Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Dave Bolland

  • The Path Is Clear, Now You Must Walk It

    Yeah, I know. The light out of the darkness is looking awfully faint, if it can be seen at all. There’s an overwhelming urge to start declaring who takes the fall, who doesn’t, what changes need to be made going forward, what went wrong, all that.

    But really, this is not over. Maybe it feels like that to you, but the margins of this 3-1 deficit just aren’t all that large. To overturn it, a massive transformation doesn’t have to be engineered. In fact, a lot of the Hawks are doing already is all that needs to be done. It just can’t be interrupted.

    Last night, aren’t we essentially talking about the difference in Leddy and Kindl taking the exact same shot from the same place, both hitting the inside of the post, one going in and one going out? That’s pretty much what separated teams last night.

    You can’t win all three games tomorrow night. You can only win the one. So how do the Hawks go about doing that?

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  • Panic In Detroit: Hawks 0 – Detroit 2 (Detroit leads 3-1)

    Panic In Detroit: Hawks 0 – Detroit 2 (Detroit leads 3-1)

    So much to say when so confused and so shocked.

    I don’t think anyone, whatever side you’re on, though we’d find ourselves here. While the temptation is to start pointing fingers and do the postmortem, we’re not there yet. Because after two very close games, the Hawks have come up on the wrong end for small reasons. Let’s try and parse out how they got here, who’s responsible, and why they’ll come back in this series (and they will).

    Most arrows in the quiver are being aimed at Q. Most of them are justified, some aren’t. The rest are being aimed at Toews. Mostly fair too. But for the first time tonight in the 3rd with a 2-on-1, Toews deferred when he shouldn’t have. That’s discouraging. But it’s not the end of the tale.

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  • Morning Links 5/21/13

    Morning Links 5/21/13

    Bitch-Slapped: TSN

    Living on a prayer:Cheer The Anthem

    Not what they wanted to do: Chicago Tribune

    Cloudy:The Third Man In

    A Zone of Danger:HockeeNight

    Frustration:WFLD Fox 32

    Motor City Mayhem: Globe and Mail

    Robbed! PuckDaddy

    Game 3 is a must win:Daily Herald

    If you can help out, please do:RedCross

     

     

  • I Guess You Have To Have A Problem If You Want To Invent A Contraption: Hawks 1 – Scum 3 (Scum lead 2-1)

    I Guess You Have To Have A Problem If You Want To Invent A Contraption: Hawks 1 – Scum 3 (Scum lead 2-1)

    Well isn’t this fun?

    Let’s get some things out of the way first, because they probably need to be addressed. It’s not over. It’s not fucked. Quite simply, and maybe it’s just my opinion, but the Hawks are where or very close to where they need to be. There will be a lot of panic these next two days, they will be Chinese water torture, but if you can find a reasonable Wings fan they will tell you that nothing is cinched up here.

    Will Thursday be fun? Oh god no. By the time puck drop hits you’ll be in cold sweats and Johnny Walker Blue won’t even get you out of it. Will you sleep between now and then? No, probably not. But we’ve been here before. I thought it was over down 2-1 to the Preds in 2010. They answered. They’ll answer again. Not even that much has to change.

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  • Making Love In A Firefight: Hawks at Wings Game 3 Preview/Pregame Thread/Brake Pad Replacing

    Hawk Wrestler vs. chevy-volt-destroyed-crash-no-fire-628

    FACEOFF: 6:30pm Central

    TV/RADIO: NBCSN, CBC for the hosers, WGN 720am

    REVERSE METATRON: Winging It In Motown

    For the first time in this playoff run, the sphincters are tightening just a bit. The Hawks face some actual adversity. While this isn’t a must-win game for them — any of the two in Bailout Town will do, really — you wouldn’t want to be around if the Hawks actually trail in this series. Combined with a bounce back needed from the condor egg the Hawks laid on Saturday afternoon, and we all could use a fiery effort tonight.

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  • Morning Links 5/20/13

    Morning Links 5/20/13

    Rattlehead is playing in Game 3: Chicago Tribune

    Dream a little dream: Daily Herald

    Time to get excited: Comcast Autoplay

    Pace: Blackhawk Up

    Prove it: ESPN

    Convergence? NHL

  • If You Can Hear A Piano Fall: Scum 4 – Hawks 1 (Series Tied 1-1)

    If You Can Hear A Piano Fall: Scum 4 – Hawks 1 (Series Tied 1-1)

    After Game 1 Mike Babcock declared that the 4-1 scoreline was perfectly justified to represent how the game went. After Game 2, Joel Quenneville was just as assured that this 4-1 scoreline was indicative of what went on. Both were perfectly correct.

    While it’s hardly cause for panic or tearing one’s hair out (if you’re unlike me and have any), Detroit was the far better team today. At times, it felt as if the Hawks felt as if it would be as easy as it was in Game 1 for the final 40 minutes. However, that completely discounts that they’re playing the DETROIT RED WINGS. While it’s something you can’t quantify, no matter the talent or speed deficit, the players on that team do come with a bathtub of pride and are not simply going to let anyone have their way.

    Yeah, I know. That speaks to a “flatness.” But that’s a component today. The Hawks were just simply not working as hard as Detroit, who made it clear they knew they had to have this game (which they did). The Hawks didn’t match that. That’s not the whole reason they lost today, but it’s definitely part of it.

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  • Morning Links 5/17/13

    Morning Links 5/17/13

    100% Inaccurate: Chicago Tribune

    Luck be a Lady Byng: TSN

    Kruger sees room for improvement: Chicago Tribune

    Sharp is slaying all-comers: Daily Herald

    Legit or Bad officiating: PuckDaddy

    Detroit will stay Datsyukian: Sportsnet.CA

    68 might be done: Backhand Shelf

  • We’re Going To Be Friends – Scum vs Hawks Game 1 Preview, Pregame Thread, Tux Fitting

    Mordor vs Minas_Tirith

    Game Time: 7:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, CBC (Anglo), RDS (Franco), The Loop 97.9FM
    Little Too Tall, Coulda Used a Few Pounds: Winging it in Motown, Abel to Yzerman

    It had to be this way, didn’t it? While it was thought that the final regular season tilt between the Hawks and Wings was going to be the swan song for the rivalry before Scum headed east, that belief was strengthened by Minnesota’s ineptitude in the final week with their plummet to the eighth seed. But a funny thing happened on the way to Mordor, as the Wings were able to off the on-paper contender Ducks in seven games, and so it has now come to pass. One last dance before bidding adieu, with actual stakes attached.

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  • We're Going To Be Friends – Scum vs Hawks Game 1 Preview, Pregame Thread, Tux Fitting

    Mordor vs Minas_Tirith

    Game Time: 7:00PM Central
    TV/Radio: NBCSN, CBC (Anglo), RDS (Franco), The Loop 97.9FM
    Little Too Tall, Coulda Used a Few Pounds: Winging it in Motown, Abel to Yzerman

    It had to be this way, didn’t it? While it was thought that the final regular season tilt between the Hawks and Wings was going to be the swan song for the rivalry before Scum headed east, that belief was strengthened by Minnesota’s ineptitude in the final week with their plummet to the eighth seed. But a funny thing happened on the way to Mordor, as the Wings were able to off the on-paper contender Ducks in seven games, and so it has now come to pass. One last dance before bidding adieu, with actual stakes attached.

    (more…)