Commit 2 The Indian

Something Old, Something New...

2011-04-13T09:04:00.004-05:00

Well, we've been here before... and then again, we really haven't. We're again facing Vancouver, a team we've battled but ultimately owned two seasons in a row, mentally as much as physically. But this time some things are a bit different... while some are very much the ssame.

The past two years we were roughly comparable teams, in terms of regular season success and post-season expectations. This year the Canucks dominated all year, easily capturing the President's Trophy for best record in the NHL, while the Hawks absolutely back-doored their way into the playoff's final spot in the season's final game.

But yet, once again the mental edge seems to be with the Hawks. First off, we're the freakin Stanley Cup champions. It still feels good to say that and it still very much means something. Yes, a lot of guys from that team are gone, but a whole lot are still here, and that counts for a whole bunch. These guys have been through the fires and know they've got what it takes. In the epic battle that every NHL playoffs series is, that knowledge and confidence can make all the difference.

The Hawks also, oddly, have far less pressure on them. When does that happen - that you can claim an advantage in experience and accomplishment, but also in the lack of pressure and expectation? If the Hawks bow out in 5 games, whatever. The disappointment that is this season has already been suffered, especially after the loss to Detroit on Sunday. GM Stan and Coach Q made a bunch of glaring mistakes that all but assured this season wasn't gonna be a happy re-run of last year.

But Vancouver? They've already put together a long string of post-season let downs, largely blamed on their otherwise stellar netminder, Roberto Luongo, tho the Sedins, their coach, and really the entire team deserve plenty of the credit, too. Now, pretty much anything short of raising the Cup will probably mean just another lost season. Sure, if they make the Finals they can at least claim some sort of advancement. But this squad has been talked up since the off-season as the next big thing, as a clear Cup favorite, and they've only inflated that sentiment with their unquestionably great regular season.

Pretty much the last thing they could have wanted was to enter the most pressure-packed playoffs they've ever had and walk straight into the lion's den that is their greatest adversary and the still-talented Stanley Cup champs.

One thing I will say, and not that it will matter to us Hawks fans - if the Canucks can manage to get by the Hawks, it probably will be the best thing that could have happened to them. Getting that monkey off their back could give them the confidence and focus they need to finally elevate their playoff game to their potential. No other first round opponent can offer them so much of what they need on their quest.

So yeah, the extra pressure is on the Canucks. That means any early struggles will be magnified - a win in either game in Vancouver will bring out all the doubters. Clearly the early mental edge is also with the Hawks, who've got the crown and have twice dispatched Vancouver. But off-setting that a bit is the fact that the bigger carrot lies with the Canucks - a series victory here could be the final piece to their championship puzzle.

On the flipside, while dispatching the Canucks would return a bit of the swagger and confidence this Hawks team has been missing since so many of their teammates left town, once you've won the Cup, there aren't that many more moral victories. Sure, if they do win a series or two they can hang their hats on that as they again retool this off-season and look to return to contender status next year.

But that's not exactly a sentiment you can rally the troops around in the lockerroom. Instead, anything short of a Cup just isn't that motivating, so really, this is just one series in a long slog for the Hawks. An important one, as they all are, but w/o that little extra inspiration that the Canucks will likely have.

So what does this all mean? Pretty much nothing. The simple fact is that both teams have some intangible edges and disadvantages going into this series, so it's not clear who can claim a real leg up in that department. The good news from the Hawks perspective is that a mental/emotional edge does in fact exist for them to overcome the talent and execution gap they're facing. We just have to hope it plays out that way.

As for the talent gap - how big is it? Well, the Canucks roll out two different 40-goal scorers this year... and neither is the guy who won the league MVP and scoring title last season. The Sedin Twins were as murderous as ever this year - Daniel with 41 G and 104 points, Henrik with 75 A and 94 points. Ryan Kesler went from good to great, adding 41 G to a game that already included incredible defense and great work in the face-off dot.

And that's definitely not all - Samuelson, Burrows, and Raymond are all names that you'll expect to hear getting points this series. Raffi Torres, a newcomer, brings some necessary grit. One unfortunate situation but good break for the Hawks - checking centerman Manny Malhotra had a serious eye injury that will keep him out. A blow, certainly, but not one they can't overcome.

Don't let all those weapons make you think this team is all O. Much like the Hawks of yore, they combine a high-energy, go-go-go offense with good goaltending and a deep defense. Luongo had another great season behind a D that includes break-out star Christian Ehrhoff, minutes leader Alexander Edler, and solid veteran grinders like Hamhuis (picked up this off-season), Bieksa, and Salo.

What does it all mean? It means the Canucks have the talent in all facets of the game to win. Not just this series, but the whole thing. Their President's Trophy was no fluke - they've built on the solid foundation they had in the past to become that much closer to a title. But will it be enough? As always, it's not about past success, regular season performance, or how you look on paper. It's about stepping up when it matters. Getting contributions from top to bottom. Keeping your head, heart, and body full into each and every shift.

Can the Canucks do that? Who knows. Their coach, star forwards, and goaltender have all been shown wanting. Sure, every champion could have said much the same thing until they broke through, so maybe this is when they do. But remember, this is the NHL. You expect every single series to go 6 games. You don't find any "upset" to be that great of a shocker. President's Trophy winners lose in the first round all the time. 8 seeds advance through multiple rounds a lot.

The Canucks are assured of nothing and our Hawks, with the core of talent they still have, can be every bit as confident of their chances as any team out there right now. But know that they do face a heck of a challenge here. This Canucks team will require everything the Hawks have.

One thing that meant a lot to me - how outwardly excited JQ was about making it into the playoffs. I would have guessed that he'd be dour about the way they got in, still disappointed that they were in that position. I'd have figured he'd quietly talk about the challenges ahead and the need to get better.

Instead, he expressed giddiness. Yeah, stoic Quenneville said he was giddy after he saw Dallas blow that game to Minnesota. I'm seeing only one reason - because Coach Q knows damn well that he can get his troops past these Canucks. Not that it's just a possibility, but that he believes it's likely. When you're the Cup Champions, you're not giddy to just make it into the playoffs with some vague hope. You're giddy because you know that you've gotten in with a legit chance to do something special again.

I think Q fully believes that the Canucks are the exact team the Hawks needed to face. Their style of play (wide open), their mental and physical fragility, their reliance on their top line and a mentally suspect goaltender, and of course, the history between these teams. I'm guessing that JQ sees all of that and truly thinks that his team will get past these guys yet again.

Could he be right? Well, just the fact that he thinks that has me very confident - coaches generally don't feel that way, not in a giddy sense that requires that much confidence. It tells me the inside view is that this match-up favors the Hawks, as least as much as this version of the Hawks could have hoped. And as I just detailed - it makes a lot of sense, given the holes you can poke in the Canucks.

But what about the Hawks? As ripe as the Canucks might be for a takedown, as perfect as they might align with this Hawks team, we still need to have the guns to win what is always going to be a hard-fought 6- or 7-game series. Do we have it in us with the roster as constructed, given its current health?

To me, that's one of the big questions - how healthy are we. There are the obvious issues of Bolland and Brouwer - when will they return, what can we expect of them? Slightly less obvious are guys like Sharp and Hossa - guys who've fought recent injuries and who, if fully healthy, can be major impact types. Even less obvious are guys like Keith and Seabrook, whose games haven't been up to par all season long, possibly because they were overtaxed last year, with their Olympic and Cup run.

One thing I'll hang my hat on - these guys have all been there before, they know what it takes and what the payoff is. Sure, there's some level of physical health you can't do anything about - i.e. what level Brouwer and Bolland need to get to in order to lace em up and play regular minutes. But there's also a level of physical health that has a lot to do with the mental side of things. I have faith that this whole list of guys is gonna exact every bit of effort out of their bodies that can physically be done. They understand how to play through pain and what it can mean when you do. And that gives me faith that our health won't be a major detraction.

So that leads us just to the talent level and how Q is gonna use it. If healthy, I think we've definitely got the talent to win any series. Like last year, we've got the four big scoring options we need in Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Sharp. Like last year, Bolland and Johnson give us the necessary defensive center depth. Like last year, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, Hammer, and Campioli give us the 5 reliable blueliners you need. Finally, like last year we've got a goalie in net capable of stealing wins and making leads hold up, who's shown himself capable of the heat.

But, just like last year, there are three major questions to be answered. #1 is health - as discussed, we need Brouwer and Bolland to come back healthy and the other guys to be near full-go, and, of course, to remain so. #2 is the defense - like last year, Seabrook and Keith showed a lot of signs in the regular season of less than the dominant play we've come to expect (and most certainly can't live without). Hopefully, like last year they can elevate when it matters most. Similarly, Campbell, The Hammer, and Campioli need to provide big support minutes, as those first two and Sopel did last season. And Leddy needs his minutes to be very minimal, used in a way that doesn't hurt us while buying a bit of a breather for the Top 5.

Finally, #3, and the only one I really have any major concern about, is that we have to find the complimentary pieces to our big scorers and defensive centers. It's easy to forget last year that it wasn't at all clear how guys like Ladd, Brouwer, Versteeg, Buff, Kopecky, and even Bickell would align. Buff was on D, Kopecky was mainly a 4th liner, Bickell was an unproven nobody, Brouwer was inconsistent as always, and Versteeg was maddening as ever.

In the end it all worked out - JQ seemed to either make the right choices or quickly fix the wrong ones. Everybody found a way to contribute and rarely were line configurations a major issue. Can JQ do that again? So far this year he's struggled mightily. Some of it is on Stan, who didn't give him the right pieces. I'll have more on that in the off-season, but I'm most definitely not sold on his ability to build a winner. I'll give him another crack or two at it, but this year, I think Stan failed pretty much across the board in building the forwards around his key core guys.

For now tho, JQ has to play with the hand he was dealt, and I'm not thrilled by how he's done it thus far. Kopecky? A perfect 4th liner - he's got the energy, size/physicality, and even brings a bit of scoring touch. He accepts the role and thrives in it. But he's shown, chance after chance, that he just brings nothing to the top lines. Kopecky isn't an asset up there and after two years, it's time Q accepts that.

Stalberg - I think he's a real talent, but like Versteeg, his head isn't always there. However, like Versteeg, he's got rare talents that it's on Q to cultivate - burying him on the 4th line with limited minutes kept Stalberg from getting the experience he needed to grow through those mental letdowns. Unfortunately, now Q can't go back - Stalberg doesn't have it to play with the top guys and he can't be allowed to learn on the job now. Good news is that he's turned himself into a very valuable 4th liner, an asset the Hawks have exploited in their last two post-seasons.

Now that we've filled the 4th line quite well, what about the two wingers necessary on the top lines, and the two guys who need to skate alongside Bolland on the ever-important checking line? Last year Ladd's great advantage was that you could put him on any line and know you'd be fine there. To me, that guy this year is Brouwer. You can argue that his scoring has been inconsistent, but to me it's pretty clear - when he's up with Toews and Kane, he gets it done. Put him on the third line, he's not gonna score. That's just who he is. But, like Ladd, I feel confident with Brouwer either as strong defensive checking line guy or a complimentary scoring line go.

What do we do with him (whenever he's ready to go - might not be for a game or two)? Tough call. Some of me says he's the best complimentary scorer we have, so get him up with Toews and Kane. Some of me says we're hurting on checkers and need his plus play there, so put him with Bolland. I honestly can't say what'd be best.

One thing that is giving me a bit of confidence - Ben Smith and Frolik have looked pretty solidly of late. Some of it has been being joined with Kane, who's really been putting in full effort down the stretch. Kane is just the type of guy to make anyone better when he's got it going. But some of it is both guys fitting a bit of what the Hawks need. Frolik hasn't had the numbers, but he clearly is a solid offensive player who works hard. And Smith just seems to do a lot of the little things. I can't say I'm sure how best to use these two, but I think they also offer some flexibility.

Maybe one can be on a checking line, if their two counterparts are fully caable. With Bolland's offensive skill, if you can get him a decent playmaker to skate with, that line becomes a source for some offense (as it was last year w/ Versteeg and the year before w/ Havlat). Maybe that playmaker is Frolik. Joined with Bolland and Brouwer, maybe they can handle the Sedins and provide a bit of punch the other way. I can't insist this is the case, but I like that JQ's got the possibility to play with.

Bickell? Not exactly sure what to make of him, but sort of seems like Brouwer, maybe just not as accomplished yet. He's skated a lot as a checker and done OK, while his 17 G and 20 A show he's capable with the stick. Throw in a +6 and you can see how he might be a nice piece on any line. He even got a little taste of the playoffs last year to put some experience under his belt. You need random support guys to step up (like Buff did in certain series the past two years) - why can't it be a Bickell?

Finally, two guys I hope to see glued to the press box are Pisani and Dowell. Neither seems to really bring anything of any impact. I guess I'm maybe a little happy to have both around, given that Brouwer and Bolland may not be back. But it's disappointing that neither could turn themselves into a capable enough grinder that I have any excitement about using them on the third line. Ideally you'd like them to be able to form a checking line (maybe with Bickell?) until B&B come back, but that's a lot of minutes for a bunch of blah guys who aren't clearly plus defensive skaters.

Ultimately, all of these support forwards are what I'm putting this series on. Sure there are some questions about our studs being studs, our D being solid, and their guys finally figuring it out. But I've got enough faith that enough will break out way in those things that we can win this series. What I'm not sure about is whether our third line can be that shutdown group necessary to contain a team like Vancouver. Can Bolland get back and effective quickly enough? Can we find him two quality supporting players. And until he is back, can we find others to get the job done?

You've worked your way through a heck of a long post here (can you tell I missed writing these?) - in the end, those three questions right there are what I believe this entire series will hinge on. If we can get positive enough answers from those questions, I say we pull off the upset. If not, it'll be just one more disappointing chapter in a season filled with them.

Me - I think we can do it. Hawks in 7.

And You Are...? (part III)

2010-11-05T11:09:00.002-05:00

I started this chain with an intro and write-up on the Goalies last week (here), went on to blueliners a few days ago (here), and am concluding it with my take on the forwards. First, a brief intro taken from that last post to get you up to speed on my purpose here:

...all these new guys in the Hawks sweater are hard to keep up with this early in the year. While only the biggest names get any attention in hockey, the reality is that you definitely need contributions from at least 20 guys over the course of a season. So it's gonna take a while to understand exactly where all that production is coming from with this year.

After 14 games, at least half of which I've seen, I'm starting to get a baseline understanding of what these players might end up being when all is said and done in 2010-2011. And I'm very encouraged, as I thought I would be. It's early and we're still w/o Campbell, one of the most important pieces to our championship puzzle, but we've put up a nice lil win streak and been in every game, despite a very compressed schedule to start the year.

Sure we're getting carried by the core guys, but some of the newcomers are definitely doing their part. Hockey isn't a game where just a few strong players can do it all forever, so all the standings points we've earned mean you should be encouraged by the new guard of role players.

Here's what I've gathered on all the Hawks "newcomers" this year - I quote newcomers because I'm including everyone on this list who wasn't a regular and significant piece of the squad last season, even if they did log some time w/ the Cup winners.

Last Week - Goalies. A few days ago - Blueliners. Today - Forwards.

W Bryan Bickell, 24 years old, 4th season, $542k for 3 years, #29

We saw a bit of Bickell last season, enough to be encouraged about his potential to step into a Top 6 role this season, especially after he was very respectable in his few games of playoff exposure. Bickell had 23 regular season and three post-season games under his belt over the past three years, so he's not a perfect stranger to the NHL game. Still, this would be his first chance at regular minutes and a significant role.

So far the results have been up-and-down, as you'd expect. As is JQ's way, Bickell has been shuffled all over the lineup, seeing his minutes fluctuate from 10 to 19 on any given night. But he has been given some top line time and at first looked productive enough, notching 4 points in the first 5 games. Though that also included a -2 and three Hawk losses, so Coach Q has since moved him around.

But after that hot start, Bickell stopped making much of an impact - not just on the score sheet, but in bringing much physicality, energy, or anything of note to the game. He wasn't playing terrible, just not showing that hunger to impact the game that you'd like to see out of new guys trying to make their mark.

The result was a pair of healthy scratches and a role that now is limited to only 10 minutes, despite the loss of Hossa and Bolland. Somehow he only got 10 minutes in Wednesday's game against NJ, when JQ essentially ran w/ three lines, thanks to using Hendry and Scott as his 4th line wingers.

The good news for Bickell is that after putting up a shot or less in six of seven games, he's got two shots on goal each of the past three games, in only that 10 minutes of ice time. He hasn't been negative since the third game of the season and even has a couple of positive nights (not bad given four losses in the last five games he skated).

What do I make of Bickell? I think he can definitely be a nice complimentary top line player, but I feel that Q needs to commit more to developing his players. With the forwards it's less a matter of giving ice time to the youngsters as it is in putting them in a set role with the same pair of linemates and allowing them to build a rapport, some comfort, and ultimately, real confidence.

There is no question in my mind that one of the reasons the Hawks developed so many great role players that we were so sorry to see go this off-season is because they were around when the Hawks were still an un-established team and thus got long stretches of good opportunities to develop a niche for themselves.

I dig JQ wanting to win every night out, but he's also got to see that he'll be earning more points down the road if he shows some restraint and some patience by setting some lines that allow guys like Bickell to find out what kind of player they can be most productive as in the NHL. Bickell has size and a nice touch and certainly doesn't mind doing the dirty work. But can he hold his defensively? Does he have a nose for the goal or a propensity to take advantage of rare chances that come up? Is he a forechecker, a guy who can camp out in front of the net, someone who can skate all over or provide energy?

There are so many different attributes and approaches that a player can take to make himself into any number of different productive roles necessary on a championship team. Versteeg, Ladd, Eager, Burish, Buff, Madden, and Frasier all served very different purposes on the team last year, all based on what they brought to the table and the responsibilities they were allowed to grow into over time.

So JQ needs to appreciate that not only must he give guys like Bickell a chance to develop and show how good they are, but he needs to give them a chance to develop and show in what ways they can be contribute.

For now, I'm not sure where Bickell fits. But I do have faith he fits somewhere. Ideally I'd like him to be a guy capable of playing on the Top 6 if called upon and also a strong contributor to our power play unit. But given how effective both Brouwer and Kopecky have been on the top lines, it's also important that Bickell carve out a nice for himself as a guy capable of filling a Bottom 6 role. That means being a tough enough defender to serve on the checking unit or showcasing tremendous spark and tenacity to drive the energy line - neither of which I've really seen out of this kid yet.

Still, the skills seem to be there, a decent head for the game seems to be there, and a decent desire to make a mark seems to be there. So I'd definitely like to see JQ slot Bickell into one set role and just let him grow into it. I think we'll end up with a nice support piece that way.

W Fernando Pisani, 33 years old, 8th season, $500k for 1 years, #15

I like the idea of Pisani, and not just cause he's got a cool name. It's more that a veteran who's remained in the NHL due to his checking and PK skills is a valuable piece to a title-contending team, especially one that just got rid of all of its role players.

But I've got one issues with Pisani - I don't like him on the 3rd line, as he's clearly extremely limited offensively and also is taking valuable ice time from younger, more dynamic and capable player. I think he should be down on the 4th line, ensuring it's capable defensively to get a shift here or there against a non-4th line and not hurt the Hawks, and saving his legs for the PK.

I can't say I've seen enough of Pisani to know if he really is all that on the PK (much like with blueliners, it takes some time to fairly judge a skater's defensive abilities), but I'm gonna have a bit of faith in the Hawks front office and JQ until I see for myself otherwise (or hear enough rumblings). Given that he's the #2 forward in terms of PK minutes and that our PK unit has been a disappointment so far (only 83%, below average in the NHL after being one of the best going last year), I'm certainly not impressed.

But for $500k, I think the Hawks are smart to have picked this guy up and I like that JQ is trying to see if he's got a nice veteran defensive forward. I just think the Hawks would be better off with him getting the limited 4th line minutes instead of extended third line ones. Again, this is a case where JQ can't fall in love with the reliable vet - he's got to show a lil faith in his youngsters and know that Pisani will still be there to lean on down the road, when things really matter.

C Jake Dowell, 25 years old, 4th season, $525k for 1 year, #28

For a savings of $175k, the Hawks went from a known commodity in Fraser to an unknown in Dowell at their 4th line center. While I didn't love Fraser - he should have been better in the face-off dot - I also didn't mind him, as he worked hard, flashed just enough offense, and seemed a respectable physical and defensive presence as a 4th line pivot.

However, JQ didn't seem sold, sending him to the press box in each of the last two playoff runs, so giving up on Fraser to open up a shot for another prospect probably was the right call. Now the question is whether Dowell is the right guy to take advantage of the position that's opened up.

One thing I don't like right off the bat is Dowell's mediocre face-off percentage, down at a subpar 46%. However, he's only lost 8 more draws than he's taken and his percentage has been climbing steadily up of late, so maybe Dowell just needed some time to get comfortable. Much like with Fraser, it bothers me when a grindy 4th line center isn't bringing plus face-off skills to the table. Hopefully Dowell will get there.

Ditto for the PK unit, where Dowell is pulling only a minute a game. Sure, some of that is because the Hawks have a nice group of vets who can get the job done. But as a young 4th line center, I'd like to see Dowell take the pressure off of Toews and Sharp by playing well enough to assume twice as much PK time.

Other than that, I'm not sure what else to make of Dowell. He's skated with some decently skilled forwards - first Stalberg and Skille, then up as a 3rd liner with Bolland out. But I don't know if he's got upside beyond a 4th liner. I don't know if he's got either the scoring/playmaking touch or defensive shutdown ability to get regular center minutes.

Ideally, Dowell would be a 4th line plus center, meaning he brings more to the table than most 4th line centers and doesn't kill you if he has to skate a period or a few games as a 3rd liner. Because he's young, because the organization seems to like him, and because he's got a lot of talent around him, I'm gonna have some faith that Dowell might just become that before the year is out.

W Viktor Stalberg, 24 years old, 2nd season, $850k for 1 year, #25

Stalberg came over as the key piece in the Versteeg deal, bringing with a perceived ability to score thanks to an impressive combination of speed and size. The 9 goals he scored in 40 games of limited play last year suggested that the young Swede could thrive if given a chance next to some real gamers like the Hawks had.

So far he seems to be the newcomer with the most upside, tho as with so many other such talented youngsters, there are questions about his commitment. Not that he's been a major slacker, just that he hasn't shown an every shift, up-and-down the ice tenacity that you hope for out of someone trying to earn a major role.

Still, the guy can definitely play, showing a nice touch, great wheels, good size, and decent skills. With Hossa going down, he's getting some top line minutes and doing solidly with em. But I wonder if he's better suited as the offensive component of the third line? Mainly because the top two lines aren't hurting for skill - what they need is a hard worker who can support the studs.

However, on the third line, the Hawks were well-served last season with some skaters who could both check the other team's top line while also providing some scoring punch themselves. The question is can you get Stalberg to work hard enough to hold his own in the Hawks end so that he can provide that offensive spark?

Again, to me the answer lies in JQ just committing to Stalberg in that role. It's tougher now with Bolland and Hossa out, but when those guys return, I'd like to see Stalberg squarely installed on the third line to grow into the role. Given the coaching staff's track record and the way the stars on this team work so hard and demand the same of everyone around them, I have faith they'll be able to make Stalberg a respectable defensive presence.

And I have little doubt that he's going to be an impact player offensively. Will he be a stud? Maybe if he ends up paired with the right guys. But even without that, I think he'll be a guy who provides second level production and has to be respected as a threat to score or create chances.

W Jack Skille, 23 years old, 4th season, $600k for 1 year, #20

Skille was a high 1st round pick the year after Kane but has bounced between the NHL and AHL (mostly in the AHL) the last few years, unable to break through to command a regular role, despite a few opportunities afforded to him. His speed is his biggest asset, but supposedly he can score and isn't a small guy by any stretch, so a spot on the top line is within his potential.

Personally I think that being buried in the AHL last year was the best thing that could have happened to this kid longterm. I think it's evident that it made him hungry and even desperate. Whereas before Skille didn't seem talented enough to skate Top 6 nor bring the right assets to the table to be a Bottom 6 wing, now I think he's going to end up a heck of a Bottom 6 player.

While it's been frustrating to watch him unable to bury the many chances he's gotten, you have to give Skille the credit of working hard and using his speed and feel for the game to get some things going in the offensive zone. I loved him paired with Stalberg and hope when everyone's back healthy that the two of them are alongside Bolland on the third.

Again, is Skille a great defensive player? Probably not, but that doesn't mean he can't be. To me he's got two of the most important skills - tenacity and speed. Throw in that he's respectably physical and has a good head for the game, and to me Skille just needs time and the clear assignment of turning himself into a plus checking line player to do just that.

Along with Stalberg, I really think there's some high-end potential here. Maybe not superstar high end, but real plus role player type of ceiling. Buff, Versteeg, Ladd - those guys were at that level and the Hawks could never have dreamed of winning without them. I believe Stalberg and Skille can reach those same heights, but sorry to be redundant, but JQ just needs to commit to it.

That will be the big challenge for the coaching staff this year. Not just the Xs and Os and motivation, which I think they're plenty good at. But in forcing themselves to put these young guys into positions that they might not be capable of. Having the faith in their abilities and the fact that in time, these guys will rise to the challenge. And when they do, you'll be in a far better place to win the Cup.

In fact, I'll even say that I don't think the Hawks can win the Cup unless the coaching staff makes that commitment. I've seen it happen on many a team, even played on one - the coaches refused to take the risk to develop their role players and depth, over-relied on their proven commodities, and eventually ran into a challenge that was too great for just the core stars to carry the team through.

I sure as heck hope that isn't what the Hawks are getting themselves into this year. I'm gonna continue to harp on it - JQ needs to give these guys some confidence, stability, and clear direction. If he fails to do that, I'm not gonna blame the newcomers, especially the youngsters, for not stepping up. I'm gonna put it on JQ. Especially because of what I've seen, I think the potential is there. It just needs to be properly cultivated.

And You Are...? (part II)

2010-11-03T09:05:00.003-05:00

I started this chain with an intro and write-up on the Goalies last week (here) and am picking it back up today with the blueliners. First, a brief intro taken from that last post to get you up to speed on my purpose here:

...all these new guys in the Hawks sweater are hard to keep up with this early in the year. While only the biggest names get any attention in hockey, the reality is that you definitely need contributions from at least 20 guys over the course of a season. So it's gonna take a while to understand exactly where all that production is coming from with this year.

After 14 games, at least half of which I've seen, I'm starting to get a baseline understanding of what these players might end up being when all is said and done in 2010-2011. And I'm very encouraged, as I thought I would be. It's early and we're still w/o Campbell, one of the most important pieces to our championship puzzle, but we've put up a nice lil win streak and been in every game, despite a very compressed schedule to start the year.

Sure we're getting carried by the core guys, but some of the newcomers are definitely doing their part. Hockey isn't a game where just a few strong players can do it all forever, so all the standings points we've earned mean you should be encouraged by the new guard of role players.

Here's what I've gathered on all the Hawks "newcomers" this year - I quote newcomers because I'm including everyone on this list who wasn't a regular and significant piece of the squad last season, even if they did log some time w/ the Cup winners.

Last Week - Goalies. Today - Blueliners. Day 3 - Forwards.

D Nick Boynton, 31 years old, 10th season, $500k for 1 year, #24

Boynton was an afterthought acquisition last season to even the most diehard of Hawks fans, a guy picked up just before the trade deadline as apparent organizational depth. But when Kim Johnsson died and Jordan Hendry didn't cut it for JQ, Boynton found himself skating in the final few games of the post-season, earning himself the most unlikely of etchings on the Stanley cup.

With Sopel gone and the budget tight, Boynton was thrust into that same grindy 5th blueliner role. He'll be asked to skate on the PK, block shots with reckless abandon, and step up to handle a bit more ice time whenever the Top 4 need it.

Unfortunately, that time just occurred thanks to Campbell's injury (which he fortunately has returned from). That forced Keith to play 30 minutes and Seabrook 26 minutes a night, and for a while, that meant Boynton putting was out there for over 22 a game. On a lot of nights, that was more than the Hammer (getting around 18 himself).

My thought so far - Boynton is definitely a Sopel clone, in that he's mistake-prone, a bit cloddy, definitely physical, and sometimes a bit retarded. But like Sopel, I can see Boynton showing some real some veteran value and if asked to be strictly a 15 minute, 3rd pairing, PK specialist type, end up being a solid piece to a championship puzzle.

But that is far from assured and the recent lowering in ice time and the fact that he was a healthy scratch at the Rangers suggest that JQ isn't sold on his late-season Sopel-like potential. Or maybe JQ is just trying to see what he's got in some of the other newbie blueliners (young and old) or just keeping all of his guys fresh and not allowing anyone to be scratched for too long.

Whatever the case may be, I can't say I'm a huge Boynton fan, but I'm trying to learn the lesson of Sopel last year, where I hated the guy all regular season long, only to see him become a truly invaluable asset to the blueline for the Cup run. Basically, I'm withholding judgment, as even veterans need some time to get used to the system, figure out their role, and then start to thrive in.

So like Sopel, hopefully JQ can keep Boynton in his comfort zone - killing penalties, blocking shots, taking 5th or even 6th blueliner minutes - and allow him to become an asset. Hopefully that early love affair, as represented by his huge ice time, was not a choice of JQ's and instead the coach gets this guys very limited potential.

But there is potential to Boynton being an asset this year - not only is the bottom of the defense a bit suspect, but it's a fact of every team that you can never have enough capable blueliners. Injuries happen and unlike with wings, it's hard to hide guys who can't really cut it on the NHL level. So even if Boynton is just a 7th defenseman, if he can get the job done, he'll be someone the Hawks need again before all is said and done.

D Nick Leddy, 19 years old, rookie, $1.117M per for 3 years, #8

Leddy has already been shuffled back to the minors after JQ initially bought in to the idea of having another puck-moving blueliner out there developing his NHL game, but ultimately decided he just wasn't comfortable enough with the kid to keep him around.

I don't know what to think about this - I guess I'd prefer to see Leddy brought along slowly, given time in the AHL to develop his game to the pro level while also making huge strides forward in size and strength (as 19-year olds will do).

On the other hand, the Hawks definitely could use another player who can skate the puck from the defensive end and with some patience and commitment, Leddy might have blossomed into a very valuable 6th blueliner with offensive skills. Especially because it's not like the Hawks have a lot of other impressive options right now (nor, with the cap as it is, any real prospect of changing that fact).

But that still might happen - if Leddy is given a half season or so to take some steps forward, maybe like Hammer did two years ago, Leddy can rejoin the team down the stretch and step right into a crucial role. For HJ that meant riding shotgun with Campbell on the #2 pairing, a pretty huge responsibility. But the bar would be much lower for Leddy, who'd just have to fill 3rd pairing minutes and maybe even some second unit PP time.

It's hard to really judge a blueliner w/o a bunch of exposure to him, so I'm gonna reserve judgment on this kid. I do think we all should be encouraged by the fact that he played well enough to even warrant a shot and that he wasn't obviously terrible. With some development time and then the right moves to bring him along slowly, Leddy could definitely be the next generation of puck-moving blueliner the Hawks are always looking for.

One thing to definitely keep in mind for future years - the Hawks really won't get much for cap flexibility until they can move Campbell. Now that may never happen, but it's the only option available to the team that is at least palatable. Or would be IF a guy like Leddy would step up into that role.

However, that's not an easy role to fill - in fact, that lack of capable puck-moving defensemen is a big reason Campbell got so much money to begin with and why he continues to be an invaluable part of this team (as we continue to be reminded every time he misses much time). So keep an eye on Leddy - he may just be developing into a hugely important asset.

D Jassen Cullimore, 37 years old, 14th season, $500k for 1 year, #5

I'm gonna forgive the spelling of his name (it's just pronounced Jason, so why not spell it in the universally accepted way?!? Why must parents sentence their child to a lifetime of annoyingly having to correct pronunciation or spelling... but I digress) and instead focus on the fact that last year, at the age of 36, this guy was willing to play a whole season in the AHL with no promise of ever getting back. And then when he was looking at the same thing all over again as a 37-year old, Cullimore again accepted it and kept on plugging along for the Hawks minor league affiliate.

And now he's finally getting the chance he wanted, to return to the NHL and contribute. The fact that it's contributing on a Stanley Cup contender is some sweet ass icing, I'm sure.

For a long time Cullimore was a pretty productive grindy defenseman for the Lightning, even winning a Cup with them right before the lockout. On the other side, the Hawks signed him for some decent change to help bolster their feeble blueline... but as you probably don't remember, he didn't live up to expectations. After two poor years he moved on to Florida where had a bit of a rebirth in the 07-08 year, only to struggle again in 08-09 before finding himself in the minors for all of last season.

I kinda figured Cullimore was just gonna hang around as a healthy scratch until Campbell got healthy, but after JQ gave up on Leddy (understandable) and Hendry (more of a head-scratcher), Cullimore has become a regular on the blueline. In fact, in Campbell's first game back, Boynton was the healthy scratch - not Cullimore.

Again, it's not always easy to judge a defenseman after just a few games, but I haven't noticed him, which like offensive lineman, is a good thing, and the reports I've been reading seem to suggest he's doing alright for himself. Cullimore is ideally not gonna skate more than 15, maybe 17 minutes, grab a small bit of PK time if really necessary.

But if he can be just serviceable next to Boynton or Hendry as a veteran presence, we might have a quietly decent, if limited, third pairing to take some of the pressure off the top 4, at least in the regular season, while also having some depth for the dings and dents that will most certainly come up this year.

Especially with the way Keith and Seabrook log time and the way both of them wore down a bit before the stretch run, the Hawks would do well to have a solid 7 NHL-caliber defensemen they could lean on to keep minutes at more reasonable levels for the Top 4.

Finally, I'll go ahead and say right now that Cullimore, mainly for grinding it out in the AHL at such an advanced age, but also because he's come up and quietly taken care of business, is fast become an irrational favorite of mine. So expect me to be openly celebrating any success he has and giving him an undue amount of patience with his failings.

D Jordan Hendry, 26 years old, 3rd season, $600k for 1 year, #6

Hendry is hardly a newcomer, having played in 43 games last year and a bunch of the post-season. In fact, he has his name on the Cup, something that requires a respectably high level of participation on a Cup-winning team. Still, last season he wasn't a regular in the sense of getting out every night at one position, instead juggling between the 4th line, the 3rd D pairing, and being a healthy scratch. So I figured I'd throw him into the mix as someone worth knowing a bit more about.

This year it looked like he'd have a nightly spot on the blueline all but wrapped up, especially once Campbell went down. Instead Hendry has seen just about everyone get their shot before he has - Leddy, Scott, and Cullimore all skating in games that Hendry watched from the press box.

For whatever reason, JQ just hasn't ever shown much faith in Hendry. And he's done all he could to avoid having to give the kid regular blueline minutes. Moving Buff back, going to Boynton in the Stanley Cup Finals, or just making sure Hendry took as few shifts as possible, JQ has found a way to avoid relying on him for a while now.

While I can definitely see some of the reason - Hendry often looks unsure of himself leading to costly or just annoying mistakes - I'm also of the belief that the kid needs more of a shot than he's gotten. To me that lack of confidence and comfort has a chance to be solved just by getting regular ice time. Especially when Campbell was out, why not give Hendry a start every night next to the same blueliner?

Instead JQ jerked him around, scratching him a lot and limiting his minutes. Through the first 10 games, Hendry had played only 4 times, once for a mere 5 minutes. Look, Hendry doesn't have a ton of upside, that's clear. But he can definitely skate well, handle the puck solidly, and certainly fits with the high-flying nature of this team.

From what I've seen of him - and I've watched him closely in the hopes of seeming he take the next step - he really just needs more experience and confidence. I'm firmly of the belief that if you give Hendry a guaranteed starting spot for the next 20 games aside the same reliable veteran (I'd prefer Cullimore to Boynton, as he seems a smarter, more steady player), that at the end of that stretch, you'd have a nice young 3rd pairing blueline asset on your hands.

And who knows, maybe JQ finally is starting to think the same thing after watching a number of other blueliners look a bit iffy out there so far this year. For the last four games, Hendry has played every one and gotten a steady 12-13 minutes. Hopefully that remains the case for the next couple of months, because his wheels alone make Hendry worth really committing to.

Because as much as Cullimore and Boynton use veteran savvy, physicality, and grit to more or less hold their own, they are limited by the fact that they just aren't very athletic on a team of guys who can just fly around the ice. Sopel was about as good in that role as anyone could expect and he still always looked like a square peg in a round hole on this team. It took a long while for Sopel to truly rise to the level of an asset and it's far from certain that either Boynton or Cullimore will be capable enough in those intangible areas to do so as well.

Plus, as I discussed with Cullimore, a developed Hendry would provide you with always needed blueline depth. Boynton and Cullimore are older, Keith and Seabrook log a ton of minutes, and Campbell's been injured seriously twice in the last six months. You know what you're going to get, more or less, out of Scott, Boynton, and Cullimore. Sure they could use some more ice time to get comfortable in the system, but they don't need to go out there everyday.

However, with Hendry, he definitely does need to be out there every day, again because it's all about confidence and comfort with this kid. Instill those things in him and you should have an NHL-capable blueliner that brings rare athleticism to the 3rd pairing. And if he doesn't take that step forward - well, now you know for sure what you've got in Hendry and can move on.

D John Scott, 28 years old, 3rd season, $512k for 2 years, #32

Only 10 Hawks skaters played in the first 10 games... somehow this guy was one of them. Really. I can't say I've personally noticed him be all that terrible, but you don't have to look very hard to understand it's been the case. First off, nearly every Hawks commentator, even those who are knee deep with the team and thus rarely very critical, have questioned the regular role this guy has on this team. Second, the numbers speak for themselves - he's playing barely 8 minutes a night (despite being part of a very thin and inconsistent blue line) and regularly sitting for long stretches when the games get tight.

Scott's a huge man (6-8, 255) and actively seeks out fights and hits to help keep the opponent honest. So far he's only had one negative night and that was offset by a +2 in the only game he got significant amounts of ice time (nearly 17 minutes in a victory in Buffalo). So there are some obvious justifications for keeping him around.

However, on two separate occasions Scott's dressed and then logged only two and a half minutes of ice time - essentially forcing the team to skate a man short. Everybody complains about how slow and awkward Scott is, while also pointing out that he really hasn't been much of a physical force, neither getting many guys to fight him nor delivering big hits when he's out there.

So why has he dressed for so many games? Some of it has been a misguided sense that the Hawks need the protection. Misguided both in that Scott hasn't actually provided any protection (teams have been just as physical as ever) nor is he really good enough to get on the ice enough to effectively police anything.

Most importantly, his continued place in the nightly lineup has been misguided because, much as I discussed with Hendry above, the Hawks need to develop their depth, both on the blue line and at wing (where Scott has skated a few games). Two universal truths for any Cup Champion are that you can never have enough capable NHL defenseman and that you need strong role players supporting your stars. This is especially the case for a team coming off a very long season that demanded incredible amounts of ice time from its top skaters, is looking to do the very same thing this year, and has minimal cap room to get help from the outside.

Sure, it's nice to have a policeman out there, but if Scott can't justify the minutes with his play, it's pointless to dress him and pretend he's having any effect on the game. It seems clear Scott doesn't have the ability nor potential to be anything but a goon, so he should be a healthy scratch until the demand for some enforcement is clear and undeniable.

Instead, his defensive minutes should be taken for now by Hendry, Boynton, and Cullimore, with Leddy getting time if the need arises and he's made the necessary steps forward as a pro. And Scott most definitely should NEVER dress as a wing in place of Skille or Stalberg or really any of the Hawks forwards. Those guys need every bit of ice time they can get and especially now that Hossa and Bolland are out, the Hawks need every bit of production they can provide. Pissing that away for a one-dimensional brute in 12 of 14 games has been one of the biggest mistakes JQ has made this year.

In general, I'd give the new blueliners an incomplete - pretty much what I would have expected. Sure it'd have been nice for someone to surprise and make an instant impact, but the reality is that most blueliners need time to both get comfortable and to really show what they're capable of. It's been nice that Cullimore has looked decent and that Boynton has seemingly justified a lot of minutes for stretches. It's nice that Hendry has finally gotten a steady dose of starts to string together. It was even nice to get Leddy a taste of NHL action and to have Scott exposed as the total one-dimensional goon he is.

But the reality is that there are 68 more games on the schedule and it will take maybe another 40 or 50 before I really feel like I'll have a grasp on what the Hawks feature after their very impressive Top 4. Do keep an eye out, because hockey is most definitely about quality of depth as much as it is about the headliners, so developing two or three capable NHL-level defenseman will be as crucial to a Cup defense as anything else.

And You Are...? (part I)

2010-10-28T09:52:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, if you're heading to the UC for a game, make sure you pick up a copy of the Committed Indian gameday program outside of the stadium before you go in. Just look around a bit, the guys are always out there before the games selling it. Not only is it cheap (easily the cheapest thing you'll buy at the UC all night) and must-read Hawks commentary (as is most everything at their website, http://www.secondcityhockey.com/), but it's worth having at the game if only for the two pages that lay out the predicted lineups for each team:

This is an example from the recent game against the Canucks. Obviously you can't appreciate the detail here, but you get the idea - it's a great visual and informational layout of all you'd need to know about all the skaters you'll probably see that night. Simple, concise, and makes it really easy to keep everyone straight. I was pumped when I saw it for the first time this year, so much so that I sort of reprinted this one w/o their permission. I hope they don't hammer me for it, but I figure I'm a lawyer and they're a bunch of drunks, so...

One of the reasons the above page is especially valuable this season is because of all these new guys in the Hawks sweater are hard to keep up with this early in the year. While only the biggest names get any attention in hockey, the reality is that you definitely need contributions from at least 20 guys over the course of a season. So it's gonna take a while to understand exactly where all that production is coming from with this year.

After 11 games, at least half of which I've seen, I'm starting to get a baseline understanding of what these players might end up being when all is said and done in 2010-2011. And I'm very encouraged, as I thought I would be. It's early and we're still w/o Campbell, one of the most important pieces to our championship puzzle, but we've put up a nice lil win streak and been in every game, despite a very compressed schedule to start the year.

Sure we're getting carried by the core guys, but some of the newcomers are definitely doing their part. Hockey isn't a game where just a few strong players can do it all forever, so all the standings points we've earned mean you should be encouraged by the new guard of role players.

Here's what I've gathered on all the Hawks "newcomers" this year - I quote newcomers because I'm including everyone on this list who wasn't a regular and significant piece of the squad last season, even if they did log some time w/ the Cup winners.

Today - Goalies. Next - Blueliners. Day 3 - Forwards.

G Marty Turco, 35 years old, 9th season, $1.3M for 1 year, #30

By far the biggest off-season acquisition, Turco has a hell of a track record. He's started almost 500 games in his career and won over 260 of em (good for a stellar .580 win percentage). Before the lockout he was a beast in net, posting a GAA under 2 in his career. As the game opened up with the new post-lockout rules, Turco remained strong, winning an impressive 41 and 38 games the first two seasons out, then a still respectable 32 and 33 the years after.

Last season Marty, like the Stars, took a step back, failing to appear in 55+ games or win 30+ for the first time since he became a #1 goalie. The Hawks were wise to see thru those numbers to a guy who posted a .913 save percentage, his best since the lockout (and in fact, as good as what he posted the year before the labor break).

So how's he been doing? On opening night in Colorado, he stopped 37 of 40 shots before allowing the OT winner in. Two nights later he could must only 23 saves on 26 shots in the Banner Ceremony night against Detroit. OK, but not great and possibly cause for concern if it kept up.

Then? 4 starts, 4 Ws, and not a single one featuring anything lower than a pristine .927 save percentage, all while facing 30-40 shots a night. He followed that up with a bit of an off night, but rebounded last night with a pristine 33 saves on 34 shots against one of the hottest offenses in the entire NHL.

Now I'm not counting on Turco to end the season w/ a .921 save percentage, but it's outstanding to see he can be that good for stretches, because there will come a time in the playoffs where that's what the Hawks will need. No question right now the Hawks need some great goalie play. This is not the defensive system we saw last year, holding opponents to something like 20 or 25 shots a game. With Campbell out, Sopel and Barker gone, and so many new guys at forward, JQ's lockdown system just isn't happening.

So the fact that Turco is seeing around 35 shots a game and still has 11 out of 16 points for his squad? Yes, please. Especially on a measly $1.3M one-year deal.

And if you really wanna be sold, Niemi has four starts and been pretty terrible in three of them, while the Sharks other goalie has been absolutely sparkling. We're talking a very small sample size here, but kinda lends some credence to the idea that Niemi was a product of the system.

G Corey Crawford, 25 years old, 3rd season, $800k for 1 year, #50

That third season thing is misleading - Crawford has appeared in games each of the last two years, but he entered this season with only 5 career starts. For all intents and purposes, this guy is a rook.

So far, we've only seen three starts of his and that light workload will remain the case, as Turco is definitely a guy who wants to be in the net 60 times a year. However, Marty is getting older, the Hawks don't need to chase regular season points as desperately as most teams, and the plan certainly has to be for Turco to log 20+ games in the postseason.

All of that means that Crawford, if he can play respectably, will get 20-30 starts this year. If he can replicate what he's done in his first three, I'd be a happy camper.

He pulled out a tough W on the road against Ryan Miller and the Sabres, stopping 32 of 35 shots, and he lost a heartbreaker to the Preds when the Hawks went to sleep in the third, giving up a one-goal advantage and then losing in the final 30-seconds thanks to a horrendous penalty taken by Nick Boynton. He had another tough-luck loss against Columbus, stopping a stellar 37 of 40 shots, but coming up on the short end of a 3-2 game.

I've gotten to see two of those games and I can attest that so far this kid looks legit. I also remember him from his spot starts in seasons past and thought the same thing. A little rough around the edges but definitely capable. The excitement over Crawford has been tempered a bit by the fact that his AHL numbers were mediocre.

But chew on this - in 2008-2009, when both Niemi and Crawford were splitting time with Rockford, their numbers were about equal. The very next year Niemi was able to backstop the Hawks to a Cup. Is Crawford just as capable? Ya know, maybe. Certainly if the Hawks play the kind of D and get the kind of clutch scoring they did last season. From what I've seen - an admittedly small but still telling body of work - I think Crawford has what it takes IF, and that's definitely a bit if, he has the heart/mind to take the heat and grind of an NHL regular and post-season.

Ideally we won't find that out for another year or two, but at least for now, it's cool to know it might be the case. Keep watching him to see if his development arc suggests the same to you.

Tomorrow, I'll discuss the many new faces on the blueline (Boynton, Leddy, Cullimore, Hendry, and Scott), and next week wrap it up with the forwards (Bickell, Pisani, Dowell, Stalberg, and Skille).

As always, any comments are appreciated.

"D!" "Fence!"

2010-10-07T11:29:00.002-05:00

So the title defense starts tonight... were you even aware? Hard to believe that it's time for hockey again, especially given how late last season went. Throw in the fact that the baseball playoffs just started, that football is only at the quarter post, and that it's pretty warm here in Chicago, and I'm just not feeling very NHL-ie right now.

Some day I'll bore you with my theory on how the hockey season should be timed (think Stanley Cup Playoffs filling the "Dead Zone" every night), but for now the NHL powers that be somehow think it makes sense to be discreet as possible when kicking off your season. You know, might as well start playing when the sporting world's attention couldn't be more diverted from you.

For the Hawks, this might actually be a good thing. As much confidence as I have in them (if I was forced to bet everything I had on just one NHL team to win it all, no question it'd be the Hawks, and that's not because I'm a homer), there's no question the Hawks are gonna need a bit of time to get everything working as they want it. There are just too many new faces, too many unproven assets, to think that there won't be growing pains, probably significant ones.

So maybe it's best that the city and our sports commentators will be distracted by the Bears O Line, another Boozer injury, and baseball teams that don't suck to hammer the Hawks for problems that are guaranteed to happen... but not guaranteed to last. I've got faith in this squad, faith in the moves that were made, faith in the overall approach to building and retaining a contending squad that this front office is following.

See, my cleverly crafted post title has two meanings. First, it represents the start of our title defense - that's a damn exciting thing to be a part of something we need to remind ourselves about. When you start doubting this squad, just remember that at the end of the day, everyone else has been shown beatable - these Hawks have yet to be.

Second, I wanted to highlight the specific reason I think WAY too much is being made of the Hawks off-season talent exodus. Simply put, the Hawks did not lose a whole lot of what made them one of the best defensive teams in the NHL and at the end of the day, in hockey just like all sports, defense is what wins championships.

Cliche, but so incredibly true. Look across every sport and you'll see the same thing - teams w/ no offense but a great defense able to win titles, while high octane offenses w/o any D always fall short. And equally as convincing - teams with great offenses only taking home the title once they finally were able to upgrade their D (think Rams, Colts, and Saints in the NFL, or the Yankees finally getting some SPs last year in baseball).

So I'm just blown away by the universal belief (based on all of the predictions I've seen) that the Hawks will not win the Cup this year. Sure, the Hawks lost a 20-, two 17-, a 10-, and two 7-goal scorers from last season. But they still have their Top 5 goal scorers and just as important, their top 7 assist men.

Yes, Versteeg, Buff, and Ladd all were valuable offensive pieces that could score and create a lot more than most role players. But not only is the majority of the Hawks high-powered O still intact, the incredible amount of talent that is there should allow the incoming role players to quickly become productive players in the opponents' end.

However, even if these youngsters don't make up for all the lost scoring (and I think they'll be close, but definitely still short), this Hawks team can still be just as good because their defense is largely intact or improved. Not just their blueliners, but their key defensive forwards and their goaltending.

Your Top 4 defenseman - all back, all still in their prime or possibly getting better (I think both the Hammer and Seabrook still have upside, scary given how good they are). Your three two-way centerman - all back, with Bolland following up a real playoff coming out party that had to establish him as one of the better shut-down pivotmen in the league.

On top of that, it's distinctly possible the Hawks have upgraded the most important single position to defense - the goalie. Niemi played solidly down the stretch and through the playoffs, gave the Hawks some big games and big stops when they needed it, and in all was the kind of goalie you can win a Cup with (an obvious statement now, but still the best way to describe him). But Niemi wasn't going to carry you to any Cups (as the Sharks will learn, if their defensive work doesn't drastically improve) and in my opinion did nothing more behind a stellar Blackhawks defensive scheme than maybe 15 or even 20 other NHL goalies could have done.

In his place, the Hawks got a guy in Turco who showed, prior to his two-year hiatus, that he could be a real beast in the playoffs, carrying a middling Dallas team to the Western Conference Finals. Back in the day he thrived in the defense-first system that former Stars coach Ken Hitchcock utilized, posting some of the best season totals out of a goalie of the last few decades. And while I think a tad bit too much is being made of it, going from the basically stickless Niemi to one of the league's top puck-handling keepers is gonna help this team on both ends.

So with three great centerman and four stud defensive blueliners back, as well as a possible upgrade in goal, doesn't it seem a bit stupid that all of the national "experts" jumped off the Hawks' bandwagon so quickly? Can't you see this squad playing the same lockdown D that carried them to one of the league's best regular season marks and then, of course, the Cup, given the great majority of the same outstanding defensive pieces?

No question Madden, Versteeg, Ladd, and Sopel, even Buff, Frasier, and Eager were contributors on the defensive end that will be missed. But are you really worried that they aren't replaceable, at least defensively? The Hawks 4th line might not have the same offensive spark it had in the past, the third line might not be the same defacto scoring line it was last year. (I say might - who knows, as the Hawks do have a lot of nice young talent that might just surprise).

But defensively, doesn't it seem plausible that the athletic, hard-working, playing-for-their-hockey lives group of youngsters the Hawks have will be real assets? Especially given JQ's demand of such? Especially given the way two of your biggest stars and leaders - Toews and Hossa - kill themselves in their own end? Especially given the fact that these new guys won't be in roles demanding much more of them than to be complimentary pieces that do all the little things?

Here's how I see it - the Hawks will stumble a bit out of the gate as the players all learn to skate with so many guys they've never shared ice time with. They'll have some troubles early without Campbell's 20-25 minutes a night for the first month or so. They'll run into some issues juggling around the youngsters, figuring out which ones are keepers and whom should play where.

But along the way they'll still be winning at a decent clip, just because they are so talented and because the NHL features a lot of teams that are very beatable. And then they'll get Campbell back, just as they've finally learned what they've got in all these new faces, finally settled on some semblance of regular lines that work top to bottom. Sure, an injury or two might crop up to slow them down, but again, the core will be enough to overcome whatever happens, just like last year (Hossa, Bolland, and KJohnsson all missing significant time).

The Hawks will enter the playoffs as a top seed, or maybe just as a #5, but still dangerous and favored by a lot of pundits. They'll scuffle a bit in the first round, as once again the newbies have to figure out what playoff hockey entails and JQ has to respond by getting the right lines set for the postseason's unique style of play.

But again, the sheer talent combined with their outstanding system will be enough for these Hawks to triumph in what is a very winnable NHL. Detroit? Always dangerous, but getting old in spots and with an unaccomplished goalie. San Jose and Vancouver? Has all that much changed for a pair of teams shown wanting year after year, both in talent and heart? Washington? Remember the title of this post. New Jersey? How many times does Brodeur after to fail when it matters for people to accept he's just not that good anymore? Pittsburgh and Philly? Probably the two teams I fear the most, but definitely both beatable if the Hawks can be what I think they will be.

So to borrow from the world of sports' greatest homer announcer - "Sit back, relax and strap it down" because the Hawks first title defense in almost 50 years is about to begin... and I'm betting it's gonna be a successful one that you're gonna want to be a part of.

"When You Get To Hell, Tell Em Itchie Sent Ya!"

2010-09-02T16:33:00.003-05:00

What's played out between the Hawks and the Sharks this past summer has been a pretty interesting game of cat-and-mouse. I chose the classic Simpson's line to represent such for the title of this post, but I could have just as easily chosen the Ren & Stimply mainstay "Don't Piss On The Electronic Fence."

That's because the Sharks played a dangerous game this summer in trying to manipulate the Hawks payroll to their benefit. Apparently there's sort of an unsaid agreement among front offices that you don't make offers to other team's restricted free agents. The idea being that such offers will eventually come back to inflate your own player costs, with everyone losing in the process.

Whether there really is some wink-wink agreement among teams or simply few restricted free agents really are worth making an offer to, given the unlikelihood the team doesn't match or the high cost in draft picks forfeited if they don't is something I don't actually know. But what is clear is that it just doesn't happen - Stan Bowman said as much at an early summer news conference, when he claimed he wasn't worried about restricted offers.

Whatever the case may be, the Sharks stepped in with a very aggressive offer for the young Hammer, at $3.5M per for four years. That's about the absolute high end for a defenseman without any offensive skills, without great size, and without a long track record. And it's probably a whole lot more than Bowman planned on giving the Hammer when he was forecasting his summer moves, maybe as much as $1 or even $1.5 million per year more.

In the face-off with the Sharks front office, Bowman didn't blink. He matched the offer sheet for Hammer, as he absolutely should have. Nik is a beast back on defense, the stay-at-home lockdown type that Campbell needs. A shot-blocking machine that every PK unit needs. And an already a plus player with more upside as he continues to fill out and learn the game.

As flashy as the Hawks are up front, at the end of the day they win and lose because of their great defensive system. And the Hammer was a crucial, can't-lose piece of that system. I'm so glad that the Bowman brain trust felt that way too.

By matching, Stan had to first send Marty Reasoner packing. I'm not sure if this was in the works anyway, but it'd seem odd to trade for a guy you knew you'd dump shortly. I think the Hawks hoped there'd be just enough for a $1M defensive centerman for the 4th line. As it turns out, that became a luxury the team couldn't afford.

Much more impactful though was the fact that Bowman had to also let Cup-winning young backstop Antti Niemi go. Sure they pretended to be negotiating up to the arbitration meeting, but the reality is that after the Hammer re-signing, the Hawks front office knew that even if they won in the Neimi hearing, they'd still lose him. There just wasn't a dollar amount that Niemi was gonna accept nor that the arbitrator was going to award the Hawks that would have fit the payroll slot that remained.

This is especially true because apparently Marty Turco was locked and loaded in the wings. All reports are that he avoided signing anywhere else - including for more money with Cup runners-up the Flyers - because he specifically wanted to come to the Hawks and had indications that they felt the same way. You can't help but believe this when you saw how quickly after the decision the Hawks cut Niemi free and locked up Turco for this year.

Last week the final piece of the Sharks plan came into focus. With only the unproven Antero Niittymaki locked in at goal, for a very reasonable $2M each of the next two seasons, the Sharks were in a position to bring Niemi in for another $2M on a one-year deal. For less than they were paying the annually disappointing Nabakov, the Sharks had a respectable NHL journeyman in Niitymaki and now a Cup-winning youngster in Niemi.

So did Doug Wilson and the rest of the Sharks front office brain trust pull one over on the Hawks? Well, first off there wasn't a whole lot Bowman could have done even if he did want things to shake out differently. The Sharks made an offer on HJ, as they were allowed, and the Hawks were forced to match to keep him.

As for Niemi, sure Bowman could have kept him if he wanted, maybe for less than the $2.75M he won in arbitration. But I believe all the chatter that Bowman wasn't too interested. He had to know he could have Turco for the $1.35M he ultimately signed for, and given the extreme pressures on the Hawks payroll, the $1M or so he was saving in doing so was significant.

That extra million gave him room to make moves for injuries, to keep a higher paid prospect, maybe even to score a veteran role player down the road. On top of that, it's not clear Niemi would have re-upped with the Hawks for only a year. He did so with the Sharks, but that's only after it had to become clear to him that there weren't a lot of options out there. With the Hawks, Niemi seemingly wanted more than a token one-year deal and thus Bowman would have been locked into whatever contract he offered now again next season, when certainly payroll pressures will remain.

But the main reason I'm not sure the Sharks have put one past us is that I'm not sold on Niemi. To me he's just one of many average, maybe above average NHL goalies. Like the large majority of goalies playing in the NHL, he's a product of the players and system in front of him. Give him the right situation and Niemi is talented enough to win some big games for you.

But I've watched a lot of hockey in my life and seen a lot of lightly regarded goaltenders win a lot of big games for teams in the NHL Playoffs. Even if you are to set the bar as high as active NHL goalies with a Cup on their resumes, you're still looking at a bunch of guys who won't blow you away.

Osgood wasn't even the #1 guy heading into the playoffs for Detroit in 2008. JS Giguere in 2007 had a nice track record of success with the Ducks, but this past season, not even three years later, at only 33, he was unceremoniously dumped by the Ducks on the hot mess that is the Leafs. Cam Ward, the 2006 winner for the Canes, has put up solid numbers, but missed the playoffs three times in the four seasons since hoisting the Cup. And do you really want me to remind you what the recently jailed Khabi has done since his Cup win just before the lockout?

Lord, if you open it up to goalies who've taken their team to the finals and lost, you get an even more unimpressive list. Just think about this past Olympics - not a single starting goalie had even a Cup Finals to their credit, let alone a ring. Heck, few goalies in the whole Olympics had anything resembling Cup Finals experience.

My point? Don't go getting too upset over the fact that the Hawks just let a young Cup-winning goalie go. There's little to no correlation between one successful run in the NHL playoffs and sustained success as a #1 netminder. For all practical purposes, Niemi was just another role-player, no more important nor irreplaceable than a Ladd or Madden. I'd argue Buff and Versteeg will be greater losses this year.

So yeah, I think the Sharks just pissed all over the electric fence. Sure they were shrewd in getting the Hawks to pay a million or more per year for the Hammer. But if their main goal was to spring Niemi free, they don't have a whole ton to celebrate just yet. Niemi thrived behind an amazing defensive team and system, neither of which the Sharks have been shown to have.

Their blueline and forwards both are inferior to the Hawks group defensively and there's nothing to say their system is anything better, if not worse. Plus, the book on Niemi hadn't been written when he snuck through the regular season with fewer than half of the starts. Let's see how he holds up - both physically and in effectiveness - when Niemi's called on to start 50+ games and then a full slate of playoffs (after his long post-season run last year). And let's see what Uncle Niemi can do when he's not playing behind Keith, Seabrook, Hammer, Campbell, even Sopel, and a forward crew with plus defenders like Toews, Madden, Sharp, Hossa, Versteeg, and Bolland.

Yeah, there isn't a ton of downside to the Sharks getting a guy who's proven he won't wilt under the pressure. For just $2M for one year, San Jose won't regret this move too much. But I'm also not shaking in my boots because they found a middling NHL goaltender who's greatest asset was being in the right place behind the right melting down Frenchman.

It's possible Niemi becomes a bit more consistent and with more experience and confidence makes up for the lack of defensive (and offensive) prowess that's no longer in front of him. But I'm not counting on it and therefore am not too impressed by this nefarious Sharks front office plan this summer.

What I am counting on is Turco being every bit the guy Niemi was, and if he can't handle it, then Crawford getting the job done, and if he can't handle it, then another young Finn the Hawks quietly acquired this offseason - Hannu Toivonen - doing so. Because the Hawks have the talent in front and play the right type of system to make any respectable NHL goaltender a Cup winner. I'm looking forward to them proving it again this season.

The Real Story Of The Great Salary Cull of 2010

2010-08-10T15:46:00.005-05:00

First off, I've got to pimp by buddy's blog, which is best described as Chicago-focused general sports talk. Very insightful, covers a range of topics, and far less lengthy than what you'll find around here. Check it out here.

I don't think I've ever heard anything stupider, more mis-applied, or more ignorant than the concept that the Hawks have just finished up a firesale that mirrored the infamous version the Florida Marlins of 1997 executed.

Those Marlins mortgaged their entire future to accumulate as many big money stars as possible, rode them to a title, and then chose to immediately sell every single piece they could to avoid having to foot the salary bill for another season, guaranteeing a long rebuilding process that would keep the team out of contention for years.

The 2010 Chicago Blackhawks patiently developed an unheard collection of talent, wisely (for the most part) spent to add pieces to the tremendous young core as it came into its own, rode them to a title, strategically decided which players were key core components moving forward, were forced only by the league's salary cap rules to shed the complimentary pieces, and in doing so secured the talent that should help keep the team in title contention for the foreseeable future.

The fact that anyone would confuse those two storylines above is evidence of severe retardation. The Great Salary Cull of 2010 was a work of absolute genius coming and going. Period, end of story. As a Hawks fan, you should feel great about what got us here and you should feel great about where we're going from here. This was genius at work - we've already enjoyed some of the fruits and we'll most definitely enjoy more in the future.

Despite the difficulties of watching many of our Cup heroes leave this summer, it was most definitely genius that caused it to happen. Dale Tallon, the Bowmans, and a number of other great front office hockey minds assembled such an absurd array of talent that to keep it together this season would have meant a cap number of over $72M!

Yep, just adding up the 2010-2011 salaries of all of the guys who saw action in the playoffs, you get a cap number that is more than $12M over the cap. And that's assuming Boynton signs for the league minimum of $500k this year, ignores Kimmy Johnsson, who made $4.8M last year and probably is in line for at least $2-3M this year, and doesn't factor in the $4.1M of cap bonuses the Hawks are on the hook for this season.

The Hawks front office deserves endless accolades for getting a team with a market value of $70-$80M to fit into a cap that stood at $56M last year. Especially because only two of the players on the team were significantly overpaid. Campbell shouldn't be making more than $5M (instead of his $7.142M cap hit) and Huet, even at the time of his signing, shouldn't have gotten more than $3M (instead of his $5.625M cap hit). Throw in Sopel being a bit overpaid at $2.333M (instead of maybe 1.2ish?) and we're still only talking $5M or so in bad cap use. With the bonuses, that's still a team that's legitimately worth $70M, easy.

Oh, and there's that little thing about winning the first Stanley Cup in almost half a century to consider. Yep, all told, I'd say that Tallon, the Bowmans, and their colleagues did a freakin wonderful job collecting so much talent that they were laughably over the NHL Salary Cap limit when all was said and done. You should view this forced exodus, while clearly a bummer, as a big giant star on the homework assignments of the Hawks' front office.

So these guys were geniuses for putting us in this position - but did they really make all the right moves in responding to it? Well, only time will really tell. Maybe they let go of a superstar or kept a bust. Maybe these prospects they traded for won't ever develop. Maybe the guys who they created roster space for don't step up. Maybe the players they select with all their draft picks amount to nothing.

But from where we're sitting right now, I think the Bowmans have done a great job this summer. First off, as I'll detail in a post to come, they made the exact right choices as to who to keep around as the core. I loved a lot of the guys who left town this summer, but I wouldn't have chosen to keep any of them over the ones the Hawks did.

Toews, Sharp, Bolland, Kane, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell and the Hammer form a group of players that could contend for the Cup for the next decade. This is a group that will dominate in all three zones, on all three units, in every aspect of the game. They are young, committed, and hungry. They are experienced, proven, and reliable. As long as you can look out onto the ice and see a collection of players like that, as a fan you've got to feel amazing about your hockey club.

I want to stress that again - with the above players skating for the Hawks next year, we should be just fine. You hear a lot of snide comments about the Hawks not having anyone left next year - retarded. I'm not sure there are more than 2-3 teams that wouldn't trade their entire roster for the Hawks' core. This club, while certainly facing some growing pains, will be a Cup favorite and a real power, if, like every one else, they can stay healthy.

Second, it sounds like the Hawks really loaded up on all levels of prospects - from draft picks to NHL-ready types, to guys a year or two away. The pipeline which produced so many of the players we saw skate with the Cup last year (or were used to acquire so many of those players) now seems to be restocked to do it all over again.

Equally important, the Hawks are in a place to capitalize on this next wave. They've managed to open up a number of roster spots on the big league club while still keeping more than enough talent around to allow the youngsters to develop as complimentary pieces without much pressure.

As the Hawks learned the hard way over the past decade, when your big league club is devoid of any real talent, it's not easy to bring up prospects and turn them into high-impact NHLers. But you bring a guy up and let him ride shotgun with Toews and Kane? You let him do the dirty work for Sharp and Hossa? You let him kill penalties next to The Hammer? You let him learn to be a shutdown forward skating with Bolland?

That is how you seamlessly transition from one set of unproven complimentary pieces to another. And let's not forget, that's all the Hawks have gotten rid of this summer. Aside Madden, Sopel and Huet, no one they let go of was anything before the 07-08 breakout year. Only put next to supreme talent in a great system and allowed the time to develop, did the likes of Buff, Versteeg, Ladd, Eager, Burish, Fraser, and Niemi become the players we know today.

So why shouldn't we be confident that the next batch of Hawks prospects will similarly emerge? Bickell, Skille, Dowell, Stalberg, Hendry, Crawford, Leddy, Beach, Vishnevskiy, Lalonde, Makarov, and Toivonen all carry the same pedigrees, the same high expectations of our now departed Cup winners.

In fact, these guys probably are much more highly anticipated then what we had in that group above. Don't forget that a lot of these guys we just got rid of, if not all of them, were brought in to little fanfare. Mid to late round picks, unheralded trades, undrafted free agents. But the Hawks organization molded them into winners, just as I have faith they'll do with the next generation.

I can't guarantee everything the Bowmans did this summer was perfect. But I can promise you that we're only in this spot because of the great work they and Tallon did before. Mistakes didn't get us here, being incredibly good at their job of accumulating talent did. And we've got the freaking Cup to prove it!

And I can tell you that I love the core group they've committed to. And that the Hawks front office has earned your benefit of the doubt in terms of the prospects they've brought in and the guys they'll give time to next season. You shouldn't be feeling uneasy about the Cup defense - you should know that this organization is stocked with the core talent to win it and have proven they know how to fold the necessary complimentary pieces into the mix.

So the next idiot you hear reference the Florida Marlins or doubt what kind of team we'll return next year, just smile and nod. And then when they go to walk away, cross check them square in the back. "O'Doyle rules!"

Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#51-#88)

2010-07-22T10:40:00.003-05:00

#51 – Brian Campbell (D)

68 GP, 7 G, 31 A, +18, 23:13 ATOI

19 GP, 1 G, 4 A, +11, 19:35 ATOI

I really did love this team top to bottom and had a handful of guys I really loved. But there were few I was as happy to see prove their value as Campbell. Wrongly maligned by fans who misunderstood what he brought to the table and/or didn’t appreciate the value of what he did, Campbell was thought of by many as a major bust.

Look, there’s no question the Hawks overpaid. Now that the salary cap has become such a grave concern, it’s evident that Campbell is no $7M a year guy. But two things to consider. First, the Hawks gave up no assets to acquire Campbell. So a bit of that extra salary is to offset the fact that they didn’t have to trade or draft/develop the guy.

Second, for the past two seasons Campbell’s onerous contract had no negative effect on the Hawks. Just the opposite – Campbell’s presence, even at $7M per, was crucial to the late run we had two years ago and the Cup we just won. So ask yourself – would you really prefer to have a bit more cap flexibility right now or to know for sure we’ve finally won a Cup?

Because there is no way we were winning a title without a guy like Campbell. As discussed in my comments on Keith, the Hawks whole system requires that they have defensemen who can move the puck up ice. Keith was one of those, but the Hawks needed a second guy so that at almost all times there was a blueliner on the ice able to control the puck and get it into the other end.

So yeah, the Hawks should have been prescient enough to offer Campbell a 12-year deal with four $1M years at the end to bring the cap down to a fair market value $5M per. They did it a year later with Hossa and had they done it with Campbell, Niemi most certainly would be back this year. Unfortunately, at the time they signed Campbell, those kind of deals hadn't yet been established.

I'm fairly certain it started in January 2009, when the Wings added a pair of $1M years to Zetterberg's already negotiated 10 year deal to greatly improve his cap hit, so it's not like the Hawks eschewed a clearly available practice. The practice just hadn't been established yet and it's unclear if an unrestricted free agent like Campbell would have been willing to go along with such a move.

Regardless, I’m glad the Hawks made the decision to sign Campbell, even at the price they did. I’m sorry, having watched this club for two years with Campbell, there’s no question we need him on the ice. And if it cost us a bit more than was prudent to ensure we got him, so be it. And as the fates would have it, Campbell’s worth was proven when he was injured by Ovechkin and the Hawks had to struggle along without him down the stretch and to start the playoffs.

Finally, Hawks fans got to see what happens when Campbell isn’t taking his 20-25 minutes a night. How the offense stagnates, how too much is asked of Keith, how the whole blue line is over-taxed. It wasn’t totally because of his return, but it also wasn’t unrelated that Campbell being in the lineup coincided with the turn around in the Nashville series.

If you’re still not on board with what value Campbell brings or have forgotten this off-season as we struggle against the cap in part due to his salary, here are some things to know about the ginger kid. First off, he’s not a goal-scorer. When the Hawks signed Campbell, they knew this full well. He had just turned 29 and played five full seasons in the league. It was clear what you were getting, and it was a guy who only once had scored more than 6 goals in a season. So the back-to-back 7 goals years he’s put up with the Hawks have actually been better than his career average.

Second, Campbell isn’t a stud on the power play. This I was surprised about, as it was one of the things we were sold on – this guy would come into the top power play and make it all go. But while he’s fully capable with a man advantage, Campbell’s nothing special. In fact, for most of the year and in the playoffs he was working on the second unit. And he did a nice job for a solid but inconsistent power play. Yet, it’s definitely not where he’s making his paycheck.

Third, where Campbell is most definitely making his paycheck is in five-on-five hockey, when the puck is about to be broken out. He’s a solid passer who sees the ice well. But what Campbell has made his name on is as a guy who can fly up the ice and spark a rush. Whether it’s creating a break or just getting the puck deep into the other end so the possession cycle game can get going, Campbell is as masterful as about any blueliner in the game.

The guy can flat out fly. He controls the puck outstandingly and sees openings – both to skate and pass – as well as anyone. And the thing I love most about Campbell’s offensive skills – he’s fearless. Both physically and in a risk-taking sense. Campbell doesn’t mind skating a puck deep in along the boards, or dumping it down and chasing it, knowing full well he’s gonna be punished.

And Campbell doesn’t mind selling out a bit defensively to create an offensive chance or possession. That speed allows him to get back into the play without the Hawks’ opponents getting an odd-man break themselves. Which leads to the fourth thing to know about this guy – he’s a plus defender.

Sure, Campbell’s no physical presence, but he’s also not soft and doesn’t shy away from contact. He’ll mix it up with anyone and uses his veteran savvy to be in the right position and make the plays. Throw in the speed he has to close down space, break up rushes, and hang with any forward, and the Hawks are better off defensively because this guy is on the ice. Just look at the numbers: +18 in the regular season, +11 in the post-season (best on the club).

Am I saying that Campbell is better in his own end than Keith, Seabrook, or the Hammer? Nope. But he’s still definitely a real asset and his strong defensive play is one of the reasons that the Hawks are one of the stingiest defenses in the league, despite having inconsistent and unproven goalies in net all year.

So yeah, the Campbell’s contract is bad. And that means he won’t be leaving the Hawks any time soon. But while it hurts to see a lot of these other great skaters move on, I’m damn glad that this guy, as well as the other Top 4 blueliners, are gonna be with the team for a longtime.

#55 – Ben Eager (W)

60 GP, 7 G, 9 A, +9, 8:20 ATOI

18 GP, 1 G, 2 A, +2, 6:02 ATOI

While I’m definitely bummed to see Eager go, I’m excited to see what he can do on a team with a bit less depth that will afford him some more ice time. Eager was another player whose reputation wasn’t really accurate. He was no goon. If Eager never again drops the gloves, he still will have a respectably long NHL career.

He’s not a great skater, but he’s definitely a good one. He’s not great with the puck, but he is capable. And even if he’s not fighting, Eager still will effect the physical level of the game with the hits he delivers and the tenacity with which he plays. Eager is a very good forechecker who works along the boards. That board game can get a little bit better, but he’s still young (only 26) and will profit from getting more than the 6-8 minutes the Hawks could afford him.

The NHL will always have a need for a guy like Eager, because he brings that size, that physicality, but as he showed with the game-winner in Game 2, he also brings skill. He’s got a nice shot, he moves well with the puck, and he doesn’t play too dumb too often. He does need to avoid more penalties and not sell-out for hits as much, but if he can, then he’s going to be a legit third line guy.

Eager definitely has that upside. He’s got a great motor and won’t be swearing off fighting any time soon. Having a guy who can protect your players while also being an asset on the ice is a huge advantage. It allowed the Hawks to use one guy for two roster spots – both the enforcer and a fourth line energy guy. It also meant that come playoff time, Eager, unlike most enforcers, wasn’t glued to the bench, but instead could fill a key role.

So I’m not happy to see Eager in a different sweater, but I’m glad that he’ll get the chance to elevate his game and am excited to see what he does with it. And I’ll always appreciate the two great seasons he gave us on the fourth line (which, thanks in large part to him, was always one of the best in the NHL) and as an enforcer (a mildly antiquated role that still is necessary for a team as talented as the Hawks).

#81 – Marian Hossa (W)

57 GP, 24 G, 27 A, +24, 18:44 ATOI

22 GP, 3 G, 12 A, +7, 18:25 ATOI

Three goals in 22 playoff games last year. That tells you all you need to know about Marian Hossa.

The standard reaction to that line would be to think that this guy was a bust, a pariah who disappeared when it mattered and was a major hindrance to the team’s Cup run. A guy who was expected to make a major impact and didn’t even make much of a minor one.

Wrong.

The fact that the real insightful, educated Hawks fans never turned on this guy and, despite some ignorant grumblings about his failure to score, that the overall perception of the Hawks biggest ever free agent signing never turned negative is why those three goals in 22 playoff games say it all. They tell you that even when Hossa isn't scoring, the guy is doing a whole hell of a lot to make this team better.

I’m not sure you could find a more complete winger in the NHL. When the Hawks signed him, you quickly checked out his numbers and saw a guy who could fill up the net. Okay, so he’s another high-flying European sniper right? But then you heard he’s decent-sized and physical – so he’s a rare European power forward, right?

The answer to both of those is yes, but it’s only scratching the surface of the player the Hawks so skillfully added to the mix at an incredibly cheap cap number of $5.3M. Hossa is simply a guy who can do everything that you could ever ask of a winger. He’s got the size and toughness to play around the net. The speed and playmaking to be dangerous on the rush. The tenacity and body to forecheck and win battles along the boards. The stick skills and vision to fill up the net himself and set up others to do so. The defensive awareness and commitment to kill penalties and skate against the other team’s top line. The multi-dimensional offensive attack to carry the second unit of the power play.

While certainly not the leader or clutch performer that Derek Jeter is (who is?), I think the comparison is apt in the way that they’re both the rare superstar who brings a workmanlike approach to the game. Despite having gobs of talent and being as accomplished as anyone in their sport, Jeter and Hossa still are totally committed to doing all of the little things to help their team win.

When the Hawks signed Hossa, I was just happy to have him in the short term – clearly this guy could only help us win a Cup in the next few years. But now having watched him play for a half-season and a Cup run, I am pumped to have him around for the long haul. Hossa’s game will age extremely well because even as the skills go, he’ll find a way to contribute. Because his cap hit is so reasonable, Hossa might eventually be dealt. But I hope not, as this is a guy I definitely foresee being a part of winners until the day he hangs em up.

That seemed evident during the post-season, when Hossa was one of the more impactful skaters on the ice at all times, despite going though one of the worst goal-scoring slumps of his entire career. He contributed at both ends, even-strengthened and on both special teams, and in every way that a winger can.

And what a great guy to emulate for all these youngsters the Hawks will be using in the coming years. You don’t think that seeing Toews and Hossa busting their $100M humps to forecheck, work along the boards, kill penalties, and battle in their own end won’t have a major impact on the kids the Hawks throw into the lineup? You think it’ll be hard for Coach Q to get through to these rooks the importance of those things when all he has to do is show them tape of #81 and #19 on any shift they take?

What really has me excited? I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Hossa, by any stretch. Remember, not only was last year his first in the Hawks system and with the Hawks skaters, but he missed a good portion of the off-season, all of camp, and a big chunk of the start of the year. It wasn’t until the playoffs that JQ settled on Sharp as his best option as Hossa’s center. Now imagine what a fully healthy Hossa will do with Sharp on his pivot for 82 games? Or how nice it’ll be to have his regular goal-every-other-game scoring pace come next post-season?

#82 – Tomas Kopecky (W)

74 GP, 10 G, 11 A, +0, 9:29 ATOI

17 GP, 4 G, 2 A, +2, 13:34 ATOI

Another in a long line of guys I just didn’t show enough patience in. But I wasn’t alone – hell, even JQ didn’t seem to understand how he fit the team. Kopecky was bounced all over the lineup, and not because he was capable of fitting anywhere, like Versteeg. Nope, Quenneville just couldn’t find a place that Kopecky could make a meaningful contribution.

Not that there were high expectations for him, but coming over from the Wings and being reasonably young, there were some hopes that Kopecky could fill a nice complimentary role on one of the top three lines. At the very least he could help make the 4^th line one of the best in the NHL, as it had been the year before.

Instead he quietly scuffled along, threw up the occasional fluke game, but mostly seemed lost. Wasn’t a shut-down defensive forward, wasn’t a great centerman, wasn’t a scorer, wasn’t a big body, wasn’t a energy/spark type, wasn’t a get dirty guy. JQ repeatedly slotted him next to Hossa in the hopes that the countrymen could find a special connection, but little ever came of it.

But then something clicked. Kopecky finished the year on the 4^th line and was key to the offensive onslaught they showcased in bringing the Hawks to the regular season finish on a nice high. Unfortunately that fourth line was broken up with the Hawks early post-season struggles, and Kopecky found himself scratched for a stretch. But then he got his chance, again placed with Hossa and this time he started to make something of it.

Kopecky was nothing amazing, but a light seemed to go on. No idea what really happened, but it looked like he quit trying to make a big impact and instead just focused on doing the little things to help his linemates. He finally became that complimentary player the Hawks needed, the guy who would fly all over the ice, hunting down lose pucks, winning battles, scrapping in front of the net, playing hard in his own end.

I’m not sure if Kopecky has finally figured it out or it was just a nice flukey run, but I hope it’s the former. When turned on, he does have a nice motor and does play bigger than he is. Any offensive numbers he gets will be the product of the great play of his linemates, but Kopecky can make his mark on the stat sheet by continuing to bust his ass to facilitate the play of his teammates.

With so many of the main contributing role players gone now, Kopecky’s role will increase a ton next year, as will the pressure on him to make an impact. Here’s hoping he continues to play within himself, to become a guy who uses hard work and unending drive to help create chances for his high-scoring linemates.

#88 – Patrick Kane (W)

82 GP, 30 G, 58 A, +16, 19:12 ATOI

22 GP, 10 G, 18 A, -2, 18:58 ATOI

In 2008-2009, Kane was undersized, lazy in his own zone, and capable of disappearing for long stretches. Sure he could fill it up, create for others, and showed a knack for being clutch (9 goals in 16 playoff games, including a hat trick in the clinching game 6 of the 2^nd round). But many wondered how much of Kane’s impact was style, how much was substance?

Then Toews’ influence started to take hold – Kane comes backs from a grueling off-season 20 pounds bigger with an uncanny ability to not get knocked off the puck. He comes back willing to work in all three zones and not willing to let long stretches go by without effecting the game.

And most of all, Kane comes back with a killer instinct. Sure, Kane had flashed it a bit last playoffs – that Vancouver hatty first and foremost. But this year Kane made it a regular occurrence. Early on, with Hossa out, Toews banged up, Buff not stepping up, Bolland shelved, and Sharp not scoring like he once had, it was Kane who carried the offense.

The results? Team lead in goals? Check. Team lead in assists? Check. Scoring? Check? PP goals? Check. PP assists? Check. ATOI among wingers? Check.

Just watching him out there it was clear that all of those critics who questioned his maturity, his dedication, his toughness, had sold this kid short. And never was that more clear than in the Olympics. Part of a youth-dominated squad out-talented by a number of teams in the tourney, Kane and the Americans beat the Canadians once and were within some stupid OT rules (4x4 to decide the freakin Gold freakin medal?) of the biggest US international sports accomplishment since 1980.

And who was the guy the Americans were throwing out on the ice more than any other down the stretch, when they had to have that goal? Patrick Kane. Coaches, players, analysts all said the same thing – the offense all went through Kane. Everyone on the ice was just waiting for him to do his thing. All that pressure and this 21-year old reveled in it. Kane couldn’t have looked more comfortable in the role, couldn’t have been more clear that’s who he wanted to be. And he delivered, helping create the dramatic game-tying goal in the waning seconds.

So it was absolutely no surprise to me that come Game 6, in OT, with the Cup on the line, it was Kane who single-handedly took the puck, pantsed the veteran blueliner trying to defend him, and slid a shot so smoothly into the back of the net that no one even realized it had happened.

This rundown of all of the contributors to this magical journey fitting concludes here with Kane, the guy who ended the near 50-year Cup wait. And while some may complain about the anti-climactic nature of the OT winner, I was fortunate enough to have it be as amazing as I ever could have hoped.

A lesson I learned from my Dad in baseball served me well – he said when judging flyballs as a fan, just watch the OFs, they’ll tell you right away if there’s anything to be excited about. So when the game kinda stopped and the announcers weren’t clarifying everything, I was one of the first to celebrate because I knew if you just watched the players, they’d let you know if the puck was in.

And seeing Kane skip around the behind the net and up along the boards, seeing his teammates throw off their equipment and join him, and finally, hearing the bar DJ flash an itchy trigger finger and crank Chelsea Dagger, I knew it was time to jump around and hung everybody in sight. Euphoria, chaos, and a disbelieving thrill – everything I hoped a Cup would be, finally was. Man it pumps me up and makes me smile to think of it all over again!

Thanks for reading – both this post and all season long. It’s been a hell of a run and there’s no question I enjoyed it so much more having a forum in which to share my thoughts, and readers who took the time to slog through my overly loquacious posts. I really appreciate your readership, it’s very flattering, very rewarding, and very fun.

Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Today: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

And Then There Were...

2010-07-02T10:17:00.003-05:00

First and foremost, the best source I've found for Hawks rumors and whatnot is Al Cimaglia of HockeyIndependent.com. A longtime hockey writer, Al's specialty seems to be getting all the inside news on possible Hawks moves and giving in-depth takes on what it all means. So right now is definitely the time to give him regular visits, as it is in the months leading up to the trade deadline.

Wow, I kinda knew Versteeg was gonna go, and I definitely knew it was BS when Bowman tried to say that the Buff deal was all that was needed to get under the cap. But I guess I still hoped somehow Versteeg would fit - maybe they'd keep him around until they knew for sure about Ladd, The Hammer, and Niemi. Maybe Niemi plays hardball, the Hawks go with some journeyman netminder, and Versteeg is saved.

Instead, Versteeg, probably my favorite Hawk, is gone. Off to Toronto, a franchise without much success of late, but certainly a great place to live and play hockey. God bless Versteeg - I hope he finds the right place to explode as a player. Remember, last year was just his second in the league. In his first he was a Calder Cup Finalist (i.e. one of the best three rookies to come into the NHL). In his second, he was a crucial piece (playing on all three units) to the Cup Winners. Here's hoping that the Leafs get it turned around and Steeg becomes a regular 30-goal, 40-assist guy who's a devil at both ends.

Even if not, Versteeg is definitely everything I wish I could be as a winger, except for the occasional retarded decision-making part. I love his tenacity, love how he plays bigger than he is, and absolutely love and appreciate his playmaking. That will be missed - having a guy with those skills on the third line is largely unheard of, and it was a huge value to the Hawks in the Cup run.

What really hurt about that deal is that it left me with the false sense that Ladd would assuredly be back and that they wouldn't have much issue with The Hammer. Well, Ladd is gone now too. Rights traded to Atlanta (or Blackhawk South, thanks to the presence of Buff, Sopel, and Eager, as well as Chelios and even a young flashy skater named Kane... Evander Kane, but still...).

Man I'm gonna miss Ladd too. The guy was a great forechecker - one of those skills that you don't really appreciate until you've watched a ton of hockey. Being able to beat your man down the ice and win a puck in the corner is crucial to everything. It gets the offense going and keeps the puck from getting rifled back into your own end. One of the reasons I wanted to keep Ladd over Buff is that Ladd was so damn good at that - probably the best on the team (outside of Hossa and Toews). Throw in that I thought Ladd would be cheaper, that I knew he showed up every night, and that he has proven himself an outstanding checking line winger, and this guy seemed tailormade to play on a Cup winning team.

While he hasn't signed his deal yet, the implication of this deal seems to be that Ladd was gonna be too pricey. Why else get rid of him?

Well, maybe there is another reason. Or reasons. Certainly this talented young puck-moving defensemen the Hawks got in return (and the 2nd rounder, which could be pretty high) was one motivation. I will say that I do like that we're loading up on young assets. We all have the same thought - last year was amazing, but it'd better be the first of many.

And for that to be the case in the Cap Era, you've got to constantly be able to replenish your cupboard. Not sure what kind of prospect pipeline the Hawks had before this off-sesaon, but it sure as hell seems to have been restocked with these deals. I'm especially excited about Stalberg and Vishnevskiy. Stalberg was the big pick-up in the Versteeg deal. He's pretty big (6-3 196) and supposedly can flat fly - maybe one of the quickest skaters in the NHL. He showed some flashes in playing half the season in the NHL last year.

Of course, speed and size without a ton accomplished yet... sounds like there are some head issues. And there are, but hopefully skating with some real playmakers and being in a lockerroom full of highly accomplished leaders will be all Stalberg needs to emerge, just as Ladd, Versteeg, Brouwer, Buff, Bolland, etc did.

Vishnevskiy has had a cup of coffee in the NHL and will probably have a shot at making the Hawks. Paired with a veteran stay-at-home type, he might be a nice asset on the 3rd pairing. Supposedly he is extremely talented as an offensive defenseman, having had a lot of success at the lower levels. Again, put on the ice with some real talent around him, maybe this kid takes off. I'm a bit leery of the criticism of his game in his own end, but hopefully that's something JQ and the staff can teach him.

But I think I'm seeing another motivation behind Bowman's moves. One that hasn't gotten a lot of play. With Burish also moving on yesterday (signed by the Stars for just over a million per), it sounds like Bowman has picked out his core guys (Toews, Sharp, and Bolland down the middle, Kane and Hossa on the wing, Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and hopefully the Hammer on D) and is content to let kids fill out the rest of the roster.

Brouwer and Kopecky remain, and Reasoner was just brought on board, but they all are locked into deals at just over $1M - about as low as you'll find for anyone with more than 4th line talent. And they most likely will be gone this off-season, barring some sort of real break-out season that makes any indispensable.

Otherwise, it looks like Bowman actively wants to enter the year with four rookie wingers. Bickell certainly has a leg up, given his play last year and the fact that he was used on a top line for a handful of playoff games. Beach, the Hawks first round pick after 07-08 (i.e. their last non-playoff year) is also a favorite to see regular ice time. Dowell and Skille both saw some NHL time last season, maybe that'll play in their favor. And as I mentioned above, Stalberg probably is a safe bet to skate in the bigs. And I'm sure there are others who could get a look or two, especially with a great training camp.

So maybe these moves aren't all about cutting cap space, maybe Bowman is thinking that he's got his core and needs some guys around them (especially with, as I mentioned Brouwer, Kopecky, and Reasoner all ending their deals this season), and wants to get started on figuring it out now. I could see Bowman deciding that they've got enough pieces to compete well enough for now, so why not really find out what else they've got in the system.

Give these kids some significant ice time over long periods, then judge who's left standing. The hope being that you establish a few of them as legit role players who can take over the Brouwer/Kopecky/Reasoner roles in the coming years. Find the next generation of Ladds, Versteegs, Buffs, Burishes, and Eagers, but while you still have more than enough talent to contend for the top spot in the West.

If that is the plan, what other moves are necessary? It's possible Bowman will make one more move for his forward group, maybe bring on a good checking line winger to join Bolland on the third line. Having a legit shut-down line is crucial, and with both Versteeg and Ladd gone, two jobs are open. But we may see Brouwer get that call - Beach, Bickell, and/or Stalberg might be better fits up top, leaving the third for #22. That still leaves a spot open though, and being able to skate against the other team's top line isn't always something a rookie can handle.

Certainly Bowman needs to work on his D. As it stands, he's got only three blueliners (the recently signed goon John Scott was given the minimum and will mainly be a healthy scratch available when a bruiser or short term winger or D is needed). You gotta figure the Hammer is gonna be re-signed - Bowman pretty much said that in his press conference. It wasn't clear who he was referring to (apparently not Ladd), but the implication seemed to be The Hammer and Niemi would absolutely be back.

Even trusting that to be true (and who knows what they're ever really thinking), that leaves a pair of blue line jobs open. Last year's rotating 6th defensemen - Hendry and Boynton - were so shaky that JQ chose to skate Buff back there instead for long stretches. But either could still be back if they'll take a sub $1M deal. I wouldn't mind seeing one, maybe both, but they probably are better served as a 7th blueliner rather than the 6th.

And that still leaves wide open the 5th spot, somewhere you'd like to have another Sopel type - reliable(ish) stay-at-home guy who can be physical and skate strong minutes on the PK. The hope is that this is one of the reasons for so much of the salary culling - that Bowman wants to create room to bring in another quality blueliner. My dream is a guy with Sopel's great PK skills but a bit better skater who's more steady with the puck. Hopefully such a guy is out there, signed cheap, and on a team that likes something the Hawks have, if not simply available to be signed cheap in free agency.

I really hope that's the case. The top 4 are taxed enough as it is, especially after playing a season that featured a Cup run for all and the Olympics for two of them. The Hawks need a 5th blueliner who can chew up a ton of minutes. Because JQ plays to win every game, I can see him quickly losing confidence with the kids on the third pairing and working his Top 4 for 25+ minutes a night, 30 for Keith, all season long.

One final thing to consider - with all of these moves, the Hawks roster heading into the pre-season (which actually begins in September) doesn't have to feature everyone they're gonna need to win it all. Players break out (did you see Brouwer scoring 20 goals last year?), prospects emerge (did you see The Hammer stepping so beautifully into a #4 blueliner role two years ago), and of course, trades are made (Pahlsson and Johnsson were both crucial pieces to add... even if they didn't shake out that way).

So yeah, I'm gonna analyze their possible lines (which is retarded - they'll change all season and end up totally different come the playoffs) and pick out the Hawks' weaknesses. But the reality is that the opening night roster is just a milestone along the way, not the final exam.

Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#33-#46)

2010-06-29T12:13:00.003-05:00

#33 – DUSTIN BYFUGLIEN (W)
82 GP, 17 G, 17 A, -7, 16:25 ATOI
22 GP, 11 G, 5 A, -4, 16:16 ATOI

When I first started planning these out, I figured I’d have to touch a bit on whether Buff was worth keeping, maybe even make a whole post of it. But the off-season moves pretty damn quickly, and now Buff is nothing more than a freakin sweet ass memory. And really, with the assumption that Versteeg will be gone too, it’s not even a debatable issue any more – the choice seemed to be a matter of Sharp, Bolland, Versteeg, or Buff – pick two. Well, they clearly picked the right two in Bolland and Sharp.

One final stay-or-go thought on Buff that I’m bothered I didn’t make in my post on the deal – Buff is only signed for one more year before he becomes an RFA. The Hawks would have still controlled his rights, but if he had as great of a season as some people are figuring on, or even just another great post-season run, the Hawks would have had to get rid of him next off-season anyway. So when you consider that Sharp and Versteeg each have two years left and Bolland four, it’s again clear why Buff had to go.

But this post is about looking back, and lord what a ride Buff has been. And not just this year, but go all the way back to 07-08. Just as the Hawks are breaking out as a franchise, so is Buff as a player. Finally starting to get comfortable as a power forward after years as a blueliner, Buff pots 19 goals in only 67 games and looks primed to take things to the next level.

But 08-09 is a bit of a disappointment, as the rest of the Hawks progress while Buff takes a step back. Despite playing in 77 contests, Buff manages only 15 goals and sees his ice time reduced from 17 minutes to 15.

The playoffs start… and again Buff disappears. Five games, one assist. Then, in Game 6 against Calgary, Buff explodes for a goal and two helpers. And now Vancouver comes to town… and Buff disappears again. You don’t remember that, do you? Everyone talks about how he owns Vancouver, but in the first four games of that series, Buff had no points. Sure he might have been working hard along the boards and being a big pain in front of the net, but that’s not how legends are made.

In fact, from what I can tell, Buff’s legend against Vancouver stems from a single 2-goal performance in Game 5. A crucial game, no question, and Buff’s two goals are monsters, making him the #1 start of the game. But in the 7 goal outburst that is Game 6, Buff manages just an assist. In five games against Detroit, he has only two assists.

Total playoff stat line in 08-09 – 17 GP, 3 G, 6 A. Not bad, but nothing too impressive. And kinda makes this season’s regular season performance make a bit more sense – Buff hadn’t broken out so much in the playoffs, he just had a few noteworthy games, as he always does, while mostly just being there.

There was a mild step up in the regular season, as he did get back to 17 goals despite playing the final few weeks back on D. But there’s no question Buff had still yet to come near the tantalizing promise he showed. 6-3, 246 and able to both skate and work the puck – the sky was the limit.

But Buff did find a bit of a value for himself in the regular season, thanks to his ability and willingness to skate on the blueline. He was an able performer back there, allowing the Hawks to get through a tough time and right the ship in time for the playoffs, even working a few games on the blueline in the opening post-season series. But still, eight games into the playoffs, including two against his supposed rival Canucks, and Buff didn’t have a single goal, nor even a single point.

And then the light went on. A hat trick in Game 3 sparks the Hawks to back-to-back road victories and a commanding 3-1 series lead. A goal and an assist in the deciding Game 6 starts a string of five straight games – including every single one against the Sharks – with a goal for Big Buff. Then, after being shut-out all series, Buff explodes for two goals and two assists in the pivotal Game 5 against the Flyers and buries another crucial score in the deciding Game 6.

Total – 11 goals in the final 14 games of the playoffs. Now that’s where Buff’s playoff legend was made. Don’t tell me how important he was in 08-09 – he really wasn’t. Sure Buff might have done a lot of little things, but you can always find guys for the little things. His value as a post-season performer was only established this year, with that incredible run that began in Game 3 in Vancouver.

In seeing all that, I’m just as confused as ever about Buff. His 08-09 performance, hell, even the first 8 games of this postseason (yes, he did skate the blueline in a number of them) and the first four of the Finals, don’t give me a ton of faith that you can count on Buff every time out.

But that stretch against the Canucks and Sharks, that finish against the Flyers – yep, there’s no question when he does show up, Buff is going to make a major difference. His impact is as big as anyone’s… when he decides to bring it all.

I’ll always love Buff for his heroics. He was a key cog to this title that we couldn’t have lived without. And I’ll eat crow there – I would have dumped this guy for prospects at the trade deadline and tried harder to shore up the blueline (as I was also no Sopel fan at that point).

Instead, the Hawks hung on to him and not only got even more prospects and salary relief when they finally did trade him, but also were able to call on Buff when the blueline desperately needed him, and then call on him again to break open the Canucks series, keep the Sharks from ever getting into it, and bury the Flyers.

So yeah, Buff will have a special place in my heart and Blackhawk lore. But I can’t help but see all those countless games he disappeared in – including many in the postseason, when he supposedly thrives – and decide that the front office made the right move selling high. Buff will be missed, but less so than the other guys they kept in his place.

#36 – DAVE BOLLAND (C)
39 GP, 6 G, 10 A, +5, 17:22 ATOI
22 GP, 8 G, 8 A, +6, 18:40 ATOI

Coming in off a great 08-09 where he not only established himself as a legit NHL centerman, but one with #2 scoring line capabilities, Bolland was given the gift of Marian Hossa last off-season. Cruelly, that gift would be taken away a few weeks later when it was announced that Hossa would miss the first 20-30 games of the season. Making things worse, Bolland’s own health issues flared up a few weeks into the season, sidelining him for months.

So it wasn’t until late in the season that Bolland finally was matched with Hossa on the second line. But the chemistry never quite worked. Maybe they didn’t fit together, maybe they didn’t find the proper third to make it all go, and maybe it was just a matter of not having a proper off-season, pre-season, and regular season to figure it all out.

Either way, the Hawks would eventually move Bolland back to the third line role he thrived at in 08-09 and put Sharp as Hossa’s center on the second line. The regular season ended with respectable but unimpressive numbers from Bolland and the playoffs started much the same way. Bolland did get the game-winner in Game 2, but for the most part, his Nashville series was more of the same – respectable but unimpressive.

And then the Sedins rolled into town, with one fresh off a points title and both looking as dangerous as ever. But Bolland, with a huge helping hand from Keith and Seabrook, made them look inconsequential. JQ loves his shutdown centers, getting the Hawks to add Pahlsson last year and Madden this off-season. But while Bolland might not have made the cut as a scoring line center, he apparently earned JQ’s love as a checking line one.

As he should have. Every time the Twins went over the boards, so too did Bolland. He logged huge amounts of ice time and was an absolute force in his own zone. And Bolland didn’t stop with the Swedes – he made the Team Canada line of the Sharks look just as docile. No better image of Bolland’s great work exists than Thornton frustratingly slashing Bolland’s arm in a late game face-off. The Finals? No different, as Richards, Gagne, and Carter were shadows of themselves, rarely making any impact.

Will Bolland ever become the #2 center the Hawks wish he could be? Maybe – in the playoffs, where scoring is tougher to come by, Bolland did net 8 goals and assist on 8 more, despite playing a checking line role. He’s still only 24 – Bolland may just find that scoring touch if put with the proper wingers (he sure did load up on points when he was with Havlat in 08-09).

But I’d be just fine with him as one of the best checking line centers in hockey. Bolland helps brings offense to that line, ensuring a deep, dynamic scoring attack. More importantly, he’s as good shutting down opposing top lines as anyone I’ve ever seen – and he’s got the Cup to prove it. Bolland even showed that pest streak – the ability to get under the opposition’s skin – such a crucial aspect of the shut-down role.

With four more years in his current contract, I’m damn glad to have this guy in the Indian Head sweater for a while longer. Ideally I’d like to see him stay as a plus checking line center, but I wouldn’t mind if the Hawks try again to see if he can make it work as a #2 scoring line pivot.

#37 – ADAM BURISH (W)
13 GP, 1 G, 3 A, +2, 8:46 ATOI
15 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -1, 5:35 ATOI

Burish didn’t have the season he would have liked to, personally. An injury robbed him of almost the entire regular season and didn’t give him the time to get back into any significant role. He did skate in a good amount of games in the post-season and did fulfill a key role – bringing a bit of energy and tenacity when needed. But last season Burish was a crucial 4th liner and a guy who did a great job killing penalties. This year he was a token 4th liner, barely registering 5 minutes a game.

What does the future hold for Burish? Who can tell. This year was in large part a throwaway. But he’s still young (27), he’s still a plus skater for a 4th line energy guy, and he still is a capable penalty killer. Throw in the grit he brings, the fact that he’ll drop the gloves, and the pest role he fulfills so well, and Burish has his value.

The question is how much value… i.e. how much is some team going to want to pay him? You could see Burish coming back at a pretty low salary just to stick with the Hawks and be in Chicago. With some of the losses the Hawks have endured, Burish could return to a more prominent 4th line and PK role. But he may also be just attractive enough that some team wants his experience and intangibles and pays him enough to price the Hawks out.

If so, it’ll be a loss to the Hawks. While they most certainly can live without him (as they showed for most of this season and most of the playoffs), Burish had his value. And as the team gets thinner in frontline talent due to the cap, it’s these kind of cheap grindy types that need to pick up the slack. It’ll be unfortunate if Burish isn’t one of the guys around to do so.

#39 – CRISTOBAL HUET (G)
48 GP, 26 W, 14 L, .895 SV%, 2.50 GAA
1 GP, 0 W, 0 L, 1.000 SV%, 0.00 GAA

Obviously signing this guy to that contract was a mistake on a lot of levels. But I’m gonna argue that it won’t be a regrettable one if the Hawks front office (actually, more likely its ownership) agree to eat the remainder of his contract and ship him off to somewhere in Europe or the AHL.

As it stands now, the Hawks have lost nothing by giving Huet that money. They didn’t lose any players these past two years because of the cap or finances and they weren’t gonna spend that money on someone else who was going to be around moving forward, as they already are overspent for the future.

And in the future, if the Hawks eat the contract, Huet has no negative effect on them – it’s like his contract doesn’t exist, cap-wise. The only losers are the Wirtz, who have to foot the bill (as they still are required to pay the actual money owed).

But I don’t think even the Wirtz lost. I think Huet was a key contributor to the team in 08-09. I think he was important to allowing that team to get the #4 seed and to eventually make it to the Western Conference Finals. And I know that experience was crucial for their confidence and know-how this year.

Huet played well in his half of the games in 08-09, when Khabi was either hurt or incapable of carrying the every night load. He won 20 games, had a 2.53 GAA and .909 save percentage. Those are all good numbers and they were key to helping the Hawks break through to that upper level of Western Conference teams.

But more importantly, Huet allowed JQ to rest Khabi and to have a respectable goaltender for the numerous times Khabi was hurt that year. That allowed the team to remain on its rolls and more importantly, for Khabi to be fresh come the playoffs. Given that Khabi would eventually break down in the Western Conference Finals (and take our season with him), if Huet wasn’t there to keep him fresh, I don’t see the Hawks having beaten both Vancouver and Calgary.

I also think Huet was a key contributor to the team getting the #2 seed this season and being in a place to succeed in the playoffs. Huet was crucial in getting the Hawks off to a great start and establishing a ton of confidence in themselves. He also was important in allowing Niemi to be brought along slowly without any pressure or expectations. I do not believe Niemi could have done as well had he been the #1 from the get go, or even been battling for a #1 spot with some other goalie. Only because Huet was there to carry the main burden was Niemi able to get acclimated to the league and establish some confidence in himself.

Finally, Huet deserves credit for stepping aside gracefully and never adding to the media- and fan-inspired circus that surrounded the goalie position. For such a high paid veteran who had done so much in his career (really – Huet has had a number of very good seasons), he could have complained publicly about his treatment (even if it was deserved), but he didn’t.

So yeah, Huet did not warrant that huge contract. And yeah, he’s got to be farmed out now and erased from the books. But given the fact that the Hawks won the Cup and that Huet played a crucial role in the steps leading up to that run, I’m not gonna regret that signing. Who knows what would have happened had we passed on Huet? But I do know what happened after we signed him.

#46 – COLIN FRASER (C)
70 GP, 7 G, 12 A, +6, 9:36 ATOI
3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, +0, 8:24 ATOI

Another guy who has since parted ways with the Hawks, I’ll be mildly sad to see him go. Fraser barely dented the post-season roster these past two years, playing in only 5 games total. But during the regular season of both seasons Fraser was a capable 4th line centerman, maybe a bit worse in the face-off circle than he should have been, but getting better (from a 47.8 to a 48.8 this year).

Fraser was solid on the penalty kill, had a decent scoring touch, and certainly busted his butt and got his nose dirty whenever needed. Although Fraser didn’t contribute a lot, he did help us get into the position we needed in the regular season to make the runs we did these past two seasons. And now his name is etched on the Cup forever, and therefore etched in the hearts of Hawk fans forever.

I wish him the best in Edmonton – a great landing spot. The team is bad, but that means a chance for some real PT. Fraser could establish himself as a nice 4th line centerman and penalty killer, with the upside to be a respectable checking line center some day (he still is only 25). Regardless, Fraser will hold a special place, not just for his overall contributions, but specifically for the way he helped spark a 4th line to an incredible scoring barrage in the last few weeks of the season. That barrage helped the team recover from their March swoon in time to handle the very pesky Preds in a tough first round series. For that, Fraser proudly earned his ring.

Please check back again for the final installation:

Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Today: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

Goodbye Buff, Sopel, Eager, and Frasier - You Will Be Missed

2010-06-24T09:23:00.004-05:00

Damn, gonna have to put the player reviews on hold until next week so that I can share my thoughts about yesterday's mega deal (and today's minor one). But hopefully I'll have the final two installations on Monday and Tuesday - thanks to all of you who've been reading em!

And so the Great Salary Cull of 2010 has begun... and with a bang.

Gone are Buff, Sopel, and Eager (as well as promising power forward Akim Aliu, drafted in the second two years ago). They take with them $6.3M in salary from last year. $3M in Buff, $2.3M in Sopel, and $1M in Eager. Gone too is Frasier, who only made $700k, but might have been due for a slight raise as a restricted free agent. Eager was definitely due for a bit of a raise, being a restricted FA. Offsetting the salary they got back, that is at least $6M in savings, maybe upward of $7M depending on what Eager is locked up for. Given what he meant to a Cup champion and how the Atlanta GM said they believe Eager can be a valuable forechecker capable playing above the fourth line, he might be making much more money next season.

Back are a late first and second round pick, giving the Hawks five choices between #24 and #60 in this weekend's draft. That's pretty big. While it won't net the Hawks an instant impact guy, it will give them five difference chances to net a prospect or two who develop into something down the road. Sharp, Bolland, Bickell, Frasier, Kopecky, and Norris Trophy Winner Duncan Keith were all picked right around that 25-60 range, so there is definitely lasting impact talent to be had. And the 6th round selection might be of some value - Johnsson, Madden, Campbell, Huet, Niemi, Hendry, Brouwer, Buff, and Burish were all available in the 6th rounds of their respective drafts.

Back also is Marty Reasoner, a veteran centerman. The guy consistently scores just over 10 goals a season with about 15 helpers, takes up 13-16 minutes of ice time, and most importantly, has regularly been at or over 52% in the face-off dot. With Bolland locked into your shut-down center role, Reasoner becomes a nice 4th line pivot who you can count on to help in defensive zone face-offs and provide always-necessary depth up the middle. I can't say I had ever heard of this guy before the deal, but from the little bit I've seen of his numbers, I think he's a perfect fit for the Hawks.

Especially because his salary cap hit is $1.15M, about a hair over the league minimum. Technically that's $500k, but if you have any NHL experience or are anything of a prospect, you're gonna make a million, minimum. And when you're a proven veteran who has a valuable skill - in Reasoner's case, the ability to play center and be strong in the face-off circle - then $1.15M is as low as the Hawks could ever have hoped to spend to have this type of player.

And they certainly needed this type of player. Sure, I would have liked to see Frasier get some more time to develop, as I think he really is taking to that 4th line centerman role. But he never has been strong on the face-offs, it's not clear he has much for upside left, and as a restricted FA who made $700k last year, he's not gonna be much cheaper than Reasoner. Throw in the pick they got for Frasier, and the Reasoner addition should not be overlooked in this deal.

The final piece coming back is 19-year old forward prospect Jeremy Morin, a natural goal-scorer who supposedly may not have the physical tools (namely speed) to produce at the NHL level. Of course, they have long said that about a lot of highly accomplished goal scorers. There is a distinct skill to having a nose for the net and this guy Morin might just have it. So maybe someday he does develop into the under-athletic headsy type who fills the back of the net. Lord knows the Hawks will have more than enough playmakers to set him up. Not that I'm counting any chickens, but this is a nice prospect to get into the system.

And my take on we gave up? Given that we knew we'd be losing a number of guys from the Cup team this off-season, I'm actually pretty pleased. First off, I'm glad to have a lot of the hit all come at once - sort of a band-aid ripping off thing. There still may be more to come, and almost certainly will be, but at least now it'll be small moves driven in part by a desire to improve the club, rather than just a straight salary dump.

Second, there was a time I would have parted with a significant prospect or two to get someone to take Buff's $3M and Sopel's $2.3M hits off our cap. To have them be the centerpieces of a deal that netted us huge and necessary salary relief, two high draft picks, a prospect, and a key (and cheap) role playing vet? Wow. But that was fair market value - Buff and Sopel played outstandingly in the playoffs.

As I said in my write-ups, Sopel evolved his game to his declining skills and made himself into a crucial 5th blueliner and top PK guy. This was especially key given the loss of Johnsson, who we had brought in to do just that. Was he overpaid? Maybe a little, but not as much as I previously thought. With just a year left on his deal, Sopel's $2.3M isn't terrible for a strong PK type who can skate 17 or so minutes and has a ton of veteran leadership and teaching to offer. The thing is that it was definitely a price the Hawks couldn't afford, at least not given Sopel's limitations.

However, it is a role the Hawks will need to fill. How they do so now becomes one of the front office's top challenges this off-season. Hendry might be counted on to improve, but at best I see him as a strong #6, using his plus skating to compliment a more lumbering stay-at-home blueliner type. But to be successful on another title run, the Hawks need a #5 who can take some decent minutes, kill penalties, and be steady while doing it.

What does that cost these days? I can't say I know. But I am sure there are a number of blueliners who can fit the bill but aren't making much. The challenge is to find them - find the journeyman vet who just needs the right situation. Or the seemingly washed up guy who is ready to bounce back. This is the stuff champions are made of - where front offices find someone on the trash heap and turn him into a key contributor. That #5 blueliner spot is the Hawks opportunity for such this off-season.

As for Buff, I have to say that without question he was the guy I most wanted to see go out of the group that also included Sharp, Bolland, and Versteeg. All made $3M or more, but only one guy disappeared for long stretches each of the past two seasons. Only one guy was single-dimensional. Only one guy was wholly reliant on the players around him to make him better.

There is absolutely no question that when motivated and when put in the right place and when not facing a game plan meant to shut him down executed by players capable of doing so, that Buff is a freakin beast. He had five game winning goals in the Hawks 16 Cup victories. Wow.

As my brother rightly pointed out - there are big guys and then there are guys like Buff... actually, his point was that there aren't guys like Buff. 220 is big in the NHL. Buff is pushing 260. With the way he can skate and the decent stick skills he has, he's on a whole nother power forward level. No matter who the Hawks try to replace him with, that guy will automatically be less of a physical presence and force.

And Buff's value as a guy who can go back and skate on the blue line in a pinch cannot be ignored either. You certainly don't want to plan on having Buff back there - he's not that great and it destroys his value as a wrecking crew in front of the net - but who wouldn't love having the security that if all goes to hell, Buff can be called on to help you win games from the blueline?

Still, we were more or less here last year, too. Buff had a brilliant series against Vancouver in 08-09 and looked like he finally got it. And then he sucked again this year. Occasional flashes were overwhelmed by long stretches of mediocrity. For a guy with his size and skill, games should not go by without him making an impact. But whole months would.

So what guarantee that Buff the Beast will be back next year? And if not, can you always count on him to turn it on in the playoffs? And how much of his success this year was because teams didn't expect it? Once Buff was established, Philly game-planned for him and made him a non-entity. Only when the Hawks threw out a completely new look did Buff finally break free. Can you count on that happening every series? What if we don't see Vancouver next year, but instead the wily Wings? Can you count on Buff being woken up by a team that won't get caught in stupid head games that awake the sleeping giant?

And let's not forget the first half of the season, when a guy named Troy Brouwer was playing the Buff role, scoring goals at regular intervals due to his strong work in front of the net. Or Sharps' 36-goal performance in 2007-2008. The common denominator to those virtuoso performances? They were all skating alongside Toews and Kane.

So is it Buff that's so good, or is it playing with two of the best young talents in the entire NHL that produces superstar performances? Are you so sure that Bickell, Ladd, or Brouwer can't join those two and score 30 next year? What about Kyle Beach, the highly-talented 1st round pick the Hawks made two seasons ago, who's chomping at the bit for an NHL spot? A power forward with a mean streak and a load of skill, Beach could be ready for big things.

Yeah, none of these guys will be as big as Buff. Maybe they won't have the same theatrics. But I have every faith that whomever is riding shotgun with Toews and Kane is going to do incredibly. And I think they'll do so all season long, rather than waiting for some opponent to light a fire under them.

Finally, I'd just much rather have Sharp, Bolland, and Versteeg than Buff. Or both Ladd and Brouwer than just Buff. Those were the trade-offs here. Buff is great, I wish he could stay. But he's the guy who will least hurt the Hawks with his departure. Sharp proved himself an outstanding second line center this season, capable of doing everything and anything in the game of hockey. Bolland emerged as one of the NHL's top shutdown centerman, ready to join Keith and Seabrook in blanking any top line. Buff wasn't in the same discussion as these guys in terms of value.

Versteeg? That's the closer call, and he still well may be on his way out the door. But either way, as rare as Buff's size is, it can be replaced by a slightly smaller but still sizable forward who's willing to get dirty. But Versteeg's playmaking? I'm telling you, that's the hardest to find and most valuable thing in hockey. Someone who can create like he can - can skate to space, can execute amazing passes, and can put beautiful shots on net for deflection and rebound chances.

On top of that, Versteeg has shown himself a defensive player. That means he can be counted on to kill penalties and skate on the checking line. And when you can put a playmaker on your checking line, lose nothing defensively but create an offensive push from that group, you become very dangerous. The Hawks have had that luxury of a scoring checking line the past two seasons and they've relied on it for a ton of their regular and post-season success.

Brouwer and Ladd? Hard to tell exactly what Ladd will make moving forward, but it's possible that his salary and what Brouwer makes will be right around Buff's $3M. So would you really rather have just Buff or both Ladd and Brouwer? These are guys who've shown they can score around 20 goals and be significant offensive threats. They've shown they can be physical, be good forecheckers, and play well defensively. They're athletic and can get up and down the ice with anyone.

Can you expect the same from some prospect? I don't think so. Look at Skille, a 1st round pick who's been given chance after chance and done nothing with them. Look at nearly every prospect the Hawks had from 1996 to Kane and Toews. Hell, look at Brouwer in his first year, when he got tons of time with Kane and Toews and couldn't do anything with it. It's foolish to think you can just replace guys like Ladd and Brouwer with ease. Sure, some turnover will be necessary, but you want to do as little as possible of proven contributors.

Where Ladd and Brouwer are now, they are valuable pieces. Assuming Ladd can be had for a reasonable amount, I'd much rather slot both of those guys into my lineup than just Buff. They're gonna make two lines better and do it on every night. They're dynamic two-way guys who will adjust to whatever line you need them on. And they're gonna fill the stat sheet up a little along the way.

So yeah, it sucks to see Buff go, he'll be missed in the playoffs. But he's in the East where he can't hurt us and we'd be much worse off today if some other name was involved in that deal instead.

The third reason I'm OK with this deal is that Eager is a luxury the Hawks can no longer afford. He was an outstanding 4th liner, easily one of the best in the NHL. On most teams he would have gotten 3rd line time, at least, and should see some real opportunities with the Thrashers (although I'm not sure they have the other players necessary for Eager to really thrive as the complimentary player he always will be).

But the Hawks were in a fortunate place with so much depth that Eager was buried on the 4th line. From there he provided impressive speed and energy, a ton of hits and a real physical presence (including as a fighter, which remains necessary in the regular season slog). And I was pumped to see him score a game-winning goal in the Finals, because I knew his goal-scoring skills were always underrated.

But the time for luxuries is gone for the Hawks. No longer can they survive with a $5M back-up goalie, as they have the past two seasons. No longer can they keep all their young studs and still add the most expensive free agent on the market, as they have the past two seasons. And unfortunately for Eager, no longer can they afford to have a guy proven to be one of the best 4th liners in the league, especially once he's got a Cup on his resume. Whether part of this trade or some other, Eager was clearly not going to be someone the Hawks could afford.

Finally, as I detailed a bit above, I dig what the Hawks got back. They couldn't add any significant salary (which would defeat the whole purpose of the deal - and NO question this was a salary dump deal first), so that limited what they could get in return. But the Hawks found all three things they could - high draft picks, a prospect, and a real cheap proven vet who fills a crucial hole.

In all, the first big blow of the off-season went about as well as I ever could have hoped. More guys will go (obviously Johnsson and Madden won't be back, and both Burish and Boynton could be in the same boat) and we may even be adding a few in their place. Either way, we'll have an incredible core to compete with anyone and I've got faith the front office and ownership will give us a real chance to defend next year.

Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#24-#32)

2010-06-22T20:43:00.004-05:00

I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.

Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Today: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

#24 – NICK BOYNTON (D)
7 GP, 0 G, 1 A, +4, 15:56 ATOI
3 GP, 0 G, 0 A, +2, 8:23 ATOI

I can’t say I have a whole ton to lay out about Boynton. I didn’t know much about him when the Hawks acquired him and I haven’t learned much since. He clearly wasn’t too highly thought of, as the Hawks chose to move Buff to D rather than give Boynton any time. When Buff was moved back to forward, it was Hendry who got the sixth blueliner starts.

Only when Hendry proved too shaky for even 6-8 minutes of ice time did JQ finally go to Boynton. And that’s why he’s on this list – because what he did for the Hawks, while minor and almost certainly to be quickly forgotten about by all but the most diehard of fans, was crucial to the Cup.

JQ needed another 8 or so minutes a night out of his 6th blueliner and Hendry didn’t seem capable of doing that without great cost to the team. He didn’t need to play any special teams, just get out there at carefully chosen moments and not hurt the team too much.

It wasn’t easy to tell how good or bad Boynton played, but it’s worth noting that he did fill those 8 minutes a night, he did end up a plus 2, and most of all, he was on the ice for both Game 5 and Game 6 of the Finals. And in Game 6, one mistake from Boynton could have made all the difference. But instead, on the biggest stage, despite just fleeting PT for the Hawks during the year, Boynton delivered as the Hawks needed him to and most definitely earned his engraving on the Cup.

#25 – CAM BARKER (D)
51 GP, 4 G, 10 A, +7, 13:06 ATOI
(DNP)

Another guy not worth delving too deeply into, as he was sent packing mid-season for Johnsson in an effort to shore up the blueline with a more reliable defender. No use regretting the deal – both guys eventually were lost for the year the Hawks won the title anyway, and Barker would have been certainly let go this off-season in the great salary purge. Throw in the speedy young defender the Hawks got, and this deal still only has upside.

I feel Barker deserved a spot on this list because he played in 51 games and was a semi-important part of the club’s success this year. Without Barker, who knows if the Hawks start out as hot, build as much confidence, and have enough of a cushion to survive their March blahs and hit the post-season ready to rock.

I’m not gonna say he was a major factor, but he did log some decent minutes, had some decent flashes, and helped in his way. Look no further than Hendry’s struggles in the post-season to appreciate what Barker meant.

Much like many of the other players the Hawks will lose from this team, I’m going to be very curious to see how Barker develops in Minnesota. He’s got a boatload of talent and works a lot harder than most people give him credit for. He seemed to break out a bit in the playoffs last year, only to take a major step back this season. But Barker’s still very young – I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns into a solid two-way blueliner, probably more apt to fill a #3 or #4 spot than be a top pairing guy, but a valuable player nonetheless.

#29 – BRYAN BICKELL (W)
16 GP, 3 G, 1 A, +4, 9:36 ATOI
4 GP, 0 G, 1 A, +3, 13:14 ATOI

Bickell showed some flashes in the regular season and even earned himself four starts in the playoffs when Q decided to shake up the lines against Nashville. Although Bickell wasn’t a major factor, he was a part of that turnaround which saw the squad reel off three straight wins and 13 total goals against the Preds after digging themselves a 2-1 hole in the series.

Bickell got himself an assist and was on the ice for about 13 minutes a game. That’s a significant number – that means Bickell wasn’t just skating occasional 4th line minutes. He was up with the big boys and being called on to take regular shifts at crucial times.

Unfortunately for Bickell, the team’s meltdown in Game 1 against the Canucks cost him a spot and JQ never looked his way again. However, that should definitely change next year, as the 6-4, 223 pound 24-year old is high on the list of players the Hawks front office is counting on to fill the gaping holes caused by the impending salary cap cull.

I’m not sure what we’ll get out of Bickell over the course of a complete NHL season, but I’m looking forward to finding out. With the type of playmakers the Hawks have, a guy with this size who has any sort of touch and drive should be a guaranteed 20 goals with upside for a whole lot more. It just remains to be seen if Bickell does have that touch and drive.

#31 – ANTTI NIEMI (G)
39 GP, 26 W, 7 L, .912 SV%, 2.25 GAA
22 GP, 16 W, 6 L, .910 SV%, 2.63 GAA

After three straight guys who barely reserved a mention, we’ve got a guy who could be deserving of more ink than any of these 26 players. Think about it – when the season began, Niemi wasn’t even assured of a place on the roster. But in the end, was there anyone else you would have least like to have lost the day before the playoffs began? It’s just the nature of hockey that the goalie is almost always that important – even on a team as loaded as the Hawks.

Yet, it didn’t start anything like that. Think back – when the puck dropped on the Hawk’s regular season, they were in Finland and carrying three goalies. Niemi and Crawford had both been solid, but neither spectacular, and the Hawks were only going to carry one. Niemi had a bit of a leg up, but not much. Essentially, the decision who stayed was going to come down to how Niemi played in his homeland in Game 2.

There was a hint of excitement to the shut-out he threw, but for the most part it was written off as the kind of random occurrence that happens here or there, and aside deciding who’d carry Huet’s golf clubs around, no one really cared too much about it.

Because no one realized that this performance showed us all that we needed to know about Niemi. This kid had barely had a cup of coffee in the NHL the year before, had only one year of North American hockey (in a split time role in the AHL last season), and had just been asked to play for his meal money for the rest of the year.

No pressure kid – your teammates are out of sorts from all the international travel, you’re in front of your own national fans – a group of hockey fans, mind you, that have come to expect great things from a long, accomplished line of Finnish netminders - and if you don’t play well tonight, you’re gonna be riding buses to half-filled minor league rinks again all winter.

Like he would do all year, Niemi stepped it up when it mattered most. He threw a shutout, got the Hawks a needed W from the trip to get the season started the right way, and gave Q some confidence in the guy who’d be backing up Huet.

That role alone would have made Niemi important, even had Huet not fallen apart. At his best, Huet never played more than 50 regular season games. Throw in that the Frenchmen also hadn’t ever taken on more than one round added playoff wear-and-tear, and it was clear the Hawks back-up backstop would have to be ready for quite a few starts along the way.

In those starts Niemi wasn’t always great, but he was great when it mattered. Look at that record - 26-7. Sterling. As I mentioned before the playoffs, check how he did in OT and shoot-outs. He had one of the top shoot-out save percentages in the league. He had some of the best OT GAAs in the game. While some would write those off as not having anything to do with playoff hockey, I said just the opposite. I said that’s one place you can definitely learn something about your goalie.

Those were the times the games were most clearly in his hands, and those were the times Niemi dug the deepest to deliver. So is it any surprise that come the playoffs, it would take 20 games before Niemi would allow his team to respond to a loss with anything but a W? Should it really have surprised us all that in each series he chose one game to simply will his team to a much-needed victory?

Is Niemi the perfect goalie? Nope, not by a long shot. He had plenty of stretches where he played iffy hockey, where he didn’t make the needed saves, and where the Hawks stellar D and high powered offense bailed him out.

But I think he is the perfect goalie for this team. The Hawks don’t need a superstar goalie, they just need a goalie who can make the big stops at the big moments, allowing the deep, talented group of skaters a chance to play for the win.

And that’s what he did for most of the year, especially down the stretch and certainly in the playoffs. The hope? That Niemi and his agent are smarter than most players and reps, and can see the longterm picture.

Niemi can most certainly maximize his current position, force the Hawks into a tough decision as to whether he is a big money goalie and whether a big money goalie fits with this team’s make-up. He can use his status as a restricted free agent to get a great offer that sets him up for the next 4-5 years.

Or he can appreciate that the position he’s in could allow him to go on a run of success that will keep him employed in the NHL for the next 15 years. Goalies can play forever, especially highly accomplished ones. If Niemi is willing to sign for a reasonable amount ($3Mish), the Hawks can keep him and enough talent around to just continue winning Cups. With a few more deep runs and another title or two under his belt, even if he doesn’t play particularly well, Niemi will forever be in-demand.

But if he leaves, goes to a lesser team who are placing higher expectations upon him? I can see Niemi becoming another in a long line of goalies who cashes in on one great post-season to become a salary albatross. Hell, the last two times the Hawks paid goalies that’s exactly what happened (remember, Khabi cleared waivers before 08-09 and Huet most certainly will before this season). And they aren’t alone – the NHL landscape is littered with these guys.

So let’s all keep our fingers crossed that Niemi understands this is where he fits best, where he has the best chance for longterm success both for his team and himself, and he does what’s necessary to fit into the Hawks’ salary structure. Because lord do I want to keep rooting for this guy. He’s an unheralded hard-worker who thrives on pressure and doesn’t let the occasional struggle keep him down for long.

#32 – KRIS VERSTEEG (W)
79 GP, 20 G, 24 A, +8, 15:44 ATOI
22 GP, 6 G, 8 A, +4, 17:13 ATOI

I can’t say Versteeg deserves the same amount of column space as a Niemi, Toews, etc. But lord would I love to give it to him. I can’t tell you why, but I dig this guy’s game. I just flat love Versteeg and while I know he’s gone, I’m hoping upon all hope that yet again the Hawks front office surprises me and finds a way to keep Steeg and Sharp in the Indian Head next year.

It’s doubtful that will happen, and as much as I love Versteeg, it’ll hurt if Sharp is let go so that Versteeg can stay. Versteeg brings a lot to the table, but on his best days he’s only as good as Sharp is on any given day.

But ignoring all that, man do I want to see this guy play out a few more seasons for the Hawks. I think he’s got a real break-out year in him. I think he’s got some great heroics in him. I think Versteeg could mature a bit and round into some sort of player. I don’t think he’ll ever be consistently great – he just doesn’t seem to have the mindset for it.

But he’s got a boatload of talent and a great approach to the game. Sure he can get too cute, but that glosses over the fact that he’s one of the few guys on the team who have the skills to get too cute. And the others are all your megapaid superstars – Kane, Toews, Keith, Campbell, Hossa.

Of all the support players, none – not even Buff – bring a more rare and valuable hockey commodity than Versteeg’s playmaking. Playmakers make everyone around them better and can be good no matter who’s on the ice. Think Buff is going to score many goals without Toews or Kane or the like setting him up? Think Ladd’s hustle and heart matter if he doesn’t have good players around to capitalize?

But with Versteeg, you can throw him out there with anyone and when he’s on, he will make whomever around him a more dangerous player. Versteeg creates space, delivers beautiful passes, and can put quality chances on net. But he also will rough it up along the boards (despite being no bigger than Kane), will work hard in his own end (he’s long been a plus penalty killer), and has no problem being juggled into different lines and roles.

I see Versteeg having a big year sometime soon, followed by a return to just consistent really good years. I see him being an impact player in some post-season run. And while I don’t see him ever breaking through to consistent studdom, I do believe that he’ll have a long, productive career. I think that once he starts to lose it physically, he’ll finally start to get it mentally, turn himself into the kind of vet winning teams look to add for a year.

Somehow I would love for Versteeg to go through it all as a member of the Hawks, but no matter where he goes, I’m gonna root for him.

Please read on for more:

Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Today: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#10-#22)

2010-06-21T22:42:00.007-05:00

#10 – Patrick Sharp (C)

82 GP, 25 G, 41 A, +24, 18:07 ATOI

22 GP, 11 G, 11 A, +10, 17:51 ATOI

How do you not love this guy? There are talks that he might be available, but what a travesty it’d be if he left the Hawks. Sharp literally brings everything to the table. Leadership? Check – the guy wears an A, is (relatively) an elder statesmen, and is clearly someone everyone defers to in the lockerroom.

Goal-scoring? 36 a few years ago, 25 each of the past two seasons (including in only 60 games last year), and then 11 in the post-season? Oh yeah, this guy can light the lamp. Playmaking? Until this year he had only once broken 20 assists, and even then only had 26. But with Hossa along and everyone seemingly able to fill up the net, Sharp morphed into a playmaker, posting 41 assists. And he kept it up in the playoffs, posting another 11 helpers.

Defense? A few years ago he was one of the top short-handed goal scorers in hockey. He still kills penalties regularly and is considered a plus defender. In fact, he’s such a good defensive player he’s able to move around and play on any line, even the third and fourth, as he did for stretches late last season and into the playoffs.

Finally, how about his ability to thrive at both the wing and center? Need him to ride with Kane or Toews as a winger? Sure thing – he’ll profit from their skill and bury their chances. Need a guy to fill up the middle, hold his own in the circle, and allow Hossa to thrive? No problem – Sharp did that for most of the regular and post-season this year.

The fact is that this guy simply comes into work every day and asks his coach what’s needed of him. No matter what the answer is, Sharp goes out and delivers. When you combine his impressive numbers, great leadership, and those sort of intangibles, there’s no question this is a guy you can’t live without.

Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Keith are assuredly on that must-stay list. Sharp deserves to be there too.

#11 – John Madden (C)

79 GP, 10 G, 13 A, -2, 15:25 ATOI

22 GP, 1 G, 1 A, -2, 11:35 ATOI

I’m gonna give the Hawks front office a boatload of credit for this signing. No, not the specifics of getting an experienced checking line center with a Cup on his resume. To be honest, that need was pretty obvious – in fact, that’s exactly what the Hawks added at the trade deadline last year in the form of Pahlsson.

However, the credit I give the Hawks is in not waiting until the deadline to bring this guy into the mix. In baseball, you can plan on adding a piece at the deadline and have confidence they’ll slot into your lineup and clubhouse without much issue. But in hockey, that’s not really the case – the longer you skate with your teammates, the better you all play off one another.

Especially with a guy like Madden, you need to get him into the mix from Day 1 so that both he and the rest of the club can profit from one another. The Hawks players needed Madden around to learn from him, to follow his example, and to understand how best to play alongside him. The Hawks coaches needed him around to learn what he could and couldn’t do and how to fit his specific skills in with the rest of the club. And Madden needed to get comfortable and feel committed so he could call on every last ounce of extraordinary effort to help will this team over the top.

And that’s exactly what happened – Madden gave the Hawks a third line center all year when they really needed one, moved back to the fourth line when that was what was called for down the stretch, and throughout was outstanding at taking key defensive zone face-offs as a winger on Toews’ line.

Throw in what he assuredly meant to that lockerroom and how important he was to them down the stretch and through the playoffs, when the pressure was high and the challenges higher. On top of all that, he just was a good player. Good in the face-off circle, good in his own zone, good killing penalties, and even a solid offensive contributor when it was called for.

Madden won’t be back next year, but his Mary Poppins performance for the Hawks was something that will leave a lasting impact on the franchise.

#16 – Andrew Ladd (W)

82 GP, 17 G, 21 A, +2, 13:42 ATOI

19 GP, 3 G, 3 A, +4, 12:48 ATOI

Ladd was a former top five pick, someone with good size, skill, and movement. He came over in a trade for Tuomo Ruutu, another former top pick with all the tools. So the expectation, or at least hope, was that this young kid who already had a Cup on his resume would morph into a star in a new setting.

That’s not what happened, but not in a fully bad way. Instead of breaking out as a star, Ladd accepted what he could and couldn’t do and has become the Hawks most steady role player. Brouwer, Buff, Bolland, Versteeg – all of these guys have shown incredible flashes of greatness… followed by frustrating mistakes and disappearances.

The one constant? Ladd. Never flashly, always productive, it doesn’t matter who Ladd skates with, he gets the job done. He’s a tremendous fore-checker, rivaled only by the likes of Toews and Hossa in beating his man to get to a dumped puck in the corner. He’s a solid defender – not quite quick enough to get PK time, but the type who’s a real asset in your own zone in normal 5x5 play.

Ladd’s also got a surprisingly good playmaker streak, racking up 34 assists last year and another 21 this year. He can find the back of the net – 15 times last year, 17 this season. And Ladd does it while having spent the majority of his time in more of a checking line role. In fact, down the stretch and in the playoffs of each of the last two seasons, the team played its best hockey when Ladd was on the checking line, locking down the other team’s top forward line (alongside Bolland).

I can see Ladd being jettisoned – he’s got a boatload of value for what he’s done, what his resume is like, the size he brings. But as someone who doesn’t factor much into either the power play or penalty kill, he might be hard to justify giving much of a salary.

That’d be a real loss to the Hawks. No one has been steadier, no one does the little things better. Everyone knows you can’t have a team of stars – you need some grinders to support them. Well, the Hawks have no shortage in the star department. But they do need to make sure their support grinders can get it done, and Ladd has done it all since throwing on the Indian Head a few seasons ago.

#19 – Jonathan Toews (C)

76 GP, 25 G, 43 A, +22, 20:00 ATOI

22 GP, 7 G, 22 A, -1, 20:58 ATOI

Lord, what can I possibly say about this guy to really sum up what he means to this club? I guess I’ll go to Game 5. THE pivotal game in the series – if the Hawks lose, what chance do they have? All the momentum is with the Flyers heading back to Philly.

Toews has been scuffling all series after coming in as the league’s leading post-season scorer and on a franchise-best playoff points streak. So how did he answer the bell in Game 5? Come out absolutely flying, bringin every ounce of talent and skill he’s got and throwing it straight at the Flyers. It wasn’t just about what he produced, it was about the tone he set. Not just the attitude, but the play.

The Flyers were put on their heels and never quite recovered thanks in large part to the way Toews exploded out of the gates. Toews was juking and jiving his way through defenders on every shift in the first period, and it absolutely broke down the Flyers defense.

That entire first 20 minutes they were scrambling, seemingly short a guy or having played together for the first time in their lives. The result was a three goal lead the Hawks would never relinquish, which lead to a series lead they wouldn’t either.

The simple fact is that Toews is the complete package. He’s got all the physical tools, he’s busted his butt to develop all the necessary skills, and he ties it all in a bow with his unparalleled will to win. He showed it twice this year – first in the Olympics and then in the Cup. Jonathan Toews just simply decides that he will not lose, and then he doesn’t.

It’s that will that ultimately makes Toews a Hall of Famer if he can stay healthy. It’s that will that allows him to achieve those few things he hasn’t yet (league MVP, goal title, points champ, Team Canada Captain). It’s that will that that won’t allow his teammates to rest after just one title.

Just look at what he’s meant to Kane. I’ll delve more into it when I get to #88, but it’s my belief that Kane took a huge leap forward this year – not so much in numbers, but in the way he impacted the game. Toews’ influence was a significant factor – Kane himself has said as much – from the off-season work-outs to the demand to have the game in his hands when it mattered.

On top of all that, Toews is just a beast on the ice. He could be the best shut-down center in the league if that’s what was needed (see the Olympics). He’s incredible on the face-offs, both in his own end and setting teammates up in the offensive zone. Toews could score 50 goals some day… or pot 75 helpers. He can drive a line with his playmaking, be the finisher, or even just play the grind it out in the corners and in front of the net role.

In every single way, the Hawks could not have been more right in making this guy their Captain, a letter I think they expect him to wear for the next 15-20 years.

#22 – Troy Brouwer (W)

78 GP, 22 G, 18 A, +9, 16:22 ATOI

19 GP, 4 G, 4 A, -1, 11:01 ATOI

One of the many guys I wrote off too early, Brouwer game out of the gates like gangbusters this year, taking advantage of time with Toews and Kane to load up on goals. This was the exact opposite of last season, when he also was given that top line time, but had little to nothing to show for it. I figured he never would and was upset he was given so much prime ice time.

This year, Brouwer continued to bring the size, the grind, and the defensive skills. But now given those same goal-scoring opportunities, Brouwer suddenly was racking up points left and right. Brouwer became an outstanding compliment to Toews and Kane.

Brouwer’s year was not all hugs and kisses, though, as he went cold halfway through the season and struggled to get back on track. Things got so bad that he not only was pulled from any of the scoring lines, but eventually scratched all together. Finally word leaked out that his father was ailing and things came back into focus a bit.

Ultimately Brouwer would return to the lineup and pot a huge goal in the clincher against Vancouver. He also netted a key score against the Sharks in Game 2 and then a pair in the wild 6-5 opener over Philly. Brouwer’s 8 playoff points all came in his final 11 games after returning, suggesting that he had regained the offensive touch he showed in scoring 17 and assisting on another 12 before the calendar had turned to February.

In all, this year showed me a ton to like about Brouwer. Not just the revelation of his NHL-caliber scoring abilities, but the way he never let the scoring success get him off his hard-nosed style of play. And certainly the way he responded to adversity. Given the months long slump, answering the bell to the tune of 8 points in 11 hard-fought playoff games showed me Brouwer has what it takes to deal with the ups and downs the NHL will throw at you.

Please read on for more:

Part 1: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Today: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#2-#8)

2010-06-21T09:11:00.008-05:00

I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.

Today: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

#2 – DUNCAN KEITH (D)
82 GP, 14 G, 55 A, +21, 26:36 ATOI
22 GP, 2 G, 15 A, +2, 28:11 ATOI

I said the title started with Keith because in a lot of ways it did. No Hawk has been with the organization longer (Burish came on in the same draft, but 7 rounds later). No Hawk has been with the big league club longer (not a single player from the pre-lock-out Hawks roster remains now). No Hawk prospect emerged as a star sooner (remember, in 07-08, Keith got the Hawks lone All-Star nod, not the rookies Kane or Toews).

And no Hawk has meant more to this title run than Keith. I’m not gonna fault the voters for going with Toews – his remarkable consistency and all-around play was worthy of accolades. But if you asked the Hawks the very last player they’d want to lose before a hypothetical Game 7, I guarantee they’d all say Keith.

The whole country got a taste of the heart of this guy when he lost 7 teeth but still came back to log team high minutes in the Game 4 comeback against the Sharks. The diehards have long known this guy was the soul of the team, a physical specimen who kills himself in his workouts so that he can kill himself for 30 minutes a night.

John Wiedeman was telling a buddy of mine that most of the time when Coach Q calls a late timeout, it’s main purpose is to get Keith a rest. No one else has been skating as hard for as long, and no one else is as important to closing out the game the way the Hawks want to then Keith.

Need proof of what this guy can do? Check out the Olympics, where Keith led everybody in ice time. Didn’t matter that the Canadian team was loaded with talent, they still were gonna lean on Keith more than anybody else.

And why not – the guy does everything and does it all incredibly. I mistakenly made the point that Pronger had more of an impact on the game than Keith in my last post arguing Pronger’s Conn Smythe case. In hindsight, I don’t think that is true. First off, Pronger doesn’t effect the game on the other end of the ice like Keith does.

That high-powered Hawks offense? It only goes because Keith is out there to fly the puck up the ice, join the fray when necessary, and work the puck in from the point. His 14 G and 55 A gave Keith the second most points on the Hawks – a team chock full of point-getters. Time and again the Hawks offense struggled when their D couldn’t spring their forwards. And no one was better at it then Keith.

But Keith also was a force in his own end, just not as obvious about it as Pronger. Pronger gets the attention because of his size, his impressive career, and the barbaric way he gets the job done. And yes, the guy did the job – until JQ was able to spread his lines, Pronger was able to shut down the top line and do enough to keep the other lines in check.

For some reason Keith didn’t get the same attention, despite the fact that he absolutely murdered the Flyers top line. Mike Richards was viewed as a nastier Toews. Gagne and Carter were both 45-goal scorers. This series? They not only didn’t get anything done, they were major negatives to their squad.

And who do you think was jumping on the ice every time these three were out there? Quietly, Keith just gave these guys absolutely no room to maneuver. Just like he did to the Sedins, a pair which included the NHL’s top scorer this season. Just like he did to the Thornton-Marleau-Heatley – a line that not only was good enough to be Canada’s top line in the Olympics, but one that had come into the series having played well enough to supposedly shake the playoff failure monkey off their backs.

The best part of Keith’s season? It’s just going to be one of many. And I mean many. It was lost in the hoopla a bit, but when Toews, Kane, and Keith signed, Keith actually locked into a 13-year deal. This guy is not going anywhere – he will end his days as a member of the Hawks blue line. After seeing what happened with Cheli, nothing could make me happier. Some day #2 will be raised to the rafters at the UC, after Keith is done giving Chicago 18-20 of the best hockey years any of us will have ever seen.

#4 – NIKLAS HJALMARSSON (D)
77 GP, 2 G, 15 A, +9, 19:40 ATOI
22 GP, 1 G, 7 A, +9, 21:01 ATOI

I absolutely loved the Hawks players this year, top to bottom. But some guys I loved just a bit more. No question The Hammer is one of those. I skate as both a center and a blueliner when I play in adult rec leagues. And when I'm back on D, this is the guy who’s game I aim to emulate. Oh sure, I wish I could fly with the puck like Keith or be a physical presence like Seabrook. But the reality of my skillset is that if all goes right, my game would be like this smallish, unexciting, workmanlike Swede.

The Hammer actually played a bit in 07-08 when the more veteran blueliners got a bit banged up. He wasn’t overly noteworthy, an opinion shared by the Hawks organization, who farmed him out to start 08-09. However, midway through the season Wisniewski was dealt for Pahlsson, and while it’s debatable if that deal was a good one (for either team), the result for the Hawks was more PT for HJ.

Since given that break late last year, this guy has just locked down the #4 blueliner slot. A stay-at-home type who plays much, much bigger than his diminutive size (he is listed at a very respectable 6-3, 194 but looks like one of the smaller guys on the team), the Hammer combines incredible positioning and fundamental play with an impressive ability to sacrifice his body. Whether he’s taking hits in the corner to clear a puck, going at it with feisty forwards to win board battles, or squaring his whole body in front of heavy shots, the Hammer thinks of the team first, his physical well-being later.

While he’s not much for skating the puck up, HJ is fairly steady at controlling and clearing the puck – a crucial skill that constantly relievers pressure in the Hawks zone. And what a penalty killer he has become! Schooled by an expert in Sopel, the Hammer is great at putting his body and stick into the shooting and passing lanes, making sure that nothing gets by him without being effected in some way.

The most telling evidence of the Hammer’s value – the play of his partner, Campbell. For his first half season in Chicago, many viewed Campbell as a bit of a disappointment. Some of that was due to misguided expectations (he was never a goal-scorer), but some of it was that the Hawks didn’t have the necessary complimentary blueliner to pair with him. While Keith had the physical and steady Seabrook to allow him to play his game perfectly, Campbell was paired with a rotating group of subpar defenders.

That is, until the Hammer was promoted – from then on Campbell returned to being the high end blueliner who (mostly) justified his massive deal. HJ’s steady play and surprising physical presence allowed Campbell to get back to sparking the offense with his rushes while quietly getting the job defensively with his speed and veteran awareness. Starting with last post-season, Campbell has been an asset the Hawks could not live without (as evidenced by our iffy play when he was out). And Hjalmarsson is the asset that Campbell could not live without.

#5 – BRENT SOPEL (D)
73 GP, 1 G, 7 A, +3, 14:52 ATOI
22 GP, 1 G, 5 A, +7, 18:30 ATOI

Back in 07-08 I really liked Sopel. First off, I seriously don’t think he was as ugly then as he is now. I’m not sure how an elbow injury makes you uglier, but to my recollection, that’s what happened. Second, he was a step quicker and a reliable veteran blueliner, something the team really needed with so many youngsters out there.

But to start 08-09, he looked terrible. He was slow, out of position, clumsy with the puck – overall just a total negative on the ice. And then he got hurt and we were all thankful. The rest of the D rounded into form and Sopel was shelved for the year. It’s possible he was healthy and ready to play in the playoffs last season, but the call never came.

This year, fully healed and with the blueline thinned out a bit due to some off-season departures, Sopel was back in the regular rotation and again a step slow, again in poor position, and again clumsy with the puck. All year long I called for someone to replace him as the 6th defenseman, anyone would be better.

Yet, as I was pinpointing Sopel as our biggest weakness, all the announcers and commentators were going on and on about what he brought to this team. I didn’t get it – the guy was brutal! Look, I love the old guy who gets by with spit, piss, vinegar, and every trick in the trade, but Sopel was not that guy.

Or so I thought. Turns out he was on his way. Slowly Sopel made himself into a top penalty killer by becoming a puck target. Paired with the more athletic Hjalmarsson on the PK, the two camped out in front of the net and blocked seemingly everything that came their way. It was a thing of beauty to watch the two of them on the 5x3, just take shot after shot and always come back for more.

With this newfound role, Sopel’s overall game also rounded back into form. He still was a bit of an adventure with the puck, but his positioning improved, his decisions improved, and come the playoffs, he was justifiably skating heavy #5 D minutes. Sure, maybe Q overtaxed him a bit when Sopel’s ice time approached 20 minutes, but as a 15+ minute guy, the big ugly brute was very valuable to this club.

There was a point where I would have given away a decent prospect to get out from under the $2M annual salary Sopel draws. Now as we approach the toughest round of cap decisions this club will ever face, I’m actually of the opinion that Sopel is a guy you’ve got to keep. The fact is that reliable blue liners are not easy to find, but you cannot expect to win without them. I don’t love paying Sopel $2M, but I also don’t want a pair of journeymen/prospects filling out our third pairing.

Quite the turnaround, but there’s no question Sopel made himself into a tremendous asset – relative to his role as a 5th blueliner – to these Hawks in this title run.

#6 – JORDAN HENDRY (D)
43 GP, 2 G, 6 A, +5, 11:51 ATOI
15 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -4, 8:09 ATOI

Speaking of why I’m leery of getting rid of Sopel. There was a time I was calling for Hendry to take over Sopel’s minutes, complaining that Sopel was just out there cause he was a vet who made money. When Buff was moved back to D and started in the playoffs over Hendry, I again called for a change.

Well, I got that change, and while it was a boon to have Buff back up front, there was no benefit to the blueline at all. Hendry just wasn’t the capable defenseman I hoped he’d be. Now he’s still young and he did get jerked around a ton this year, getting scratched a bunch, even playing forward for a handful of games. When he did play, he was on the third pairing with Sopel, who had not quite rounded into form yet.

But in the playoffs, the guy just looked a bit shaky. He didn’t do anything particularly well and seemed to be a pretty clear weak spot when he was on the ice. Hendy wasn’t terrible, but he also wasn’t very good. Eventually he’d even lose his job, replaced by a journeyman who had barely skated with the club in the regular season.

Yet, Hendry does deserve credit for the role he played this year. It’s not easy being a regular scratch, especially when you’re young and trying to develop your game. It’s definitely not easy being forced to play as a 4th line wing when you’ve always been a blueliner. And it’s not easy being forced into a playoff situation when you haven’t been skating regularly during the season.

Going forward, I think Hendry could be a decent player. He skates and moves the puck decently. He’s not hugely physical, but he’s not soft either. If the Hawks do commit to Hendry as an everyday 6th blueliner (but no more), I think he could end up a decent compliment to a stay-at-home, grindy vet-type. Certainly all the experience he got this year will only help his cause – I think the Hawks would be smart to see if he can build on that next year.

#7 – BRENT SEABROOK (D)
78 GP, 4 G, 26 A, +20, 23:13 ATOI
22 GP, 4 G, 7 A, +8, 24:11 ATOI

Here’s a guy I went really up and really down with, then back up again. And I wasn’t alone. The powers that be in Canadian hockey chose Seabrook over a litany of highly-talented blueliners to play on Team Canada, with the thought being that he’d join Keith on the top pairing.

Then something went wrong and Seabrook lost a bit of something. It wasn’t clear what, but he got shaky with the puck, shaky with his positioning, and wasn’t the rock that we’ve all come to know. Making matters worse, with Seabrook no longer as confidence-inspiring, Keith’s game suffered.

Finally, things bottomed out when freakin James Wisniewski, a former Hawk and a guy Seabs considered a friend, took a brutal cheap shot and knocked #7 out on his feet. It was one of the scarier things I’ve ever seen – really sickening, actually.

But upon his return, Seabs seemed to find himself. It wasn’t immediate, but he slowly rounded into form down the stretch so that by the playoffs, he was more or less back to what we expected. In fact, for some stretches in the early rounds we were seeing the Seabrook of last year’s playoffs – a physical force who effected the game on both ends of the ice.

Eventually he settled down to be exactly what we hoped – a rock. Physical, capable with the puck, great in his positioning, and the perfect compliment to Keith, allowing the Norris Finalist to play his game unencumbered. The result? Three straight series against three of the most fearsome frontlines in hockey, and three straight “what the hell happened to those guys” end results.

The Sedins, the Team Canada line, and the Richards-Gagne-Carter trio all ended their season with huge questions as to their playoff chops. But is that really fair? Did all three just happen to randomly suck when it mattered most? Or maybe did Keith and Seabrook find their game and in doing so, take all of these guys out of theirs? That’s my theory.

Undiscussed at this point is that Seabrook is up for a large extension sometime in the next year. And he’ll get it – at least, I’d be very shocked if he didn’t. Who knows with this front office and with how much turnover occurs in hockey, but I’d imagine they’ll find money for this guy, such a longtime prospect, the first guy to slap on the A whenever one of the others isn’t suiting up.

And someday, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a joint number retirement ceremony, a la Pilote and Magnusson, where Seabrook and Cheli see their #7 raised to the UC rafters. At least I hope that’s how it shakes out.

#8 – KIM JOHNSSON (D)
8 GP, 1 G, 2 A, +7, 16:24 ATOI
(DNP)

I included this guy because it’s such a major story that hasn’t gotten much play. Having just gone through the entire grind of Cup title run for the first time in my life, it’s incredibly clear how important your blueliners are – especially veteran ones you can rely on in any situation. No one ever remarked at how big of a loss it was to not have Johnsson, a guy who’s been around forever, who’s still playing great hockey, and who can play in every facet of the game.

Obviously the Hawks were able to play over it, but that’s a real testament to their depth and quality of play. Johnsson’s was a serious loss to this team, one that they should be commended in overcoming.

As for Johnsson, I’m bummed he wasn’t more of a factor because I really like these types – veteran blueliners who quietly do it all, but not really in any overly impressive way. Obviously all of the focus this off-season is on who we’re gonna lose, but if somehow they free up cap space for an acquisition, it’s a guy like Johnsson I’d like to see them get.

But not Johnsson himself. No idea what happened here, but was the concussion really so bad that the guy couldn’t come back three months later? Did he just not care to subject himself to it, given how little he had invested in the team? Whatever happened, it was a weird story – a big trade deadline acquisition gets hurt, but no one really knows when or where, no word is ever given. Slowly over time it becomes clear that he’s not coming back, and eventually, he’s so far removed from the team that he doesn’t even figure in their playoff run as a spectator. Nor even as a token member of the celebration, which included a number of prospects who never came close to suiting up with the team. Weird.

Please read on for more:

Today: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

The Castle of Aaauuuggghhh

2010-06-10T11:26:00.005-05:00

King Arthur: [about the inscription on the rock] What does it say, Brother Maynard?
Brother Maynard: It reads, "Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Aramathia. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the holy grail in the Castle of Aaauuuggghhh... ”
King Arthur: What?
Brother Maynard: "The Castle of Aaaauuuggghhhh"
Sir Bedevere: What is that?
Brother Maynard: He must have died while carving it.
King Arthur: Oh come on!
Brother Maynard: Well, that's what it says.
King Arthur: Look, if he was dying, he wouldn't have bothered to carve 'Aaaauuuggghhhh'. He'd just say it.
Sir Galahad: Maybe he was dictating it.

The Holy Grail of sports is ours, and, much like the above movie (Monty Python and the Holy Grail), it's been making me smile for days now. I think about what happened and I smile. Just one of those simple, understated, "Life is good" smiles. And I just keep freakin smiling.

I'm not sure you could have written up this whole run any better. Not just this season, but the whole evolution of what Blackhawks hockey represents. The franchise comes from as low as you can be - not just bad, but drive you away bad. I stopped being mad or frustrated - they were so bad, they were so poorly run, that I stopped even caring.

Which is incredible, given that this was a team that in high school, I used to save up to buy playoff tickets for, drive down to the rink in an Astro van packed with way too many guys, and sit in the absolute last row in the biggest arena in hockey for. This was an Original Six franchise in one of the best sports cities, one of the best hockey cities, there is. Their list of legendary players was an impressive one, and included a number of names I grew up with.

Yet, years and years of mismanagement of every single facet of the franchise drove me and pretty much every one else away. Sure you kept an eye on them, you always kinda hoped they'd luck into something, but you didn't have a whole lot of faith. And you also didn't mind too much - given what Dollar Bill had done to this franchise, some part of you didn't want to feel good about the Hawks.

Then the perfect storm hits - the talent they've quietly assembled becomes respectable on ice, offering promise and excitement, just as the evil old man dies and his couldn't-be-more-different son takes over. Rocky makes every single move that the fans had long been demanding and then throws in a few more just for good measure.

So we get back in on the bottom floor - just when Kane and Toews show up, completely live up to the hype, and make the Hawks matter again. But they don't rocket up to storybook levels just yet - as rejuvenating as that first year was in 07-08, the reality is that they weren't even good enough to make a playoffs that features 8 of the 15 teams in their conference.

But that meant we got to grow with them. That meant when they came back the next year and established themselves as not only a playoff team, but an outside Cup contender, we already were knee deep in Hawks passion again. We knew these guys and we knew this team. When they won their first playoff series in almost a decade, we were able to fully appreciate the accomplishment. And then when they reached the Conference Finals for the first time in about 15 years, we were able to relish just how amazing this was.

Then this year, they go from outside contenders to serious favorites. When they posted the third highest point total in the league, a mere point off the top mark in the West, we could dig just how far they'd come. When they outlasted a feisty Preds team we weren't ready for, we were reminded just how tough winning a Cup would be. When they responded to a game one blow-out against the Canucks by winning the next 8 meaningful games against two of the best teams in the Conference, we were able to finally start believing that the Cup dream was actually more than just a dream.

And then the Flyers showed up as the perfect foil - straight out of the movies. A team that demanded every bit of amazingness these Hawks had in em. Every single player had to contribute, every single game, shift, and rush mattered. The Flyers threatened to a level that had you on the absolute edge of your seat, start to finish.

Back and forth they went, all series, all throughout Game 6. Just a handful of minutes away from their destiny, a puck ping-pongs into the perfect place for a heartbreaking goal to tie it. Sudden death overtime on the road, with the Cup so tantalizingly close, yet seemingly equally close is yet another in a long line of Chicago Sports heartbreak.

And wouldn't ya know it, none other than franchise savior Patrick Kane scores the biggest goal in franchise history. And that allows fellow savior Jonathan Toews to be named the MVP just before he's given the Stanley Cup, to be raised for the first time in half a century over the head of a Blackhawk.

So yeah, I haven't stopped smiling. I just feel so great about this franchise, the one I first loved back when I listened to them lose a pair of heartbreaking series to the Oilers and Flames in the late 80s. A franchise who in the early part of the 90s was so stacked with talent, yet just couldn't break through, which only made you commit to them even more.

And I feel great about this current group of guys. Many of whom - Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Sharp, Keith, Buff, Sopel, Bolland, Burish, Fraser, Bickell, Eager, Brouwer, Versteeg, and The Hammer - have been around since things started getting going in 07-08. Many of whom - Ladd, Campbell, Niemi, Huet, Madden, Kopecky, Hossa, and Boynton - I remember exactly when each got brought into the mix.

I love that many of these guys I've championed for a while - The Hammer, Versteeg, Eager, Campbell, and Sopel - making their incredible contributions to the Cup feel that much cooler. But I also love that many of them I've criticized heavily - Buff, Bolland, Brouwer, Kopecky, and yes, Sopel makes this list too - only to eat the best tasting crow of my life.

I love that the stars all lived up to the huge expectations we threw at them. Toews wins the Conn Smythe, Kane scores the Cup winner, and both average over a point a game. Keith's unstoppable motor gains national attention thanks to seven lost teeth. Seabrook and Campbell are the steady, impactful blueliners we needed. Sharp and Hossa are the do-everything impact guys who constantly find a way to make plays whenever they're on the ice.

And I love that the support guys all found their way to contribute. Bolland becomes the lights out shut-down center every Cup winner needs. Versteeg and Buff the contributing offensive forces necessary to supporting the top guys. Brouwer, Kopecky, Ladd, and Bickell are priceless for the energy, tenacity, and grit they bring to the trenches so the stars can skate. The Hammer and Sopel sacrifice every inch of their bodies to save too many game-changing scores. Madden answers the bell on every key face-off and defensive situation. Eager, Burish, and Fraser make every second of their limited ice time count with energy and physicality. Even Boynton and Hendry log just enough minutes to keep the core blueliners fresh.

And the goalies - such a story in the regular season, such a story in the playoffs, and yet for such different reasons. First off, props to Huet, who played well to get this team off to an incredible start and then never once complained when he lost his job - only voicing support for the team, the coach, and his fellow netminder. And Niemi - how great was watching this kid's evolution? He came into the year not even assured of the #2 job, let alone with a thought of being the #1 for a Cup winner. And not just some "good enough" #1, but a guy who in every series took a game or two with huge saves in key moments when his team wasn't playing well in front of him.

I could go on forever about this team - and I will next week, with a player-by-player breakdown. Cause holy balls is it fun to revel in this club.

But for now I'll leave you with WGN 720's call of the final goal - it's a bit halting, a bit weird, but I think that only adds to it - you can truly sense them realizing what just happened. Instead of just reacting to the goal instantly and without much thought, they have a few seconds to actually take in the whole magnitude of what is happening, and they just go ape. The last few seconds are hilarious. Both are out of their minds.

"The Hawks Win The Stanley Cup!"

Man, I freakin love the Hawks.

Handshakes

2010-06-09T13:52:00.003-05:00

Credit to my ticketmate Face for the title of this post. Just a great way to sum up confidence in your team's ability to win a close-out game. Handshakes.

As I detailed here yesterday, I've got all the confidence in the world in this Hawks team. But I'm really hoping they close it out tonight. First off, the aforementioned Face will lose his job if they don't. He works for this town's beloved chick hoops team, who happen to have a game during what would be Game 7. His boss told him he'd be fired if he missed it... so yeah, that will suck.

Second, can this city really take a Game 7 on home ice a few hours after the worst Crosstown Classic game ever played (really - never before have the Sox and Cubs played with worse records)? Sure, liquor purveyors all over the Chicagoland area would have a field day, but I don't want to see what this place looks like after that back-to-back debauchery.

I also just don't want the drama. No need to let Philly back into this. Sure, it'd be nice to see the Hawks skate the Cup in front of the home fans, but it's our first damn Cup in 50 years! They could skate it in front of the Taliban for all I cared, just as long as it's Toews doing the skating.

To the game itself, one issue that is getting a bit of play but getting maybe just as much play for being a non-issue (rightfully so) is the Flyers goaltending situation. First off, there's no question it would be Leighton. He's been their horse for weeks now and Boucher did nothing in Game 5 to make you think he's the hot hand. Second, the guy has been lights out at home.

But most important, in no way was anything that happened in Game 5 really Leighton's fault. Hell, I barely blame the Flyers. I thought they played about as good as they could have. The simple fact is that the Hawks are better and in that first period, the Hawks played as good as they possibly could. Nobody was gonna stop them - no team, no goalie, nothing.

The only reason to go to Boucher is if he's really good at wishing. Because the first line of defense for the Flyers is wishing like all hell that the Hawks don't play like they did in the first period of Game 5. If so, Handshakes.

One thing I'm hoping to see tonight is a bit counter-intuitive. The conventional wisdom - which I believe is broadly correct - is that you've got to take the chances you get to put it on net, as so many good things come of it. Now I agree with that, but like anything else, it has its limitations. If that really was the secret to hockey, everyone would just throw everything on net every chance and that'd be it.

Instead, I think you've got to keep a constant flow of shots on net, BUT do so while respecting what the defense is giving to you and what they aren't. I thought the Hawks struggled in both Games 3 and 4 because they too often just blindly shot or skated the puck straight at the net. They didn't work it around at all, just skated in and fired.

The result was twofold, both bad. First, the Flyers easily contained those shots, with few even getting to the net. Those that did were either caught easily or rebounded harmlessly to be cleared. Second, it shortened to a huge degree the possession time of the Hawks. That both kept the Flyers from getting tired out on defense and allowed Philly's offense possession to put huge pressure on the Hawks.

The Hawks greatest asset is their ability to cycle. They win board battles, move their feet, dump and dish passes, and hunt down errant pucks better than any team in the NHL. This cycle game has one purpose - to get the defense off-balance and out of position to create open passing and shooting lanes.

Watching the Hawks all year, their best opportunities have come when they get the puck in deep or over along the boards, then cycle through the corners with two or three guys. This forces the defense to spread outward and opens up the middle, while also just getting the opposition really tired and out of their proper alignments.

Given the Hawks superior cycling work, it also often eventually leads to Hawks players stepping off the boards unchallenged, with a lot of wide open space in the middle of the ice.

And that's when you start pounding shots on net. That's when the shots start going through, instead of harmlessly deflecting off one of the many defenders stacked deep in front of the net. The Flyers did a ton of that - just huddle around the front of their net and block shots. The Hawks didn't make them move and were too trigger happy in rifling the puck on net, it was easy to keep shots from getting through.

When the Hawks cycle game is working is also when rebounds start coming out to dangerous places. And by that I mean to where a Hawks player is situated with enough space to work and an angle to score. Again, the Flyers have bunched the middle while the Hawks have rushed shots, so the many juicy rebounds come skipping out harmlessly - either to be cleared by one of the many Flyers in front or to a Hawk who's too well covered to do anything with it.

Look, the Hawks can't get too cute - I agree. The Flyers just gave up 7 goals and are ripe to give up 7 more. The Hawks need to keep the pressure on and not let them off the hook by playing for the fancy play or perfect shot every time. But that shouldn't force the Hawks away from their biggest strength. Instead, they need to use their cycling skills to ratchet up the shot pressure to unsustainable levels. To create choice opportunities to pepper the net with the type of dangerous shots that lead to goals.

If the Hawks do this? Handshakes.

Final point - who should win the Conn Smythe (playoff MVP) if the Hawks do close out tonight? I'm not gonna be original here, I'm gonna echo what I thought was a very astute call by Greg over at Yahoo's Puck Daddy blog. He said Pronger should be the choice.

I agree. The Flyers have been great this post-season, winning some very impressive series and looking good even in this hypothesized series defeat to the Hawks. And they've done it with defense and timely scoring. The scoring has come from all over - no one Flyer really has been markedly better than any other, certainly not to the tune of warranting the Conn Smythe in a losing effort.

But the defense has by and large come from Pronger. Yes, he's got some solid fellow blueliners back there doing great work themselves, but take Pronger out of the equation and the unit would be a shell of itself. The Hawks have a nasty high-powered attack that's deep and multi-dimensional, yet it took them five games before they figured out how to consistently get around Pronger.

Watching this Hawks team all year, I didn't think any single player could effect the Hawks like Pronger has. I just thought they brought too much talent on too many lines. But that's not been the case - Pronger shut down the top line and affected the others. He was a beast on the penalty kill and an asset in their offense. And if he's done it against the Hawks, he's definitely been doing it against the turds they played before.

Most of all, Pronger has been the driving force of a defense that has turned a pair of multi-failed goaltenders into world-beaters in the playoffs. Boucher and Leighton are journeymen who combined have been let go of by about half of the teams in the NHL. But with Pronger driving a blueline group and defensive system, they're within a couple breaks of winning the Cup.

Of course, a huge part of my argument comes from the fact that the Hawks don't have a deserving candidate. Obviously the team has played great, but no one player really stands out.

Buff - same story as ever, it's just getting more attention. When Buff shows up, he's a difference maker. But he doesn't always show up, and you can't be the MVP when you've only contributed in half the games.

Niemi - been great at a lot of key times and certainly has earned the right to be considered a Stanley Cup winning netminder and all that implies. Long stretches and whole games this guy stepped up huge, made the key saves, and got the Hawks the Ws. But Niemi's had some OK games along the way - no great stinkers, but just games where he didn't overly impress. Given the great D and offensive cushion he's given, it's hard to say he's really the MVP. Not to take away from what he's done - I guess I'd say he's been about as good as a goalie can be without deserving the Conn Smythe.

Toews - the favorite to win it and I wouldn't begrudge the voters if he did, but it took him five games to bring his full set of assets to the Finals and he still sits at only two points. Yes, the guy, like Hossa, does WAY more than just score points. And yes, before the Cup Finals he scored tons of points, too - and this award is for the entire playoffs. But ask yourself this - if Toews and Pronger got into a fight on the opening drop and both were sent home for the game, wouldn't you consider that a victory for the Hawks? Wouldn't the Hawks sans Toews be better off than the Flyers without Pronger?

Keith - someone wrote a piece about Keith deserving the nod, and like Niemi and Toews, the guy is certainly right there in the conversation. But like Niemi and Toews, I'd say he's done about as much as you can do to help a team win the Cup without actually being a fully deserving Conn Smythe winner. I mean there's no downside to what Keith has done - the few mistakes he's made have been from being overtired after carrying the team or trying to do too much to cover for others.

But like Toews, how do you give the award to Keith when Pronger has had way more of an impact on the Finals? Again, ask yourself - if Pronger and Keith are thrown out, don't you think that favors the Hawks? Not by much. And maybe not even because Pronger is better - but the Hawks would better survive without Keith than the Flyers would with Pronger. In fact, I'd point to Pronger's shitshow in Game 5 as proof - when that guy isn't on, the Flyers aren't even close.

One caveat to this all - tonight's game. If Pronger shits the bed again, he's out. One bad game can happen, and, as I said, can be used to support his value. But sucking in the two biggest games of the year? Doneski.

Similarly, if Toews goes all Olympian on us and just decides that there's no way his team will lose, I'm fine with him getting the award. And if Niemi stands on his head to win us this one himself, I'm fine with him getting it.

In fact, while I'm not gonna predict that, I will say that I entered this playoff by pointing out that Niemi had shown in the regular season an impressive knack for stepping it up when it mattered most. I pointed to his work in OTs and shoot-outs - his great record, his great save percentage - as proof.

From what I've seen in these playoffs, I'm only more of that belief. And no game is bigger than tonight. On top of that, Niemi was solid in Game 5, but not great. He hasn't played really great since the third period of Game 2. I got a feeling he's got another bigtime performance in him. Maybe not the steal the show type, but definitely the make the big plays at the key times to really help us win type.

And if he does have one left? Handshakes.

And this:

No Words

From the lengths of these posts, you know I'm not one who can be made speechless easily. Tonight, that could most definitely happen.

THISCLOSE

2010-06-08T09:15:00.005-05:00

"You hear that, Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability... it is the sound of your death. Goodbye, Mr. Anderson..."

Alright, so you don't exactly want to identify your team with the bad guy from the Matrix, especially using a quote that immediately precedes him getting run over by a train. But it's a pretty bad ass line all the same, and it sums up how I see these next two games.

I would have felt better about delivering that line after a Game 3 or Game 4 victory, but given the way we won Game 5, I'm just about that confident in the Hawks taking this series. I'd prefer to win it Wednesday, because who needs anymore drama. But I have every faith we'll win it one way or another. The Hawks are just the superior club and they've shown they can live up to that, especially when it's needed most.

The Flyers had all the momentum, all the confidence, and their best chance to win the series. If they came out gangbusters, if they got this young Hawks team on the ropes, the doubt would have smothered the rink. The fans would have gone silent. And all the pressure of being the prohibitive favorites, of having a 2-0 lead, of this giant bandwagon of Chicago hockey fans looking to break a near half-century Cup drought, it all would have combined to put the Hawks in a real bad place if things went wrong from the get go.

The Flyers knew this was a huge opportunity. They also knew that it wasn't gonna be easy to win in Chicago. They had every reason to be up for this game, every reason to keep playing the same great hockey they had since the third period of Game 2. Know what? I think they did play well. I don't think the Flyers failed to show up. And I don't think they made any major mistakes, such as what the Hawks kept doing in Game 4.

Nope, the Flyers just ran into a freakin buzz saw. They saw what we fans have seen throughout the season, but not nearly enough of late. They saw the full force of the best team in the NHL when it plays completely up to its abilities.

I knew something was up when Toews, winged by new linemates Hossa and Kopecky, came up the ice on his first shift and threw a bit of razzle dazzle at the Flyers blueliners. The kind of fancy maneuvering that led to those two highlight reel goals when he first came up. The kind of play I had honestly forgotten he could make.

Maybe it was because he's been paired with Kane and therefore assumed a more grindy, support role. Maybe it was because he knew he hadn't lived up to what the Hawks needed of him this series. Maybe it's because he didn't want to be the Captain of a heavy favorite who blew a 2-0 lead.

Whatever it was, that rush up ice to start the game told me all I needed to know. It didn't matter that it didn't even lead to a chance. All that mattered is I saw a spark in Toews, in the Hawks, that I hadn't seen in a while. They were going to attack. And they were going to attack with their full arsenal.

It's a testament to this Hawks team that they had reeled off six straight Ws against the Sharks and Flyers - easily the other two best teams in the NHL - without playing their best hockey. But seeing how they played in the first period, that became abundantly clear. As good as the Hawks had played to win all those tight games, they still had another gear.

And wow was it fun to watch them shift into it. I was a little nervous at first - we were utterly dominating the Flyers, winning every battle, making every shift look like a power play, creating chance after chance and never seeing an ounce of pressure back the other way. But we didn't have anything to show for it - would this just be another stretch of hot play to be eventually countered by a similar stretch in the Flyers' favor?

Nope. 12 minutes in, Seabrook jumped into the play perfectly, takes a beauty feed from Versteeg, and buries a power play goal. Three minutes later, Bolland adds another. Three minutes later, Versteeg gets his. A total clinic. Not just the Hawks' best period of hockey in these playoffs, but arguably the best period of hockey the Hawks have delivered all year. They were that dominant. Every single player, every single shift. It was an impressive 20 minutes.

But it's more than just that nasty first period that has me so confident. Just as important was how we responded in the second and third. The Flyers score? We'd score. Every time. Game ends, that three goal still lead stands. Sure, it wasn't a dramaless blow out, but it also was never less than a 2-goal game, and any time the Hawks needed a goal, they delivered.

Simply put - in the biggest game all year, facing the best team playing their best hockey, the Hawks showed themselves to be, in every way, the superior team, from start to finish. And they'll do it again, one more time.

Much has been made of it, but I've got to echo the calls about how brilliant JQ's line shake-ups were. The best testament to a good decision is when it seems so obvious after the fact. Toews and Hossa together - of course pairing our best two all-around players, two guys who thrive together on the PK already, would bring out the best in both. And throwing Kopecky up there with them - the guy works his tail off and with as much talent as Toews and Hossa have, all you need out of their third is energy.

Moving Kane back with Sharp? Kane needs someone to profit from his great play and no one, not Toews, not Hossa, makes the most of Kane-produced opportunities like Sharp. Ladd? The size, the defensive tenacity, and just enough skating and puck skill to hang with Kane and Sharp.

Dropping Buff all the way down to the Bolland-Versteeg pair? Versteeg is an under-rated playmaker, Bolland a great facilitator - they just need someone who's gonna create some space for them to work in and bury the chances they produce. Who better than Big Buff, inspired by the opportunities afforded to him by not being shadowed every shift by Pronger?

And let's not forget putting Brouwer down with Eager and Madden. Madden is a long-proven plus defensive center, Eager an outstanding energy-type who's shown he can create a bit of offense with his speed and surprising skill. Throw in a talent like Brouwer, capable of handling the puck and scoring, while also playing strong D, and you've got a fourth line that can skate with anyone.

Man were those lines fun to watch. And boy can I not wait to see them go to town again on Wednesday. Sure, Philly will make their adjustments. Sure, just being at home will be an advantage. And as we've seen before, the Flyers know how to win when their backs are against the wall. I'm not just talking about the 3-0 Bruins deficits, but also the two must-wins they took against the Hawks already.

But I do believe JQ is on to something with these groups. And I do think the Hawks now realize what I've said before every series - if the Hawks out-work their opponent, they will be victorious in a 7-game series. Period.

So that's what I'm looking for in Game 6 - the Hawks to come out with the same intensity, the same go-get-em they showed in Game 5. To bring the same type of puck-dominating offensive onslaught they showed in period one. And the same ability to answer every Flyers' push with one of their own.

To beat the Sharks, the Hawks had to play within themselves, lock down on D, and take advantage of every counter-attack opportunity they had. But against these Flyers, that has not been the case. The Hawks still need to keep their heads defensively, to win board battles and loose pucks in their zone, and to lock down skaters in front of their own net. But what's more important is bringing sustained offensive pressure built upon puck possession, winning board battles and loose pucks in the neutral and offensive zones, and constant movement.

Because when the Hawks are in control of the puck and in their cycle game, the Flyers just cannot hang. That's what the first period was all about - the Hawks just moved that puck from one place to another in the offensive zone with ease and control, and with each movement the Flyers defensive efforts became more disorganized, forfeited more space, and just wore down.

Not only does this create the offensive chances the Hawks need, but it also keeps the Flyers from bringing their own fearsome attack to bear. And the Hawks now have four lines capable of making that happen. Four lines capable of the long stretches of possession that cut the heart out of a team. Even a team with as big of a heart as the Flyers clearly have.

So sit back, relax and strap it down, because the Hawks proved they know what it takes in Game 5, and they aren't likely to forget it before Game 6.

ps: Had a fun bit of attention cast my way by the Trib in this article. That also led to being on WGN 720's Morning Show for a quick Q&A with their host about superstitions.

This has not been an easy superstition to stick with, given how cute Lil is in her Hawks gear:

Boo-urns

2010-06-03T10:37:00.005-05:00

Well, this most certainly is a feeling I'm not used to.

A devastating loss that makes you doubt everything? Just hasn't happened yet this year. Think about it - Game 1 against Nashville? A fluke. Game 3? Ugly, but you still had every faith in the Hawks being able to beat the feisty but out-talented Preds. Plus it was so early, the Cup still seemed distant and the possibility of missing out on a chance at it didn't quite register. You were more pissed than bummed.

Vancouver? Game 1 was a throwaway - the Hawks clearly didn't show up. Game 5 was a joke - not only didn't they show up, but they held a commanding 3-1 lead going into it. You knew the Hawks would put the Canucks away eventually.

Since then? Nothin but Ws. A loss at any time against the Sharks would have been tough to take. Even Game 4 - to have to go back to San Jose, fear would have started to creep in. But that's not what happened. We never were forced to deal with the post-game and day-after bummed out feeling. The doubt, the worry, the disappointment.

No different this series. A loss in either Game 1 or Game 2 against the Flyers would have been tough. So close to the Cup, so much confidence in these Hawks, it would have hurt to see Philly come out of the opening pair with the edge. But the Hawks dug deep and emerged the victors in two tense games.

But not last night. And it sucks. I wrote most of this post immediately after the game, but I don't feel any different today. The doubt, the worry, the disappointment. It's still all there.

Maybe it shouldn't be, but it is. And I do think the unfamiliarity of it is a big reason why. Most teams win a title by overcoming a few junctures where things really seem bleak. We just haven't had those yet.

As a Chicago fan, we don't have a lot of experience with titles. And those that we have, really haven't been in doubt. I mean you've got to go back to the first set of Bulls titles for any real doubt-inducing drama. That's almost 20 years ago. The second set? Come on - rooting for MJ II's Bulls was like rooting for Sly or Arnold - you knew they'd win in the end, the fun was watching how they'd do it.

The Sox in 05? They only lost one time, Game 1 of the ALCS. And at that point you hadn't really started to believe and didn't really take one opening loss as a big deal. After that point, when you finally had faith and things got tense, the Sox just kept on winning.

Just like the Hawks had this done year... until last night.

Losing last night has allowed doubt that this Cup will be ours to enter the equation for the first time since I started to be fully confident it could be - probably after we took both games in Vancouver. Sure, the Hawks always had a good shot, but when we went into the Canucks' house and took them apart in two games, I really became convinced that we were the team to beat.

And of course we still are. As I said yesterday, the Hawks only needed to take one of these games in Philly to be sitting pretty. And as I've continued to repeat and always will - you have to expect to lose a minimum of two games in every NHL playoffs series. So the Flyers won one of theirs. Big deal.

But man, I can't shake that it is a big deal. I can't help but look at how they outplayed us in the third period of Game 2 and then for long stretches in Game 3, including the final few minutes of OT, and be a bit scared. These Flyers are both talented and confident. That's a scary combo. Especially when they've been out-executing the Hawks. I don't know if I'd say out-working, because the Hawks are giving it their all.

But I definitely saw stretches where the Hawks looked slower to free pucks, where they couldn't create space with the puck, where they couldn't close space when the Flyers had the puck. Long stretches. I watched only brief parts of Game 1 (stupid wedding), but in Games 2 and 3 the Flyers looked like the better team. Maybe their goaltending wasn't as good, but they seemed to be better on both ends of the ice otherwise.

And yet, the Hawks were damn close to ending this whole series last night. And they did pull out Game 2. And Game 1. And Games 1-4 of the Sharks series. Remember, the Sharks outplayed the Hawks for long stretches in that series. San Jose out-shot us on a number of occasions, demanding a pair of 40+ save nights out of Niemi. Yet the Hawks still swept.

So that's what I'm hanging my hat on. The Flyers played a great game on their home ice in a do-or-die situation, while the Hawks looked slow for long stretches... and it still took OT for Philly to get the winner. They gave us their all and it barely was enough, despite our good, but definitely not great performance. Next game, I'm not sure Philly can play as well. Or that the Hawks will be lacking that extra gear as often. If either of those two things changes, the Hawks should win Game 4.

Because as good as Philly is, as much as they've given us everything we can handle, the simple fact is that the Hawks CAN handle them. We are better and more importantly, have shown a superior ability to win. Not just in this series, but against the Sharks too. San Jose was a damn fine hockey team playing damn good hockey. Couples with these games against the Flyers and we're talking seven straight against the best the NHL has, playing great hockey, including three on the road, and the Hawks have come out on top in six of them. And I see them taking number seven on Friday.

So yeah, I won't be as eager to read all the hockey blogs and whatnot from now until the puck drops Friday night. It's just not as much fun when you just lost. And I'm gonna be nervous as balls in Game 4, unless we get out to some huge lead. And I'm gonna think about how Philly came back from 3-0 against the Bruins and how the Penguins came back from 2-0 in the Finals last year. Because I'm out of practice and I can't help it. But gun to my head, I've got every faith in this Hawks team on Friday night. We've responded to every challenge thrown our way all post-season... one OT loss on the road when the other team was playing for their whole season shouldn't make me forget that.

I can't wait to shake this feeling, and there's only one thing that will do it - more cowbell. Or just seeing these Hawks take it to the Flyers in Game 4, start to finish. It's kinda always true, but now more than ever - Friday night can't come quick enough.

Deja Vu All Over Again

2010-06-02T08:44:00.002-05:00

http://commit2theindian.blogspot.com/2010/05/halfway-home.html

The post linked pretty much sums up my feelings exactly right now. How is what we just saw that much different from what we saw in Games 1 and 2 against the Sharks, after which I wrote that entry? How is the situation we face in Games 3 and 4 of that series different than what we're looking at now?

My summarized points from that post and whether they still fit:

1) While being up 2-0 is huge, I also expected to the Hawks to win at least two games, as I expect every NHL playoff to do over a 7-game series, so what really have we done?

Um, check. Not only have the Flyers come from down 2-0 to win a series this year, they actually did it from down 3-0. Everyone keeps talking about this team's lack of quit and did we ever see it in the last period of Game 2. On top of that, the Wings were up 2-0 on the Penguins last year, were seen as the superior team, clearly had all the experience on their side, and still biffed it.

Just like with the Sharks series, I wouldn't be saying this about any 2-0 lead. It's the fact that, like the Sharks, the Flyers are clearly a highly talented team that is playing very good hockey. It's also that in both cases, each game could have gone either way. The Hawks didn't romp through their two victories in San Jose and their sure didn't for these openers here in Chicago.

So while 2-0 is a nice place to be in, there is plenty of work yet to be done. As we saw against San Jose, it took two outstanding efforts by the Hawks - on home ice - to put that team down. And that was a team known for quitting, as opposed to the Flyers, a team team renowned for never quitting.

2) If the Hawks win tonight or in Game 4, the series is all but over. But if the Hawks lose both of these games, their opponent picks up all the momentum and confidence, as well as home ice.

Check again (mostly). As much as the Flyers have shown they can come back from any deficit, that doesn't mean they actually will. And it sure doesn't mean they want to get there. They know that if they lose tonight or on Friday, they're gonna be in a bad, bad place. The Hawks are a very hard team to take two straight from (no one has done it all playoffs), let alone three or even four.

So yeah, the Flyers are most definitely a never-say-die team. But not quitting and winning are two very, very different things. The Flyers can be expected to play hard as all get out until the last whistle of the season - that I am sure of. That is the type of team these guys are and the more they've done it, the more they believe in it themselves.

However, it takes more than a lack of quit to beat the Hawks in three of four (or four of four). And unlike the Sharks, the Flyers don't have the prospect of regaining home ice if they take Games 3 and 4. Sure, at 7-1 in Philly, the Flyers can point to a true home ice advantage in these next two games. But that also means that the Flyers haven't been great on the road - just 5-4. So best case scenario, the Flyers still have to find a way to win away from Philly at some point, something they haven't done with consistency this post-season.

Still, taking these next two games would give the Flyers the confidence and momentum. Much like the Sharks, the Flyers weren't that far away from being up 2-0 or at least 1-1. I can't say I fully expected it, but the Flyers are all that the Hawks can handle, just as the Sharks were. And while the Hawks did eventually sweep the Sharks, it took an OT winner and a hard fought Game 4 to do so.

So if the Flyers can win these next two, they will have proven to themselves they are every bit as good as the Hawks. While not quitting alone isn't enough, having real confidence in your team can often be. This Flyers team is good, but just like the Sharks, the Hawks were just enough better in just enough ways. Don't open that door to the Flyers, allowing them to believe they can win.

I'll say what I said against the Sharks - the Hawks cannot let off the jugular right now. They've got to end it without giving this club an ounce of hope. Yeah, a Game 4 win will suffice, but I don't want to be in that situation, where a loss erases everything we've accomplished. It's time now, tonight, for the Hawks to end it. Just like they ended it in Game 3 against the Sharks.

3) I'd like to see the Hawks bring that same defense-first approach they exhibited in Games 1 and 2 to Games 3 and 4, and have faith that if they do so, this series will be doneski.

Obviously the Hawks did not bring a defense-first approach to Game 1, but they definitely did in Game 2 and the lack of such in the opener only made it all the more clear how important it is that the Hawks play the right game. So again, check.

The perfect example - the end of Game 2. I sure hope the Hawks don't put themselves in the same position where they have to weather what appears to be a period-long power play. But it was damn impressive that against a team as offensively talented as the Flyers, a team who was going balls to the wall to score that tying goal, that the Hawks could still withstand it.

Sure, it's no fun to think about the fact that for 59 and a half minutes, the Hawks offense couldn't do jack to solve the Flyers D and Michael Leighton. But it's maybe not so bad when you realize that for 60 minutes, the Flyers couldn't do jack to solve the Hawks D and Antti Niemi except for the flukiest bouncing puck/deflection goal I've ever seen live.

Especially given the circumstance, the Flyers will feel more and more pressure if they aren't scoring moreso than if they aren't keeping the Hawks from scoring. If it's a 0-0 or 1-1 late into the game, I expect the Flyers to start over-committing on offense, trying desperately to get that goal that gets them the do-or-die win. That desperation leads to mistakes that create all sorts of counter-attack chances. And those goals are the ones that can really break a team's back.

4) Don't fret if Game 3 is close, or even if the Hawks are down - that all favors the Hawks because it keeps the pressure on the opposition. And that pressure can lead to a lot of small mistakes or even a big one, which may be all the difference.

Check again. While the Sharks were facing more internal pressure than the Flyers, given their recent history of regular playoff choke jobs, the Flyers have the added pressure of knowing just how tantalizingly close the Cup is, but how far it will be if they lose. And similar to what I just detailed above, the longer the Flyers have to go without being able to shake the Hawks in Game 3 or 4, the more pressure they're going to feel. And the more pressure, the more mistakes that will be made.

As much as the Flyers have shown they can come back from any series deficit, that doesn't mean they actually will. And it sure doesn't mean they want to get there. They know that if they lose tonight or on Friday, they're gonna be in a bad, bad place. The Hawks are a very hard team to take two straight from (no one has done it all playoffs), let alone three or even four.

So like the Sharks, the Flyers know that any mistake could be the one that all but ends their season. It's hard enough to play against the Hawks, with their unrelenting attack, talent, and execution. Try it when you can see your very real Stanley Cup dreams one misstep from going away for good.

Plus, even more so than in that San Jose series, I have every confidence in these Hawks, as long as the game remains within reach. Doesn't matter the type of game, the type of team, the location, the series situation, etc etc. The Hawks have shown, over and over, that they are winners. They find ways to better their opponents in whatever facet of the game is required. Since I wrote that post, I've seen the Hawks do it four more times against two of the best teams in all of hockey. And I fully expect them to do it two more times.

And then:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHgRl2iHaA

Couple quick thoughts I had to slip in:

1) The Eager goal is not getting enough play. I don't know why, but that goal should already be talked about as an historic Hawks tally. Not only did it net them a crucial Game 2, but it came off the stick of just about the last guy you'd have expected. And it was no fluke - it was a scorer's goal, perfectly played against the D and goaltender. And it came at a key time - the Flyers were reeling but ready to bounce back, the Hawks were getting going but needed more fuel.

Even at the time it was huge, but after the Flyers scored and then pounded the Hawks the whole third period, that goal became even bigger. Who knows how things would have shaken out without it, but we do know that Eager's tally won us Game 2, a game that swung so much of the series.

And another aspect that is not getting it's play - Buff's steal and pass. Sure, the Flyers outlet pass wasn't very good, but if Buff wasn't hustling back, the Flyer forward could have adjusted and been on his way on a break. No one's talking about that, but as the pass was being made, I saw nothing but wide open ice down the side of the rink.

Instead though, Buff shows a hustle I've long criticized him for not having, and gets the steal. That alone would have been nice, but then he follows it up with a beautiful pass in the opposite direction he was going, setting Eager up with the position and space to deliver that beautiful shot past the defender and netminder. Buff has gotten a lot of credit for his scoring this post-season, but since he was moved back to D, he's really stepped up his all-around play. Discounting that and focusing just on the goals would be missing so much of what has made him a key component to this team.

2) Lay off Toews and Kane for their lack of Cup Finals production. First off, there have been plenty of possessions where the Hawks have cycled and dominated the puck thanks to those two. Sure, no goals have come of it, but that doesn't mean no good has. The Flyers have been coming at the Hawks offensively, so these brief periods in the Philly zone give the Hawks a needed defensive break. And you aren't going to score every time - two games is no long stretch to go without finding the net. Let's see how a few more games go before we decide if they've gone cold or just gone a normal two few games without scoring.

Second, the Toews-Kane duo has tying up the Flyers best defenders, both bluelines and forwards. And that's a heck of a group, a group that's done the job shutting down the Eastern Conference for the last two months. By demanding all of their attention and effort, the second and third lines have been freed up against lesser defenders. Sharp-Hossa-Brouwer and Bolland-Versteeg-Kopecky have done all kinds of damage this series. No way they do the same thing if it wasn't for Toews-Kane-Buff monopolizing the best checkers and blueliners the Flyers have.

There Can Be Only One!

2010-05-27T11:30:00.003-05:00

So Highlander has a cool concept and a sweet name, but otherwise it's a pretty terrible movie. What can you expect from a film that casts the eminently Scottish Sean Connery as a Spaniard and the Swiss-raised Christopher Lambert as a Scotsman? Still, the tagline is about the best in all of movies and fitting for what sits ahead for the Hawks.

It's easy to get caught up in the hype with the Hawks this season as a team of destiny. The franchise has followed a pretty movie-like storyline. They quietly accrued assets, breaking through on the ice just as the evil old man died and the reigns were passed to someone who wanted nothing more than to appease the fans. A comeback year in 07-08 ended just short of a playoff bid, but the buzz was there. A breakout season in 08-09 ended in a bitter Western Conference Finals defeat to the Wings, but the belief now seemed justified.

And then this year, the Hawks spend all season as one of the premier teams in the league, a team inferior to none and capable of anything. The playoffs somehow get easier as the team gets closer to the Cup. First they outlast the feisty Preds, then they battle but ultimately show clear dominance over the Canucks, and finally they utterly destroy the Sharks, but do so in a way that still showcases just how good the Sharks are (and thus how much of an accomplishment that sweep was).

Yes, everything seems to have been scripted for this team. Hell, we even have the perfect cast of characters, from an owner with a name straight out of one of the great movies ever made, to an "odd couple" of young superstars. The supporting cast couldn't be better - a mustachioed coach, a heart-and-soul blueliner who forfeits seven teeth but returns to help finish the series, a big friendly giant with a flair for the dramatic.

And now, to close it all out, the Hawks will face a team with a nice bit of history, a nice crew of quality players - just enough to make for a good foil as they take the final steps to hoisting the Cup.

But here's the thing - the Flyers have a bit of a team of destiny thing going themselves, and only one of us can live out the happy ending. Like the Hawks, it's been a long while since the Flyers won a Cup (1975, the second of the Broad Street Bullies' back-to-back titles). Like Chicago, Philly is fairly championship starved, with only a single baseball title in recent memory and not a whole lot as you go further back.

And like our current Hawks squad, this Flyers team has a nice bit of recent history going. The Lindros era, began with so much hoopla and hope, ended without a Cup in 2000, when he was stripped of his captaincy after publicly criticizing the team doctors for not diagnosing one of his many concussions. The Flyers were able to retool on the fly and lost a heart-breaking conference finals to the Lightning in 2004.

That team featured a hell of a lot of guys you'd recognize - including ex-Hawks Amonte, Roenick, Zhamnov, Jeff Hackett, and Eric Weinrich, as well as a pair of future Hawks who's time here was cut short due to injury - Michal Handzus and Kim Johnsson (remember him!). The lock-out would follow and the Flyers would come out of it looking very different.

After a respectable but disappointing 05-06 (101 points, lost in the first round), the Flyers tanked in 06-07, netting a whopping 56 points. But that allowed the team to refocus itself on a number of youngsters who helped their minor league club win the AHL. In 07-08 the Flyers barely made the playoffs, but got hot and reached the Conference Finals before the upstart Penguins knocked them off in 5 games.

The table was set and 08-09 was to be a great year... and in a lot of ways it was, as the team potted 99 points and scored a ton of goals. But they had the bad luck of facing the Penguins in the first round and again were knocked out by their in-state rivals.

This year they seemed to have taken another step back, barely qualifying for the playoffs with an overtime winner in their last game. Their reward - the Devils, as always a defensive powerhouse that now featured two of the game's top scorers in Kovalchuk and Parise.

The Flyers trounced them 4-1 in the only non-dramatic series in the whole first round. That series had nothing on what the Flyers just did to the Canadiens. Taking out Game 3, the Flyers just advanced to the Cup Finals by out-scoring Montreal 16-2 in their four victories. Read that again. 16-2. Against a team that had just knocked off both the Caps and the Penguins.

In between those? The Flyers just happened to manage one of the most memorable comebacks of all time, returning from a 3-0 deficit in a series and a 3-0 deficit in Game 7 to edge the Bruins.

And they've done it with an under-rated horde of talent. Like high-flying youngsters? Captain #18 Mike Richards was a part of Team Canada, is a back-to-back 30-goal scorer, and lead the team in points both in the regular and post-season. #17 Jeff Carter had 46 goals last year, 33 this year, and despite being limited to only 6 post-season games, still has netted four goals. They're both only 25. #28 Claude Giroux is only 22, but he has managed 74 points in his 126 NHL games.

Like proven vets? #48 Danny Briere has long been a guaranteed 25-35 goals every season, this year being no different, and until recently had been a point-per-game producer. #12 Simon Gagne potted 40 goals twice in a row a few seasons back and was able to score 17 (and assisted on 23 others) in only 58 games this year. #19 Scott Hartnell slumped to only 14 goals this year, but he's generally been good for 20-30 and a similar amount of helpers.

That's a pretty dangerous group right there, fully capable of scoring in bunches and keeping a team on its heels. But it's not all offense for these Flyers - the fact that two different goalies have been able to play so far above themselves in the Philly net this post-season speaks to how solid the defense is.

#20 Chris Pronger and #44 Kimmo Timonen are long-proven, highly reliable, impact vets. Especially Pronger, a guy who's done nothing but carry teams to the Finals since leaving the black hole of mediocrity that is the St. Louis Blues. In the past five years he's taken three different teams there - first losing a heart-breaker with the Oilers, then winning with the Ducks, before finally getting back again this year. None of those teams were clear Cup contenders before he got there.

Pronger and Timonen log heavy minutes, factor into the offense, and are the backbone of this squad. They each skate with a youngsters, both 25, who also log heavy minutes (about 25 a night) in #25 Matt Carle and #5 Braydon Coburn. All four have played like plus NHL defensemen these playoffs.

Of course, as any good Hawks fan knows, defense also requires strong work from the forwards, and while I can't speak to specifically who can do what, the great play of the Philly netminders speaks to a forward group that gets how to play in their own end.

Looking at this squad, I definitely have a healthy respect. First and most obviously, you don't reach the Cup Finals without having a hell of a lot of something. You've just beaten three straight playoff hockey teams in seven games series - that automatically means you're a highly capable squad and that you're on your game. Second, this club can definitely score and will do so from more than just one line. Third, this club has some legit blueliners who will answer the bell and forwards who help the defensive cause.

On top of all that, they've got a goalie who is red hot. After taking over for Brian Boucher in the midst of that stunning 3-0 turnaround (Boucher won Game 4 and played the first 25 minutes of Game 5), Michael Leighton has absolutely romped for all but two brief stretches.

The first was the three goal hole he put his team into in Game 7 against Bruins. But like his teammates, Leighton wouldn't quit and stoned the Bruins the rest of the way. This after he shut them out for the final 35 minutes in Game 5, pivotal not only because it made the series competitive again, but because those 35 minutes were the first Leighton had played in two months.

Leighton's other letdown was Game 3 against the Habs, when he got lit up for 5 goals. Taking that out, Leighton allowed only two goals in their wins, both in Game 5, and before that threw shut-outs in Games 1, 2, and the crucial Game 4. Throw in the fact that the previously red hot Boucher is back from an injury in case Leighton does falter, and the Flyers can have some confidence of a strong presence in the net this series.

In all, this is a team I fully expect to win two games from the Hawks. I know, I know, you're thinking that after romping the Sharks and facing an unheralded team from the helter skelter Eastern Conference, it just feels like the Hawks should cruise straight on to the Cup, right? Tickets for Game 5? Why bother?

Why, indeed. Maybe because the Preds pail in comparison to the Flyers in most respects, and yet Nashville was able to take two from the Hawks. The Canucks don't have an ounce of the playoff moxie the Flyers do, and still Vancouver took a pair from us. And let's not forget the sweep of the Sharks featured four straight games that were in doubt until the final minute. Six goals over four games - that's what the Hawks snuck by on.

But you know what? I don't see these Flyers taking any more than the two wins I now will expect from every team in every single NHL playoff series. Sure, the Flyers have a bunch of scorers. So too did the Canucks and Sharks. Those teams had front lines as good as any in hockey and secondary scoring that was top flight. Yet they still couldn't consistently solve the Hawks.

As I wrote in my last post, what I saw of the Hawks in those first couple of Sharks games was amazing. They turned into a lockdown defensive team, with all five skaters thinking defense first and doing everything they could in every facet of the game to keep a high-powered offense out of the back of the net for four straight games. With that approach, that ability, I don't see how the Flyers are going to break through enough times over a seven games series.

That's especially true because I've got a lot of faith in the Hawks O. Sure the Flyers have some nice defensemen and a hot goalie, but two things jump out to me. First, the Flyers allowed as many goals in the regular season as the Preds and more than both the Sharks and the Canucks. Since the Hawks got their heads out of their butts after Game 3 in Nashville, they've averaged around four goals a game. What reliable evidence is there that the Flyers are really going to be able to do any better defensively than the Hawks previous playoff opponents?

It sure isn't their defensive depth - if the Flyers are expecting their four defensemen to skate for 25+ minutes each against the three high-powered, uber-athletic lines the Hawks throw out there, we are going to see a lot of late-game breakdowns and a series that may start close but gets away from them after Game 3 or 4. Especially because the Flyers like to play a fast-paced game themselves, how are these four going to have the legs, especially when two of them are 35?

That leads into my second reason for faith in the Hawks - the Flyers haven't faced anything that resembles a good offense. Boston? Second worst in the league. Not second worst of the playoff teams, 2nd worst O in the whole league during the 82-game regular season. Habs? Eighth worst. And they were exhausted after two brutal 7-game series against the Caps and Penguins. New Jersey? Even with Parise and Kovalchuck for the final month, still 12th worst.

Those were defense-first teams that scored just enough to get by. In the Hawks, the Flyers are facing a team every bit as good defensively as Philly's previous opponents (if not better), but with an offense that is light years beyond what Philly has seen so far. Not only will the pure talent and execution level of the Hawks O be brutal for the Flyers to hang with, but it'll also be a hell of a transition to go from the hapless Bruins and exhausted Habs to one of the most dynamic offenses in the entire league.

The one wild card? Mental approach. As I've said before every series and has been proven true - if the Hawks outwork their opponent, they will win a 7-game series. It is the same this time around, and I actually think the Hawks have more room for error than they did against the Sharks, possibly more than they did against the Canucks.

However, things have suddenly changed. I noticed when I was at Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals that there weren't all kinds of fans carrying homemade Stanley Cups, as is so common in most other stadiums throughout the playoffs. Some of it is that Chicago hockey fans are WAY out of practice - we haven't regularly been going to the playoffs since the mid 90s.

But some of it is the simple lack of awareness of what was really happening. Hawks fans were taking each game as it was. Sure we overlooked the Preds a bit, but come Vancouver and San Jose, everything was about the game at hand. The Cup was the ultimate goal, but it didn't seem that much closer as an end point than it had during the regular season. The stakes were raised, but it still just felt like we had to win that night so that someday, down the road, we'd be able to lift that Cup.

Well, not that has seemed to change. Reality has set in and it's clear to us all that we're playing for the big prize. The thing many of us didn't think we'd ever get to, but had slowly started believing in with the start of the Rocky Wirtz era. And now we've had a whole week to get all hot and bothered over it all.

Here's the thing - if the Cup has suddenly become a very real possibility to us fans, it's probably become so to the players. These guys are human and for most of them, except Hossa, this is their first shot at truly winning a Cup. Sure, Kopecky and Ladd have before, but they weren't key pieces, as they'd be now. So the big question is how will these kids respond to their first upclose brush with the Cup?

If the Hawks are able to put it all out of their minds, not only the distraction but the false sense of their inevitability, then they will win this series. I have zero doubt of that. But if the hoopla proves to be too much, the Flyers, just like the Preds and the Canucks, will make them pay. Fail to show up a couple of times, catch a bad break, run into a stellar goalie performance... getting to four losses can come quick if you're giving games away.

However, I don't see that happening. I've got faith in the mental make-up of this team. Maybe one misstep this series, but not two. While they would dig themselves a hole by giving away a game, the Hawks are superior enough to overcome. And that's assuming the Flyers play their best hockey start to finish. With a journeyman goalie, a thin defensive corp, and an offense no better than what the Hawks have already shut down, I'm not counting on the Flyers bringing anything near the pressure the Sharks did for four straight.

So, to me, we're this close. The Hawks will not be denied IF they bring it every game. And what then? Well, I think this incredibly well done new commercial by the NHL pretty much sums up how we'll all feel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHgRl2iHaA

Halfway Home

2010-05-21T12:46:00.003-05:00

In an effort to remain consistent, I do have to point out that the Hawks still have really only won the two games I expect every NHL team to win in any series. The Sharks are still very much in this, fully capable of taking the next two and erasing all that the Hawks have accomplished at this point. On top of that, the Sharks would have grabbed the home ice, momentum, and confidence edge that now all sit in the Hawks' corner.

However, there's no denying that in addition to the home ice, momentum, and confidence edge they earned, the Hawks also have two very impressive advantages:

1) If the Hawks win tonight, it's all but over. Rarely in a hockey series do you get a kill shot before you've won three games.

2) If the Hawks take one of the next two, it's kinda almost all but over. Rarely in a hockey series can you afford to give a game away and still be in a prime position.

My hope - that the Hawks are completely and totally focused on #1 and don't even consider #2. I want them out for blood tonight - playing with a tenacity, a desperation, of a team who knows this game could decide the whole series.

The Hawks made the mistake of bringing a #2 mindset into a couple of games against both the Preds and Canucks, making both of those series closer than they should have. Instead, I want the Hawks remembering how hard they had to fight, how incredible they had to play in so many facets of the game, and even how lucky they had to be with some bounces, to win either of those games against San Jose. I want them to realize that they're gonna have to do at least that much, if not more, if they hope to win again.

That covers the mental approach - what about the strategic approach? Honestly - I want to see the same thing we've seen the first two games. And it's something we haven't seen from this team all year. In fact, I'm surprised that with all the coverage the Hawks are getting, no one is talking about it.

All season long, including in the playoffs, the Hawks have been a high-flying offensive powerhouse that has quietly had a good defense. That defense was mainly built upon puck-possession - you can't shoot what you aren't holding. The story was their shot differential - in another world from where everyone else in the league was. Even when facing the top teams, the Hawks still were coming out way ahead in shots. Even as they struggled in March, the shots still were largely in their favor. Even as the level of play shot up in the playoffs, it was still there.

Until they faced the Sharks. All of the sudden, somehow this Hawks team morphed into a defensive dynamo, built upon committing all five skaters to supporting the goalie in keeping the opponent's offense in check. Shots were to be blocked or effected. Rebounds were to be pushed to the side and then cleared. Skaters in front of the net were to be tied up, loose pucks to be pursued with a vengeance. Offense was secondary - take your chances as they came, make the most of them.

It wasn't really clear in Game 1 - the Hawks did rifle off 40 shots, not exactly a defense-first total. But think about that game for a minute. How many times did you breath a sigh of relief because you saw a puck squirt harmlessly to the boards after a barrage of activity around the Hawks net? How many times did you look up at the clock and hope the period would end so the Hawks could regroup? How many times did you want the Hawks to just dump the puck or get a whistle to end a long possession in their own end?

Now think about the other way - did you really curse the Hawks that many times for missing a prime chance? Did we have that many big offensive flurries that ended with nothing? How many great plays by Hawks skaters were really just narrowly stopped?

Simply - how often have you felt that the Sharks are bringing the pressure, making you so nervous that a puck was about to find the back of the Hawks net, versus how often you felt a bit relaxed, confident in how the Hawks had taken control of the game?

Now you look at Game 2, when the Hawks had four power plays and only 22 shots. When the Sharks had only one but got off 27. Compare that to what you generally expect from the Hawks - a 7-10 shot advantage in their favor.

The simple fact is that in this series, the Sharks have been the aggressor. They've taken the game to the Hawks offensively, put huge amounts of pressure on them in their own end. How worn out the edge of your seat is attests to that.

But, the Hawks have still been the superior team. Despite not at all playing the game they expect to, despite having the pressure tilted in their direction, the Hawks have still out-played the Sharks. In Game 1, they showed they could bounce back from an early deficit and come out ahead in a super tight game. In Game 2, they showed they could weather the Sharks storm and counter with lethal effectiveness, scoring whenever they needed to keep control of the game.

And they've done it by somehow overnight becoming a team that gets the big initial stop from their goalie, clears every rebound, works tirelessly along the boards, has a stick or body somehow effecting every shot or pass, busts ass to every loose puck.

You expect that type of play from a decent team that buys into a defensive system built upon hard work and grit in order to elevate beyond the sum of their parts. You don't expect it from an uber-talented squad with some of the top playmakers and goalscorers in the game, with offensive skill on nearly every line and pairing. A team who until now has played good defense more often by putting themselves in a position to not have to defend by dominating the puck.

I can't be more impressed or encouraged by what this team has done so far this post-season. No professional title has ever been won without a team overcoming some significant adversity. Even the 1985 Bears, the greatest pro team of all time, had to be able to bounce back from a disheartening late season loss to the Dolphins on national TV. How you respond to that adversity often tells you if a championship-contending club can actually go all the way.

The Hawks proved in the first round that they knew how to lean on their superior talent to beat a hard-charging, play above themselves team like the Preds. In the second round, the Hawks proved they could keep their heads while getting into their opponents', allowing them to control a team that wasn't too far inferior.

And now in this round, the Hawks have shown true championship character by finding something that I'm not sure we would have guessed existed, a game they hadn't been called on to play before. When the Sharks got them on their heels and kept them there, the Hawks turned into the kind of team that could dig in, not get pushed back an inch, and then muster counter-attacks which they didn't squander.

I knew the Hawks had the talent to play this way - I've long talked about how quietly impressive their defensive depth is. But I wasn't sure they had the character to do so. It's not easy to go from being the always superior club who thrives on its puck possession to being a defense-first dynamo that just won't give in. But the Hawks have done just that when facing one of the better teams in the NHL.

And you know what - if they keep it up, this series is over. If they do it again, if they continue to frustrate the Sharks offense, the wind will go out of their sails. This San Jose club is stocked with forwards who've never been able to break through in the playoffs. Forwards filled with doubt about their ability to score the needed goals. Even if the Hawks offense can't do much tonight, if they can keep the Sharks off the board, eventually the Sharks will break down.

Either they'll stop bringing the pressure, which will just open up the floodgates for one of the most potent offenses in hockey. Or they'll go the other way, start trying to do to much, and allow the Hawks lethal counterattack to pick them apart.

So my plea to the fans who will be in attendance tonight - don't fret if the Hawks aren't scoring. And don't fret if it's close, even if we're down. A close game favors the Hawks - the Sharks are the ones feeling all the pressure. Every second the Hawks keep the game in question is a second the Sharks have to play knowing that one wrong move could end their season. The longer that goes on, the more draining it will be, mentally and physically.

Just hang around - that's all the Hawks have to do. Preferably they'd come right out and end this with some early scoring, but as long as they don't let the Sharks get up more than a goal, maybe two, I like our chances. As long as they can keep frustrating the Sharks offensive efforts, I like our chances. And as long as the crowd is into it, giving something for the Hawks to feed off of for that late rush or final lockdown, I like our chances.

Three's Company

2010-05-18T10:19:00.005-05:00

So I never got to check in after that beautiful victory over the Canucks, nor to preview this Sharks series, so now I'm just rolling those thoughts into my Game 1 post and giving you all a lot to sift through. Enjoy:

-After giving up 13 shots in the first period of Game 6 against Vancouver, it was huge to get those two quick goals to start Period 2, but it clearly wasn't enough to feel comfortable. Although the Hawks outplayed the Canucks in the second, 2-0 was not a safe lead. When Keith went ahead and got a penalty with a minute left in the period, the obvious fear was that the Canucks could steal all the momentum on their home ice by scoring, either before or right after the break.

So while I'm fretting away about that, my wife says that she hasn't seen a short-handed goal in a while and she wants one now. Ever the optimist, I start thinking that she is right, that the Hawks are the league's top shorty team and they haven't yet potted one against the Canucks. So they are kinda due. And how sweet would it be to get one now, at such a crucial juncture? And how much sweeter would it be that my wife called it?

Then about 20 seconds in, freakin Bolland steals the puck and has a beauty chance. At the same time two thoughts are going through my mind - it's funny that such a chance presents itself, but odds are Bolland doesn't do much with it, but also what if he does score this here, how freakin awesome would that be?

And holy balls that's exactly what happened! Bolland, getting hooked the whole way, somehow puts a shot past Luongo, who up until then had been playing fairly well. Game Over. Sure, a 3-0 lead going into the third isn't insurmountable, but the way the game had been flowing, you just had the confidence that this was it. And my wife saw it coming the whole way.

-I'm not sure where it came from, but JQ was rolling some very funny combinations out in Game 6, including giving some good minutes to Hendry (12 total), who had been all but buried for the last few games (averaging around 7). Eager and Burish also seemed to be logging decent ice time, while the defensive pairings were constantly mixed up.

Some of it probably had to do with being the road team, trying to match lines on the fly and thus ending up with half changes here and there. But some of it was JQ calling on his depth. Hendry, who I had recently realized was ill-prepared to be a NHL blueliner at this point, answered the bell. He sure wasn't great, but he wasn't as shaky as he had been.

The hope is that some experience and confidence is all he needs. I'm not even worried about him contributing to this playoff run, but it would be nice if he develop into a respectable (and cheap) 3rd pairing guy next season. In the meantime, all those minutes Q gave him in Game 6 seemed to help him in Game 1 with the Sharks, when he looked a bit more confident. Still a bit shaky, but definitely progressing, which is what you want and need.

I was especially pleased about Eager and Burish getting some time. They thrived in their role, flying all over the ice, beating Vancouver to open pucks, digging hard along the boards, and hitting whatever moved. They really epitomized the energy line idea and even created a few chances for themselves. As has been said over and over - the Hawks gain a huge advantage when their fourth line plays as it can. No other team can match that kind of depth.

What I dug about JQ giving Burish and Eager time in Game 6 is that it allowed him to confidently go to them again in Game 1 against the Sharks. And once again, these guys responded. I absolutely love how they get out there and play with reckless abandon. Especially because the Sharks are rolling only three lines (they dress 7 defensemen and use the extra guys mainly just on special teams), this becomes a double bonus for the Hawks.

Not only are they getting the benefits of the high energy play Burish and Eager contribute in their limited minutes, but they also get a bit of rest for their top three lines without any great detriment. Because they've got such a plus defender centering the line in Madden, because Burish and Eager actually have good speed, and because they actually have respectable skill, this 4th line really can hold its own in spot play and be a nice advantage. Keep an eye on that for the rest of this series.

-My immediate reaction to Game 1's W is all over the place. One thought - as I've said over and over, I fully expect every series to go 6 games. So just as I didn't freak out when we lost Game 1 to the Canucks and shouldn't have been too bothered when we lost Game 1 against the Preds, I can't get overly excited about this win. Because I knew the Hawks would take two games in this series. Just as I know the Sharks will come back and take a pair themselves.

However, don't take that to mean I'm not flying high about that W. There are a lot of ups and downs in a series - teams don't play to the same level every night. Sunday, you can argue that the Sharks burned one of their better performances without getting anything for it. Their skaters played well, creating shots and great scoring chances all game long. And their goalie was strong, stopping shots and flurries from start to finish. The team worked hard, won face-offs, defended well, created plays, and got shots on net and bodies out front.

Yet, despite clicking on all those levels in one night, the Sharks lost. That's a big coup for the Hawks. I just don't see the Sharks playing like that all game, every night - some aspect of their play will disappear for stretches. The Hawks were able to take a game without having the Sharks play poorly in any significant way. When San Jose inevitably does fall off a bit, the Hawks are in even better position now to make it hurt.

And unlike the Hawks' Game 1 loss to the Preds and Canucks, the Sharks don't have a ton of room for improvement. Against the Preds, the Hawks knew they had to work that much harder and play that much tighter of a game. Mistakes would not cut it. Against the Canucks, the Hawks learned they had to show up from the opening drop and bring their A game or risk embarrassment.

What about the Sharks? Where can they improve? Certainly they made mistakes and can do better in some areas, but it won't be so obvious nor easy to get that much better in Game 2. It'll be a challenge enough to play to the same level. To get that many shots again, to stop that many shots again.

On some level, the Sharks are just hoping they repeat the same performance, catch some better breaks, and that the Hawks take a step back. That's not an easy spot to be in. And that's why I'm looking for the Hawks to pounce on this team and take two of the next three. I don't care what order they do it, but that's got to be their goal. It's the only way this win matters. You reach the final three games of the series all knotted up (or worse), and the mo has shifted back to the Sharks.

And while I know all the Hawks "needed" was one in San Jose, I'm not really buying into that. Home ice isn't that much of an advantage. For the Hawks really to return to the UC in a good place, they've got to win again tonight. Not just because of the commanding 2-0 lead, but because I think the Sharks are vulnerable right now. They played great and lost on home ice. They've struggled with the Hawks all year. They've struggled with the playoffs for years.

Sure the Sharks know how important this Game 2 is and will come out firing, and sure they'll have some confidence from how well they played on Sunday, but a significant amount of doubt has to be welling up. So if the Hawks can take it to them, the Sharks, like the Canucks before them, might become their own worst enemy. Probably not in the same dumb penalty way Vancouver did, but self-destructive all the same.

Hence, tonight is no throw-away game for the Hawks. No icing on the cake. This is a huge opportunity to really bury a dangerous team that is now vulnerable. The Hawks have failed to show up far too many times in the playoffs, making both the Nashville and Vancouver series closer than they had to be. The Hawks cannot do the same thing tonight and allow the Sharks back into it. Losses will happen, but the Hawks can't lose this one because they didn't come strong and stay strong all game long.

-Have to give a shout-out to ESPN 1000's Hawks pre-game coverage on Sunday. With the Sox and Cubs playing on The Score and WGN, ESPN 1000 was the only place to go. Fred Huebner, a guy I got to know when I worked at The Score and one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, was hosting and had ESPNChicago.com's Jesse Rogers calling in from San Jose.

Within their maybe 10 minute conversation a couple key points arose, one possibly mentioned by a caller. The first is that despite all the scoring of the Thornton line these playoffs, those guys had a negative plus-minus. That suggested that they were very vulnerable in their own end.

Another point that came up was that Buff was going to have to do something a bit different from the Vancouver series - that he couldn't just hope for cleaning up rebounds, but should also look to score in other ways. Rogers stressed how he was working on deflections, but Buff using his big shot was also brought up.

Well, lo and freakin behold, the biggest play of the game involved both the Thornton line failing in their own end and Buff finding ways aside burying rebounds to score. Well played, fellas. It was especially cool because as you watched the replays, you could see Buff camp out in that spot and call for the puck. It wasn't happenstance - Buff knew exactly what he was going for.

-Another issue that came out of listening to that pre-game show was that the Hawks have to stay out of the penalty box. You score a lot of goals and end up with an iffy plus-minus both because you're not good defensively but also because you take advantage of power play opportunities. The Sharks have a boatload of guns and they all can fill it up on the man advantage.

The easiest way for the Hawks to keep San Jose in check is not to take any more penalties than necessary. The penalty at the end of Game 1 - ya know, I wasn't too upset. Sure it gave them a huge 6-on-4 and should have cost us one of our best PKers, but the fact was that it was a penalty of a player trying his ass off to keep them from scoring in a key situation.

Similarly, if you get a high stick because you're working hard along the boards and you randomly happen to hit a guy as you swing your stick around to make a play, I'm not gonna fault ya. That's just bad luck most of the time.

However, the Hawks took a number of penalties in their own end or the neutral zone when not a lot was going on. That cannot happen. Unless you're killing yourself to create or stop a good opportunity, a penalty is unacceptable in this series. San Jose is too good. Be it the Thornton line or even Pavelski's line - these guys will make the Hawks pay over the course of a 7-game series if they can't stay out of the box.

-Speaking of the Thornton line, a lot has been made of the Sharks coach's decision to leave those guys out on a defensive zone face-off against the Toews line. I can't say that was the right or wrong decision. There is some wisdom to getting your best defenders in on a defensive zone face-off against their top scoring line. But was that play really a failure of the Sharks or just a good play by the Hawks?

In the bigger picture, I respect match-ups but think coaches can over-do it on the road. I know I was really bothered by how JQ over-used match-ups last season when we were away. The Hawks were so focused on having the right guys out there that they would pass up chances to rush the puck in favor of dumping and changing. Sure we had the right guys on the ice, but we were never in their zone and our opponents always had possession.

This year, JQ hasn't done that nearly as much. Yes, he's changing to get match-ups he likes and being more aggressive with changes on the fly when he's on the road. But it hasn't struck me as being detrimental as it did last year. I think JQ has both gotten more confidence in all of his lines to hold their own and realized that reasonable limits to matching up.

-That confidence in all four lines comes from something I've talked about for a while. Because the Hawks have so many strong two-way or defensive players, because they have so much speed and size, every one of their lines is capable of at least holding its own against any line.

Sure, the Bolland line is best-suited to be out there against the other team's top players, given their defensive focus, plus speed, and respectable size/grit. But as Toews showed in the Olympics, he can be as good of a shut-down forward as anyone in the NHL. Buff brings the size but also has a solid defensive awareness, while Kane's speed and surprising tenacity at least keep him from hurting you.

Similarly, Sharp, Hossa, and Brouwer/Kopecky are a lesser version of the same thing. Hossa hasn't been scoring like we'd all like, but lord has he played well in every other facet. He's amazing on penalty kills and can definitely D up anyone. Sharp's speed and defensive mindset also are a plus for this line, while Brouwer and Kopecky again bring that size and grit that's necessary.

As I mentioned above, the 4th line, with a former Selke Winner (top defensive forward), a former plus penalty killer in Burish (last year he logged a ton of PK minutes on a very strong unit), and a solid skating, big body in Eager also can do good work in their own end. Throw in that every group can dominate puck possession and none of these lines should be abused by anyone. That's a hell of an advantage.

-Can't believe I've written this much about the past two games and not one word has been about Uncle Niemi. Holy balls has that guy come to play! Two pivotal road games against some of the best offenses in the league, getting pelted with shots and being required to keep his team in it when they aren't doing a lot of scoring? No problem for the Finnish Fortress.

The blueliners have done well in clearing rebounds and the forwards have fought hard to win possession and keep the other team from skating free. But time and time again Niemi has been called upon to make the monster save. And that's exactly what he's done for the last 120 minutes.

I predicted that Niemi was good for a shut-out each series. Half because that had been his pace in the regular season, half because his work in overtime and shoot-outs suggested that he would raise his play when the stakes were the highest.

Well, they weren't shut-outs per se, but they were what I was talking about. Niemi would do everything in his power to give us a chance to win. And do it in a huge situation that demanded nothing less. Well, two straight such situations, two straight monster games. Just as I figured/hoped when these playoffs first started.

Now do I expect more of the same the rest of this series? Nope. There will be another bad goal or two, there will be another game he doesn't have it. Uncle Niemi is good, but he's still got a track record of inconsistency that two games can't erase.

However, I've long thought it and remain convinced - the Hawks can most certainly win with what Niemi will provide, even given the softies and bed-crappings that are to come. They can either survive the loss of a game here or there (such as was the case in Games 1 and 5 against the Canucks) or they can simply score enough to overcome it (as they did in the last two games against the Preds).

-I'm not sure how, but even with all the shots Niemi saw in Game 1, I still feel good about how our D is playing. More impressive than Keith's great rush to set up the first goal was the way he's settled down in his own end, not tried to do too much and instead just relied on his incredible skills to get the job done. Helping his cause is Seabrook's continued progression back to the reliable blueliner he once was and flashes of the powerhouse he turned into last post-season.

Campbell isn't all the way back, offensively or defensively, but he's at least been solid in his own end and definitely helps our whole game with the way he can push the puck. I noticed him jumping into the play in the offensive zone more - that could be a great sign. When he was at his best, Campbell was rushing deep into their zone, keeping things going, and then using his amazing speed and the momentum he had to fly back into his own end without any issues.

Of course, it helps that he has possibly the Hawks most reliable defender on his side. The Hammer has been flat out awesome, always on the puck, always noticeable, rarely making mistakes and constantly making plays in his own end. He can be physical, he can be smooth, he can cover ground, he can block shots. Whatever it takes, the Hammer has done it.

One area he's done it especially well is on penalty kills, somewhere Sopel has also been amazing. The way they block shots is outstanding, but it's also in how they position themselves to stop passes, to clear the front of the net, to dig pucks off the boards. And Sopel is more than just a specialist - I've been absurdly impressed with is even-strengthed play. The way he's been able to take regular minutes has allowed JQ not to tax his Top 4 too heavily, and they've all profited from it.

I can't say it enough - Sopel has absolutely made a believer out of me. He's transitioned from "solid player" to "lost it" to "savvy vet." He's learned how to compensate for his speed and puck-handling short-comings with grit, guile, and physicality. As a 5th defender, Sopel is definitely an asset.

-Finally (I know, it didn't seem like I'd ever run out of things to say), there are the forwards. This is the area I think the Hawks have the most room to improve. These guys have played well, but they can do better. And I have faith they will - this is a talented group that is playing hard. They're gonna start seeing some more fruits to their labors.

It starts in the face-off circle. Early on especially, the Hawks were getting tooled. This is one of the main reasons the Sharks had so many shots - they were cleanly winning face-offs and controlling possession. And face-offs aren't just about the guy in the circle, it's about the rest of the team, especially the forwards, winning the battles away from the puck, so where ever it scoots out to, the Hawks are there to either take possession or disrupt the Sharks' possession.

The Hawks also have to clear the zone better. Some of this is on the blueliners, who had some risky passes up the middle and some lazy passes along the boards. But it's also on the forwards to get out and make it difficult for the point men to corral those pucks. You can't cover everywhere and the Hawks did a great job collapsing on rebounds, but they also need to be ready to help on clearing opportunities to ensure that the puck either crosses the blue line or whomever gets it up at the point is dealing with some pressure.

But most important, the Hawks need to continue to work their cycling. This involves a combination of both grit and skill, both of which the Hawks have in bunches. Early on they couldn't it going, but later they did and the game turned in their favor. The Hawks have taken the big step from good to great team this year thanks to the way they've executed their possession game, and that game is built on their cycling.

One part of the cycle/possession game they did not capitalize on that they ABSOLUTELY have to this game - their open d-men on the blueline. San Jose collapses everybody from the face-off dots on in. That made it hard for the Hawks to get any space to skate, to find passing lanes, to get clean shots off, and to capitalize on rebounds.

The answer is to take advantage of what the Sharks are giving them. If the points are open, the forwards need to find them and get them the puck. Sure, the Hawks aren't gonna score a bunch just on slap shots from way out - they don't have those types of blueliners. But they do have blueliners who can handle the puck and throw something toward the net that can turn into a rebound or deflection.

And they really have blueliners who can pass. Give Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, any of them, the puck up top and no Shark in the neighborhood, and they can move around and create opportunities for freed up forwards. The Sharks will be forced to scramble back to cover the blueliners - that'll open space back up down low, allowing the Hawks forwards to get back to work but with more room to do it in. Plus, as the Hawks throw it back to the point more and more, the Sharks D will inevitably soften up down low, again allowing more space to create in.

Who will take advantage? Who knows, but every one of these Hawks is capable of doing more than they have. Not a knock, just saying that this team is filled with guys who can score in bunches. So far, no one has yet to run off three or four games straight of heavy scoring. Toews and Buff had their hatties, Kane and Sharp have had some key goals, the secondary guys have done just enough to get us by.

But I'm looking for a multi-game explosion from someone. Maybe it's one of our stars. Hossa is most definitely due. His shot hasn't been very dangerous of late, not sure why. But he's working hard, he's very talented, and the Sharks aren't focusing on his line as much as Toews and Kane. Sharp can likewise take advantage - he's got a long history of running off big scoring stretches. Toews, Kane, and Buff have been consistently productive already - you can see them just exploding for a barrage of goals these next couple.

And that all-so-valuable secondary scoring has sort of been there for the Hawks, but not in the way I hoped. Not that they haven't done the job, just that I was hoping to see some unheralded guy break out. Happens all the time in the NHL - some nobody role player find his scoring touch at the right time and rides it to a magical post-season.

Versteeg, Ladd, Brouwer, Bolland, Kopecky - hell, even Madden, Eager, or Burish are all capable. Two goals over the next three games by the 4th line would be an invaluable outpouring. The Bolland line is doing their job just by keeping Thornton's line in check. But why can't they take advantage of their poor defensive play and run up 10 total points in the next three?

Well, there's a lot to take in from these last few games, but most of it is good. The Hawks are in a good spot, capable of putting themselves in a great spot. They've got the guns and just like against Nashville, just like against the Canucks, I firmly believe if the Hawks out-work the Sharks, they will absolutely win this series. They are the superior team and they match up well. Tonight is a chance to prove that all over again.

The Beginning Of The End... Of What?

2010-05-11T10:53:00.005-05:00

"I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream; that's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of a straight razor... and surviving. "

Col. Kurtz from Apocalypse Now delivered the above quote, and I think it kinda defines the Hawks this post-season. They've sat precariously near doom a number of times, yet always have discovered a way to hug the precipice and keep on surviving.

They lose Game 1 to the Preds... but then won 2-nil to avoid a very ugly 2-0 hole heading back to Nashville. They lose Game 3, but avoided a 3-1 series by jumping out to a lead and riding Niemi to another shut-out. They were literally seconds away from losing Game 5 at home, sending the Preds back to Nashville for a close-out game on home ice. Even after Kane's short-handed tally, they still had to kill off the rest of Hossa's major and bury one of their own. Game 6 was no treat either - remember, it was 4-3 basically the entire 2nd and 3rd periods. One mistake and everything could have been different.

This series - more of the same. They get blown out in Game 1 and then are down 2-0 the next game before the Zamboni water is fully frozen on the ice. Four unanswered goals and some nasty play by Niemi tie up the series, but down 2-0 that early, one more mistake might have been all the Canucks needed to take a commanding lead back to Vancouver. Game 3, such a pivotal contest - the Hawks had a mere 3-2 lead into the third. If the Canucks score to tie the game in the third on home ice, the whole series momentum swings back in their favor. Instead the Hawks bury the 4th goal and ride out more strong play by Niemi.

So now, after yet another strong outing in Canada to take a big 3-1 lead, the Hawks return home and lay an egg. And that one loss might just be enough for Vancouver to wiggle their way back into this. Down 3-0 or 3-1, it's always that second win that's the hardest. Down 3-0, the other team let's up and you can easily steal Game 4. But when it's 3-1, teams know they have to end it now.

You know that if a team down 3-1 takes Game 5, they get the confidence of having set themselves up for a chance to reset the whole series. This is even more true if they're the road team in the series, with that reset game back on home ice. Because if it gets to Game 7, it doesn't matter how you got there - each team has an equal shot.

So, here are the Hawks, on yet another ledge. Can they again bring it when it matters most? Can they bury the Canucks on their home ice for the third time this series? Can they, yet again, bounce back from a subpar performance and beat a team they know they are superior to?

I'm of two minds, neither really on-ice related. On ice, I've got all the confidence in the world in this Hawks team. They are superior to the Canucks and have shown they are willing to outwork them. They do that for both of these next two games, I guarantee they win this series. One fluke loss when you outplay an inferior team - it happens. But to lose two times in a row when you're the better team and are working harder? No chance.

Off-ice, I've got two competing thoughts running through my head. The first is that I'm an incredible sports jinx - not just for my own teams. Not even for teams. I've jinxed my teams, my players, teams I hate, players I loathe. All it takes if a genuine belief in a forthcoming outcome and then a sincere statement of such witnessed by others.

Yes, this is of course all nonsense, but my buddy Face still hates me for jinxing the 2004 Cubs. And ironically enough, it was with Face that I made my most recent prophetic statement. We were debating what defines a "must-win" and I said any time you're looking at going down 3-0 or 3-1. To me "must-win" doesn't mean that you 100% have to win - that's just an elimination game. It means that you're putting yourself on the short side of some extremely prohibitive odds if you fail to take that game.

I don't have the numbers, but teams who are down 3-1 in the major sports rarely ever come back to take the series. Sure, it happens - just ask the Caps this year or those 2004 Cubs. And it actually happens in hockey a lot more than in basketball or even baseball, thanks to the way a goalie or some lucky bounces can so easily swing a series.

But the fact is that when you're down 3-1, you've left yourself absolutely no room for error. You've got to catch all the breaks, play every game superior to the other team, and hope that you don't get out-talented, out-lucked, or run into a hot goalie or skater.

So I emphatically made the statement that being down 2-1 made a game a must-win. This was before Game 4, so I was basically saying that the Canucks faced a must-win. And then they lost.

Did that jinx the Hawks? Did I just set them up to disprove my proclamation? Did I just inadvertently release the Paulie Jinx on my own team?

Therein comes my other way to think about it - I told you midway through the Nashville series that I had learned a valuable rule of thumb - always expect to lose two games in every NHL playoff series.

Guess what - we've lost two games. So no, I don't think I've jinxed this Hawks team. And, getting back to less superstitious crap, I don't think the Canucks have it in them to outplay the Hawks two more games. I don't think they can avoid untimely penalties for another 120 minutes. I don't think Luongo and his subpar blueliners can withstand the Hawks relentless attack for six more periods.

And I certainly don't think this Hawks team will fail to come to play two more times. I expect them to have a battle, maybe two, on their hands. But I expect the Hawks to out-work this Canucks team, just as they did for the greater parts of Games 2-4. Combined with their superior talent, I expect one of these next two games will be a Hawks W.

Sure, I'd prefer it happen tonight - who the hell needs drama? There will be more than enough drama in the remaining two series. But if the Hawks do lose in Vancouver, I expect the UC to be rocking and for the Hawks to again play their balls off and end the Canucks fragile title hopes.

And I'm also gonna repeat another expectation I had prior to this series - Niemi will throw a shut-out. Look back at all those bounceback games I listed at the start of the post. Niemi was a major factor in all of them. Games 2 and 4 of the Preds series were both shut-outs. Game 2 of this series, after those two goals, might have been the best he's played yet. Game 3, the momentum-changing game of this series - Niemi stopped 31 Vancouver shots, earning the second star for his efforts.

I said it before when discussing the way he was nasty in shoot-outs and OTs that Niemi had shown a bit of an ability to elevate his game when the stakes are highest. As inconsistent as he's been, I'm seeing that pattern play out in these play-offs as well. So maybe it's tonight, maybe it's Thursday - but I'm looking for Uncle Niemi to get us a shut-out, just as he's done every 5-6 starts all year long.

And then we can start talking about how we're gonna annihilate the Sharks.

M-V-P! M-V-P!

2010-05-06T12:52:00.003-05:00

I've mentioned before that Buff deserves a ton of credit for the role he played in getting this team turned around down the stretch. Could the Hawks have gotten past the surprisingly fierce challenge of Nashville if they were still reeling from a rocky stretch, such as they had in March? Would the Hawks have had enough confidence and heart to rebound from Game 1's disaster and Game 2's brutal opening against Vancouver if their belief in themselves hadn't been restored in early April?

That hot finish was huge for this Hawks team. And one of the most crucial pieces to that finish was Buff, a guy who did the unthinkable and changed from a forward to a blueliner capable enough to skate Top 4 defenseman minutes almost instantly. He provided solid play in his own end, great energy in pushing the puck up ice, and of course, physicality all over the place.

Given the incredible talent and impact that so many of Buff's teammates have, it's hard to call him the MVP of that stretch run. But relative to what you thought you'd get out of him, was anyone really more valuable than Buff to that strong finish?

And it hasn't changed now that the playoffs have gotten going. Not that Buff was any great shakes in Round 1, but he did log solid minutes on the blue line and didn't hurt us. Given the play of the Preds and intensity of the situation, that's a pretty big achievement for a guy who hasn't skated back there for years.

This series, Buff has answered the call of duty from his team yet again. The desperate demand was for a physical winger who could be a major distraction in front of Luongo - both in-game and to his overall psyche - while also being the grinding support player that Toews and Kane have needed since Brouwer went MIA, but still capable of burying the chances those two playmakers are constantly creating.

Last night Buff did all that, and in spades. He was a force in front of the net, helping to rattle Luongo for the first time this series - creating a serious crack in his confidence that until now had to be high following his work in Games 1 and 2. He was a beast all over the ice - delivering timely, impactful hits, successfully working the boards, and skating hard to be in plays on both ends.

But most of all, Buff flashed the goal-scoring touch that has allowed him to get by on less than full effort for years now. Both of his goals were well-earned results of not only crashing the net hard, but using his stick and size to corral the puck and get a great shot on net.

I called for Buff to be moved off of the blueline before this series. But I won't claim that I did so because I believed in his ability to effect this series as a forward. I just didn't want such a green defender back there against such a strong offensive team, and also had misplaced confidence in Hendry.

But credit goes to JQ, who went into this series with every faith the Buff would make a difference up there. For realizing that Buff would be the best compliment to Toews and Kane. Likewise, credit to all those fans who've had more patience then I did with Buff's annoying lack of commitment on every shift, in every game.

I knew Buff had value, but given his price tag and regular lackadaisical efforts, I didn't think that value was worth it. And next year, maybe it won't be, as payroll pressures grow and new needs crop up.

But this year, Buff has proven his worth. Again, relative to what I was expecting, no one has had more value in these playoffs than Buff. His ability to fulfill blueline minutes respectably in the first series and now his immense impact in such a crucial game has made Buff's continued presence on this club a real asset, even if he was to get hurt today and never see the ice again.

Because you can't underestimate the importance of last night's W. So far the Hawks had been blown out once and avoided a very precarious 0-2 hole heading back to Vancouver thanks only to some great goal-keeping and late heroics. If Vancouver takes Game 3, they can write off Game 2 as a fluke and look ahead to Game 4 as a chance to basically finish off the Hawks.

Instead, in large part thanks to Buff (as well as to a number of other Hawks, whom I'll get to shortly), the Hawks have already banked the one game they needed in Vancouver, they've taken back momentum and created doubt and frustration with the Canucks, and best of all, they now have a shot to all but end this series on Friday.

So sure, Buff's impact this series has only been in one game, but that game was so significant that to this point, I'm hanging my MVP (again, relative to expectations) for the stretch run and playoffs to date on Buff, both for his commendable work on a the blueline and the way he turned this series back in the Hawks favor.

Having said all that, let's not forget the other accolades that need to be showered on this Hawks team. First off, just a teamwide stellar effort. And I stress effort - it's not even that they played well, which they did, it's that they played hard. They won the board battles, they got to the loose pucks, they crashed the net.

The NHL has a pair of Hawks commercials in that cool reverse action, what-if style that they've been using for their playoff spots. In both cases (highlighting Versteeg's and Hossa's game-winning goals), they show enough of the play that you appreciate what happened - basically all five guys on the ice did something impressive to create those scores.

Both commercials give you chills (although the caption at the end of the Versteeg one refers to Madison's House - poorly done, fellas), but both also serve as perfect reminders of what it will take to win the whole thing - all five skaters working tirelessly to contribute.

I said it before the series, I said it after Game 1, and I'll repeat it today - if the Hawks out-work the Canucks, they cannot lose this series. Period, end of story. The last two games have shown that and I don't see any way it will change. The Canucks might steal a game, even two, where the Hawks have out-worked them. But three more? Nope.

I could go down the list of guys that stood out in some way, but it's probably easier to point out the guys I was a little leery of - basically just Hendry. Everyone else seemed to find a way to help this team. I'm pumped to see Eager and Burish back making an impact (and they are - that 4th line is playing a lot like it did last year). The Bolland line has been a nice two-way force. The Sharp line is giving us a bona fide 2nd scoring front, and of course, the Toews-Kane-Buff group has been a beast. Can't leave out Madden, who JQ has been using brilliantly in limited 4th line work and key defensive situations.

Defensively, Seabrook is looking like the monster he was last post-season and The Hammer has matured at an incredible pace (remember, a year and a half ago, he was in the AHL). Campbell is getting back to where he once was (although we still haven't seen the big offensive impact - that'll come) and Keith is settling down now that he's got more help. And Sopel has yet to be exposed - just the opposite, he's handled himself well and continued to be a plus killer.

Of the skaters, only Brouwer and Hendry have been much of an issue, and Brouwer has easily been replaced in the lineup (which is in everyone's best interest - his head obviously isn't there, apparently due to some issues with his father's health). Hendry is the lone clear weakness and I'm not giving up on him yet.

Hendry's still a plus skater and shown himself respectable in the past. I think if JQ were to leave him at that 6th spot for a bunch of games in a row, he'd settle down and become serviceable. And that's all we need - the guy isn't playing special teams and doesn't have to log much for minutes. The Hawks don't want Keith, Seabrook, The Hammer, or Campbell off the ice for very much time, even if they had another capable blueline option.

Having said all that, I can't finish a post about last night's win without heaping praise on Niemi. As I mentioned previously, Niemi followed up the confidence-inspiring two shut-outs in his first four games with two straight mediocre outings to close out that series and a total garbage performance to start this one. His response in Game 2... initially, it was to serve up some juicy rebounds and bury his already reeling team in a 2-0 hole before 5 minutes had passed.

But then Niemi, as he's done all year, went from bad back to good without any notice. He stonewalled some stellar chances and allowed the Hawks to work their way back into Game 2. And then Uncle Niemi flew that same game with him to Vancouver, throwing up nasty save after nasty save as the Hawks were able to weather the expected Canuck onslaught to start Game 3. Despite allowing 16 shots - a rarity for this Hawks team - we lead 2-0 after the first.

From there, Niemi allowed an iffy goal that tightened the game at 3-2. At that point, Niemi could have folded up, taking the Hawks down with him. I mean he's a rook with consistency issues playing for a very demanding fan base on a team with sky high expectations.

Instead, he put the iffy goal behind him, made the stops he needed to, and allowed the Hawks to run away with the game. In doing so Niemi showed a pair of incredible attributes - attributes required of any Cup-winning netminder - in both heroically carrying his team in the face of an onslaught and in responding to a possible momentum-changing letdown with steady play.

Do I expect more of the same from Niemi? Yes and no. I think what we've seen out of Niemi is what he is. Some days he's great, some days he's good, some days he's OK, and every once in a while, he's flat out bad. I expect the same inconsistency the rest of the way. But I also expect that there will be enough good in there that the Hawks can win if the skaters play to the level they are capable of.

In fact, I claimed we could count on a shut-out in every series from Niemi. I still believe that - so I'm saying that the Hawks have another W in their pocket. The question is can they win one more on top? Ideally Niemi cashes in that shut-out on Friday and the Hawks have a 3-1 lead as well as a pair of home games to get the close-out win.

And why not Friday? The Canucks quit last night. Sure they'll regroup and realize that by defending the home ice in Game 4, they can reset this whole series, and thus will come out firing to start the game again. But if Niemi stones them early and the Hawks again get a few early ones past Luongo, would it surprise you to see this Vancouver team fold the tents?

As the third period got underway, I said to my wife that the one good thing about it being 3-2 instead of 3-1 is that the Hawks were forced to be more aggressive offensively. They are an uber-talented offensive team and are never more difficult to beat then when they unleash the full fury of their goal-scoring attack.

However, with a 3-1 lead in the third period on the road, it would be natural to tighten up, try to lock down your own zone, and hope you can escape. To me, that's like playing the prevent defense in football, and will be equally unsuccessful. The Canucks are just too good offensively and the Hawks and Niemi a bit too suspect defensively to expect you can withstand a 20-minute offensive barrage without giving up a pair of goals, or more.

I mean we've seen what happens in all three of these games when the Canucks turn the pressure around on the Hawks - they withstand it for a while, but eventually they break. Think about the Canucks goals in all three games - they were for the most part the result of constant pressure that the Hawks couldn't turn around, eventually leading to a scoring opportunity the Hawks couldn't stop.

But instead of that decision being laid on JQ, the 3-2 lead forced the Hawks to continue to bring it against the Canucks. The result was the 4th goal and a bit of breathing room. At that point, up two on the road and with only 12 minutes left, I still would have hoped for the pressure to continue, but would have understood on some level if the Hawks went into lockdown. Clearly the Canucks were going to be coming with offensive desperation and the Hawks would need their full focus on D to hold up against it.

Not what happened, at all. The Canucks did not bring anything. Sure, some of that is to the Hawks credit. Half because the Hawks didn't go fall back defensively, instead just applying more offensive pressure, dominating the puck, winning the battles, and making the plays.

But half because the Canucks quit. There was no desperation, no increased energy, not a flash of intense pressure to get themselves back into the game. It shouldn't have been hard - the Hawks D and Niemi are beatable, they were at home, and the Canucks have the firepower.

Instead, Vancouver just went through the motions, the Hawks kept bringing it, and eventually the game was put away with Buff's 2nd goal. Even then, a team with true heart would have seen six minutes left and at least tried to make it respectable.

Not the Canucks. They showed no effort at all, then made things worse by getting a bunch of pointless, cowardly roughing penalties. The kind they had avoided so far in the series, the kind they swore they wouldn't get suckered into after last year's loss to the Hawks, the kind that speak to an out-matched team.

So yeah, I can see Niemi all but ending this with a shut-out on Friday. It won't be easy - the Canucks will definitely play with desperation and intensity to start the game. But if Uncle Niemi can stand up like he did for the final 55 minutes of Game 2 and the start of Game 3, then I expect to see these Canucks fold after a couple of Hawks goals. Sure, they might find another spark late, when the true weight of their season ending becomes more clear, but it'll be futile.

I thus put it on Niemi to dig down for one more great stretch of play to start Game 4. I put it on the Hawks skaters to play their best in their own end. And I also put it on the skaters to win the board battles, win the loose pucks, and apply pressure offensively until Luongo breaks as he's broken so many times before.

Do that, and the Hawks can win this series in the first period.

If not, the Hawks could still take this. They've shown they can come from behind, they've shown they can win on the road. And even if they lose Game 4, I've got faith in this team. Three games to play, two on home ice - given the Hawks proven superior talent and proven ability to out-work the Canucks, a Game 4 loss doesn't shake my confidence that we take this in 6 or 7. As I've said before - you gotta assume you're gonna lose two games in every series. So the hope is we bury them for good in Game 4, but I've got faith in this squad either way.

An L is an L - No More, No Less

2010-05-03T11:14:00.004-05:00

First off, sorry I couldn't get a mini-preview of the Canucks out on Friday. I started one, but ended up devoting most of my hockey time to a chat that the Adam Jahns, the beat writer at the Sun-Times, was cool enough to invite me to participate in. You can find the script here if you're interested:

http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/2215596,blackhawks-live-chat-29.article

Now to the travesty of Saturday night. It's been a bit of a recurring theme this year - Hawks fans get all amped up, only to come crashing down at the first sign of rough seas. I've tried to get caught up in the excitement without feeling that corresponding letdown. So far, I think I've done a good job - I wasn't killing myself over the goalie situation, I wasn't in suicide mode in March, and I never accepted that the Hawks were about to see this season end disastrously early in the opening series.

Saturday night - same. Sure, it sucked to watch the Hawks get their asses absolutely handed to them. It sucked to see the Canucks get the confidence that they can beat the Hawks to go with their already clear determination to do so. It sucked to see Luongo stop all kinds of chances and be a near-pointless 5x3 goal away from the shutout.

Guess what - we knew we'd lose two games this series, and now we've lost one of them. So we're no worse off than we thought we'd be. Of course you'd prefer to win Game 1, get things started right. But the Hawks missed not one, but two chances to take control of the Nashville series early, and still were able to dispatch them without going 7. And who cares if we got blown out? Would you really feel any better if we lost dramatically late? Or if we blew a lead? Or just slogged through a mediocre 3-1 game?

We're down 1-0, it happens. I'm not fretting right now. And I'll tell you what - I won't fret if we lose tonight or if we lose on Wednesday. Down 2-0 or down 2-1 is nothing this Hawks team isn't fully capable of overcoming in this series. That's what I took away from Saturday's game - I was right to believe we were more talented and a better team than the Canucks. We can easily run off three or even four straight Ws against this team, same as we did against the Preds.

What will it take? Well, the same exact crap it took against the Preds. The opinion I had of this series going in was that it was the same as the Preds series, with just a more talented, more challenging opponent on the other side. The fundamentals were the same - we were the better team, we just had to out-work and out-execute them and over a 7-game series, we'd prevail.

Seeing Saturday's game actually just reinforced this for me. We are better than the Canucks. The Hawks took large portions of that game to them. They didn't do much beyond capitalize on the Hawks mistakes every chance they got. To me there were just three things, all big, that happened in Game 1 that can't continue to happen:

1) The Hawks got out-worked. Both first period goals were the result of the Canucks winning battles along the boards to keep the puck in the Hawks end. And those weren't exceptions - it was happening all game in both ends. The Hawks came off a series where they held their own against one of the best board-working teams in the NHL. Yet they opened up against the Canucks and forgot everything those battles with the Preds taught them. If the Hawks are going to win out, they've got to bring the same intensity in those board battles that they had against the feisty Preds.

I will again say it simply - if the Hawks outwork the Canucks, I'd be shocked if we lose this series, no matter what else takes place.

2) The Hawks couldn't bury prime scoring chances. They had all kinds of pressure and all kinds of opportunities early on to score on Luongo, but, just as in the Preds series, they could not find the back of the net. Dumb luck, getting out-worked, missing chances - it all came into play. The one thing that I didn't feel, just like I didn't feel against Nashville - that their goalie was the main reason we weren't scoring.

Luongo is better than Rinne. And Luongo played better on Saturday than Rinne ever did against us. But in neither case did I feel that their goalie was stealing a game or the series. Instead, I felt they were playing like you'd expect out of a plus goalie in the NHL. What made the results look so great was that the Hawks weren't doing what they could have to score.

But, just like the Preds series, I have faith the Hawks can and will do those things eventually. And just as happened in the Preds series, I feel the Hawks will go from making Luongo look great to making him look bad. Remember, after giving up only 4 goals in the first three games, Rinne gave up 13 in the next three. Same goalie, same teams, same settings - totally different results.

That's how the Hawks are - they can make any goalie look amazing (how many times did the Hawks provide a career night for some schmoe in net this year?), but they can also make any goalie look terrible (how many games did we run up huge scores on some big names between the pipes?).

They didn’t do a bad job creating opportunities, but just like in the Nashville series, they did a terrible job burying them. That has got to stop – the Canucks are too good for the Hawks to blow multiple prime scoring chances, especially early, and still hope to win. I can’t point to what exactly is keeping the Hawks from converting, but they’ve got to figure it out and rectify it right away.

3) Niemi was terrible. He didn't make a single big stop to keep us in the game and probably allowed a few goals that he shouldn't have. The Hawks aren't asking him to carry them, but for any team to win at this stage of the playoffs, you need your goalie to get a few big stops. Skaters will make mistakes - your goalie has to be able to bail you out here and there.

Niemi never did that on Saturday. The Canucks didn't have that much pressure on him, there was no excuse for two goals to have been scored in the first. And once he did give those up, Niemi needed to come out in the 2nd and stonewall Vancouver until his offense could get it going again.

Instead, he absolutely folded, bring into question his efficacy. Am I ready to give up on the kid? Nope - he's shown me plenty before and, more importantly, I don't think the Hawks need all that much from their goalie. I'd rather stick with the guy who's been playing relatively well and winning games for us.

But in four of his last five games, Niemi has been mediocre to bad. Nashville was no great scoring team, yet in Games 3 and 5 he let up four each, then let another three up in Game 6. The Hawks O bailed him out in Games 5 and 6, but Niemi left a bit to be desired coming out of that series. The fact that he followed up some shaky outings with another stinker definitely makes you wonder if he really has enough to carry this team to the promised land.

Again though - I'm not giving up on him. He responded to that fluke goal in Game 1 with a shut-out in Game 2. He responded to a mediocre pivotal Game 3 with a shut-out in Game 4. Will he repeat that pattern tonight? Who knows, but I'm giving Niemi the chance before I lose all faith. As long as he's not bad again tonight, I'm going with him in Game 3, also.

In part that's because I have faith in this Hawks squad. Vancouver is damn good, but we're better. We can take the game to them when we want to - we just have to get our heads right. It's frustrating we've had so many games where our heads weren't right, so many stretches where we let up and inferior teams took it to us.

Coaching, leadership, mental, physical, and emotional strength - all of it is in question based on how much the Hawks have struggled in the playoffs so far. This team is better than this - both in the talent they have and the way they can play together. It’s frustrating as could be to watch, but on the flipside, it’s nice to know that they’ve got plenty more left in the tank. It’s why I'm not giving up on this team if they're down 2-0 - they absolutely have what it takes to dig out of that hole.

However, there's no reason to let it get there. The Hawks shouldn't need yet another wake-up call to step it up. I want to see this team come out and take it to the Canucks. Do that, and no one will remember the drubbing of Game 1. All that will matter is that it's 1-1 heading back to Vancouver, a place the Hawks have proven they can win.

One Down, Three To Go

2010-04-28T12:38:00.003-05:00

Before I start, I've got to send out a big thank you out to Greg Wyshynski of Yahoo's "Puck Daddy" NHL Blog, who linked to my last post, drawing me an astounding 350+ hits last Thursday and Friday (most posts bring in about 20-30).

I've referenced this blog many times before, mainly because it's the only national hockey site I read, and I'll say it again - if you aren't yet a regular reader, you should start. It covers all the key happenings in the NHL, links to every worthwhile NHL blog or article out there, and does it in a concise and easy to follow way. I'm sure Greg and his boys will appreciate my 20 or so followers in amongst their millions.

Well, we all got a good scare and as Face and I discussed in my last post, we all learned a valuable lesson that every NHL series should be expected to be tough. We also were treated to some wicked fun dramatics and to a lot of things we can feel good about going forward. My random but never brief takes:

-I'm just getting over being full from all the crow I ate due to Troy Brouwer (I said he was worthless, he then proved himself a very valuable piece this regular season), when Unfrozen Caveman Blueliner Brent Sopel goes and serves me another plate. Just in time, too, as Brouwer has reverted to the form I so criticized last - being a total non-impact whenever he's on the ice (more on that later).

I've had an up-and-down relationship with Sopel. I loved him two seasons ago, when the Hawks were still green and he provided a stable veteran presence on the Blue Line. Plus, I just liked his game and the way he carried himself.

But last year the Hawks took a huge leap forward with their speed and athleticism, and Sopel seemed to be left behind. He had gotten a step slower and everyone else was two steps faster, and he looked terrible for it. When Sopel got hurt and missed most of last year, no one cared. He was such a detriment on the ice to start the year that it was a good riddance situation

But Sopel came back healthy this year and everyone was talking about how he'd be a nice role player. Everyone ignored that he was still slow as dirt on a team of speedsters, that he handled the puck like a greased pig, and that he made a lot of mental mistakes. Instead, Sopel's hard-nosed play - especially blocking shots - made most commentators ignore all his obvious short-comings.

Not me - I was in the camp that anyone was better than Sopel. I wanted to see Hendry in his place, even before Hendry had shown he was capable. I wanted to deal someone to get us another D-man so Sopel could fill a more fitting role as a healthy scratch. I wanted some young D-man to emerge from the AHL - a la The Hammer last year - and take his minutes.

Instead Johnsson's acquisition replaced Barker, Hendry's emergence wasn't enough to warrant an active spot in the eye's of the coaches, and Buff's move to D was offset by the untimely death of Johnsson (credit to the Committed Indian for that joke - I don't know why, but I find all of their references to KJ being dead extremely funny).

However, with all the thinness on the blue line down the stretch, I had come to at least appreciate Sopel as a capable d-man, something I wasn't sure I could say about Buff or Boynton. I'd prefer we had someone else, but respected that if Sopel had to take some minutes on the Hawks blueline, he at least could hold his own.

But this series, Sopel found the perfect storm. There were a ton of penalties. Johnsson was out and Campbell was severely limited. The Preds had few skaters that exhibited any speed or play-making. Their power play was iffy and based completely around heavy shots from the point.

That meant tons of ice time killing penalties for Sopel against a power play unit that couldn't exploit his lack of speed but would play right into his absolutely uncanny ability to get in front of shots.

The result was that Sopel was more noticeable in this series than maybe ever in his career in the NHL. He blocked insane amounts of shots and was outstanding killing a crucial 5x3 penalty in a crucial game. His good player on the penalty kill only looked better thanks to the Preds scoring only one time all series with a man advantage. And on top of it all, Sopel was never exposed in 5x5 situations because the Preds didn't have the players or offense to make him pay for being slow and uncertain with the puck.

Having said all that, with crow firmly in my mouth, let me just set myself up for another heaping serving. This series, against the many fast, talented playmakers of Vancouver, I expect Sopel to be exposed. Not all the time, but there will definitely be a few goals that are squarely on his head. A turnover, getting skated around, being weak on a clear, unable to get back to cover on a breakaway - something will happen that will allow a Canuck or two to find the back of the net due to Sopel's lack of speed and stick skills.

Still, the guy has is role. He is a very good penalty killer, as his ability to block shots disrupts the opponent's man advantage. With Campbell back and hopefully near full speed, Sopel only needs to skate third pairing minutes even strengthed, which is not a lot after Keith, Seabrook, Campbell, and The Hammer take their heavy loads. My hope - Sopel only costs us a goal, maybe two, neither when it really matters. And he makes up for it by being a beast on the penalty kill as we once again make Luongo cry in 6 games.

-One thing that I believe would help Sopel - pair him with Hendry instead of Buff. Buff has done an absolutely incredible job making the transition back to the blueline after years as a forward, an even more impressive move considering he did it in the final weeks of the season with little to no head's up. Buff, another guy I've long hammered, has proved himself immensely valuable to the Hawks this season. No question we couldn't have gotten the ship turned around and reached the playoffs ready for the stiff challenge of the Preds if Buff hadn't played so well on a severely weakened blueline down the stretch.

But just like Sopel, I think Buff got by in this last series because the Preds aren't very good offensively. I think he's going to have trouble playing against legit frontline scorers like the Canucks roll out on their top 2 lines. Sure, like Sopel his minutes will be limited, but we all know this series will be tight, start to finish. Every goal could be the series difference-maker - we just can't afford to take this risk.

Not when I'm not seeing a lot of upside with Buff (have you noticed him to anything special back there?). And not when Hendry has proven himself at least capable on the blue line. Hendry paired well enough with Sopel and, most importantly, has been playing defense professionally for the last 4 years. I believe that incredible experience difference would be a real asset to the Hawks this series.

I doubt JQ will actually make this change - at least not unless the Hawks lose a few games early in the series - but it's one I wish he would. Not to say Hendry is great or that Buff has been terrible, but I just don't see how a guy who hasn't been playing D for the past 4 seasons can make it through a 7-game series against a team capable of winning the Cup.

Of course, all this could be moot if KJ was resurrected. Anyone have a line on his status? Anyone? Frye? Frye?

-Sharp, Kane, Toews, & Hossa - thank you for playing at, above, or at least near what we expected from our top forwards. Sure you need depth and secondary scoring (you'll hear that term a lot in the playoffs), but you also won't get very far if your studs aren't studly. And while that's what we expect, the reality is that in hockey, often times stars disappear for games or even full series. It's quite the accomplishment that all four of these guys stepped up.

Sharp was the biggest stud of the group, relative to what I expected. I knew he was good, I've always championed the way he plays any role, but this Preds series, he proved it all over again. Moving over to center he helped spark a second line of offense and allowed the Hawks to finally start filling the net as they should. Even outside just the scoring, he helped the Hawks put offensive pressure on the Preds, allowing them to up their shots and reduce the Preds' chances. Sharp did great work on both ends and on all three units - his continued top flight play will be crucial to moving on again.

Kane was a beast - while others were struggling to hit open shots, he was creating beauty chances for himself and his linemates. And he embraced it all - after watching him last post-season, in the Olympics, and now this series, I've come to realize that at only 21, just 3 years into the league, Kane expects himself to carry the offensive load every time he takes a shift. Not only does he expect it, he commands it - the Olympics proved it, when on a team with loads of talent against a team with even more talent, Kane was dictating things offensively. His series numbers were good, but I expect more and more from him as the playoffs continue because I know he's thinking the same thing.

Toews and Hossa both showed why they are some of the most valuable players in hockey, effecting the game in every single way you can imagine. Sure, I hammered them, and rightly so, for missing so many open chances. Three goals wasn't nearly enough given how many times they were on the doorstep with a giant open net in front of them. But they also added in 12 assists, were a plus 5 combined, and did amazing work on the penalty kill. Throw in Toews' dominance in the face-off circle and these guys were "this close" to being amazingly awesome. The bounces will go their way soon enough, so if they just keep playing as they have been up and down the ice, on every shift, they will be absolute forces. I fear for our opponents if these two can keep the rest of their play at the same level as they finally start finding the net.

-I've already discussed Sopel's great work, but the guy who really did the job for me was The Hammer. Not only did he share most of Sopel's PK time, but he also was a wrecking crew even strengthed (team best +6 in the series) while loading up on minutes (almost 22 per game, third highest on the team, just a hint behind Seabs). I've long loved HJ and I'm pumped that he just keeps getting better and better. With Campbell getting back to speed, the Hawks are very close to having as good of a Top 4 blueline as there is in hockey.

However, to truly get there, Keith and Seabrook need to get it all figured out. Both did a lot of things well and both took a ton of ice time, but they can most certainly play better. Seabrook isn't making all the mistakes he did during that brutal stretch before his injury, but he's also not the solid presence he was to earn his place on Team Canada. Keith is a freak, plain and simple - no one should be able to log the ice time he does, play the high energy game he does, and yet never let up down the stretch. However, Keith is better than he's shown - he's made a few mistakes here or there and isn't back to perfect synergy with Seabrook yet. But these two can get there, and I believe the heightened demands of the Canucks will bring it out of them.

-I mentioned secondary scoring is a buzz phrase that you'll hear a lot of, but it's semi-deserved. Hockey is definitely a game where every player matters and the fact that the Hawks started to get some contribution from the support guys is huge. I noted in my last post how Versteeg had a pretty nasty Game 3, and in watching him closely (as I always do), I thought he was solid all series. And, like Hossa and Toews, I believe he's got more upside - he created a lot of chances for himself and others, at some point those will turn into goals. Especially as a third liner, if Versteeg is generating scoring, the Hawks will be in a good place.

Bolland was a bit maligned this series, and rightfully so - he couldn't cut it as a #2 center and made mistakes in his own end, where he's supposed to thrive. I'm not sure if JQ will keep him as the #3 center, but he should. Bolland probably is best served on a shut-down, grindy type of line, with a hint of offense (which Versteeg supplies) rather than trying to make a 2nd line go (at least this year - he might still develop into that role next year).

One reason I like Bolland as the #3 center is that it allows Madden to be the #4 center. The key to that - it allows JQ to throw him onto the ice for key defensive zone face-offs. Not only does that give the Hawks two good centerman on the draws (Madden was outstanding in the first series), but it also gives them a great defensive forward to help them clear the zone.

I can't say I noticed the other forwards very much. Kopecky actually served me a decent dish of crow himself, as he not only was key down the stretch but showed this series that he can fill a productive role, something I was convinced of otherwise. Bickell hasn't dominated, but does seem at least capable of a big, grindy support role. Ladd is Ladd - he's been solid enough, but not noteworthy. However, he does find ways to make plays in key situations, so watch for him to grab headlines in a game this series.

Brouwer, as I mentioned above, has become persona non grata with the coaching staff. Weird, as they used to love him when he wasn't doing anything. The move of Bickell to that front line and Brouwer down to the 4th was quite a wake-up call. But JQ's juggling might not be over, so maybe Brouwer will have another chance to re-establish himself as a top line support guy. I wouldn't mind seeing him back with Kane & Toews - as solid as Bickell has been, Brouwer was a force when he was playing well and on their line. The Hawks are at their best when those three are clicking together.

I was bummed to see Frasier and Eager relegated to the Press Box, as they had done so much all year and down the stretch to help the Hawks in little ways. Frasier especially - he's a solid PK guy, which is especially useful in the playoffs. I get the Hawks needed a shake-up, but too bad it came at the cost of these guys' role in the series.

Burish hasn't gotten many minutes but seemignly gave the Hawks a little energy in the second half of the series. Ideally you'd be able to skate Frasier in his place because of that PK ability (something Burish used to be good at, but hasn't had a chance to re-develop since his injury), but I'm not sure Frasier would be comfortable on a wing. Hopefully Burish can be more than a 5-minute a night guy - that's tough to do to the rest of your skaters against a deep team like Vancouver.

In all, the Hawks were able to win this series w/o a ton from their support forwards. That will have to change against the Canucks, who will be too talented and bring too much pressure for only four Hawks forwards to log big minutes and make an impact. Keep an eye out on these support guys - how they go might just determine if the Hawks move on.

-Finally there was Uncle Niemi. Look, he's not gonna be great every game and in fact will give you a couple of stinkers along the way. Not unwinnable performances, but really challenge you types. He's gonna let in some soft goals and not stop some stoppable ones.

But I think he's also gonna win a couple of games for you - I said you could count on a shut-out every series from Niemi and I stick by that. He logged two against the Preds - mark him down for another against the Canucks. If he can give you 4 more solid games, then I think the Hawks win this one.

And I have faith he can give us a shut-out and another 4 or even 5 solid games. He's not bad, just inconsistent. But the team is talented enough and he gets enough done that if the rest of the Hawks play as they should, they can win with Niemi. Will he carry us next round? Nope, but he will give us a chance to win that series. It won't come down to Uncle Niemi, it'll come down to the skaters.

A Couple Emails

2010-04-22T08:57:00.006-05:00

A lot of what goes into my posts is influenced by the five other guys I share Hawks partial season tickets with. Actually it's only influenced by four of them - the Cheerleader is really just around for comic relief, both of his doing and at his expense. And he's named the Cheerleader because he actually was a male cheerleader in college - clearly a major source of said comic relief.

I've also referenced my Brother a few times since I started doing this, as he often has some poignant thoughts that I can run with. My recent diatribe about Cubs fans was inspired by an exchange between Out of Town Bob and Big Sexy 11. Out of Town Bob was so christened because he came down to party with my buddies in law school and decided he could act like a total idiot, because he was from out of town and wouldn't see these people ever again. And he lived up to that promise, leaving behind the legend of Out of Town Bob.

Big Sexy 11 once saved me from getting pounded in an on-ice rec league scuffle when I lost my helmet in a scrum (where I was the clear victor) and yet the refs weren't gonna step in. So when he said to me "Let's come up with a sweet nickname for myself, something like: Big Sexy 11," I was happy to oblige.

Today, I introduce the final member of our six-man group - my buddy Face. Why Face? Because I decided that he, in every way, is the guy from the A-Team. That's a high compliment by the way, as I always loved Face the most on that show.

So Face sent me an insightful email after Game 3's loss and it inspired a response from me that pretty much summed up my thoughts, so I figured I'd just post the two here.

From Face:

My dad asked me if tomorrow's game is a "must win" and if I thought we're being out-coached. Here's my answer, and I'm curious your take on my thoughts:

Someone asked if game 2 was a must win, and I said no because hockey teams can come back from down 2-0. Down 3-1 is a different story. Although anything's possible, I think that it would be very hard to come back. HOWEVER, when you have the kind of talent the Hawks have, they could do it. Conversely, imagine if the current bulls were down 3-0 or 3-1 to the Cavs (I probably should say "when" not "if"); there's no chance of a comeback because they're just getting beat by a better team.

The Hawks can come back no matter what, so I won't say it's a MUST win, but it sure as heck won't help if we don't tie up the series. Still, down 3-1, you know they'd win at the UC on Saturday, making it 3-2. If they can then win in Nashville, which is totally possible, then it's tied up. Who do you think wins a decisive game 7 at the United Center? So no, not a must win, but surely would go a long way toward helping.

Either way, this proves that every team that makes the playoffs is dangerous. It's totally different than basketball that way, but very similar to baseball. If you're in the playoffs, you're a very good team, and if on top of that your goalie is really hot, you can beat any team. Just like in baseball if you make the playoffs and have 2 starting pitcher "aces," you can win the World Series (remember Schilling & Johnson for Arizona??).

Yes, we are being out-coached. Without question. Queneville is just not pushing the right buttons. We beat them 4 out of 6 games this season, so why now do we look like a mediocre team up against an un-tamable beast?? I say the answer is we aren't being physical enough. We should look for any and every opportunity to hit these guys and get them rattled. Their neutral zone trap is killing us! We can barely get it in the zone!

We also just have to realize that we're seeing the coming out party of Pekka Rinne. He's an absolute stud, but he's never been in the playoffs before, so the hockey world is now getting to see him. In fact, have you seen the Patrick Roy commercials they show, where he makes a big save as a rookie, and it reads, "What if he had played like a rookie?" I'm thinking this is something where in a few years, the Hawks, if they lose, may be looking back and saying, "Yeah, that was before anyone knew about perennial all-star Pekka Rinne."

Very frustrating team to play against. In fact, if we somehow get past them, I think the rest of the West looks very beatable comparatively. If all we have to do is outscore a team (e.g. 6-4 type wins), we can do that. But against a stifling trapping team, we look awful.

My Response:

1) Agree that it's not a must-win, like a Game 3 where you're down 2-0 would be. As you said, the home ice, talent, and experience advantage all would allow them to win three straight without it being a miracle.

Like you laid out, I'm mad at myself for being an ignorant fan. Because the Preds didn't have a name, didn't have a story, I didn't respect them. Yes, I knew it was wholly possible the Hawks would get upset, but I pretty much allowed only two possibilities - we played as expected and trounced the Preds 4-0 or 4-1, or we lost the series.

The result of that thinking? I wasn't prepared for the much more realistic scenario that the Hawks would struggle but still win out. Losing Game 1 really threw me. It was fluky, but it still was a loss and gave the Preds all kinds of confidence. I didn't like what that portended. Taking Game 2 made me feel better, but not fully. Getting flat out beat - no bounces, no bad calls, no great tending, just flat out beat - in Game 3 really put me in a bad spot.

But why? As we're both agreeing - the Hawks could lose another and still win this thing. The simple fact is much like you said - in the NHL playoffs, you should NEVER expect anything less than a 6-game series. It may happen, but it's a fluke, the result of hot goaltending, an ideal match-up, a bunch of fortunate bounces, a banged up team, or somehow coming out on top in three or even four tight games.

So these two losses to the Preds were to be expected. Would I have preferred to win Games 1 and 2, pick up another in Nashville, and then have Game 5 be that 2nd expected loss? Sure. But who cares when they happen - in the end, the Hawks were most likely gonna lose two, and now they've done it. Nothing has happened yet that we shouldn't have expected.

I do see the Hawks bouncing back Thursday just as they bounced back in Game 2. Renewed focus, superior talent, better execution and a W to show for it. Back in the UC, with series control on the line, the Hawks finally put the Preds in their place. Game 6 is a dog fight, but the Preds are too beat up and the Hawks prevail.

We've all seen that happen plenty of times - most of the time we're rooting for the underdog (be it in basketball or hockey) and start to believe they actually have a shot, only for the favorite to show exactly why they're the favorite and piss us off (I'm thinking every Kobe-involved Lakers series ever).

This could shake out in any way, but what has happened so far doesn't have to be a harbinger of terrible things for this team. It's just as likely it's the standard challenges that go into every Cup run. Not that I'm 100% convinced it will be, but we're being the type of annoying fans we hate if we're freaking out just because we lost two games in a playoff series to a team that's playing solid hockey.

2) I do agree JQ is getting out-coached. Great call on the 4-2 record over the Preds during the season. This is not a team that should be a surprise or a challenge, yet they've been both. I said when JQ was hired that I didn't like it - he'd been around plenty and never done jack squat (one Conference Finals birth, despite years and years of 90+ point teams in Colorado and St. Louis, back when 90 points meant something).

Recently I heard a stat that said every Cup winning coach at least got to the Finals by year 7 of their career or something (I might have the specifics wrong, but you get the idea). JQ is well past that point in his career w/ a meager two (thanks to last year's run) Conference Finals births. I fear he's one of the coaches who can only take you so far - a Doug Collins, if you will. But who knows - as we agreed above, it's still VERY early in this series. No reason JQ couldn't get it back together (as he did last year) and ride this team farther than most expected (as he did last year).

But for now, I disagree with you that it's the physicality that is the issue. I actually have noticed a lot of the Hawks really going after hits. They've done well enough in front of the nets (i.e. the Preds aren't beating us because we can't clear our own crease) and along the boards. Not that we've dominated along the boards, but we've been the Preds' equals, which is a respectable commentary on their physicality, given that the Preds thrive on board play.

I think it's just poor strategy and attitude. The Hawks have faced teams trying to slow them down all year - why is this team all of the sudden giving them so many issues? Why are they the first team ever to get so many chances on the Hawks? Sure, no Johnsson and Campbell is big, but this big? Shouldn't JQ be more prepared for what everyone in the world expected from our inferior-talented first round opponent?

I also hate the Hawks attitude this series - they got down in Game 1 and Game 3, and immediately went all chicken with their heads cut off, playing in total desperation, despite the games being very winnable (down 2-1 early in the 3rd, down 3-1 midway through the 2nd against an inferior club). They got away from the style that's allowed them to dominate all year - puck possession, cycling, crisp passes, lots of shots. Instead, they just flew around like idiots, as if they were down 2 with a minute left, and played right into the Preds hands.

That's half leadership, half coaching. In both cases, the Hawks have failed. Toews, Keith, Sharp, and Hossa should have set the relaxed but determined and aggressive tone once they got down. Instead, they were a big part of the hectic chaos. I'm especially bothered by Toews and Hossa - both have missed way too many chances, done way too little this series. Hockey players are all streaky - it's only been three games and they have plenty of time to make their mark. But now's the time to do it - I've called those guys out in my mind.

And JQ is very much to blame for the desperation also - not just for failing to keep his guys properly focused, but also thanks to all of his idiotic line swapping. It was his job to get his lines set heading into the playoffs. He needed guys comfortable and familiar with each other, capable of executing the puck possession game even more demanded by the tight confines of playoff hockey.

Instead, after one game, JQ juggled things. Then midway through Game 3, he just threw organization out the window completely - there was no semblance of lines, just guys going on and off like a rat hockey session. Is it any wonder they blew off their system and just flew around like idiots? Is it any wonder they failed to get any sustained pressure?

Look, I dig that the team was going balls out - that's the way they played their best hockey last playoffs. But last year they did it within the confines of their known and familiar lines, and kept to their system. Defenders would pinch, forwards would kill themselves for possession along the boards, but it all was still with an eye on cycling the puck to the playmakers and creating opportunities. This series, it's been just desperate insanity in an effort to throw any piece of crap toward the net.

3) I disagree that Rinne is having a coming out. He's made some nice saves, but nothing more than a good NHL goalie playing well. He has not stood on his head nor made me curse the bad luck of facing a hot goalie. He's been very good, but not amazingly great.

Instead, the Hawks have made him look great by missing the net and blowing chances. They've had poor shot selection, been weak on getting rebounds, and missed about 100 different open nets - either by literally missing (hitting the post, missing totally, or hitting Rinne) or by not getting a shot off, sometimes due to great D by the Preds, but just as often by not pulling the trigger when the should have.

Some blown chances will happen, but the Hawks have created and then blown WAY too many incredible scoring chances. If they had buried as many of those as you'd expect out of a club this talented, we'd be up 3-0 and the Preds and Rinne would be what they should be - an after-thought.

4) Had to add this - Versteeg played amazingly last night. He did miss a few chances, but he created tons, both for himself and for others. If the guys around him had been playing even decently, the Hawks would have netted a few. Versteeg will make his mistakes, but if he can keep playing like that, it could change a game or two. I'd love to see it - for some reason, more than anyone else (except maybe Kane), I want to see Versteeg succeed.

Well, lesson learned. It's been a generation since we rooted for a heavily-favored Hawks team in the playoffs, we can be forgiven for forgetting what are reasonable expectations entering a series. The Preds have gotten the two wins we expected of them. Only now are we at the point where further Hawks' failures are starting to become unexpected and worrisome. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

At Least It's Interesting Now

2010-04-19T10:19:00.003-05:00

Before I express my set of blah feelings on this series so far - not terribly surprising, given my attitude coming in and what's shaken out so far - let me point out a bush league mistake I made in my Predators preview. I don't claim to be overly knowledgeable about any NHL team except the Hawks, but I do pride myself on being able to at least present an accurate overview of a team after a bit of research.

Unfortunately, I missed out on a pair of Preds in my Friday post, because both came over in mid-season trades very late and neither logged a ton of ice time. The first isn't terribly impactful - Dustin Boyd did see action last night, but only because young goal-scorer Patric Hornqvist was injured. A depth forward who came over from Calgary, hopefully Boyd's not a name you have to care about (if it is, the Hawks have caught a few more crappy breaks).

The other player - Denis Grebeshkov - is worth mentioning. He's yet to appear in the series due to a groin issue, but he's definitely a solid defenseman who had a nice break-out season for the Oilers in 08-09 (7 G, 32 A, +12), only to take a step back this year as that whole franchise went from suck to blow. His presence would definitely help add a bit of depth and skill to the Preds' blueline.

Now to my thoughts... blah.

First blah is to the whole experience that was Game 1. First off, stupid Versus having a monopoly and only one venue to show the games is retarded. Back in the day, ESPN would air the games on ESPN and ESPN2, allowing you to watch non-stop action and rarely miss much. Sure, I've got to be happy that I can find playoff hockey anywhere on TV these days, but having been down in Florida this weekend, it was annoying to not get to watch the Hawks for the first period.

Second blah is to Google Maps and the government of Ft. Lauderdale, FLA. It didn't help my mood that as the Hawks were unraveling, I had to help my Mom find the Ft. Lauderdale airport because Google had absurdly terrible directions and that idiotic town (or state) didn't put up good signage. Aggravating all of this was that my youngest sister was learning the valuable but frustrating lesson that you should never plan on watching a key game at a bar unless you are sure it'll be playing there, with you having an easy time seeing the screen.

I thus was trying to update my sister as she made her way home from her bad bar game-watching experience and keep my Mom from touring the Ft. Lauderdale ghetto (semi-successfully) and thus didn't get to see as much of Game 1 as I would have liked. I caught the Hawks dominance in Period 2 and the unforgiveable garbage goal by the Preds, but after that I had, at best, one eye on the game. It was enough to be sickened by what happened, but not enough to pinpoint why.

Third blah - one obvious conclusion I had that I haven't read anywhere else: the Hawks choked WAY too many great chances. Versteeg claimed to have been hooked on his open net in Game 1, but whatever - be strong and bury the damn thing already! There were a number of other clear chances - I think Toews had one, definitely a few other guys did, where we just weren't hitting the 4x6.

Fourth blah - to the temptingly awesome, but frustratingly annoying technology that is in-flight internet. I was flying home from Florida smack dab during Game 2, but the timing was ideal - puck dropped about a half hour after take-off, plenty of time to get in the air and be allowed to rev up my PC for at least the first two periods (the hope - it was a blow-out so I wouldn't mind missing Period 3 as we landed and got our stuff).

I started out by listening to the free broadcast on WGN (cheers to the NHL for not trying to make a buck on every opportunity - if a fan is willing to listen to a hockey game on the internet, he shouldn't have to pay for it, too... but more on that later). But as good as Troy and John are, I really had a need to see how the Hawks were skating, really see for myself how things were shaking out. So I went to NHL.com and figured they'd have some online way to watch and that I'd be willing to pay. For $19.95, I could do just that - sweet. Didn't even run into any blackout issues, as my I.P. address of the middle of the sky was not considered a local market.

Random aside - what the F is with local blackouts? Look, I get if the Hawks are blacked out on Versus if that same Hawks game plays locally on WGN or Comcast. But why black out other games or other media? They think anyone would CHOOSE to watch online when they could get in front of a TV? Are they idiots?!? And do they really think that if I want to watch the Sharks game but it's blacked out, that I'll watch the Hawks? Or that you'll lose much of your Hawks audience because the Sharks game is available on Satellite or the internet?

The ONLY thing these black-out rules do is piss off your most diehard fans. NO ONE benefits in any way - the rights holders are not gaining any audience by these blackouts. Not in the slightest. These are antiquated rules that deal with a wholly different media landscape from literally generations ago. It's time every major sporting league revisit their broadcast agreements and completely rework the black-out policies with the modern media landscape and the fan in mind. Because these days, it doesn't matter how you reach them, just that you do - every broadcast opportunity can be easily monetized in today's world. So take the fan every way you can get em, with no limits, and you'll maximize the return for everyone.

Sorry, but that was a necessary digression. One I might turn into a bigger post someday, in the hopes that Puck Daddy will carry it and changes will be made. You can all thank me then.

Unfortunately, while I actually was able to get the Hawks game online, the connection on the plane wasn't good enough, even at the lowest quality, to be watchable. It was OK for like five minutes to end the first, but then it went into buffering mode every other second (literally) making the game a slowed-down stop-animation mess of frustration. I eventually just quit, went back to WGN, and was able to listen through the second period.

So in Game 2, much like Game 1, I didn't get a great view of things and can't add a ton to what everyone else is saying. But again, I do feel like the Hawks were missing too many prime chances for a team that is this good. Troy Murray seemed to be with me, complaining loudly and often about the poor shot selection of the Hawks. This was from the opening drop - as if he already was leery of this issue.

I know Toews had a beauty he shanked and there were a number of other chances that guys just couldn't seem to turn into lamp lighters. The refs got in on it, but that was only one of the many opportunities - and hey, that's just how sports work sometimes. Hard to fault the refs for one blown call, even as painful as it was.

So yeah, in this game these missed opps didn't hurt, but you never know when you're gonna be in a situation like Game 1, where a fluke bounce, bad turnover, and some momentum will be enough to sink you. How different would Game 1 had been if instead of making it 1-1, that crap goal only cut the lead to 2-1? Or better yet, 3-1. Both could easily have been the case and we'd probably be looking at a whole different series.

Heck, even Game 2 - how much nicer would it have been to win that game 5-0, for the statement it would have made? Sure, Nashville was heading home with confidence of taking a game and returning to home ice either way, but if the Hawks had a blow out under their belts, don't you think the Preds might have been a bit more likely to fold come some difficulties in Games 3 and 4?

Whatever, that's all conjecture - what matters is that the Hawks need to figure out whatever it is that's wrong and make the correction. It's nothing so simple as working harder, but maybe it's a better focus. Maybe it's a better approach to the game - maybe all the hype has got this team a bit on edge. Something is keeping them from playing their best hockey.

Heading down the stretch, my one hope was that the Hawks avoided the Wings in Round 1. But now I'm wondering if our best first round opponent wouldn't have been the Wings. Instead of playing a series that didn't have a lot of room for achievement but a ton for failure, the Hawks could have come in with something to prove right off the bat. Set the playoff tone immediately - the Wings era was over, now was the time of the Hawks.

Instead, the Hawks are up against a team who plays a super-frustrating game and can play it well. And dumb freakin luck gave them the confidence they need to actually believe this style of play could triumph over the Hawks. I give the Hawks credit - Niemi especially - for taking the necessary steps in Game 2 to begin burying the Preds longshot hopes.

And I'm looking forward to Game 3 - I think the Hawks, when challenged, are able to step up to any style of play and beat the other team at it. They ran into problems last year against the Wings because the Wings had more talent AND played the style of game better. This year? I don't see the Hawks facing that scenario again. I believe the Hawks will always be more talented and that they can thus beat any team at their game, whatever it is.

We saw it against both Calgary and Vancouver last year. Calgary tried to make the game a slugfest, and the Hawks not only slugged back, but out-worked and out-gutted the Flames, to the point that the team is now a shell of itself. Vancouver tried to get under the Hawks skin, while riding Luongo and a few solid offensive options. The Hawks responded by getting right back under the Canucks' skin, peppering Luongo along the way to the point of tears. Literally - they made the dude cry.

So I fully expect that a far less talented Preds team up against a far more talented and accomplished Hawks team will meet a similar fate. Sure, a bit of luck, a great goalie outing, or just another brain fart of a game by the Hawks might send this to six games. But I've got every faith the Hawks will dispose of this team, and without it going the distance.

I just wish they'd dominated from the first drop of the puck, taken away all the drama and established themselves more convincingly as in the mix of Cup favorites. And I wish that I had been able to watch a good TV broadcast of the entire thing.

But hey, all the rest of the Cup Contenders are in the same position - having dropped one of the first two. And my schedule is pretty free on Tuesday and Thursday - I'll be in front of my TV, with my favorite co-pilot next to me (my 9 month old daughter Lily), ready to see the Preds put back in their place. Maybe I complained a bit about the Preds making for a blah first round opponent, but now I've been, annoyingly, given reason to get my dander up about these games. I plan on a pair of Ws, maybe a bit ugly, but Ws all the same, to put the Hawks back squarely on the path to something we'll all remember forever.

"If it bleeds, we can kill it. "

2010-04-16T10:38:00.002-05:00

The blog post title is from, naturally, "Predator." Amazing movie. Back when action movies actually existed. And action stars existed. And would all make movies together. Sly Stallone is trying to put one more together, coming out this year, with about every major action star of yesterday at least asked to participate (many, for unknown reasons, turned down their only chance at work in years). I can't wait.

But I digress. With the Hawks opening up the Stanley Cup Playoffs tonight, I figured we'd take a look at who we're facing, the Nashville Predators.

First, though - I gotta say, this is a very foreign feeling. I'm not used to finishing a regular season with such little fanfare. Without instantly getting all jacked up about the playoff match-up it brings. Last season was such a big deal to make the playoffs and there was so much hope and uncertainty that you were just buzzing about the Calgary series. In baseball and football every playoff game is always huge. But this series with the Preds? Not doing much for me. And that is something I haven't experienced in a long while - probably since the Bulls were more than a giant ATM for Reinsdorf to discreetly raid to fund the Sox $100M+ payrolls.

Sure, I'm pumped about the first round games because it's always fun to watch the Hawks and these games obviously matter a ton. But this first round really just seems like more of the regular season - you want and need to do well, but there's not a whole lot to accomplish. Look, I'm well aware of how often bottom seeded teams knock off the favorites. Over the years I've probably watched more playoff hockey than any other sport. And the Hawks, being young with iffy D (thanks to injuries) and unproven goaltending, are ripe for an upset.

But there's just a different level of enthusiasm that comes when facing a series where the best you can accomplish is not to get upset. Maybe we smoke through these guys in four games and start to feel invulnerable again. But would that really make you that much more confident against the Wings or Canucks in Round 2? Would it really change anything?

The fact is that this series, just like the regular season, is about taking care of business. Our opponents, the division rival Nashville Predators, exemplify that. They'll be scrappy, they'll give us a good run, and as I said, they could even get some hot goaltending and knock us out. But they aren't a bunch of big names, they aren't much of an accomplished team, and they aren't particularly hot or interesting in any way.

To me, this has all the feeling of the "play-in game" during March Madness.I t matters somehow, but it's just a precursor to the real deal. Only if and when we get past Nashville will I really start to feel "Game On!" And what a feeling that will be - we just might be on the cusp of the greatest Hawks season of any of our lives. Holy balls could it be absolutely amazing!

But for now, we've got the uninteresting task of taking care of a team we should handle with relative ease. Who is this Nashville team who sits in front of us, capable of an upset, but too boring to offer the upside of any great sense of accomplishment?

As a franchise, they've been respectable, making the playoffs in their 6th year of existence, quietly building a solid nucleus and sticking with Barry Trotz, the only coach the franchise has ever had. New ownership screwed them up last year, bringing an end to five straight post-season births, but they're back again now.

How'd they get here this season? By not being bad. Really - they don't do anything particularly special. They scored and gave up 225 goals, both middle of the pack. Their special teams are both in the Bottom 5 in the league. They had only one 30-goal scorer, one 20-goal scorer, and two 30-assist guys.

When a team looks very mediocre on paper but wins games (their 47 wins were 8th in the NHL), generally it means some great goalie play. But while Pekka Rinne was solid with a 2.53 GAA (13th) and .911 Sv % (21st), he certainly wasn't noteworthy. He's capable of stepping up - as evidenced by his 7 shut-outs in only 58 games (one of the best such percentages in the NHL) and .757 save percentage in 45 shoot-out attempts (again, one of the best in the NHL).

Those numbers suggest Rinne can get hot and close the door, especially when the stakes are raised. But it also means that he had a lot of very pedestrian outings, with plenty of teams figuring him out on plenty of nights. So what else kept the Preds on the upside of most of their games?

Basically, they just do what they need to in order to get the W. They know the Hawks are far more talented, so they're gonna try to slow the game down, muck up our rushes, and score on the counter attack. They know the Hawks will dominate puck possession, so their goal will be to keep those possessions from being dangerous and take advantage of a goalie who's not able to get into any rhythm.

One other thing I do take away from their numbers - if they struggle on special teams but still end up a decent to good team, that means The Preds must play pretty solidly 5x5. That's a tough spot to be in when looking to upset a team like the Hawks. Generally you hope to get lucky with some power play goals and kill off their penalties, and just maintain 5x5 as you steal victories. If the Preds can't stop the Hawks with a man advantage, they're gonna be hurtin. Though the one facet of the Hawks game that isn't dominant is their power play, so maybe the Preds did catch a good match-up. Still, I don't see them continuously beating the Hawks in 5x5 hockey for seven games. But we'll see - as I said, these kind of upsets happen all the time.

Who will be leading their counter-attacks, looking to put young Uncle Niemi in his place? Most of the Preds attack comes from the wings. 23-year old Swede Patric Hornquist was very quiet in his limited NHL play last year, but in his first full year broke out for a 30-goal performance to easily pace the Preds (while adding 18 assists). Martin Erat, always a thorn in the Hawks side, had 21 goals and 28 assists.

Last year's leading scorer, JP Dumont, had 17 goals to go with 28 assists, while this year's leading scorer, Steve Sullivan, matched his 17 goals with a team high 34 assists. Both players were with the Hawks during some of the dark ages and have since gone on to productive careers.

Joel Ward scored 13 times and added 21 helpers to make some impact. Youngster Colin Wilson has come up and immediately been thrown a good amount of ice time, netting 8 and assisting on 7 more in only 35 games. Jordan Tootoo also seems to get some regular bottom line time.

At center, ageless Jason Arnott had 19 scores and 27 assists in only 63 games. He's not much of a face-off guy, though not terrible. American-born David Legwand was to be the face of the franchise, but has only gone over 20 goals or 50 points one time. This year he had 11 goals and 27 assists, but also was mediocre in the face-off circle. He did lead all Pred forwards in ice time, meaning he's probably got a good all-around game.

German Marcel Goc has always been tough in the circle and did respectable bottom line work for the Sharks before putting together a career year of 12 goals and 18 assists in Nashville this season. Jerred Smithson plays a similar game at center, potting 9 goals and 4 assists and being a plus in the face-off circle.

In all, it's not a terribly impressive forward core. They aren't terrible, but they aren't very good. They just play the Pred system well and get small contributions from everyone. Is that enough to win a series? So far it hasn't been, as the Preds are 0-for-5 in playoff series in their history.

Defensively, the Preds are lead by Shea Weber, whose 16 goals and 27 assists make him one of the more offensively gifted blueliners out there. He's joined by a pair of Americans in young Olympian Ryan Suter (4 G, 33 A) and veteran Francis Bouillon (3 G, 8 A). Dan Hamhuis (5 G, 19 A) and Kevin Klein (1 G, 10 A) also get around 20 minutes of ice. Young Cody Franson (6 G, 15 A) rounds out the blueliners.

How good is that group? It's always hard to tell. Weber and Suter are definitely high impact young defenders and their ice time shows it. Hamhuis has been solid for a few years now, while Klein is just coming into his own. Bouillon is just a depth defender, Franson is cutting his teeth.

Can they hold up to what the Hawks will bring? Alone, nope, but they'll have help from their forwards. The Trotz system is all about playing within yourself and not giving up too much. It's not quite the slow down trap of the Devils, but in a series like this, it probably won't be too far off. With all five skaters and the goaltender focused on stopping the Hawks, scoring with any consistency will be tough.

But at the end of the day, the Hawks have enough firepower to overwhelm this team in a seven game series. They know the Preds, which is a good thing, and they aren't quite accomplished enough to take any playoff series for granted. They're playing well of late, even adjusting to their short-handed situation on defense. Niemi has seized the reigns and given everyone - himself include - reason to have full confidence in his abilities.

It's the NHL playoffs, so nothing will surprise me. One hot goalie can change everything. Top players can disappear, nobodies can become heroes. But I feel like the Hawks are hungry enough, talented enough, together enough, and good enough on the road to take this series in five.

And once that happens, I'll definitely start to ramp up my enthusiasm, as I definitely believe we're at the start of something pretty damn special here...

"This is the end... my only friend, the end."

2010-04-14T16:11:00.004-05:00

Quoting the Doors is probably a bit dramatic for what really isn't so much as the end of the season as the half-time before the second half of it. But whatever, that song rules and was one of the most perfectly used tunes in the history of movies. And as a preview for the second season we've got coming, I figured it'd be good to look at what everyone accomplished now that we've reached the end of the 2009-2010 NHL regular season.

In brief, the Hawks were 2nd in the league in wins, 3rd in points, 3rd in goals, and 5th in goals against. Their power play was middle of the pack, their penalty kill one of the very best in the league (when you factor in short-handed goals... which absolutely should be factored in). And most impressive, they were #1 in shots/game, #1 in shots against/game, and no one came anywhere near the 9 shot advantage they averaged. In all, they were a force in all three zones, a team as well-rounded as any in all of hockey.

I figure I'll break this down by lines and pairings, as that'll help us get an idea of what we'll probably see (customary qualification - JQ loves line-changing almost as much as he loves giving Mustache Rides, so who really knows who will skate together).

First Line:

Toews ended up missing 6 games but saw his assist total (43), plus/minus (+22), and face-off percentage (57.4%) all jump from last year, when he played the full 82. He did drop from 34 goals to 25, but with five other guys breaking 20 goals and two more netting 17, Toews didn't need to score more. Instead, what will mark Toews' regular season had nothing to do with any of his numbers - it was his performance in the Olympics, where he showed himself to be the best player on the best team in the world.

For the Hawks to win the Cup, Toews is going to have to approach the Stanley Cup playoffs in the same way he did that tournament. Quietly, Captain Serious ensured that every time he was on the ice, his line was the best out there. While Madden and Bolland can do great work against any line, Toews is going to have to elevate when the Hawks face squads like the Wings, Sharks, Penguins, and Caps, all of whom get scoring from throughout their lineup.

To help him do so, Toews will have the nastiest pair of two-way players he could imagine. Hossa was everything he was advertised to be and more. In only 57 games (essentially 2/3 of the year), he racked up 24 goals, 27 assists, and was a +24, tops among all Hawks. 5x5, 4x4, power play, short-handed - whatever the set-up, this guy was a beast in all three zones. If it's in the game, Hossa does it well. That kind of well-rounded player is only that much more important in the post-season.

Sharp was no slouch himself, posting career highs in assists (41) and plus/minus (team high 24), while also proving that he could be a fully capable center (winning 51.7% of his draws). Just like Toews and Hossa, but with much less fanfare, Sharp can do it all. He's always been a sniper (25 goals this year, posted 36 two years back) but now he's rounded out his play-making ability. In addition, his speed and tenacity have always made him a plus defender.

Together, this line is an instant power-play. They dominate the puck, create loads of great chances, and absolutely wear out the other teams checking line and top pairing. To keep this line from beating you just by itself requires the best of the best from the other team. And that leaves the rest of the Hawks' lines in a great spot.

Second Line:

The biggest question mark for the Hawks forwards at this point is their second line. Bolland's injury was a bigger blow than everyone realized - not because of his loss, which our depth easily covered for. But because Bolland's development was stunted and he wasn't able to mesh with any wingers to provide a legit 2nd line. His numbers bear it out - in 39 games, he had only 6 goals, 10 assists, and was a +5, despite skating with guys like Hossa, Sharp, and Kane. One bright spot - he took a big step forward in the face-off circle, winning 49.4% of his draws.

However, JQ might be on to something in pairing Kane with Bolland. As complete as the first line skaters are, none of them are as offensively gifted as Kane. None of them elevate the play of everyone around him as Kane does. His numbers speak to that - a team leading 30 goals and 58 assists. If any one Hawk skater can create a legit 2nd line by himself, it's Kane. Bolland is a plus defender and capable enough scorer/playmaker to capitalize on playing with Kane. Together, and given the attention the top line will receive, this line might just get it done.

But to do so, I'm calling out the importance of Brouwer. I've made clear I've eaten my crow with this kid - he's become the strong garbage goal scorer we were promised he would be. He's physical and gives full effort, and certainly can handle himself defensively. Grouped with Kane and Toews, he was the perfect compliment - doing the dirty work to free them up and then burying the chances they created. His 22 goals, 18 assists, and +9 speak to that.

Since that line was broken up, Brouwer has quieted a bit. However, for the Hawks to have a legit 2nd line, Brouwer and Bolland need to step back up. I have every faith in both of them giving full effort, being physical, and playing great in their own end. It's going to come down to handling the puck and scoring - they've got to keep possessions going to allow Kane to create chances, and then they've got to turn those chances into regular goals. If this happens, the Hawks will be near impossible to hang with for even the most explosive offensive squads.

Checking Line:

As good as Madden has been, now is the time of year we're paying him for. The guy has the ring, he's been an integral part of a championship team. He's been through the battles many times, playing the same key role in each - that of shut-down center. As he's shown us, Madden is up to the challenge. His 10 goals and 13 assists don't speak to that, nor does his -2. His 53.7% success rate in the face-off circle does, but really you've got to see him play to appreciate the way he disrupts the other team's top line.

And there are no two other guys I'd rather have charged with this huge responsibility than the two linemates JQ has found for Madden. Versteeg has long had a dear place in my heart - while he went through a nice long stretch without much productivity and with a big slip in his play, I still saw more than enough to be encouraged. If you were paying attention, the guy just wasn't catching the breaks. He also was making a lot of mistakes, but some of that was pressing because luck was against him. I can't tell you how many great plays of his were stopped by good defense, poor play of linemates, or just the dumb luck of hitting a crossbar or something.

But Versteeg has since bounced back, amassed another solid year with 20 goals and 24 assists to go along with his +8. And alongside Madden, he's shown himself a highly capable checking line wing. He's always been a solid defender, with good speed and tenacity that belies his size. But Versteeg brings a bit of playmaking rarely found on a checking line, which not only creates scoring chances but also forces the other team's top line to play in all three zones.

Rounding out this line is the under-appreciated Ladd, whose 17 goals and 21 assists were quiet and important, alongside his +2. Big, physical, and a very smart defender, Ladd is a beautiful compliment to any line, but I've always thought he'd do his best work on a shutdown line. That's where JQ has him now and I really like the look of it. He brings the size you want, the defensive athleticism you need, and can also be dangerous offensively - key with a guy like Versteeg skating alongside.

In the playoffs, the checking line sees a lot of time - especially on the road - and I think these guys will do a hell of a job with all that ice time.

Fourth Line:

There were calls early that the fourth line had been a bit of a disappointment this season, but I felt that was because we really didn't have a true fourth line. With all the injuries and whatnot, JQ was constantly juggling different guys through there, including defensemen. Now that he's settled into a single group, the line has taken off.

I'm pumped that it's done so with Frasier at the helm. A recent scoring barage brought his season totals up to 7 goals, 12 assists, and a +6. Wow. Sure, were not looking for a lot of offense out of this line, but it's awesome when it comes. When they're doing their actual job, this line is about high energy, good puck possession, physical play. Frasier has been a driving force as the center. I'd like to see him continue to improve on his 48.8% face-off percentage, but he's getting there.

On his wing has been another surprise - Kopecky, who came in as someone with possible 2nd or 3rd line potential, only to look like a press box attendee. But of late he's made his mark, to the final tune of 10 goals, 11 assists, and an even plus/minus (a big improvement over where he spent most of the year). I have zero faith he'll ever be more than a 4th liner, but I've come around to him being more than capable of that role. Kopecky's got just enough talent that he is more than what most teams skate on their 4th, and most important, he's finally learned and accepted his role. The stepped up physical presence and energy level, a nice confidence-building hot streak, and hos playoff experience with the Wings actually makes me appreciate what he could bring this post-season.

Rounding out the fourth line is Eager. Many view him as nothing but a bruiser - that's a mistake. Yeah, he does take too many penalties - but the fact is that he's a very good skater, surprisingly intelligent (not in how he takes penalties - there he's an idiot), and has legit hockey skills. His 7 goals, 9 assists, and +9 were no fluke. The guy is a positive impact on the ice. Together, these three have really taken their game to another level and should wreak some havoc in their limited ice time, as no team is prepared to deal with a genuine puck possession and scoring threat from the 4th line.

Depth Forwards:

Rounding out the Hawks forwards will be Burish and Bickell. I really like both of these guys and am happy they are around for post-season depth. Guys get banged up in the playoffs - it wouldn't surprise me if one or both of these guys saw some game action. Or JQ might just feel his team needs a bit of a spark at some point and he'll inject one of these guys into the 4th line for some energy. I'd prefer to see Bickell fill a spot on a 2nd or 3rd line if an injury requires it, while Burish would be my choice to inject energy on the 4th line if the team hits a rough patch. Those are nice fall-back options to have.

Defensively, the Hawks have been in a better spot. They still have a solid defensive core and it still should be enough to handle the underwhelming offense that is the Nashville Predators, but the injuries have taken their toll.

Funny how the much-maligned Campbell has been shown to be so valuable. While he's overpaid (damn you front office for not understanding the 12-year contract concept at the time!), it's not by nearly as much as everyone thought. I've long been saying that and this last month without him has proven it to be true. Campbell is an asset on both ends of the ice, a rare guy capable of skating the puck into the offensive zone - so key to a puck-possession, offensively-gifted team like the Hawks. And we're now learning that he really did use his speed and hockey sense to be a plus defender.

With 7 goals, 31 assists, and an impressive +18 in only 68 games, Campbell made his mark this year. The hope - he's back to do further damage next round. If he returns, and at full speed, the Hawks should be OK, maybe even better off for having developed some other D options in the meantime. But if he's not, I fear for this team. They can still do it, but it will be far harder without the Ginger Kid.

About the last guy anyone would have expected for us to feel a longing for is Johnsson. Not that he's bad, it's just that we barely knew him (he only played 7 games w/ the Hawks), and what we did know of him was quiet and steady, not seemingly high impact. But again, once something's gone you tend to notice it's absence. KJ has most certainly been that - there's no question the Hawks will be a far better team when he's able to skate 20 minutes. The guy is a proven NHL blueliner, capable of being a Top 4 and playing on both special teams. With his return, with or without Campbell, the Hawks d-men all slot into more doable roles.

When will KJ return? I still have no idea. I haven't seen any reports that he's even skated. Concussions are bad news and his obviously is a doozy. For now, you just gotta figure that like Campbell, the hope is he'll be here in Round 2, when he's really needed.

First Pairing:

That leaves a hell of a lot of pressure on Keith. At one point a favorite for the Norris, I'd be happy if he's just among the three finalists. He's got the two-way numbers to get the nod - 14 G, 55 A, and a +21 - but you never know how this stuff works. Best thing I can say about Keith is similar to what I said about Toews - he proved his true worth in the Olympics. On the best team among the best skaters in the whole world, no Olympic skater was trusted with more ice time than Keith. You'd figure with the depth as Canada had that wouldn't have been the case, but the guy is just that good in every aspect. And he's a machine, capable of playing insane minutes night in and night out.

Sure, he struggled a bit this season while the Hawks went through a bit of a mid-season malaise. But some of that was due to the really poor play of his partner and some was just the expected ups-and-downs even the best players go through over the course of a long, demanding season. The league's ice time leader, Keith will be called on for huge minutes all post-season. Who will be skating next to him is the big question.

Of late, it's been Byfuglien, but will that hold in the playoffs? Do you really want Buff up against the teams top line every night? Against the Preds, you might be able to get away with it, given their lack of a true hot octane scoring line. It seems this is the way JQ is gonna go - he's had plenty of chances to change the pairings, but mostly has kept Buff with Keith.

Second Pairing:

The only likely alternative would be to put Seabrook and Keith back together. Keith hasn't skated much with anyone else, so JQ's only other option is pairing guys who clearly know each other and can skate together well. Yes, Seabrook did go through a long stretch of very bad play. And yes, he seemed to come out of it after being separated from Keith.

But still, the guy had 4 goals, 26 assists, and was a +20 - tops among Hawks defensemen. He's clearly playing good hockey now and it wouldn't be a bad idea to have a shut-down pairing like Keith and Seabrook to call on in the playoffs, especially once Campbell and/or Johnsson come back to bolster the rest of the corps.

The other rock JQ has to work off on the blueline is Hjalmarsson. Like Campbell and KJ, this kid has had his perceived value skyrocket due to the recent injuries. As everyone else seemed to be struggling to new roles and demands, the Hammer remained as steady as ever. How key was it that even in the worst of days, JQ could throw out one pairing with Keith and one with the Hammer and know he was covered in both cases? 2 goals, 15 assists, and a +9 sound ok, but just watch him - he doesn't make mistakes and finds his way into big stops all the time.

Me? I'm going with Seabrook and Keith, then putting Buff with the Hammer. That not only gives you that shutdown pair as I discussed above, but I think Buff and Hammer would work well together. Hammer is a stay-at-home type, while Buff likes to be aggressive with the puck. Hammer is steady and probably makes the least mistakes of any blueliner, while Buff is unproven and can be expected to make the most.

It's doubtful JQ will go this route after not pairing them together at all to end the regular season, but I'm gonna be pulling for it. If he keeps Seabrook with the Hammer, he's got to very similar styles - both stay-at-home types not overly comfortable skating the puck - but he also has two very reliable defense-first guys he can throw out against anyone.

Third Pairing:

In the final pairing, I've been calling all year for more Hendry. And in just 43 games - not all of them on D - he's put up a respectable +5. He's shown speed, good sense, nice work with the puck - everything I'd hope for out of a fifth or sixth blueliner. When the Hawks finally get both Campbell and KJ back, I hope Hendry remains in the lineup - I think he's definitely played well enough to deserve it.

I know I'd feel a lot more comfortable with him getting 15 minutes a night than Sopel. While Sopel has definitely stepped up to prove himself a respectably reliable defender during this injury spree (bringing his plus minus up to a +3), he still is too slow and makes too many mistakes with the puck. We can survive with him in there, especially against a team like the Preds, but once we get into the real skating teams, I want this guy as nothing more than injury depth. In the meantime, I'll respect his veteran acumen and his complete disregard of his body when blocking shots, as enough of an asset on the blueline.

Depth Blueliners:

Finally we've got Boynton - god help us all if he sees ice time. No knock on him - he was serviceable in his 7 games with the Hawks. Just that if we lose one more defender, we are in real trouble. We've already lucked into Buff making a tremendous transition back there - we can't hope to survive much more than a game or two if we lose any of our Top 4 guys. This guy can probably cover for Hendry or Sopel, but any of the others... let's not think about it.

Goalies:

So that brings us to the net. I would have thought this would be a much more in-depth section, but there's not a lot to say. The Frenchman is rightfully glued to the bench and Niemi has held his own since earning the job. How we got here doesn't matter - I'm just happy we did. The entire time I just wanted someone to win the spot with enough time to get into a groove and build some confidence. Mission accomplished.

Niemi's numbers are good - 2.25 GAA (4th best in hockey) and a .912 save percentage (19th). But what really sticks out to me are his 7 shutouts (4th) in only 35 starts and his ridiculous .813 save percentage in 32 shoot-out chances.

I take two things from those last two numbers:

1) We can count on Niemi to throw one shut-out per series. For a team as good as the Hawks, for your goaltender to steal you one game every series, you're in a really, really good spot.

2) When the stakes are at their highest, Niemi is gonna bring his A game.

I know shoot-outs don't happen in the post-season and even penalty shots are wicked rare, but it's not the specific skill as much as the mindset that I appreciate with Niemi. When he was left all alone, with the very game on the line - that's when he played his very best.

So I'm hanging my hat on those numbers and feeling good about Niemi. Sure he's never done it before, but we've seen plenty of unproven netminders get their team to or even win the Cup.
And know what - if Niemi gets hurt or flames out, I won't have lost all hope. I'd be plenty fearful of Huet, but the guy has proven over a long, productive career that he is a plus goaltender at the NHL level. Why couldn't he luck into a hot streak when called upon randomly? He would be far from the first goalie to do so in NHL playoff history. Far from it.

And most of these cinderella goalie stories didn't involve a team with as good of an offense, as talented of a defense, and as strong of a system as the Hawks do. Throw in the greatest fans and the best stadium in the world and we're talking about a team that has every reason to win the whole damn thing.

Sox + Cubs = Hawks?

2010-04-06T11:57:00.003-05:00

So last week I got into a bit of a Sox Fan-Cubs Fan pissing match... over the Blackhawks. Somehow it made sense.

My contention - Cubs fans have brought their full stock of intractable pessimism to their Blackhawks fandom, resulting in a completely undeserved level of heightened anxiety and naysaying from Hawk Nation this season.

Look, I'm not trying to take shots at Cubs fans here. You absolutely SHOULD be pessimistic about everything to do with that team. They are the single least successful team in all of North American pro sports. No other franchise is even close. And they have no excuse - they spend like crazy ($140M payroll the past two seasons), they feature absurdly accomplished Hall of Famers (Maddux and Sosa), they bring in the top free agents (Soriano for $138M), and they develop electrifying can't miss prospects (Wood and Prior). Yet all of those things only end in disaster.

Those $140M payrolls? A second straight playoff sweep followed by a fade into Bolivian. Maddux and Sosa? One will be remembered as a Brave, the other as the face of the worst era in the game's history. Soriano? Gone from a star to a decent player to a giant hole... all while his salary is going up and up. Wood and Prior? An overpaid middling reliever and a grocery store clerk somewhere.

I know this is all a bit off-topic in a Hawks blog, but I want to make clear that I dig why Cubs fans are so negative. Why they are so quick to believe that the wheels are coming off at every turn, why they are so apt to see legit problems where only minor hiccups exist. I don't blame you - being a Cubs fan is the worst mix of engendering an incredible level of love and dedication while being heart-broken and let down at every turn.

But newsflash - the CUBS AND THE HAWKS ARE TWO TOTALLY DIFFERENT ENTITIES.

I know, shocking revelation, but to Cubs fans, it is. How else can you explain the dispair that's accompanied this Hawks team, despite what they've actually done? There's no question a bunch of Cubs fans (not all, and certainly not only) have brought and undeserved negativity to their rooting interest this season.

Let's look at the actual facts of what this Hawks team is about right now:

In 2007-2008, the Hawks surprised everyone by competing for a playoff spot until the final days, following a half decade of being unwatchable crap.

In 2008-2009, the Hawks surprised everyone by making it all the way to the Conference Finals before losing to a highly accomplished powerhouse team.

In 2009-2010, the Hawks have done nearly everything they could have to this point - controlling their own destiny for the #1 seed in the West.

The front office is helmed by one of the greatest hockey minds in the game (Stan Bowman). They've been successful in putting together a team that features four different players who are as good as almost anyone in the league - Hossa, Toews, Kane, and Keith - and a collection of talent so rich that if every player were to get their full market worth, the Hawks would be laughably over the salary cap (a situation we'll experience this off-season).

Ownership has not only spent every penny the cap allows, but even manipulated the system with Hossa's contract and by sending players up and down on a daily basis to go above and beyond what is expected. In the past two years they've signed the top goalie, defenseman, and forward on the free agent market while also locking up their top three young stars for the next half decade. And in each of the past two seasons they've traded for a solid veteran piece to solidify the team for a deep playoff run.

Plain and simply, the Hawks organization resembles the Cubs organization in only two areas - calling Chicago their home and doing a great job marketing themselves.

In all other respects, at this point the Hawks have done every single thing you would have expected from the very best organizations in pro sports. They've spent money, they've accumulated talent, and they've won over and over again. Yes, they need a Cup to seal the deal, but they only now are entering their window of opportunity.

There should be NO inherent pessimism with this club - they've earned nothing but your faith and support. Sure, bitch about the poor decision to sign Huet and the lack of foresight to give Campbell an 8-year deal instead of a more cap friendly 12-year one. Sure, express concern about having an unproven goaltender in the playoffs. Sure, wonder what's changed between the domination of November and December to the just-good-enough play of January and February to the disaster that was March.

But there's a way to criticize and wonder about the club (it's pretty much half the point of this blog) without whining doom and gloom every time something doesn't go exactly perfect for the Hawks.

Back in December I was at the game against the Sharks where we dominated the play (out-shooting them 47-14) and yet lost 3-2. This was at the peak of our dominance, and yet all game long the crowd around me couldn't have been more whiny. We were toying with the best team in hockey at the time, a slew of bad bounces all that kept it from being a laugher, and yet every little thing brought complaints from the crowd. Shoot more. Hustle more. Goal-keeping sucks. Defense can't stop anyone.

We out-shot them 47-14. We completely outplayed them. In the playoffs, if you do that every night, you will hoist the Cup w/o much drama along the way. Yet the crowd could not have been quicker to be negative. The whole tone was awful - I enjoyed the game less than had I been surrounded by a bunch of Shark fans.

Obviously, this negativity all only got worse as the Hawks "struggled." I use quotes because the Hawks won 10 of their 15 games in January and pointed in 12. They won 4 of their 6 games in February and pointed in 5. That is an impressive clip. It might not have looked pretty, but there's no column for beauty in the standings.

Yes, from March 7th (a loss to the Wings) to March 30th (a loss to the Blues), the Hawks did suck, winning only 4 times in 12 outings. But guess how many teams have gone through an entire regular and post season in hockey without one bad stretch? I'll give you a hint - it's the same amount of World Series titles the Cubs have in the last century.

The point to all of this? There was no reason to ever be on the ledge with this team. Even during their struggles in March, they had some injuries to point to and plenty of time to get their game back. Hell, even if they had struggled straight through the end of the regular season, that still wouldn't have meant panic time.

What happens come the playoffs is only sort of related to the regular season. Does it help to be hot going in? Sure, but it's no guarantee. Does it hurt to be cold going in? Sure, but it's not gonna automatically sink you.

When you're a team like the Hawks, who've played hockey about as good as anyone since the start of last season, you can have faith that when the puck drops in Game 1, you'll be ready. You have the talent, the system, and the experience to win any game, any series, at any time. So yes I'd rather be hot than cold, but it isn't making a major difference in my belief in this team. They've done too much for too long for me to allow a very standard and expected stretch of bad play to dissuade me of their chances.

The good news? This long rant is falling on some very receptive ears right now, thanks to the great play of the Hawks of late. The biggest source of whining and pessimism has suddenly turned into the most exciting aspect of the team - the play of Uncle Niemi. The defense, missing two top players (Campbell and Johnsson) and with another having struggled mightily this year (Seabrook), somehow is finding a way to get it done. And the offense, despite the never-ending line dancing, continues to get contributions from top to bottom (Kopecky, really? Who knew?).

I was hoping to write all of this last week, when everyone was on the ledge and felt justified in their lack of faith, so that I could look like a genius when the team did finally get it going. Whatever - I firmly believed it then (it's what inspired my Sox Fan-Cub Fan pissing match) and I'm writing it now.

Moving forward, nothing will change from my perspective. The Hawks could struggle this week, blow their shot at the #1 seed, enter the playoffs looking iffy, and worst of all, Niemi could go back to being a giant question mark.

Me - I'm still having faith that we're taking that first series.

Say we lose Game 1, even Game 2? Me? Still thinking we're the better team, fully capable of winning on the road against a lesser opponent, most especially when the stakes have been raised.

I'm an optimist, which helps. But more importantly, I'm a fan of one of the most-talented, best-run, most-accomplished teams in the NHL right now, so the odds of success are almost always gonna be in my favor. And that's something I'm not gonna let a few expected stumbles or the presence of a moribund baseball franchise allow me to forget.