: Chicago Tribune
That’s a good guy to model your game after: SunTimes
True, but cap hits aren’t: Comcast AutoPlay
In my opinion these should be flipped: TSN
Its time to troll..but was quite the streak: ESPN
Hockey is just weird sometimes. You can’t really ask the Hawks to do much more than they did tonight. From the opening bell, the Avs were pretty much rolled up in a rug and dumped in the snowy woods. But like the occasional Russian gangster who claims to wash his balls in ice water, even though he’s been shot in the head he escapes the mobsters (layered reference!). The Hawks don’t even have packs of mustard to keep them sane.
Sure, they could have cashed in on a power play. But it’s not as if the PP was totally helpless. It created enough chances, it just didn’t cash in. Sure, they’ll tell you they could have gotten more traffic in front of Semyon Varlamov, but that would just be covering up. The Hawks were there plenty of times, it just felt like the rebounds kept bouncing away from Hawks’ sticks aside from Shaw’s goal. Yeah, the penalty kill could have come up better than leaving Ryan O’Reilly enough space in front he would have died of exposure. But in OT, Hjalmarsson’s rushed clear could have taken any bounce off the glass. It just went to Matt Duchene.
The Hawks did everything but win tonight, and that happens from time to time during the season. Hockey is a cruel enough mistress to torture you by having luck play a role, and a big one. It just didn’t go the Hawks way tonight. Move on, and know that more efforts like that will result in pairs of points far more often than they’ll result in a solitary, lonely one.
Hey atleast there was one guy in the UC with a worse own goal story:Suntimes
Rediculousness snapped: Cheer the Anthem
Not for VerSteeg! Chicago Tribune
Chevy has some problem in the Peg: Sportsnet.Ca
a steady diet of Svíčková will make this possible: NBC
Box Score
Event Summary
Extra Skater
Flat, bored, slow, disinterested… whatever you want to call it, the Hawks simply weren’t in this one pretty much from the national anthems (and I really love hearing “Oh, Canada” sung in French). Taking two back-to-back penalties for tripping Daniel Briere leading to pretty much a full four minutes short handed throws off the entire game, especially since Q had hit the blender to try and spark a team that has hit a slump in the last few games. Instead of settling in with their new teammates, they were running around on the kill and saw the Habs outshoot the Hawks 10-7 in the first.
Things didn’t improve in the later frames as the Hawks gave up 12 shots in each frame without breaking double digits for themselves. This wastes a pretty phenomenal effort from Crawford as he returned to his hometown and stood on his head. It’s not terribly often that you’ll see the losing goalie get a higher star than the winner in a low scoring game.
Stymied: SunTimes
Yes I booed Gorilla Salad:HockeeNight
Oh Well: Cheer The Anthem
A shaky 20: Chicago Tribune
Gretzky likes Team Canada: TSN
Canada’s Team for the Goodwill Games:Sportsnet.Ca
Captain Canada????NESN
Sharp deserves it:PuckDaddy
That’s what happens when your country invented the sport: NHL.com
A column about hockey and cold weather…..Mind Blowing idea: SunTimes
Rosy to represent my Great-Grandmother’s Nation: Chicago Tribune
Hossa and Zus to represent Slovakia:USA Today
Swiss Trio:IIHF
Well I think Chicago has seen that first-hand: Comcast
Actual management potential in Buffalo: Puckdaddy
The Crow: HockeeNight
Spoiled Return: Chicago Tribune
One Sochi snub raises his middle finger at David Poile: Sportsnet.Ca
Comeback Stalled: Comcast Chicago
US ousted from WJC: CBC
