Blackhawks Hammer Penguins In Home Opener
Where do we begin?
How about Ryan Hartman at 6:21.
Brandon Saad was welcomed back 45 seconds later with his first of the year.
Nick Schmaltz got on the board 27 seconds later and it was 3-1 Hawks.
So far, Antti Niemi was the only guy not enjoying the Chicago homecoming. And it got worse.
Saad scored his second of the game 1:42 after the Schmaltz goal.
And that was the end of the night for Niemi, who allowed four goals against 13 shots in 9:16. Matt Murray came in to stop the bleeding for Pittsburgh.
He couldn’t.
At 17:01, Patrick Sharp showed that his legs are healthy.
In the first period, the Chicago Blackhawks put five goals on the board from three different lines. Seven players had an assist in the opening 20 minutes, including three defensemen (Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook and Michal Kempny).
Pittsburgh got a two-man advantage early in the second period and took advantage. Phil Kessel scored to cut the lead to 5-1.
Kane wasn’t having it, though. Only 1:44 after the Kessel goal, Kane scored a goal that an incredibly small number of people on the planet could even attempt.
Ryan Hartman picked up his second assist of the night on Kane’s goal as the Hawks’ second line of Hartman-Schmaltz-Kane established their dominance.
Schmaltz and Gustav Forsling picked up assists on Richard Panik’s first of the year at 9:18.
Jan Rutta became the fifth Hawks defenseman to pick up an assist in the game on the Panik marker, and the blitz continued.
Schmaltz scored his second of the game less than two minutes after the Panik goal to extend the lead to 8-1.
At the end of two period, Hartman, Kane and Schmaltz all had three points and all three were plus-four. The only defenseman without an assist through 40 minutes of hockey was poor Connor Murphy. Jonathan Toews didn’t have a point but was plus-three. His linemates had two points each (two goals for Saad, one goal and one assist for Panik).
Between the pipes, Corey Crawford was quietly outstanding. He stopped 20 of 21 through two periods. Chicago’s new-look blue line did a good job of limiting traffic in front of him and he made a few great saves to keep Pittsburgh from making things interesting.
Alex DeBrincat, who made the NHL roster because of his… physicality… had three hits in the first two periods, including a huge hit on Ian Cole.
5'7" Alex DeBrincat tosses 6'1" Ian Cole. #Blackhawks pic.twitter.com/6PAhkhYsZ4
— Cristiano Simonetta (@CMS_74_) October 6, 2017
The only negative for the Blackhawks was Tanner Kero getting banged up. He did not return for the third period after skating 7:35 in the first couple periods.
Saad completed the hat trick 5:21 into the third and the Blackhawks established a new record for goals on Opening Night. And Toews became the last of the Hawks’ top nine forwards to put a point on the board.
Seven minutes into the third Schmaltz got tangled up with a couple Penguins and limped off the ice. He was favoring his right knee and got assistance going to the room.
After Ryan Reaves – an all-time pudwhack – tried to pick a fight with John Hayden and then crosschecked him behind a play, the Hawks decided nine was not enough. Seabrook took care of making it ten.
For Seabrook it was his third point of the night. Hartman and Kane picked up their fourth assists each on the marker.
And Murray had allowed six goals in relief of Niemi.
Reaves continued to be a dipshit and got the showers with 2:10 left in regulation. The Hawks gladly wasted a powerplay to run the clock and complete a nine-goal beatdown of the defending champions.
Crawford stopped 28 of 29 in the game. Sidney Crosby was minus-four.
Jeez that was fun! No one looked bad. I hope Schmaltz is Ok.
Well that went well.
Thought Debrincat should have gotten an assist on the Sharp goal. He still brings the feistyness he brought in the OHL.
Schmaltz has been skating with confidence. And taking the shot more. Hopefully he’s ok.
I questioned moving Hartman up on that line…I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Q said both ok and play sat. Schmaltz for sure
Q said both Schamltz and Kero will be fine!
I’m calling Kane’s line the Crazy8sline.
38/8/88 reminds me of 65/20/88 (not comparing 20 and 8 in anyway) has that kind of guy with skill like that.
Cheap knee on knee their guy did to 67, because he cant take getting ass kicked with class. Just plain chicken shit whoever that was.
Nice to have 3 lines that can skate with speed and finish.
loved the Forecheck from lines 1 and 2… reminded me of 2013
Schmaltz was flying
Really liked Rutta and Kempny
Bring up Hino or Kampf or Highmore to skate with Hayden… and then you would have 4 lines with elite speed/scoring… seriously– Hayden was a one man 4th line…
if the first 3 lines can skate/attack like that… You don’t need the “goon”/grit guy line-Bouma… Just kill them with more attack/speed.
Special teams were awful. 0-6 on the PP and .500 on the PK. How will this team ever win? Oh yeah, never mind. Liked how Q spread the minutes for the D. Guess you can do that when you are demolishing the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
Saw that knee on knee behind the net with Kero as well Morrison. Don’t even think he was looking at him.
Reaves…still a punk.
Wow! Wow wow wow wow WOW! That’s the way to start the season. So happy Q said Schmaltz is fine and will play Saturday – it would have taken all the joy out of this game if he got seriously injured. But apparently he didn’t so let the WOW’s continue.
The 3 stars of the game didn’t even include 5-point Hartzy, and had this been 3-1 game Crawford would probably been in the top-3 stars. Did anyone on the Hawks have a bad game? I can’t think of anyone.
So … I know … it’s only 1 game so let’s not get too carried away … eh, screw that – I’m going to continue to get carried away.
Fun game. Loved the speed they play at.
Added size was very noticeable. Kempny was playing fast. First 8 games will give us a great test. Saad for bread man will go down as a great SB trade along with trading up for Schmalz.
A USHL head coach told me 2 years ago that Nick Schmaltz upside is Jason Spezza IF Schmaltz applies himself. I think playing with Kane has piqued his interest. Schmaltz has stud potential.
Ruuta plays quick. Makes plays on instinct which is what you need to do at this level. Great first game.
Murphy. Ugh. He needs to change his number. He looks so much like Rundblad it’s uncanny. His size, his clumsy feet, his one step slow aura. Yikes.
Btw Richard Panik is a fantastic player. He will be a 30 goal scorer in this league (Morin trade looks like a fleece job). That whole group of Morin, Pirri, Clendening, and Hayes were truly legends in their own minds.
Interesting.
Wow…so many good things to say. The speed was very noticeable as the Hawks were all over the Pens and they are a fast team. The defence Kempny and Forsling both skated the puck out of the D zone quickly and Rutta is quite a find and uses his size well. He did a great job on Malkin and Malkin knew he couldn’t out muscle him so dove to take the penalty. Didn’t notice Murphy that much the rest of the D were excellent.
Forwards…whats not to like…everyone was skating hard, Fast, forecheck was great and passes were tape to tape every time. The only Meh was Bouma didn’t really do much. Hayden was under a lot of Pens players skin especially Malkin. Malkin is such a hot head how was that not a penalty when he crosschecked Panik from behind…pure frustration. Loving the lines setup right now.
Glad to hear Schmaltz and Kero are fine.
Great start GO Hawks!!
It was fun-
quite the schedule coming up for the Hawks-top team after top team
Showtime at the UC last night. Pens had no answer to Hawks speed and rejuvenated puck possession game. Apart from a Pens flurry in the 2nd where Crawford was very good, this game was decided early with that 1st period goal explosion.
So many positives to be taken from last night. I guess for me the real eye opener was Nick Schmaltz. He showed signs last year of having some solid talent, but last night he just did so many things well. He is clearly a much faster, stronger, smarter hockey player. It certainly helps to play with Kane, but Schmaltz has his head up, passes very well and gets to open areas. Great hands. That 2 line just carved the Pens up last night who gave Kane way too much open ice. Thankfully Schmaltz knee problem is not serious. Glad to hear Kero is ok too.
My how we have missed Brandon Saad. Terrific 2 way player. The 1 line is back in action.
As a team Hawks look faster/quicker than last year. Passing was very crisp last night. Lots of one touch passes to spring players into open ice. Pretty good zone exits last night.
The new lights inside the UC are fantastic. What a difference, and it is an enhanced viewing experience upgrade for the fans, and probably the players.
Ryan Reaves is still a dick.
Lets Go Hawks!
Feeling very good about this team. I know it was one game, but when’s the last time you saw a hawks roster click that quickly? It’s that youth energy that we’ve been missing the last few years. Hopefully we can ride this momentum into the next one and have a start like the 2013 season.
Obviously schmaltz and Hartman were standouts but I like what debrincat and Hayden brought to the game as well. Debrincat seemed desperate to make things happen at times, sometimes shooting rather than looking for a better play, but his puck handling is awesome. Hayden had reaves up in his face all third period and was calm and collected while throwing his body around. There also were only 2 or 3 times when I was nervous Crawford was gonna get scored on. Great start to the season everyone. Our hard work as fans is paying off already.
Wow ..what a great way to end a 8 games loosing streak from last year (4 last regular season game and 4 lost against the Preds) i am very happy to see Saad back in front of the net with all the energy he has .
Hartman was everywhere and Dcat Played a good game
Crow was also great and the Defense did a really good job
Many new guys on the team and we will have some bad game for sure ..
I really like what i saw yesterday but i know that the guys will need time to adjust and that we still have 81 games to go before reaching the playoff
Love my Hawks
Gander– agree on the Dcat/Hayden observations… both played very well…
Hayden- skated and was a One man 4th line… but- most impressive… was refraining from retaliation – while 3 different Pens/D bags took liberties on him in third period…
ER- You asked if Any Hawk had a bad game… Keeping it real- I will rank the “least noticeable forwards”
Bouma
Kero (got hurt)
Toews– ( I am sure he was doing great checking- But less noticeable compared to others)
AA
One BIG thing- I noticed- Hawks put into system— Long stretch/Bank pass–
was used several times- when other D tried to stand up or close passing lanes- Hawks used the “Pens/pass”- long hard bank pass (out of D reach) and Hawk forward just takes off and catches D somewhat flat footed… very effective!!!
Now the Hawks need to learn how to beat that 1-4 Neutral zone crap– that Hockey – bores the crap out of me
WOW! Not the outcome I expected!
Not to temper the enthusiasm but lets not forget the Pens played the night before & got in late to Chicago. Still that being said the Hawks took advantage of the opportunity like good teams should.! (something they have not done in awhile)
Also how many times in the past have teams that play the second of back to back games get their legs & dominate…? The Hawks quickly dashed the Pens hopes with that incredible 1st period!
This was an excellent confidence builder for the young guys & the old guys too!
Speed Kills!!!!
Man that was fun and I know its only game one facing a team after a back to back but its hard not to get overly excited. Hawks were noticeable faster than last year’s team. Also there was a lot of net presence. Saad and Panik on the forecheck was a thing of beauty.
What do folks think of Toews’s performance last night? To my untrained eye it seems like he was trailing plays and did not possess the puck much. I just did not notice him much.
If not mistake it that punk Crosby that leg whipped Kero. It just pisses one off when a talented player like that employs bush league tactics like a sticking his leg out to hurt another player. Sid has made his millions, Kero is just getting started. As for Reaves, he has no business in the NHL, what a talentless punk, picking a fight at 9 to 1. Who would draft a player like that, oh yea the Blues……. enough said.
ms – agree. Saad/breadman trade was best trade Bouman ever made, season changer!! Smaltz will have more points than Breadman if he stays relatively healthy
HHNL- agree on all…
Loved the Forecheck and Puck pursuit of lines 1 and 2…
Looks like Hawks- not gonna win board battles/their traditional “Cycle”… but Hawks are looking to just win races – to every loose puck- and swarm/quick attack!
Good news- Hawks Have more guys (when they get 2-3 months in Rock) – who are even better at this style Versus Kero/Bouma… so potential to get even better
+
Are deeper- down in Rock- if/when guys get injured
Yes- Toews- was a Non-factor (at least in O zone)… Only one game…
But- yes- a little concern
I hope Q was right about Schmaltz– and he is OK
But- looked like he tweaked/sprained MCL- I will be surprised if Q doesn’t rest Schmaltz
I don’t agree with those that said Toews played bad. He won many faceoffs and looked much faster and deferred to Saad a lot I thought. On the PP he was good but Sharp and Seabrook were the ones that coughed up the puck or couldn’t hold the line and lost possession. I would say Toews (+4) did a pretty good job shutting down Crosby (-4) on the night. Saad of course was great but Panik needs some credit as he was fantastic.
Hawks have been using, and known for the long stretch pass pretty much since Q has been the coach.
Gbladz- yes- He wasn’t bad– and I don’t mean to imply that.
I listed those Forwards as Less Noticeable.
What’s up with AA- winning 71% of his draws????
Keeping it real- Pens could have easily scored 4-5 goals in 2nd.
Crow made some big stops- 1 on 1
and Pens- just missed a lot of Grade A’s
Hawks- Got pretty much every bounce in the O zone… The BIG positive- guys crashing the net!!! Creating “Luck”!
I’m laughing hysterically at WALL bringing the “I’m concerned about Toews” hot takes into the conversation about a 10-1 game. Absolutely steaming pile of dogshit take. The guy was on the ice matched up man-on-man with Sidney Crosby all night (skated 7:10 against Crosby) and was plus-four to Crosby’s minus-four. Right now he’s a point-per-game player. If the Hawks hadn’t scored 10 his single point last night coupled with Crosby being completely eliminated from the game would have opened more eyes. But not WALL.
AA was 15 for 21…It was one game. Lets automatically extrapolate that for another 81 and take it to the bank he can do that every night.
And lets question what the coach said about an injury we couldn’t really see. We haven’t talked to the player…or the doctors either. He went out of frame and they didnt replay it with another view. But lets diagnose it with absolutely no information. He probably tore his ACL, MCL and PC, and hyperextended his pinky toe\all in one fell swoop. He may never play again. Or he could play tomorrow… I don’t know
it was one game-my enthusiasm is tempered. There were some good signs, especially among the forwards, and 2-7 played well.
Really liked how Hayden played, and Kane-Schmaltz was electric. D-Cat will contribute, and I wonder when the last time was that his team scored 10 goals and he wasn’t a big factor in about half or more of those.
Game two next.
I could’ve sworn I saw 19 shove a Saad hat trick down Pittsburgh’s throat… must have seen the wrong highlight. Leading with defense and selflessness? Boo!!! More points!!!
Tab- your opinions trump every one else’s … you are always right…
( remember when You LAUGHED at me when I said bring up Shaw- years ago)
Your comment- was something like – (what Bong water are you drinking)
well- I guess you were wrong once… so there is that
I said as much about 19- as he negated 87… and only stated my -opinion- that 19 was one of the least noticeable forwards –one game- in O zone/play…
here is another opinion- $10.5 M – is a lot of bread to pay – for a checking Center
who relies on Saad or other stars (Hoss) – to truly be effective- in the O zone
here is another Opinion-
Rutta – for $1m- pretty much equal or better than Seabrook- near $7M
of course- Seabs-looked good (when paired w/ Keith). hell- TvR looked good when paired w/ Keith in past…
To sum it up – 7 and 19 need to play with “difference makers ” (20 and 2)…
even though- They are both paid to be “difference makers”- all my Opinion
Tab. Most of the guys on here will agree with your post about Wall. He is an annoying poster who thinks he knows hockey, when the truth is that he’s a neophyte. Between his Hitler references and annoying attacks on Toews (he recently mentioned that Toews fell like that is some great revelation) and his ridiculous way he structures his posts he makes most posters want to throw up.
I have read and listened to the negative comments about #19 since he signed his 10.5 million dollar deal. I never considered #19 a “superstar” goal scorer, but he has intangibles that most players do not have. I always thought that Tazer was a “complete” player. He can make plays offensively, he can score, he can win crucial faceoffs, he is a leader on and off the ice, he makes other players around him, better AND he is a ferocious back checker and defensive zone specialist.
The money that he is paid is immaterial to what he means to this team. He makes what he makes because that is how the Hawks value him. Period.
I wonder what Wall’s fantasy team would like…complete with salary compensation and how one would acquire the player.
FWIW, you’re whipping boy Seabrook had the best possession numbers on the team last night. Toews also beat Saad in that category too.
Toews was never being drug around the ice by Hossa. And wasn’t/wont be by Saad either.
Is concern for Toews and Seabrook coming into this season warranted? In my opinion, yes it is because both players played below realistic expectations for extended periods over the last couple seasons.
In Toews’ case, he has taken an enormous amount of physical abuse because of the “wall scrums” and “around the net” game that he plays – and he doesn’t have a big physical frame to begin with. I think it’s why he tried to bulk up the last couple years, before changing his training for more of a speed game this summer. We will see how it translates – but I thought he looked pretty good last night and “trailing” Saad and Panik is more a testament to the speed of Saad and Panik than an indication Toews is slowing down. After Game#1 – I liked what I saw from Toews.
In Seabrook’s case, the concern is slowing down to the point he can’t handle #1 pairing, with the argument being he needs to be a 1st pairing guy because he’s paid like a 1st pairing guy. First, let’s separate the “now” from the future. Now, Seabrook’s salary should not be part of the argument because the Hawks have enough d-men making little or nothing to offset Seabrook’s salary. So if it’s Seabrook’s salary that got your panties in a bunch – hold it until after the season when criticism of his salary may be a legitimate argument in assessing Seabrook’s cost/performance value – it isn’t right now. So, from a purely on-ice assessment, we need more than 1 game to determine if Seabrook has lost the ability to play 1st pairing. After Game#1, I’m optimistic.
As for Bowman making some bad additions, trades and moves with a salary cap puzzle. How about this one.
Morin for Panik.
Bowman, you Stallion you.
It’s funny that Saad talks about being thankful to be back on Toews’ line but WALL is certain that Toews is a complimentary player.
It is what it is. WALL has his issues w/ 19 & 7 and will bitch about them every chance he gets, even in the wake of a 10-1 victory and fully ignoring anything other than goals and assists as relevant stats. Nothing he has said or will say will be new until the two guys are gone so we’ll just go back to seeing him mention either number and skipping to the next comment without wasting any additional time…
Faceoffs not excuse, makes a diff. when going up against other teams top checking line center, which more are prob good at faceoffs, then going up against other teams other two centers.
Reg, thats the spirit Reg. These 50 goal scorers, how good are they on D, PK, checking, +/- if they played against other teams top scorers head to head. Having two very good checking lines is better then one. Harder to play against.
Wall, always a lot of good points and observations. Thinks outside the box, which is where you find things sometimes.
We do need Tazer and Seabs to play good, for them, and they both can do better then those two recent yrs. What we need is a deep roster to support each other and now we have that again. Younger prospects are only going to get better. This is were we turn the corner and not look back, in terms of roster reload.
My only point was that other player stuck out much more than Toews. Kane, Saad, Panik, Schmaltz, and Hartman were flying. I get it that this is game one of 82 however it is the home opener against the former Cup winners so I expect everyone is rather amped up. It must also be acknowledged that Toews was matched up against Crosby and shut him down. Maybe the game plan was to shadow him. Never the less, he seem to be getting into the O-zone laterthan his line mates.
The Toews comments were not meant as the sky is falling or a call to trade him. However I think his performance over the last year and half warranties monitoring how his is doing. Money be damned, the bottom line is the Hawks do not get to the finals with a “good Toews” they need great from their captain.
Go Hawks and the Captain
Wall I thought you gave a good defense for your comments and I can’t see why anyone would have a problem with that, or why you needed to do that in the first place.
Where is the troll when you need him?
The Hawks now have more quality youth, speed, and even size. It’s only one game but I think we will surprise a lot of people as to how soon they will return to making a deep playoff run. They just need to stay healthier than most other teams.
Have been critical of Bowman’s rent-a-player trades, but he has made so many great ones as well:
1. Morin for Panik – oh yeah!
2. Bickell and Teravainan for second and third round picks – Teuvo plays too soft
3. Shaw for two second round picks – More cap space and I’ll take Dcat’s for Shaw straight up
4. Panarin/Motte for Saad/Forsberg – what’s not to like?
5. UFA Darling for 3rd round pick – a freebie
Even Hjalmarsson for Murphy makes sense. Good skill, younger, bigger, shoots right. And even if Dauphin doesn’t make the team, he will help Rockford.
Hawks well-positioned as a contender for years to come.
And stop dumping on Toews. He will get back to winning more draws, and you can always count on his defense, smart plays, and leadership.
ER-good re-cap and rationale-
Both need to play better and hopefully will-but 19 brings many things that most fans can’t quantify, or even realize visually.
He’ s played a ‘hard’ decade, it takes a toll.
This year reminds me of 2013. A lot of amazing coincidences:
(1) 2013 team had bowed out of the playoffs in the first round the previous 2 years.
(2) The national media was down on the 2013 team and didn’t expect much.
(3) They started that season by beating the defending champion LA Kings 5 to 2 in LA.
Obviously those are similar to this year’s club, except we beat the defending champions by 9 goals instead of 3. Hopefully history repeats itself the rest of the year.
Tab is correct, Wall is like a broken record.
Wall did you notice Saad on his 3rd goal fell at blueline got up scored and fell again nobody touched him either time , very concerning don’t you think.
And on that same goal, did you notice how Toews picked up the loose puck, turned on a dime and raced up the ice with speed to set up the 2 on 1 and the goal? Methinks this obsession with Toews being hurt, or slow, or washed up, or too dependent on line-mates (as if that’s a bad thing in a team sport), is just a kabunchafribits.
Wow, That was a really fun game to watch! A few observations: Sharp looks faster than the last time he played here, Saad is improved by a lot over the last time he was here. He is really fun to watch. AA has to be the best third line center in the league. Schmaltz has a super high hockey IQ and just continues to get better. Hartman picked up where he left off. He looked like the total left wing package last night and as of today leads the league in 3 offensive categories!! Kane looks better if that’s possible. The D line and Crawford had a very good game. Rutta looks like a really nice addition to the D corps. Lets Go Hawks!
Hats off to Dallas. They stood on the same blue line as the Golden Knights for the anthem. Dallas has heavy hearts of their own with Strader’s passing.
GMGM looks like his strategy of stocking up on D backfired as he had to trade Pickard and had to stuff Tuch, Theodore, and Shipachyov in the minors until he clears room.
The captain will win more than 50% of his draws again this year.
The new faceoff rules and off-season work will help Schmaltz win more draws.
AA as a thrid line center will win more than 50% of his draws based on skill alone.
If Kero continues to win his draws, the Blackhawks could lead the league in FO wins.
Strong formula for success.
Damn. You guys are brutal. I’ve really only seen tab make an appearance to bash a poster or defend his post. You’d think if you were running a blog you’d want dedicated contributors, regardless of their opinions. And crazy8sline getting in on it, while using a stupid name that he so proudly coined a few days back. Well it must be catching on….
I await my thrashing. Tab feel free to tell me what I don’t know about hockey. There are plenty of blogs to read.
I agree Gander and felt the same way-the only difference in this case (people going at one person) is the intensity, and vulgarity/maliciousness of the language. Let people speak their mind, right or wrong.
I agree that Tab gets a bit surly sometimes and I offer no excuse … except to say that a blog doesn’t “run” itself, especially one that stays as current with well constructed articles as this one. Someone (assume Tab) spends considerable time and effort to post these articles here, sometimes several in a day. I take the attitude it’s his blog and he has earned the right for me to look the other way when he seems to unfairly target someone.
Besides, Wall seems to handle is OK – he’s still posting here so why should I make a big deal about it?
Besides#2, for the most part I don’t disagree with the content of Tab’s criticism, only the delivery method. I’d rather have there be the rare occurrence of Tab’s rancor than have Tab quit providing the blog.
Just my 2 cents.
Crazy8– “like a broken record”… I would say closer to a broken clock- cuz I have been right a couple times… at least
Ian- I did notice Saad fall… and Get up and drive harder…like a Bull in a china shop… as opposed to quitting and making an angry face/or looking at the Ref for help …
Agree- with others and thanks… if you really don’t like my opinions/thoughts… pretty easy to just not read them… it would be pretty boring if every one here just chanted… Hawks are great… Toews is the best… etc.
Wall I wasn’t saying your opinions aren’t wanted at all. I was just making a point if Toews goes against the proclaimed best player in the world and is plus 4 to Sids minus 4 in what some people see as 1st star type of game. It seems ok to nit pick his performance and find faults to try to cheaprn it but others seem to be judged different doing the same things.
As much crap as I’ve given you wall, I do enjoy some of your views and posts. Other times it’s a bit over the top. You don’t notice when a player like Toews completely shut down a guy like Crosby. And to call him a checking line center doesn’t quite do him justice. Again, you’re opinion and your entitled to it. But when evidence is shown to the contrary, a rebuttal would be nice. Keep the dialogue going and not just a one sided rant on how a player is washed up, over paid, and being drug around the ice.
Any chance Seabrook makes Keith more effective and productive? Seabrook has had to babysit a lot of guys the last few years.
Wall adds to this community. Don’t always agree with him of course, but he gets more crap than he deserves.
Not taking anything away from Wall’s contributions. Just noting that after a 10-1 Opening Night win there are things for us to talk about other than the stale narrative that Toews and Seabrook aren’t earning their money.
Toews 1 goal and 1 assist so far …4-1 Hawks …..