So, I’m back…For an update my apple died, and rather than getting it repaired I saved up for a new Intel powered MacBook Pro. So I’m sorry to everyone I wasn’t able to reply to, I promise if you keep in touch through the season I’ll get back to you.
Guess what? Martin Havlat is hurt! I know, I should have expected it, but I drafted him in 2 of my 3 fantasy teams. But on a positive note, we’ve beaten the Red Wings twice!!!!! The kids can play (if any one remembers the Sox used that slogan & won a world series); even without Martin Havlat, Pat Kane has made tremendous contributions to the ‘Hawks, and is a big reason they are 2-2-1 (he’s the second leading scorer). And both of the wins are against the Wings.
The ex Wings, Jason Williams and Robert Lang, had pretty good games for the Hawks. While Williams went pointless he set up a few chances, drew a big tripping penalty towards the end of the 1st period on Dominik Hasek. But Lang put the biscuit in the basket on a power play late in the 3rd period to wrap up the game for the Hawks.
My favorite moment from tonight was the Adam Burish, Dallas Drake fight at the end of the 1st period. Even though he lost, Burish is all heart; he clearly know’s his role on the team, he’s been holding down his teammates so far this season. Next time I go to a bar in Lincoln Park and someone steps on my shoes,
I want Burish to step up and kick ass.
Unfortunately, with Havlat out (indefinitely) the ‘Hawks need to find someone who can score. Jonathan Toews & Pat (Eddie Olczyk said he wants to be called Pat now) Kane are supposed to bear the torch in the future, but not now. Who will score consistantly? Hopefully the kids can answer that…..I mean we beat the Wings twice already!!!!
I know this is supposed to be a Blackhawks blog, and I’m writing about it late but this was too funny to pass up. NHL ‘08 cover boy Eric Staal and his younger brother, Calder Trophy finalist, Jordan Staal were arrested on charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process in Minnesota last week celebrating Eric’s bachelor party.
The Staal brothers and 14 others in the party were arrested after several concerned citizens called in complaints of, “screaming, yelling, and playing loud music” and according to the AP article “harrassing motorists” on a local highway, which led to their arrest. These are their mug shots
What I thought was the best part was that the sheriff’s had to wake the Staal brothers up to arrest them, because according to their agent, “they were asked to go to bed, and they did. … A couple of the kids kept going. That’s what caused the continued disturbance.”
This is why the NHL is the “Coolest Game on Earth.” But I want someone to ask the important questions, like what kind of entertainment did they have? Can you get a stripper in Middle of Nowhere, Minnesota?
Since hockey has been overshadowed by point shaving NBA referees, the media’s self righteous search for Barry Bonds stash, and football players who moonlight as dog fight promoters, I didn’t really have anything hockey related to write about….But now I do!
I was looking at ESPN.com today and read an article from The Hockey News about the 5 biggest free agent busts of this offseason. While deep down, I’m an optimist, I was pleasantly surprised not to see the Hawks 2yr/$8 million signing of Robert Lang after two+ seasons underachieving in Detroit. I mean it wasn’t even an honorable mention!!!
Now I don’t want to come off harsh, but 62 and 52 points with those talented players in Detroit is underachieving. In ‘04 before Lang came over from Washington he was leading the league in scoring, but after Jagr was traded to NY his numbers started to lag. When he got to Detroit he scored 5 points in 6 games and the blew out his knee. Then in 2 full seasons his numbers continued to slide; hopefully he can rediscover his youth teamed with Martin Havlat but he’s 36 on a team that is not as deep offensively as the Red Wings making $4 million a year.
But Lang is the bright spot when you compare his numbers to faceoff specialist, Yanic Perreault. Perreault is great in his own end which hopefully will rub off on some of the kids, but somehow he always finds his way back to Toronto at the trade deadline. He did manage to squeeze out 21 goals and 38 points last year, most of it coming in the abyss in Phoenix. Yanic has been very steady over the past decade scoring at least 31 points in 10 of the last 11 seasons, and 17 or more goals the last 9 seasons…so its not all bad. But the Hawks aren’t a team that was just a few pieces away from…well…anything.
The bright light at the end of the tunnel a.k.a. Patrick Kane, signed his 3 year entry contract last week. GM Dale Tallon reitorated his stance from Draft Night that, “Patrick will get every opportunity to earn a spot on the opening night roster”…Earlier this month Patrick Kane led the Hawks in scoring at the annual prospects camp with fellow first rounders Jonathan Toews and Jack Skille…..Kane, along with fellow American Hawk prospects, goalies Joseph Palmer and Josh Unice, were invited to the U.S.A. Hockey Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, NY, next week. They’ll have a shot to make the 20-man roster for the 2008 World Junior championships.
Finally, the Hawks ended their affiliation with Norfolk this past season, so the kids need a place to play, close to home. The Hawks new AHL affiliate is…..the Rockford Ice Hogs, in beautiful Rockford, IL.
This weekend the free agent spending spree begins and who will the Hawks pick up?….Wait the better question is will Bill Wirtz and Bob Pulford take the locks off the checkbook so that Dale Tallon can buy some help for Martin Havlat……
Actually, there’s a better question…Who wants to come here?
Does anyone remember what happened to the Bulls in those first few years after Jordan left? Remember Jerry Krause’ plan to lose big then cash-in with a big time free agent? Remember how no one wanted any of the Bulls money? Wouldn’t the Blackhawks reputation as one of the cheapest teams in the league have made its way to the players.
Even in the “New Era” of the NHL the Hawks haven’t taken advantage of “cost certainty” and spent to the cap. In the two days I’ve been putting this together Daniel Briere, Scott Gomez and Chris Drury have all cashed in with 8yr/$52 mil, 7yr/$51 mil & 5yr/$35 mil respectively. All three of these guys are coming into the prime of their careers and wanted to play in big cities. With a payroll near the salary floor of $36 million or so, and the cap rising to a little over $50 million, the Blackhawks have the money so why couldn’t any top level free agents come here?
While offense has become a priority in the post-lockout NHL, the Hawks have been the lowest scoring team in the league. In fact, the Hawks goal total has declined over the last two years, so they clearly need help. The Hawks have tried to address this with buying former stars who are trying to ressurect their careers (Peter Bondra), at discount prices. Of course my favorite plan is to play the kids, then hope and pray that they will learn “how to win.” The Hawks did get Martin Havlat though….
It seems that the benefits of playing for the Blackhawks don’t even come close to outweighing the costs. While any athlete would love to live in a world class city, the 3rd largest market in the country and play for an Original Six franchise, barely anyone shows up at the United Center, you can’t watch a home game on TV and Bill Wirtz is still the owner.
So maybe they have to play the kids because they can’t leave and don’t know any better, or maybe things will change and at the end of the week I’ll celebrate all the great players that signed here….
One day into the 2007 off-season the Blackhawks have made their big splash by extending GM Dale Tallon contract for 2 more years.
Since stepping out of the booth and in to the front office in June of 2005, the Hawks amassed a whopping 65 points in ‘05-’06 and 71 points last season. Other noteable achievements during Tallon’s 2 years in charge are the worst offense since the league returned from the lockout at 2.46 goals a game, and the Hawks are on their second head coach, but their previous affiliation with the Norfolk Admirals resulted in back to back playoff appearances.
In a statement to the AP Tallon said, “We are continuing to put together the pieces of the puzzle that are going to make the Blackhawks a very competitive team. We are getting closer to where we want to be and when we get there we are going to stay there for a very long time.”
So he’s got two more years to make that happen….we’ll see
Well, it all unfolded just like I thought, Dale Tallon and his entourage walked up to the podium and selected Patrick Kane. I didn’t realize how old it made me feel watching the draft, I mean I’m only 24, but the kids look like they’re 13, James van Riemsdyk looked like he just started puberty.
I thought the Hawks did pretty well, they got the kid that will most likely be playing in the NHL this year. Especially since Chris Drury, Daniel Briere or any other established world class talent won’t be coming here through free agency. By the way, I don’t know how many people watched but Dale Tallon said several times Kane would be given every opportunity to make the roster for the upcoming season, but Ken Holland and Wayne Gretzky were very non-comittal about seeing their picks in the next two years.
The Hawks picked up a few kids who may do some damage down the road; C, Maxime Tanguay, who is Alex Tanguay’s little bro & LW, Bill Sweatt, who was the fastest skater in the draft and some scouts had him going in the 1st round.
So it looks like the future is bright, and its the off-season so there aren’t any games to crush my hopes…
So to update what happened last night. The Hawks traded Adrian Aucoin and their 7th round pick on Saturday for clean towels and a hair net, I mean Andrei Zyuzin and Steve Marr. I don’t know if this makes either team better; I’m indifferent about it….speechless.
Like I said yesterday this is just classic Keenan, bringing all his old players back to him…Stephane Matteau will probably be in camp with the Flames in September. I guess the Hawks get two guys who will sit and collect a pay check for one more season.
Well the day is finally here and the Hawks get to celebrate their greatest victory since…the 1961 Stanley Cup; the #1 pick in tonights draft. This year the league has moved the first round to prime time on friday night (6:30 p.m. CT) and just in case Versus bungles their draft coverage, like they did for the NHL Awards, you can watch streaming coverage on NHL.com. I’m sure that millions of people will cut their happy hours short to get home and tune in.
The “experts” are saying that while there isn’t a Sidney Crosby or an Alexander Ovechkin in this draft, its still deep. “Deep” means one of two things everyone is so good that there’s no difference between the first 5 or 10 picks or that they’re all equally underwhelming. If anyone has been to the Hawks website over the past week they seemed to have narrowed their choices down to the top three guys according to NHL Central Scouting. The consensus top three are:
Kyle Turris, C from the Burnaby Express in the BCHL. Kyle is 18 and burned up juniors in British Columbia posting 66 goals and 121 points this past season. While he’s talented, the number 1 rated prospect, scouts worry that he may not be NHL ready right now.
Patrick Kane, RW from the London Knights in the OHL. Most insiders are saying he may be the #1 pick. In his only season with the Knights, Kane led them with 62 and 145 points, and he played very well for the U.S. in the World Junior tournament. He lacks size at 5-9 but has always found ways to make plays and score. He also has the best shot to see some time with the Hawks this season.
James van Riemsdyk, LW from the U.S. National Team Development Program. He’s the x-factor, van Riemsdyk has the pro body at 6-3, 200 lbs. But he’s only one year removed from playing high school hockey in New Jersey, he did have a strong U-18 World Championships though. Van Riemsdyk is a huge gamble because of the dreaded “upside potential,” (I thought that was reserved for the NBA) so he’ll need some time in the Juniors or the AHL at the very least.
My money is on Kane, he plays with a chip on his shoulder, in an interview on NHL.com he said he was upset that he had been overlooked by agents and that motivated his play on the ice. Kane’s got heart, grit and he’ll probably play this season, but these are the Hawks and they’ll probably continue down the path of greatest resistance.
On a side note Blackhawks.com says 3,200 people got tickets to the draft party tonight. If anyone goes let me know how it went…
What’s up, I’m Matt and I’ll be bringing you everything Blackhawks…
Right now its looks like the Hawks just shipped Captain Adrian Aucoin to the Flames, I haven’t seen what they got back though. Mike Keenan is at it again, brining all his former players back to his bench. At least giving him up is a step in the right direction, since Aucoin is a big, slow defenseman, who hasn’t been healthy since he came to Chicago, and Dale Tallon has said a few times during last season that the Hawks acquisitions after the lockout were mistakes. Aucoin was their second biggest addition in the summer of ‘05 after Khabibulin. ESPN.com isn’t saying what if anything the Hawks are getting back, but hopefully this is more than addition by subtraction.
Earlier this week the Hawks brought in Sergei Samsonov from Montreal, for Jassen Cullimore and Tony Salmelainen. Cullimore was nothing more than a paper weight, playing in 1/2 the Hawks games in the 2 years he was here, and Salmelainen was a speedy, gritty 3rd or 4th line winger, and his 6 goals won’t really be missed. The upside is Samsonov, who if anyone remembers, was picked by the Bruins 7 spots after #1 Joe Thornton, so he’s got the skills to compliment Martin Havlat.
In his first 5 seasons Samsonov averaged around 58 points and 25 goals, but since he put up 70 points in ‘01-’02 he hasn’t scored more than 18 goals and 40 points in a season. His decline isn’t the fault of his teammates; he’s played with Thornton, of course, and other scorers like Brian Rolston, Mike Knuble, and Glen Murray in Boston, then with Saku Koivu and Michael Ryder in Montreal.
But the downside is his head.
With the way Samsonov bitched and moaned on his way out of Montreal what would make Chicago any better. The Hawks just traded away their “leadership,” Denis Savard doesn’t seem like a coach who could straighten him out, and why would anyone want to put Samsonov’s corrosive attitude around the young guys in the locker room?
I’ll be back tomorrow with thoughts on the Draft….
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I know this is supposed to be a Blackhawks blog, and I’m writing about it late but this was too funny to pass up. NHL ‘08 cover boy Eric Staal and his younger brother, Calder Trophy finalist, Jordan Staal were arrested on charges of misdemeanor disorderly conduct and obstructing the legal process in Minnesota last week celebrating Eric’s bachelor party.
citizens called in complaints of, “screaming, yelling, and playing loud music” and according to the 
Now I don’t want to come off harsh, but 62 and 52 points with those talented players in Detroit is underachieving. In ‘04 before Lang came over from Washington he was leading the league in scoring, but after Jagr was traded to NY his numbers started to lag. When he got to Detroit he scored 5 points in 6 games and the blew out his knee. Then in 2 full seasons his numbers continued to slide; hopefully he can rediscover his youth teamed with Martin Havlat but he’s 36 on a team that is not as deep offensively as the Red Wings making $4 million a year.
Perreault. Perreault is great in his own end which hopefully will rub off on some of the kids, but somehow he always finds his way back to Toronto at the trade deadline. He did manage to squeeze out 21 goals and 38 points last year, most of it coming in the abyss in Phoenix. Yanic has been very steady over the past decade scoring at least 31 points in 10 of the last 11 seasons, and 17 or more goals the last 9 seasons…so its not all bad. But the Hawks aren’t a team that was just a few pieces away from…well…anything.
The bright light at the end of the tunnel a.k.a. Patrick Kane, signed his 3 year entry contract last week. GM Dale Tallon reitorated his stance from Draft Night that, “Patrick will get every opportunity to earn a spot on the opening night roster”…Earlier this month Patrick Kane led the Hawks in scoring at the annual prospects camp with fellow first rounders Jonathan Toews and Jack Skille…..Kane, along with fellow American Hawk prospects, goalies Joseph Palmer and Josh Unice, were invited to the U.S.A. Hockey Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, NY, next week. They’ll have a shot to make the 20-man roster for the 2008 World Junior championships.
I thought the Hawks did pretty well, they got the kid that will most likely be playing in the NHL this year. Especially since Chris Drury, Daniel Briere or any other established world class talent won’t be coming here through free agency. By the way, I don’t know how many people watched but Dale Tallon said several times Kane would be given every opportunity to make the roster for the upcoming season, but Ken Holland and Wayne Gretzky were very non-comittal about seeing their picks in the next two years.
