vs 
Game Time: 7:30PM Central
TV/Radio: CSN+ (ch 285 HD), no radio
Big Money Rustlas: WIIM, A2Y
If the lines around the block from the United Center of weirdos and the unemployable yesterday afternoon and evening for a scrimmage weren’t indication enough, hockey is back. At least it kind of is as the slate of pre-season dry humps kicks off tonight against the visiting Wings.
With it now established that everyone has reported to camp in the best shape of their respective lives and that everyone has great chemistry, with no transaction yet to free up cap space, there was very little substance coming out of South Bend. But when has there ever been anything of worth coming out of South Bend?
We continue our roll through what will matter and what won’t in the upcoming season. Today we go over to longtime guy I Am Not Chico Maki and his two queries.
Will the addition of Dineen (and subtraction of Kompon) be noticed in any tangible way on and/or off the ice?
On the ice maybe. If Kompon was in charge of the power play, then we can assume that Dineen will be as well. If Kitchen takes it over, then God help us all. Anyway, the thing is it’s fun to joke about how incompetent Kompon made the power play (it’s one of Kings’ fans faves), but the Hawks did finish 10th last year with a respectable 19.5% clip. Of course, the year before that they were awful, and each year in the playoffs they’ve been pretty much woeful for long stretches.
We continue our roll through what will matter and what won’t in the upcoming season. Today we go over to longtime guy I Am Not Chico Maki and his two queries.
Will the addition of Dineen (and subtraction of Kompon) be noticed in any tangible way on and/or off the ice?
On the ice maybe. If Kompon was in charge of the power play, then we can assume that Dineen will be as well. If Kitchen takes it over, then God help us all. Anyway, the thing is it’s fun to joke about how incompetent Kompon made the power play (it’s one of Kings’ fans faves), but the Hawks did finish 10th last year with a respectable 19.5% clip. Of course, the year before that they were awful, and each year in the playoffs they’ve been pretty much woeful for long stretches.
Time to start, and because he’s earned the right we’re going to kick this off with the very bearded and very Irish MightyMikeD’s queries:
When do we see Teuvo?
That would depend on who you talk to. Most seem to think he’ll start the year in Rockford, in which case it’s likely he would be up no later than the Holidays, depending on the rest of the lineup shakes out and injuries and other various factors.
Me? I think he starts the season with the Hawks.
Time to start, and because he’s earned the right we’re going to kick this off with the very bearded and very Irish MightyMikeD’s queries:
When do we see Teuvo?
That would depend on who you talk to. Most seem to think he’ll start the year in Rockford, in which case it’s likely he would be up no later than the Holidays, depending on the rest of the lineup shakes out and injuries and other various factors.
Me? I think he starts the season with the Hawks.
These days, I’m basically piggy-backing off the better hockey writers around because it’s late August and I can’t be bothered to think of anything myself. That will change next week when the calendar flips to September and we can really start to preview the upcoming season. It doesn’t feel like the season is about to start until the NFL starts, at least to me. But nothing gets you ready for the start of hockey season like Kaner in a Bears jersey, right?
So today, it’s basically a reaction to Down Goes Brown’s study of why scoring was so batshit crazy in the 80’s and then by the mid-90’s had completely arrested. Sean provides a multitude of reasons, from the difference in goalies, expansion, rules-relaxations, defensive systems that became successful, and all of these are correct in their own way.
That’s not really why I’m here today though, as I’d more like to look at whether or not there needs to be a clamoring for something of a return to those free-scoring ways.
