Faxes from Uncle Dale

Tag: Dave Bolland

  • Daddy's In The Doldrums: Ducks 2 – Hawks 1

    Daddy's In The Doldrums: Ducks 2 – Hawks 1

    After seeing it in person tonight, I’m more convinced than I was before that the Hawks are going through nothing more than a midseason malaise, combined with some injuries to key players. While the Hawks can pay lip service to saying that they thought this was an important game because they hadn’t beaten the Ducks, upon evidence on the ice I’m not buying it.

    Tonight, it wasn’t so much anything the Ducks did. The Hawks for the first 40 were missing passes by feet instead of inches, they were bobbling whatever passes did actually land on tape, and just generally looked like they’d been at The Houndstooth a little too late last night. It seemed like the Ducks were even more conservative in this one than they had been in the previous two games. Usually, it was only one Duck forward in on the forecheck, which the the Hawks made harder than they had to too often.

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  • One More Time – Ducks vs Hawks Preview, Pregame Thread, Russian Bath House

                                                 at 

    Game Time: 7:30PM Central
    TV/Radio: CSN, NHLN (US), WGN-AM 720
    Dawn of the Dead: Anaheim Calling, Battle of California

    Since the last time these two teams met, both teams have managed to go a combined 1-5 with Anaheim carrying a four game losing streak into the United Center. The Ducks lost both back-to-back sets with the Red Wings and Sharks, respectively, looking pretty awful in the process. (more…)

  • Morning Links 3/28/13

    Morning Links 3/28/13

    So that’s over: (TSN)

    Iggy: A Morality Play: (Cheer The Anthem)

    Defense creating offense: (CSN)

    Except when they miss assignments: (Backhand Shelf)

    Adding Iggy wasn’t the most pressing concern: (Daily Herald)

    Sorry Phoenix: (PuckDaddy)

  • Clockers: Flames 0 – Hawks 2

    Clockers: Flames 0 – Hawks 2

    When this season-in-a-can started, we heard a lot of who the one plus of it was that every game would mean something, and the players were looking forward to the intensity of each and every game.

    Yeah, about that….

    This one had the feel of a mid-January or February trudge in a normal season. After the Holiday excitement, with the playoffs too far away, you know how it goes. Just a run of the mill regular season game that both teams looked like the best reason they were there was because they had to be. After all was said and done, the Hawks ended up with a 2-0 win not akin to when your boss comes in and says you did a good job on a project you have no recollection of working on. At least I assume that happens. I wouldn’t know, I’ve never worked in an office.

    (more…)

  • Morning Links 3/26/13

    Morning Links 3/26/13

    Beat Raps:(NHL.COM)(COMCAST_AUTOPLAY)(Chi Trib)(Daily Herald)(ESPN CHI)(LATimes_AP)(FOX 32 WFLD)

    Gangsta Raps:(HockeeNight)

    Unbelievable Experience:(Daily Herald)

    Verdi on Maggie: (Blackhawks.Com)

    30 Thoughts:(CBC)

    Wow, Just Wow: (PuckDaddy)

    Intangibles will cost you: (Backhand Shelf)

    Hockey Scariest Man: (ESPN)

    More NHL 94 Fun:(PUCKDADDY)

     

  • Atop The Sugar Pile

    Atop The Sugar Pile

    It’s just about time to clock out for the weekend, and things will be quiet here until Monday when the Hawks take on the Kings on the west side. Now’s as good a time as any to stop and assess some things.

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  • Morning Links 3.22.13

    Morning Links 3.22.13

    Could the Hawks not finish 1st in the West? (Daily Herald)

    88 has become The Total Package: (Suntimes)

    Time to take advantage: (Comcast)

    The game fit the billing: (Blackhawks.Com)

    Thoughts and Strategies: (Fox 32 WFLD)

    Players feel safer: (Winnipeg Free Press)

    So James Neal is the Chad Bradford of the NHL: (Globe and Mail)

    5 Questions: (CBC)

    D-Bag worlds collide: (PuckDaddy)

    Marty scored….Again: (New York Times)

  • Morning Links 3/19/13

    Morning Links 3/19/13

    Beat Raps: (Chicago Tribune)(Daily Herald)(FOX 32)(CSN AP WARNING)(ESPN)

    Gangsta Raps: (Cheer the Anthem)(HockeeNight)(BlackhawkUP)

    Hossa’s UBI is “NOT BAD”: (ESPN)

    Kruger is settling in: (Chicago Tribune)

    Cory Perry is a rich man: (PuckDaddy)

    30 Thoughts: (CBC)

  • Some Kind Of Vengeance: Hawks 5 – Avs 2

    Some Kind Of Vengeance: Hawks 5 – Avs 2

    The easy storyline to this one tonight is that the Hawks were pissed off about having their streak to end all streaks snapped at this place and wanted to make up for it. That’s lazy. To me, all we saw tonight was the road team simply outclassing the home team, and doing what it does to a defensive unit that is in now way equipped to handle them. Oh, and apparently someone decided to remind Jonathan Toews that Erik Johnson was drafted ahead of him, and he proceeded to make EJ’s mom embarrassed she gave birth to such a clod. Jordan Staal better thank his lucky stars that Toews won’t get to him next year, I guess.

    And in the end, it runs out a routine victory. While it’s over the last place team in the conference, you can’t help but be utterly delighted by the effort, the movement, and the creativity at times. It’s a comparison I’ve drawn before, but there were moments where the Hawks were so far ahead and away from the Avs tonight it looked like USSR ’78 out there. Or what I assume that would have looked like. Just cycles, passes, and chances created that Colorado was helpless to do anything about.

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  • Morning Links 3/14/13

    Morning Links 3/14/13

    CBJ Preview: NHL

    Hayes is on the second line: Chicago Tribune

    The third line is back together: Comcast

    10 Lessons from the last month and a half: Blackhawk Up

    More incentive for Beer Pong: Vancouver Province

    Well Cory Perry is a Duck for at least four more games: TSN

    Optimism for Sochi: Sportsnet.Ca

    Thinking twice about long-term contracts: Backhand Shelf

    This is just sad: CBC