Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Chicago Blackhawks

  • One More Special Message To Go: Hawks at Predators Preview/Pregame Thread/Parent-Teacher Meeting

    oldschool vs. Nashville_Pussy_4

    FACEOFF; 7pm Central

    TV/RADIO: NBCSN, CSN, WGN Radio

    MUSIC CITY MAESTRO: On The Forecheck

    The Hawks head into Nashville tonight to wrap up the regular season and…

    Picture 1

    Yeah, sorry folks. That sums it up basically. All yours.

  • So That Happened: Hawks 0 – Caps 4

    I’m going to put as much effort into this wrap as the Hawks did in this game:

    Discuss.

  • Morning Links 4/11/14

    Morning Links 4/11/14

    Let us all hope the videos continue with Brian Leetch: TSN

    Teuvo time in Rock Vegas: CSN AUTO

    BYCRACKY: Tribune

    This is an upset: PuckDaddy

    This may just be a Miracle: ESPN

    Not the first and not the last: Sportsnet.Ca

    Hockey’s Flagship is in trouble: CBC

     

  • Atop The Sugar Pile – Regular Season Edition

    Atop The Sugar Pile – Regular Season Edition

    I thought I’d knock this out today, with two games to end the season and attendance at HockeeNight’s thing on Saturday making Sunday completely useless. So let’s do our full season Atop The Sugar Pile.

    The Dizzying Highs

    Niklas Hjalmarsson – I named him The CI’s Player Of The Season in last night’s issue. And for me, everything has basically centered around him this campaign. Yes, Duncan Keith is the main cog in the engine, or maybe even the engine himself, that drives the Hawks game. But Keith was allowed to be that this season because Hammer was so good and earning the top assignments. It allowed Keith to dominate lesser competition, and when Keith is controlling the ice everything about the Hawks’ game opens up.

    While we can look at almost every other Hawks and find a portion of their season that dipped or had a slump, it’s hard for me to remember a time when Hammer’s game varied 5% either way. The only time he looked vulnerable was lately when he had to be paired with Sheldon Brookbank. But who wouldn’t? Hammer’s poise defensively and with the puck has been startling to watch when you consider where he was two years ago. He never panics, he’s always in position, and his short but assured passes to the middle simple deflate every forecheck and start the Hawks the other way.

    Has he been the all around game that Keith has? No. But he’s the best defensive defenseman on the team this year. He might be the best kept secret in the NHL, but I don’t think it’ll stay that way for much longer.

    (more…)

  • Morning Links 4/10/14

    Morning Links 4/10/14

    Finally: CTA

    Another great Photoshop: HN

    It’s some dock supervisor at Pier 34. He says the Titanic just arrived SCH

    Soon: TSN

    About Time: Tribune

  • Morning Links 4/8/14

    Morning Links 4/8/14

    Really, no way?: CSN

    Wait, What? Suntimes

    Unhappy in the ‘Peg: The Score

    4 more years of not going to Rays games: TSN

    I can’t wait to see what Grapes says about this: Sportsnet

    It was only a matter of time: Twitter

  • Oh, Um, Oh, I Was Just Arranging Matches: Blues at Hawks Preview/Pregame Thread/Hootenany

    old_school_blue_l vs. Hawk Wrestler

    PUCK DROP: 11-Fucking-30 in the AM

    TV/RADIO: NBC, TSN2, 87.7FM (This is where David Kaplan orally farts now, in case you were curious)

    BELCH: St. Louis Gametime

    I’m sure when NBC flexed this game to another Sunday morning coming down they were hoping for a deciding tilt in the Central Division. What they’ll get is basically two entrenched team, one that’s coming off an utter disaster and another mental meltdown and one that’s missing two of the five best players in the league that is basically just trying to get its game in order. It’ll be a passionate affair as these contests always are, but considering the start time and the lack of much riding on it, probably not exactly what the execs were hoping for.

    (more…)

  • Hang On Sloopy: Hawks at Jackets Preview/Pregame Thread/Burnination

    AltLogo vs. Chief_Blue_Meanie

    PUCK DROP: 6pm Central

    TV/RADIO: CSN, WGN Radio

    WE MEANIES ONLY TAKE NO FOR AN ANSWER: Jackets Cannon

    The Hawks continue this exercise in perspective tonight in Ohio, facing a pretty spiky Blue Jackets team that is scrapping for either a wild-card spot or even taking the last automatic one in the Metrosexual. They also played last night and did their cause a world of good by shutting out the Flyers in Philadelphia.

    (more…)

  • Morning Links 4/4/14

    Morning Links 4/4/14

    Fantastic: HockeeNight

    Yup:SCH

    Call it whatever you want: Chicago Tribune

    Clutch in the shootout: SunTimes

    A new look: TSN

  • Whatever: Wild 2 – Hawks 2 (Hawks win Cowboys And Indians)

    Whatever: Wild 2 – Hawks 2 (Hawks win Cowboys And Indians)

    Box Score

    Event Summary

    Extra Skater

    Well they won’t box up the video of this one and send it off to Toronto for safe keeping. This one looked every bit like two teams missing some key players who really don’t have much on the line just getting through the schedule. But I suppose when you’re missing two of the five best players in the league and then are stripped of one of your top four, you’ll take the points however they get there. So it goes.

    And in reality, I liked the Hawks’ structure tonight for the most part. They were hitting the line with five, they were coming all the way back to be available, and when they do that they really keep the other team from getting sustained pressure. The Wild had their moments, but I don’t feel like Crawford ever had to be a poltergeist to keep the puck out of the net. Sure, he still looked behind him twice but those were results of some fluky bounces and deflections.

    Of course, a deviation from that structure is what caused the tying goal, but we’ll get to that.

    (more…)