Testing the meddle: (Chicago Tribune)
Zeros: (Autoplay CSN)
Playoff feel: (Daily Herald)
Heartthrobless: (Hockee Night)
Respect for one and just hate for another: (Cheer The Anthem)
Self-Explanatory: (Sportsnet)
It’s almost comical at this point.
The script is for all intents and purposes set in stone. Every game down in the glorified trailer park west of the Mississippi the Blues will spend the better part of the first period running around looking to decapitate anything with an Indian head on the sweater. The Hawks then weather the storm and use their speed and skill to grab a lead, and then allow the Blues to helplessly flail trying to claw their way back onto the scoreboard before the inevitable dagger, only to resume the extra curricular bullshit.
Patrick Sharp is a happy man: Daily Herald
Daniel Carcillo is not: Comcast Chicago
I really hate both of these men, even if this happened: Puck Daddy
Edmonton’s new barn has been approved: CBC
Not your familiar Frozen Four: Globe and Mail
Realignment Chatter: Cheer the Anthem
So Sharp will travel to Minny, but Bolland won’t (CSN)
PowerPlay Spark? (Chicago Tribune)
Big Goals: (Daily Herald)
The Message from the most powerful man in Canada: (TSN)
Brooklyn is calling: (Backhand Shelf)
Thanks for the clarification: (Kukla)
This is a good sign: (CBC)
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.
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.
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)
One of the pleasures of a 29 game point streak was the lack of hockey cliches used to describe the Hawks poor play. Flat, lifeless, fatigued, blah, blah, blah. Well no more. After a Edmonton 4 goal first period, all the cliches are back in full force. Luckily, you won’t find that here. Rather, let’s break down the first 4 goals to help show why the Hawks were down four after 20 minutes.
In tonight’s Indian, as I listed the things that were not totally up to snuff through the first half of the season, I wondered if it was going to matter if it all. Maybe the Hawks had just fallen down the rabbit hole, and logic and reason and anything that made sense was simply not going to make a difference any more.
Well, here’s tonight for you. Phil Collins would probably tell you there’s something in the air.
Stop me if you heard this before: The Blackhawks and Red Wings played a Sunday matinee at Joe Louis Arena that ended in a shootout.
In the last four seasons, it seems like the two teams have engaged in roughly 33 games that followed the script from today. One team controls the tempo, then the other team. By the end of regulation, one of the teams scores a late goal to send the game to overtime and in the overtime, both teams have opportunities for the winner.
In other words, today’s game was no different than any of the previous years between the Hawks and Wings. Except for that whole winning streak the Hawks have going. So let’s get to it.
