Corey Crawford, Blackhawks Beat Stars In Shootout
It took 65 minutes and three shots for the Blackhawks to emerge victorious in Dallas to open the 2014-15 season.
In the game’s first 50 minutes, the only player of consequence for the Blackhawks was Corey Crawford.
Chicago led 1-0 after the first period in spite of being outshot and outplayed. Duncan Keith scored the Hawks’ first goal of the new season with 44 seconds remaining in the opening frame.
Crawford successfully stopped 14 of 16 shots in the second period, but the Hawks were trailing 2-1 to open the third. Trevor Daley and Cody Eakin scored less than five minutes apart to give the Stars a lead.
But in the third, the Hawks turned their intensity up. After being outshot 24-11 in the first two periods, Chicago outshot the Stars 14-9 in the third. Patrick Sharp scored a power play goal at 11:10 to tie the game and close the books on the scoring until the shootout.
Patrick Kane won the game with a filthy move to beat Kari Lehtonen, who stopped 24 of 26 in the game. Crawford made 32 saves to earn the victory.
Keith led the Hawks with 29:40 in the game, recording one goal, one assist, three blocked shots and one takeaway. Brent Seabrook skated 23:50 and led the team with five blocked shots.
Both Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya both skated over 25 minutes, and rookie Trevor vanRiemsdyk skated 11:43 in his NHL debut. vanRiemsdyk didn’t get off the bench much in the first period, but appeared more comfortable as the game went on.
Sharp and Kane combined to put 11 of the Hawks’ 24 shots on net. Only one other Blackhawks had more than two shots on net: Brad Richards.
Richards started the game on the third line and didn’t see much ice time in the second period. When coach Joel Quenneville mixed up his lines in the third period, Richards saw a number of shifts with Marian Hossa and Sharp; Kane skated with Jonathan Toews. In his Blackhawks debut, Richards won seven of his 14 faceoffs in 14:38 and was credited with three shots on net.
David Rundblad dressed for the game but barely got on the ice. He skated only 6:25, and had a good opportunity to shoot during his one overtime shift but refused to pull the trigger.
Dan Carcillo skated eight shifts (4:43). Jeremy Morin skated 11 shifts (5:32).
Special teams played more of a role than the Hawks would have liked. Chicago killed five of six penalties in the game, and were able to convert one of five power plays. After an underwhelming preseason, the power play looked a lot better and Quenneville said he liked what he saw on the PP after the game.
Quenneville also admitted the Hawks stole two points, and referred to Thursday night as a “goalie win.”
Crawford bought his teammates 50 minutes to get their act together and they responded with a big road victory. The Hawks return home to open their home schedule against Buffalo on Saturday night.
Tab- TT gets the assist on Kane’s beautiful goal… that was the exact same move that TT used on King Henrik in NY!!!
Pokka-Pokka-Pokka-Pokka-Pokka
Q does not trust Runbad…
DickieD- that is an example of the Hawks being slower/older
Ok .Whew!…Sharpie!, Kane-o-rama, Crawford!! PP goal, come from behind, strong third period, no meltdown…what more could we ask..Happy Human!
Crawford was outstanding. He won this game hands down.
Runblad was useless. Carcillo was useless. And Morin showed get again why will forever live in Q’s doghouse and deservedly so. He will soon get the Jimmy Hayes exiled treatment and we can get a better fit up here with Nordstrom or even Danault.
Wow.
What a game by Crawford! If the Hawks can win games as sloppy and as unconvincing as this, look out!
Nice to get 2 points but I was truly hoping someone sent Rousell into the fourth row or he and Shaw had a rematch.
Obviously Crawford is the man. He stopped a lot of A-quality chances – a lot.
It’s only one game but I hope they don’t repeat the habit they had too often last season by getting off to a slow start in games. Part of it was Dallas team speed which gave the Hawks all they could handle last season too and it was exacerbated by the penalties which makes it hard to get into a 5v5 rhythm. But excuses aside, the Hawks need to start games with the same energy they find later in the game like they did tonight.
I thought TvR played well in limited minutes and for the 6:43 that Rundblad played I thought he did OK too – at least no glaring errors or misplays.
Saad has to think shoot first and pass only if necessary. I thought he passed up at least one good scoring chance by trying to make a difficult pass.
Morin can’t take bad penalties and expect to get a fair hearing from the court of Q. Even though I thought if it was even a penalty that Roussel should have gone too.
I despise Roussel. He is quickly getting to the top of the douchenozzle list.
2 points. All is well.
50 was great, and held up in the SO too. He’s 1st and 2nd star
no need to worry about the 3rd pair, cuz, we dont have one
Danault by Thanksgiving!!
Wall, maybe you’re right? But, it’s one game — I place no more weight on this than the Kings’ first game. (…maybe they’re older and slower?)
Roussel is a Flatlander.
So many guys were just bad. I don’t know if it was rust or just sloppy but eeeshhh. Oduya kept getting knocked off his skates. Couldnt clear the zone. Turning pucks over. Got outskated, outshot, outplayed….and yet they won.
It will interesting to see how much patience Stan has with Rundblad. Trent Yawney used to remind the media that the NHL is not a developmental league. Especially what is now the premiere franchise in all of hockey. To me you can’t just “give” a guy a spot. Not when you have NHL ready guys like dahlbeck and Brennan in Rockford.
Q said went w/ 3 lines, 2 D pairs b/c of penalties. “We took way too many penalties. Five in the first two periods so we got out of synch.”
And, has been overly discussed here, we don’t have the right players on the roster!!!
Saw the game tonight, wasn’t impressed with the first 2 periods. Finally picked it up in the third. If there was a Vezina to be rewarded after one game, I think Crow would get it. He played absolutely outstanding from start to finish. I hope he can maintain those types of games throughout the whole season especially with the rookie defenseman that are coming in with TVR, Runblad, Clendening? Johns? Speaking of Runblad, he was absolutely terrible tonight. I feel like he is making the same stupid mistake with judging when to pinch on the blue line and it would’ve cost them tonight if it wasn’t for Crows strong play. I was pleasantly surprised about how well Richards played. He is definitely a upgrade from Handzus that is for sure.
Roussel is such a tool especially when he took a run at Toews tonight. ER- I don’t know anyone else I hate more than Roussel…same list as Backes and Jackman in my opinion. I think it is clear that the Dallas Stars could be a major contender this year even though their blue line is a little weak.
May be it was just me, I thought Keith looked a little off defensively. He had a goal but I thought he may have been caught flat footed on a couple of plays. Kane getting it done in the shootouts, couldn’t be happier. Hope the Hawks were able to shake off the rust and will be ready to go against Buffalo. Don’t know if we should’ve won that game, but sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
Q- perhaps the Hawks are taking too many penalties…cuz THEY ARE being out-skated and chasing the Play??? ( just like in pre-season and PO’s vs. Wild- (younger and faster team???))
Runbad- why is he even on the roster if he is only going to skate 6 minutes???
The “Eye-test” tells me the same thing it was telling me the 2nd half of last year and in the Playoffs… the Hawks are being out Chanced (significantly) in scoring chances and in ODD-MAN rushes…Which is a HUGE problem-when they are supposed to be the Faster/elite team!!! a HUGE PROBLEM that if it continues- spells a very average to bad season…
It really seemed like the Stars had 7 skaters… when ever 1 Hawk forward had a clean fast entry… IT WAS ONLY 1 PLAYER… A juicy rebound would come out…and 3-4 Stars were there (where were the 2nd/3rd Hawk skaters)???
Sharp/Richards were pretty invisible in 5 on 5 play!!! (10 was only a factor on PP)
Crawford and the PP were about the only positives… PP did a good job of creating and taking advantage of shooting lanes that were there- neither happened much last year.
Hawks will have to infuse the roster with some Hogs sooner than later…
May as well trade Morin for a prospect now. Roussel took advantage of a kid on the edge. What sense does it make to keep him unless Q trusts him to chew up 10 or 12 minutes a night.
I am glad we won. I am happy that the Hawks showed no quit, particularly the first game. But I hope that last night is not the way it is gonna go this year again.
Relax everyone, it’s one game in a long season. Dallas is a good team in their home opener. They just need to gather points and keep improving though out the year. Bonus 2 points thanks to Crawford in this one.
Also, the lineup will change as guys play their way on and off the team. The good thing is there are options.
We looked terrible. Season is over. We got owned!!!!
Crow was great… (thank god)…
Wall, i’ll be right there with ya on the “A+ Chances” convo again… we gave up too many. Crow saved us tonight, but the D will need to tighten up or it will be a long year.
Although that said, its only game one… everyone is knocking off the cobwebs. I liked what I saw. We get an easier game tomorrow (and at home), so things should only get better for everyone (looking at 27 specifically, and the playing time for the bottom 3,4,5 guy). Its a long season… it will all be ok…
Before we get into any specifics, can we all just acknowledge how entertaining of a game that was. These two teams are fast and play the game in about the most exhilarating way possible.
I actually thought Runblad did some nice things, especially in front of his own net. He seems to be a pretty strong guy but he moves in slow motion which makes his board work relatively awful. He needs to shoot more and not take skating lessons from Brent Sopel.
Penalties were woof. While some (re: wall) want to blame it on aging and being slower, high sticks, crosschecks after the whistle, and offensive zone penalties while on the power play have nothing to do with team speed.
Crawford… pretty good. I can only imagine how much the fine folks here would be roasting him if he gave up that goal to Keith.
Roussel is awesome. He is such a penis and is so good at irritating people I can’t help but laugh at it.
I thought Keith had a pretty bad game and that’s a problem if he’s going to be skating 29+ minutes.
My Three Stars! (maybe I’ll try to add this as a normal recap item because you care)
1. Crow
2. Kane
3. Sharp
Wow that was an awful start. The first 30 minutes was pretty brutal. By the third period the Hawks owned the Stars. I guess they thought it was a sprint and not a marathon. Mt thoughts on the game as follows Toews and Crawford were ALL WORLD last night. I thought that TVR played pretty good and Rundblad not so much. Keith and Seabrook struggled and Hjalmarrson was pretty steady as always. I think the Hawks are still weak at centre as the two worst players last night were Richards and Shaw. Hossa was pretty much invisible til late in the third. Morin took a dumb penalty and got his butt stapled to the bench. Smith didn’t play that well and Bickell had a few good hits. Too bad it wasn’t Roussel (instead of Connaughton)that Bicks plowed into the boards.
Wall, their power play looked like a 5 on 3 for sure.
I don’t think anyone is panicking. The Hawks surely did NOT play their best game. But did Dallas play their best game? Or will their play improve as well?
I think what a lot of us don’t like to see is the same old, same old. Q’s lack of trust in the younger guys. The younger guys will abandon what they were drafted or traded for and play not to lose. As we all know, that is never a long term winning strategy. We had 3 player with sub 7 minutes, Dallas none. Wall is right, our guys are gonna be pooped come spring.
Otherwise, a win is a win is a win. We will take it. Our boys showed the grit that LA was unable to muster Weds night.
Go Hawks
A few more thoughts….
I wasn’t wild about Richards coming here and I’m still not wild about his addition. It is hard for me to see how he fits into the Q style of play. Plus his skating ability is such at this point that I really wonder. He’s only a one year rather cheap investment, but this bears watching.
Runblad isn’t a NHL player. He’s not. Bowman has an inexplicable fondness for a player who isn’t really a defensive player or a forward. Just get rid of him. The sooner the better.
Hawks struggled against teams who could skate last season, and stuggled again last night.
Morin has to go. He’s used up a lifetime of chances and it is clear that Q will never trust him, which to be perfectly honest I understand completely. If indeed we need to roll 4 lines, then the presence of Morin (and Carcillo) in anything but the 13 man role is not going to enable that.
TvR looked okay to me. I still don’t understand what he really is or what he can become. But he passed the game 1 test.
Johns and Danault need to get to Chicago very rapidly. Or at least Nordstrom. Danaul
A few more thoughts….
I wasn’t wild about Richards coming here and I’m still not wild about his addition. It is hard for me to see how he fits into the Q style of play. Plus his skating ability is such at this point that I really wonder. He’s only a one year rather cheap investment, but this bears watching.
Runblad isn’t a NHL player. He’s not. Bowman has an inexplicable fondness for a player who isn’t really a defensive player or a forward. Just get rid of him. The sooner the better.
Hawks struggled against teams who could skate last season, and stuggled again last night.
Morin has to go. He’s used up a lifetime of chances and it is clear that Q will never trust him, which to be perfectly honest I understand completely. If indeed we need to roll 4 lines, then the presence of Morin (and Carcillo) in anything but the 13 man role is not going to enable that.
TvR looked okay to me. I still don’t understand what he really is or what he can become. But he passed the game 1 test.
Johns and Danault need to get to Chicago very rapidly. Or at least Nordstrom who can skate and play a two way game.
Rufus- not that I disagree about Morin, but Q clearly “wants” Carcillo and skates him for less than 5 minutes. While I don’t disagree about it being clear that Q doesn’t trust Morin, he doesn’t trust a lot of people.
Sometimes you have to let players develop at the NHL level. That only happens when they are challenged.
Thank you Corey Crawford. Very strong play between the pipes. A game where your goalie bails out a weak team effort in the first 2 periods. Dallas is fast up and down their lineup. Really, really fast! Caused the Hawks all kinds of trouble. A good road win in that the Hawks weathered the early storm and then brought pressure in the 3rd .
I thought Morin got the short end of the stick with the penalty. Both players should have sat. Morin pushed off a player that was coming right at him to initiate the contact. Yes, it goes without saying that Roussel is a POS. Same with Garbutt. Nice cheap shot on 19 by Roussel that could have been a nasty injury to the Cpt. I liked that Sharpy came out at the beginning of the 2nd period drilling a few guys on the Stars. After what Benn did in the 1st on that one shift I liked seeing some physical response from a Hawks team that was getting knocked around like a rag doll in the 1st. To put Morin the doghouse would be wrong. Let the guy play a regular shift. I thought he skated well last night.
Kaner shootout goal gets highlight reel. Talk about a cool customer. The guy has sick hands. Yes, just like the TT shot against Rangers. Few players have those skills. Just think, if the Hawks can win 30% or more in shootouts where they might be in standings late in the year. That was such a problem last year.
You have to love Shaw. He really brings 100%, and has become a very important player to this team. Fearless.
Q plays a pretty short bench right out of the gate. If he won’t play Rundblad then get Dahlbeck up and give him some minutes. Can’t play with 5 d men.
PP looked dangerous last night and PK was good because of CC and some timely shot blocks. I like Ben Smith on the PK.
What a shame, Blues lost home opener. Ducks lose too. Looking forward to being at
UC Sat night.
As Wall and others have pointed out numerous times if Q won’t play 4 lines they ain’t winning a cup. They’ll make the playoffs and win a round or two but they’ll eventually run out of gas.
Its a shame because he has a group that should win more bit I don’t think it will. Unless he changes his ways.
We will probably see Cuminsky Saturday.
Don’t look for TvR or Cuminsky to be demoted anytime soon. Both would need to clear waivers and SB, at least, believes they would be claimed by another team. Runblad at this point is an experiment thrust on Q by SB. Q will respond by, well you all know.
Morin, not a lot to say. He got sucked in and brought his hands up. I still think he is a MUCH better player than Carcillo and Q should use him in that role. Carcillo can agitate. Morin can agitate and score a few goals for you.
Yeap, that is why everyone loves you Kaner!
The first goal was the bomb too! That line makes me so happy.
Sharp was shooting and shooting and shooting. It was only a matter of time.
Cro was fantastic. A couple times I thought he might leave the net for the puck but he didn’t. He was thinking about it, then he backed into the net perfectly.
Richards… Interesting, and not too bad at all, we will see if he can keep it up.
The third period was fun to watch.
Morin will be fine-this whole, he has blown all his chances is BS. The Hawks don’t have elite speed anymore, or at least some of the other teams have caught up and passed them. But when they combine the skill and confidence they are special. Totally agree about the 3rd pairing-TVR was OK but we need a bigger, stronger guy with half decent foot speed and vision (I think we have that don’t we?) with perhaps a TVR as 6 or better yet #7.
Thanks Crow.
Rufus- Based only on 1 game… I can see the skating of Richards being an issue too…
this is going to turn into Zus 2.0… I can see:
10/91/81 or 20/91/81 all over
29/19/88 and 29 won’t work hard all year to relevant here!!! so then what?
10/19/88
29/65/23 or 11 — but Q won’t skate 11 more than 8 minutes
and putting Smith there negates the 16 connection… and eliminates a “4th line”
Bottom line: they are going to need some rocket fuel from Hogs!!!
The breakaways, 2 on 1’s… are still trending in a bad way… and have been for a while… it is alarming to me!!!
The Hawks don’t have problems with teams that can skate, most teams can really skate in the NHL. It’s teams that are physical that the Hawks have problems with, most of the time. Last night was no exception.
The thing about the Hawks is that they almost play an oblivious style of hockey. They don’t get rattled, they try not to retaliate and they try to stick to their game. It’s like they almost try to ignore the fact that they are physically being beat up. I think that Sr. Brad said that it’s their “resiliency” that makes them so good. Teams try to run the Hawks through the boards and, most of the time, it just doesn’t work. Sooner or later our skill level takes over and the opposition is taking themselves out of the play to try and make a big hit.
Q had a couple of the kids on a short leash, which is his M-O. Let’s see how these young “D” kids come along in the first month. My guess is that by November, we may see Dahlback or Johns up here trying to making an impact.
Reg- yes that is the Hawks style… But when the D men wilt to the pressure (and the Forwards don’t help them breakout clean and smooth- ) … the Hawks end up coughing up 3 on 2’s in front of net… or a lot of SCORING CHANCES… cuz the forwards are leaning to the O zone..
and that IS related to HOW teams skate… cuz in order to get a great fore-check the other team has to be able to skate to put the pressure on D… Hawks beat Kings in 2013… cuz they had several injuries that slowed their skating=forecheck down to nothing + Hawks had 36/67 who are better skaters and more responsible than 2014 Hawk replacements… Kings were not injured in 14, + little improved= better forecheck and more Scoring Chances!!!
Dallas, Avs, Wild have some speed… and will generate more odd-mans vs. Hawks!
CC was the obvious reason we won that game. Hope all the haters remember games like this later in the year.
Shaw works his but off out there and still like him with Kane and Saad as he does give Kane more space just by the fact that he stands in front of the net and at least 1 dman must cover him.
TVR wasn’t bad but Runblad is a waste. Hope the kids learn fast in Rockford and we see some fresh blood on the blueline by midseason.
Q may have limited Morin’s time but at least the kid creates space and shoots the puck when he is out there. I still think he reminds me of a younger Sharpie.
Reg – You described the Hawks game exactly right, they play like a TIMEX – takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’
Runbad looks like a guy who has all the tools but can’t put them together. He can skate, he can pass, he can shoot but he can’t quite do it all at NHL speed. At this level it has to be instinctive and it looks like he is thinking for a beat before making his move (just like on the passed shot opportunity). Time for him to go.
TVR looked ok, like he said just trying to keep it simple. Everyone else looks like they are still shaking the rust off. Flashes of brilliance, some lapses, turning it on when necessary. All the other WC favorites dropped points and looked bad doing so (Kings, Avs, Blues, Ducks). Looking forward to hitting the UC on Saturday.
I think TvR will fit in nicely on this roster. The fact that Q barely used him in the first and he continued to get more ice time as the game progressed showed that he was doing things the coaches liked.
Rundblad….
Nailing it on the breakouts, Wall. How many times yesterday did we have to see the d-men passing the puck back and forth while there wasn’t a forward in the screen to help the breakout? This has been happening for years, I don’t understand why they can’t fix it.
It really aggravates me that Q does not give these young guys a shot. That begs the question, why do some guys get their shots? What was it about Kruger and Shaw that they got moved ahead of their draft classes getting opportunities to become successful members of the team. I like ’em both, Shaw more than Kruger, but how did they leap frog guys drafted before them? If they were so NHL ready why were they drafted lower than others but still get the chance.
All these young guys know if they make any mistake, they are sitting. Come on, let them play and develop. No one can perform well with someone constantly breathing down their neck. As for Morin, give him a chance.
Just an observation, I actually don’t believe Morin is a very good skater. He falls to the ice more than any other player on the roster. However, his results in Rockford earn him a chance to play at the NHL. But then again, the same could be said for many before him that Q did not give ample opportunity.
Looking at the minutes, as has been stated above, I hope Q does not burn out his roster like he did in 2011.
Some very good/astute comments here, but also some very “blind” remarks. The Hawks should have lost that game big time, we were totally outplayed, and two things gave us a chance to tie it…one, Crawford’s amazing night and two, the refs, who decided to “even up” the penalties in the 3rd period, when they really didn’t need to.
Some of you really liked that 3rd period huh? Thought the Hawks were dominating? The Stars were shorthanded for EIGHT minutes of the period and 4 on 4 for another 2 minutes. The Stars who were George Foreman to our Muhammed Ali (rope-a-dope, the dope being Q) simply ran out of gas late in the 3rd and in OT. But that is a team to look out for this season. Once Lindy teaches them how to win, that’s a team that will create leads and learn to hold on to them.
As Wall said, there are ALARMING traits that are now beginning to play out from last year. First, Q has lost all understanding of what 4 lines are for. Each plays a VALUABLE role, not are all designed to score, but they all need to take up their fair share of minutes to keep the top players fresh. It was NOT lost on me that Keith and Toews had substandard games last night, both playing big minutes. Why did we take penalties last night (and more could have been called)? Because right off the bat Q shortened his bench, DAL came out FAST and we were tired, trying to find our legs. Outside of Morin’s penalty (which was a ridiculous call by the refs, either its not a penalty or both players go as Roussel initiated contact after the whistle), we were caught running around trying to play catch up by hooking, clutching and grabbing…when have the Blackhawks EVER done this over the last 6 seasons??? Second, we are getting caught with 3 on 2’s, 3 on 1’s and 2 on 1’s WAY MORE than any team should, and we are supposed to be the fast, skilled team? Plus, how often are we creating odd man rushes? Only 2 seasons ago, the average Hawk rush was odd manned. Third, we are LOSING the puck possession game…teams are literally beginning to dominate us in TOP and how can that be with all of our speed and talent? Why? Because our defence generates turnovers less and less and less. Once teams have possession of the puck in our zone, it takes a CC save, a deflection or a goal to stop the whistle. We are NOT winning puck battles, and that was the trademark of the 2010 Cup winning Hawks. In a game of 65 minutes, TVR skated 11 minutes and Runbad skated 6. WTF? This is game one of an 82 game season. This is exactly when the minutes should be spread around so that the young players can learn. I am NOT a fan of Runbad, but the only way for him to develop confidence (which is his major deficiency, not talent, he’s got lots of that) is to f$cking play! He and TVR didn’t hit a soul out there…they never won a board battle, they never did a thing to disrupt DAL puck possession. Now, did either of them make any “big mistakes”? Of course not, they barely MOVED they were both so scared. You can’t win this way. Q cannot keep scaring kids out of their game by “stapling their asses” to the bench or sending them to Rockford every time they make a mistake. Now any of you Q lovers out there cannot even begin to defend this. Q, no one else, has created a climate of FEAR amongst his younger players, and that climate will only create more of the focus…fear = mistakes 100% of the time!
As Wall said, this is simply not the same hockey team from 2013. We have changed and it started with Bowman and Q. They have made this hockey team slower, weaker and dumber. Three weeks ago we had a roster that was the best in the NHL…4 lines and 3 D pairings brimming with chemistry and talent, with TONS of talented players waiting to get into the lineup. Now, Q puts Smith on the 3rd line with NO playing time with either Richards or Bickell and removed him from Kruger, who are like hand and glove? Bizarre? You bet…how about in preseason Q playing Richards with guys he will ACTUALLY LINEUP with in game one? Make sense? Morin should have been on that 3rd line with Bicks, as they have chemistry, Richards would have learned to play with both of them much more easily. And as for Kruger and Smith, they make our 4th line GO! They can give us 8-12 minutes a night EVEN WITH A LIFE PRESERVER on wing…they did it all last season with Bollig. But no, Q in his infinite wisdom wants to get tougher by skating Carcillo on the 4th line…WOW…he makes us SMALLER and WEAKER on defence and then dumps 2 forwards to make room for mighty “psychotic” mouse. Carcillo is NOT a big, intimidating player like Bollig or Scott may have been. He scares teams because he could do something STUPID in any moment. That’s not hockey, that’s visiting a psych ward! In game one of an 82 game season Q skated Carcillo 4 minutes. Wonder why the 4th line didn’t exist, didn’t get ice time?
In the 6 minutes that Jeremy Morin played he was fast, physical, created space and chances offensively and rock solid defensively. His penalty was to raise his arms while a guy skated into him AFTER the whistle, sorry, that’s not a penalty or a stupid play by a rookie. Morin needs to play. Next year Toews and Kane’s contracts kick in along with whatever deal we give Saad, WE NEED younger, faster, talented players to fill spots adequately if we are going to fit under the Cap. Morin, Dahlbeck, Clendening, Johns and even TVR need to play if we are going to transition smoothly next season!
Bowman waited and then dumped Leddy right before game one, so we have no chemistry or idea of our two bottom D pairings…BRUTAL. Q keeps TVR, Cumisky, Runbad and Rozcival as the 4 DMen to fill in the bottom 2 spots…overkill? Ineffective? Waste of Cap and Roster space? Yep, yep, yep, yep! How do you trade Nick Leddy and keep Rozy, while he’s injured, playing only 40 games a season? Bowman could have moved both Rozy and Versteeg with prospects and picks to make room on this team AND kept Leddy. That would have SOLIDIFIED our Defence in a year where we are trying to make another run at the Cup. Instead, its a SHIT SHOW, with no size, no strength and NO CONFIDENCE and how is that going to get better playing minuscule minutes. And remember, when Rozy comes back he’s NO ANSWER…he plays 1 out of every 2 games and his play has become an embarrassment.
Our BEST D prospect all through camp and preseason was Klas Dahlbeck. A big, strong kid who can kill penalties, has a big shot from the point, and is physical while staying calm/cool, but he’s in Rockford, WHY? We could have skated last night with 4 solid lines playing constant minutes and had a defence of Seabrook/Keith, Hammer/Oduya, Leddy/Dahlbeck with Runbad as the 7th DMan. Johns could have replaced Runbad by Christmas. That’s a hockey team that can win another Cup, the one we watched last night ISN’T, even with Crawford’s heroics, he can’t do that over 82 games and a playoff. And if that was Raanta in net last night, forget about it. We must roll 4 lines if we are going to win another Cup, to do that Kruger and Smith must skate together. Q’s decision to give Kruger, Carcillo and Morin, was just STUPID and they had half a practise all preseason to prep for this. DUMB! Dallas dominated us last night because they can skate, not because they were threatening to beat our heads in. Carcillo has NO SPOT on this roster, he does nothing to “protect” us or help us win. And until Q/Bowman fix these two glaring areas of weakness, we are going to CONTINUE this trend, not buck it. Right now, there is no answer to our not being able to roll 4 lines or Defensive problems, even if Rozy comes back, with this current lineup. And that’s on Bowman/Q 100%, not the players…how can any of us blame Runblad, TVR or Cumiskey for being asked to do things that they aren’t ready for?
Booman, Saad, Shaw and Kruger were all given chances because Bowman didn’t present Q any other reasonable alternatives…all 3 started very strong and they got the minutes as a result. When Shaw started to be inconsistent with his D zone positioning, Q sent him down to Rockford to work on his game. When Shaw came back he was even better as he got normal minutes.
Somehow, someway Q has taken offence to “all the young players” being sent his way by Bowman. He has shown ZERO patience with them, even Ben Smith. Smitty had to play lights out/perfect hockey before Q finally gave him regular minutes, and that was behind Zus and Bollig who were struggling! If you have youngster on your team you have to give them a game sampling and let them play…5 games, 10 games, whatever…but they play themselves on or off the roster. This game with Morin that Q has been playing will NOT end up telling us anything about him. At the end of last season, due to injury and desperation, Morin played consistently on the 3rd line and was our best forward down the stretch, Q’s seemed to forget as soon as the playoffs started and now into this season.
Tab, I think you are right. TvR was a sought after player like DeKeyser. But Runblad is strictly an SB play that will not last long. And the Hawks can demote him anytime.
I am hoping Cumiskey plays in place of Runblad tomorrow. They are afraid Cumiskey might get picked up if he has to clear waivers to go to Rockford. Give his a few games. Plays well, great. Does not do so well….place him on waivers and call up Dahlback
Well said Booman regarding roster burnout. Teams are set up to be like a team of horses pulling a big wagon. Strong leaders up front need those in back to be there so the team can pull without tiring. Hawks have an exceptionally strong core. We need them to be at their best when its time to cross the finish line. This was a huge problem imo last year, and the blame falls squarely on the shoulders of the coach. That said I am a fan of Q, but sometimes I question the method to the madness. Of course, his record speaks for itself, but there should have been another Cup on the resume at the end of last year.
While Brad Richards is not the skater he used to be he IS quicker than Zus was last year. Of course that isn’t saying much given how horribly reduced Zus was up and down the ice. Is Richards a second line center? Not sure, but like others have mentioned Shaw centering Saad and Kane is a fun line to watch. They cause some real problems for opposing teams. Too early to tell about Richards after just one game, especially when Hawks just played a very fast team.
The Hawks are not built to be a physical team. The roster though has some stronger guys that can take the body like Bickell and Saad that don’t do it enough. The D corps we all know are built to be mobile and stick check guys except for Seabs. Perhaps TvR can provide some or whomever plays on the 3rd pairing. SB believes this roster is built to contend for a Cup. I love the Timex reference and it really says a lot about how patient this team is. Opposing teams have tried to beat the Hawks up for years and in the end it has not succeeded for the most part. LA prevailed due their relentless pressure…..barely.
If the Hawks stay healthy good things should happen.
Lets Go Hawks!
Good to be back and seeing all you boys’ opinions again in print. Glad everyone has answered the bell after a good long summer. Concur on all best points made here:
2, 7, 4, and 27 are all one year grayer than before and we can’t go all season w/ four D men. 57 passed the first game test, 5 did not. Crow was excellent, but you can’t expect him to bail out this club every night like that. If last night’s game were played a few weeks from now after CC has had 15 starts, it would have been a 6-2 Dallas win. “Richards is Zeus 2.0″….hmmm, could be true but let’s give the guy a chance. Remember the scene in Rudy where the kid goes in to Parseghian’s office and the coach tells him “I wish I could put your heart into to some of my other players’ bodies”. I wish we could put Shawsie’s heart into Bickell’s big dumb body.
The team isn’t that different from last year. I don’t undstand the posts about the team being “slower & dumber” than last year.
I think the biggest issue is the lack of trust Q has in a 4th line. Needs to be fixed.
Brad, how exactly did moving one player result in going from the best team in the NHL to a shit show as you put it? It’s the first freaking game of the season. Yeah, they probably should have lost, but they didn’t. Mind you, basically this same team (minus two contributors one of whom was an extra in The Walking Dead) came one overtime goal away from the SC Final last year. How quickly we go from one goal away to the sky falling.
I agree with Craig’s comment: the NHL is not a development league. If Runbad and TvR aren’t ready they aren’t ready and they are going to get eaten alive at this level if put out there to “learn.” And then the howl of complaints will start about why Q is leaving these guys out there who aren’t ready.
And who exactly was going to take dead weight Rosy and Versteeg without emptying out the entire defensive corps at Rockford?
I think we all need to pump the brakes a bit. Those old/slow/too many chances Blackhawks were a bounce of the puck away from repeating as Champions last year.
fwiw, Dan Boyle’s out 4-6 weeks w/ a broken hand suffered last night. NYR in the market for help on the blue line.
I agree with most of your post SrB except the the Poor play of Toews (watch the game again and see how dominate he was with the puck). and the fact that Chicago only dominated the third because of penalties. Not true, even on the 4 on 4 it looked like the Hawks were on a power play.
I give the Stars much credit as they do have a fast team and they came out like demons but they could not keep up that intensity for a full 60 minutes and it will be very rare for a team to do that. The Hawks weathered the storm (believe me i thought they stunk in the first 40min) but that third their skilled players simply took over and it was dominate.
I grow weary of the usual suspects claiming a 700 win 2 Cup Champion head coach doesn’t give young players a chance. Explain Hjalmarsson, Leddy, Crawford, Niemi, Saad, Kruger, Shaw, Smith, Bickell the last 6 seasons under his tenure.
Maybe just maybe Morin sucks sh!t just like Jimmy Hayes sucked sh!t and one of the greatest coaches in the modern era of the game doesn’t suffer sh!t.
And we all knew Leddy was likely to be traded. And I just love how the highly effective Oduya keeps getting subliminally ripped by the usual suspects.
The first 5 games or so, every tea is getting ‘up to speed’ so I am looking to deep into the details of anything. Some yrs you start 6-0 and some 2-3-1, its just the way it goes, when getting the engines warmed up. What has been quite amazing is how well we have started seasons record-wise since we have had our team. Not counting ’08 (since we didn’t have a full roster yet) since ’09 we started
1st 5or6 games20-8, 20-8, 8-9, ?, 21-0-3, 30-8
The sch. makers might have done their best job in 5or6 yrs. The sch. is spread about as good as it could be. Should have more/Just have only 4 games in first 13days of season, 15 backers (not sure how many other teams have/don’t have…) and the only thing thats not cool the last 3 wks , 12 games in 22 days right before the playoffs.
We do seem to be taking a lot from one game, but the Wild might go 82-0 with that display last night.
We have to get a sample before making too many assumptions…while I question Bowman more than other summers…I wonder if the stockpile of D-Men is to flip them quick (as in early this season) to get additional assets and let the youngsters play. As Tab pointed out, NYR has a need and some other teams might like a 5th or 6th or even 4th Dman soon enough. We will have to see.
Riddle me this…… Carcillo is on the roster to keep teams from taking liberties….. Explain then how Roussell was allowed to run at everyone all night…..???
Thanks Mo. Here is some more info you touched on.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/puck-daddy/winners-and-losers-in-2014-15-nhl-schedule-traveling-145923098.html
What an interesting game, a couple of questions come to mind. When did the Hawks get slow? Dallas out skated them for most of the game last night. The Hawks are going to need to realize they are not the young high flying kids anymore. They got out skated by Minny last season in the playoffs and got out skated last night too. It will be interesting to see how the organization responds.
Crowford haters,…..anything to say today? Is Crow a top 10 goalie in the league? Its debatable but if he isn’t a top ten goalie he sure is close. What a great win for him especially early and in the shootout.
Brad Richards,…not a good 1st game, he looked slow and old. Speaking of slow and old Hossa, did he play last night? Outside of a bad tripping penalty I didn’t think he had a good night either.
Runblad; I cant see this guy sticking around too much longer. If he shy on contact and can’t be counted on his own end what exactly is he bringing to the table. He had a few really bad turnovers in his own end. I think most of us on here ID that this 3rd pair is going to be interesting and last night was interesting.
Jamie Benn OMG what a MONSTER!
one more riddle – Why Jamie Benn did not take a shot in shoot-out? Very odd choice of shooters by the Stars…….
Rufus- Leddy, Saad, and Smith all forced themselves into the lineup due to injury. Q originally sent them down. DAN CARCILLO MADE HIS LINEUP OVER BRANDON SAAD. Niemi and Crawford? Better than Huet and Turco. Not very hard to make that decision.
Make up your damn mind Rufus. You talk about Johns/Clendening/Dahlbeck all deserving a shot over the people on the third defensive pair and that the people Q is dressing are awful. Think about what I just said. The people Q is dressing. Say it again. The people Q is dressing.
That posted before I typed this…
1st 5or so games plenty/enough games in
’09 1-2-2 20-6-7
’10- 3-1-1 23-8-3
’11 8-9-2 20-14-3 (only yr we didn’t have depth)
’12 3-1-1 21-8-4
’13 6-0-0 21-0-3 (smashed 16game record by 8 games)
’14 3-1-1 20-4-4
Phil,
that’s right about the hit from behind on Tazer and the numerous calls they let them get away with (that’s a bs penalty on 11). Their shouldn’t EVER be home ice referring. Yea, we gat half of the SO we were 1/2-seed. I think we get more then half this time.
Mike,
we could ltir 23 and bring up any of the waiver exempt D men for a few games.
“some rocket fuel from Hogs” I think 44/34 & 86 will be here for 2nd 40games.
Three weeks ago our roster looked unbeatable, now we have gaping issues, because the 2 issues are not being able to roll 4 lines and only capable of skating 2 D pairs consistently. Now, how did this come about? ONE, SB traded Leddy and kept Rozy…and TWO, SB/Q signed/started Dan Carcillo on the 4th line. On top of that, Q broke up Kruger/Smith off the 4th line last night. That’s it…this is why we are all talking about this. Not the fault of the players and not the fault of the Asst. Coaches or the Player Personnel guys. This is a self created problem by Bowman and Q. Carcillo should not be in the lineup. As Joey put it so well, Carcillo’s “presence” did NOTHING to stop Roussel from running at the Hawks, including Toews who he just missed from injuring. Bollig didn’t stop this, neither will Mashinter. NHL players need to take care of themselves and the Refs have to enforce the rules. Think of it, we could have TT and Morin playing right now with Versteeg injured. Those would be 4 outstanding lines that all could take serious minutes. Take Carcillo off the roster, reinstate either TT or Regin and one problem is SOLVED.
The 2nd problem CANNOT be easily addressed now that Leddy is gone. I noticed what Tab commented on about TVR’s ice time last night, but it was still only 11 minutes and he didn’t hit a soul or win a puck battle. I don’t mind building with TVR, but how many TVR-like DMen do we now have on the roster? How many Seabrooks do we have? Q wants toughness so bad on this team, he went ahead and gave a roster spot to Carcillo, then he fields a bunch of softies on defence? Rufus, you can’t have it both ways? If you put TVR with Hammer, you just hope that TVR settles in and becomes more physical in his own zone. But a 3rd pairing with Oduya and the other 3 is a nightmare. Did anyone notice how “unwell” Oduya played last night? I have said many times that I noticed a drop off in Oduya’s game last year. He’s undersized, a year older, coming off a broken bone in his foot and he’s being paired with Runbad, Cumisky and Rozy? As I said last week, not one of those 3 names could make the starting lineup on any other team, but they are in CHI because of Q and SB.
Klas Dahlbeck had the best camp and preseason of all the Hawk prospects and that includes TVR. Dahlbeck also fits a need for this team…SIZE and STRENGTH, plus he’s a safe, stay-at-home type. Dahlbeck next to Oduya and Hammer with TVR with Rozy backing up is the best that we can do right now until Johns is ready in a couple of months. I don’t know where else to deflect the responsibility Rufus from Q and SB?
Sr. Brad and Phil, I am on the same page as both of you. It was just one game, but we are talking about the propensities of the coach to do what he did in 2011; play his top players heavy minutes. His reluctance to play some of the talent in Rockford is his issue. Don’t tell me it is the cap!!! Cumiskey and Runblad are less than 1.2Mill in cap. Carry 7 dmen instead of 8. Other hockey people passed on these guys, we should have also. I will give TVR some slack because of his injury.
I hate to say it, but you almost want to see an injury so we can see some of these HIGHLY TAUGHTED prospects get ice time on the NHL level. What’s with using all these retreads? That is not getting better, that’s b.s. Cumiskey, Runblad, Carcillo, Mashinter. Then again, if there is an injury in the forward ranks, we’ll bring back Zus or Sopel and say they know our system or some other crap. Runblad, Carcillo, Mashinter, & Cumiskey are really cheap so that is understandable given the Cap debacle. However, I have to blame Bowman for that as he has managed us into this debacle…now get us out of it. Settling on CHEAP does not make us better.
One game or not, we are NOT fielding our best roster and that is the concern to the die hard hockey fans on here that see the b.s. that is going on between Q & SB. We have an obscene amount of talent on this roster and we have a window to win cups. We just don’t want to see that get f’d by poor decision making that is obvious.
We won in 2013 by playing a good defensive game, a puck possession game, and a shot limiting game. We did not do that last year! Why? The team was not drastically different from year to year. If the team played like that and Crow played like he did last night, no one stops us.
Last night the Hawks looked slow because they were on their heels and chasing, credit Dallas for that. The Hawks held a 1-0 lead but it did not feel like a lead, again credit Dallas. With the score 2-1 the Hawks were playing from behind, Dallas was in command of the game, Hawks gave them no reason to stop being physical. Morin, Runblad, TvR played like they were one mistake away from benched.
This is not Blackhawk hockey
Puck possession and an early lead will do more to curtail the physicality of the opponent. Playing NOT TO LOSE will get our young prospects nowhere.
Everything everyone has said and more…….Crawford was GREAT, no one got injured, many Hawks were schooled last night and we still came away with 2 points. Lesson learned. Can’t wait for tomorrow night
I take it all back. The sky is falling, the sky is falling.
Phil,
that 3yrs of backers chart/list shows which teams the league sch. makers bias lies.
Most backers
NJD-55
BUF-53
CLB/CAR-52
TOR-51
CHI-50
Least backers
WIN/CAL/COL-32
LOS-33
TAB-34
SAN/EDM-35
NAS/MIN-37
ARI-38
DAL-39
ANA/VAN/NYR-40
DET-41
That’s a 9-23game difference in backers (over 3yrs). Very interesting we are the only campbell conference team in the teams with the most backers those 3yrs.
Guys, as was stated before, this is only one game. I think that this team just needs to find its chemistry with each other. As far as Carcillo is concerned, I know everyone hates him and questions why he is on the team. Q probably knows something we don’t. He is probably a good locker room guy. In my opinion, he is one of those goons that can actually play hockey when he isn’t doing dumb shit. He is not like George Parros or John Scott who can fight and do nothing else. I know some/most of you might not agree with me, that is fine. All I am saying is there is a reason why he is on this hockey team that 99% of us don’t know. I am going to have to trust Q with his lineup decisions. Hope he can find a way to trust all 4 lines.
As far as the Hawks looking slower…stop it. Everyone was talking about how the Hawks was looking so much slower than the Dallas Stars. The Stars were arguable one of the faster teams last year, not to mention the fact they brought on speedsters like Patrick Eaves this year. The first half of the season might be a little rough with the rookie D-Men and getting the right line combinations. Q will figure it out. If we need to get a veteran to come on in to make this team better, Bowman will trade for one. However, I am sure the Hawks will bring up some guys later in the season to see what they can do but I can see them trying to make this roster work for this year.
I think we are pretty much the same team as last year…you know the same team that was one goal away from going to the Stanley Cup. As far as the Hawks being a shit show, that is kind of a little far fetched. If you want to see a shit show, look to the Sharks or Canucks who are struggling to find their identity. As more games are played, things will start to settle in.
Boo – the Hawks were #2 in the league in Fenwick and Corsi % last year. They were 3 and 4 in the same stats the year they won the cup. So basically they were the same team from a possession and shot differential perspective from one year to the next. How is it that they played so differently from last year to the year before?
I’ll say it again. One overtime goal away from the final last year and the team has gone off the rails and turned into a tire fire? I don’t get it.
Srbrad,
I think that’s what we do too. 44 is better right now & have 57 split w 32. These guys (57/26/5) are here for a tryout in NHL games/experience to see how they do (over 5-10games…) and which one stays when 44 & 34 up.
Plus I think we add a good Dman at deadline.
Whoever said we might flip some Dman once we figure out who we want to keep when 44&34 are up-in lineup, I think that too.
This passage was from Booman…
“One game or not, we are NOT fielding our best roster and that is the concern to the die hard hockey fans on here that see the b.s. that is going on between Q & SB. We have an obscene amount of talent on this roster and we have a window to win cups. We just don’t want to see that get f’d by poor decision making that is obvious.”
This is EXACTLY how I feel. I don’t want to blame anyone, I don’t want to not trust in Q or SB, but last season cast huge doubts about the Mgt and Coaching on this team, and game one lived up to it…
Whats pretty funny is that hawks tried to roll 4 lines at the beginning of the game and looked slow and sloppy so Q trimmed lines. By the end of the game Dallas was gassed even though they skated their lines a lot more evenly than Q. After seeing the first 10 mins I was thinking there is no way dallas can keep this pace up the whole game. Thank Crow he single handedly weathered the Dallas 2 period storm. The Hawks didnt win, Dallas lost.
Section 333…What about their GAA? That’s more important that those stats isn’t it? The AV’s, I believe, weren’t very good in those stats and they one the division. Section 220.
won the division…
Well the cats out of the bag. I’m in 231 last row up where the sign says 231. Looking forward to the game tomorrow.
Lets Go Hawks!
And how did that work out for the Avs in the playoffs?
BTW, is a middle of the pack GAA more important when you are second in the league in GFA?
I don’t get the pessimism. Yes, someone needs to step up and fill a role. Could be TvR, could be Cuminskey, could be Dahlbeck or Johns or Danult or Rasmuessen. Who knows but it sounds like some are ready to write off the sesason following Leddy’s departure (who if I remember correctly, everyone was ready to write off mid-playoffs last year). Let’s all step away from the ledge and try to enjoy the home opener tomorrow.
Sr. Brad……….come off the ledge, bro…….LOL……….I get it, we all get it………I can feel your frustration, but hold on a minute. If anyone thinks that this team that was on the ice last night is going to be the same team that hits the ice around mid-November you’re all crazy. After a couple of games, teams are already piling up injuries. Players will be moved, demoted to Rockford and some even LTIR.
The luxury that the Hawks have is the ability to bring up confident players from Rockford and plug some holes and, hopefully, not miss a beat.
Although I was concerned about too many odd man breaks, a lot of our problems were position related (on ice position) and not simplifying our game when we needed to. But in the end our resiliency paid off!! We never backed down, we didn’t take stupid penalties and we stuck to the game plan.
Let’s see where this roster is around Thanksgiving……………..
Any chance you can limit the responses of certain people that insist their responses/ ideas are that of GOD himself? Two months ago you said the cup was all our’s, now after one game, hawk’s suck. PLEASE go get an general management job with any one of the many franchises that are lusting after your services, their must be plenty. I now have carpal tunnel from scrolling over your paragraphs of mind-less chatter. Somebody had to go, Leddy worked best for the cap. Leddy was also the least physical player on the team.If you think their is no place in hockey for physical play then go back and watch what the Kings did in front of the hawks net last series. Your doubts about this franchise are well documented, Q and both Bowmans suck according to you so let’s see how well this team does this season and if by some miracle you are correct and hawks are not deep in the playoffs I’ll be the first to apologize. Keep in mind how bad the hawks will be this year according to your HIGNESS
Excuse me, your HIGHNESS.
The gloves are coming off now. How many times is Sr. Brad going to rip Johnny Oduya?!? The same Johnny Oduya who formed one of THE best defensive pairings in the entire NHL alongside Nik Hjalmarsson in 2013-14. Nick Leddy was the logical guy to be traded this offseason. I said it the second the season ended, yet Sr Brad and his dwindling band of followers screamed that no way Leddy would be traded. Well guess what, Oduya is staying for one more season and thank GOD for that. Oduya is immeasurably more valuable to the Hawks in his final season of his contract than Leddy could ever hope to be.
Morin? He’s done in Chicago for all intents and purposes. And thank GOD for that too because he’s had more chances than the number of donuts Rosie O’Donnell consumes in a year. And that folks is a sh!t ton ! Morin can’t play within this system. Let him go grab minutes with all the other ex-Chicago misfits toys down with the Florida Panthers.
I’m guilty of being frustrated and pissed about Versteeg, Runblad and Cumiesky. But like some of you suggest there no doubt will be some course corrections coming in terms of the talent on this roster after 10 games or so. Clendening, Johns and Danault can’t get here soon enough. I put Teuvo in a different category from that, but I’d imagine he will eventually be here too. Especially since I have a growing feeling that Brad Richards is going to be a dud.
I’m trying to imagine what this site would look like had they lost last night. Mercy!
I liked HIGNESS better :)
Blackhawk fans ( pretending to be ) being outraged after one game. Huh? Oh yah, we won the game and the high flying much touted Stars managed to get 2 goals, but our D sucks and our stars are no good, not even Keith and Toews for cripes sake. Plus we have gone all troglydite because Q is soooo old school with the enforcer crap thus negating our ability to defeat much superior teams such as the Dallas Stars. Poor Stan is bald because he has ripped his hair out trying to offset all the counter moves by Q. Reality check…we won the game with grit and skill and never give up…this is the Blackhawk team that we all know, the underdogs against Boston, the spirit that beat the Red Wings…I believe this is a great team for these things and that is a rare thing to have.. and the final score was 3-2 for the good guys just in case you forgot that fact.
Hey, how ’bout those Bears? LMAO. Bottom line, we all love talking Blackhawk hockey. No better game in town and no better sport in the world. And, we have a contending team and most likely the best team. Go Hawks!!!
OK ..let me re-phrase and clarify….hockey fans are always being outraged by something or other, or at least pretending to be. We are all true blue Blackhawk fans, some more outraged than others. We won against the high flying and retooled and much touted Dallas Stars, who managed 2 goals. Our D is being criticized, but we won. Keith and Toews are even criticized, but we won. Q is criticized, but we won…well you get the picture…this is the underdog team that beat the Bruins and the insurmountable Tukka Rask with grit and determination. This is the team that beat Detroit when it appeared over. That is what I saw in that opening game. The heart and the determination, the never say never is back and that is huge. Also, this is not Olympic hockey with all its political correctness…we need that guy on the bench thats a missle, even if its in the silo for now, during the regular season if we are to get into the playoffs with some of our star players. I like what I saw and don’t forget…we won 3-2.
— OVER reaction. It’s not unusual (Tom Jones) here…in fact, it’s commonplace. It’s essential. It’s rampant. At times, it approaches ridiculous and humorous. Often, it’s entertaining.
One game and the back and forth has already returned…what the hell would have happened if the Hawks lost.
WTF is wrong with you people. This is a free fucking country. If someone wants to state their opinin then they are entitled. If you don’t want to read their stuff then turn the fucking channel or skip the paragraph. Jax is fucking idiot who doesn’t contribute a thing and Rufus bitches about everything without any facts and always get things wrong. I just skip past idiots like this. This sr. brad was in the fucking nhl, his information is better than any paid blcakhawk columnist, so if he wants to blog here for free, let him and those that don’t like it (why?) then shut the fuck up so we can all read this stuff an learn about what’s really going on. I have always liked coach Q but his decisions last season cost the hawks a cup, and now as sr. brad shows it, he’s doing it again. WTF has gone wrong with this guy?And anyone who trades Nick leddy and leaves us with Rozival, Cumisky, Runblad adn van riemsdyck has lost their senses.
So many people here just bitch and complain, allow those who actually have good information/ideas to state their opinions, most of the shit posted here is worhtless crap, life Rufus dumbass. How about everyone just comments on hockey and leaves the others posters out of it okay?
ALL HALE —KING BASH!!!!
There are those with independent thoughts and the rest of the masses are sheep that can only blindly follow. Which one are you?
Good coaching by Q. Think about it. His stars are rested and they don’t play again until tonight so they have lots of time to recover from all the ice time he gave them this game. The first game of the season is just as important as the home stretch when fighting for position. Two points is two points. He won’t be doing the same thing in back to back games or busy stretches of schedule.
King Bash, “anyone who trades Nick leddy and leaves us with Rozival, Cumisky, Runblad adn van riemsdyck has lost their senses.” — I am not trying to initiate a fight or conflict, but do you understand the Cap situation? Significant $$ had to go, and other factors (for example Rozsival’s age, limited move contract, health history, and salary make him practically untradeable, the others you mention wouldn’t clear enough Cap space, and van Riemsdyk may have a real future in Chicago) limited Stan Bowman’s options. On that, remember it takes two willing partners to make a deal – Leddy undoubtedly drew the most interest because of his age and upside.
I respect Sr. Brad’s opinion (and experience) and enjoy reading his contributions (and occasionally exchanging thoughts with him), but it is still just one point-of-view…just like those of Rufus and Jax, on whom you pass derogatory judgment.
I liked coach Q, as well, and agree that his decisions last season cost the Hawks a cup, or at least a major factor. Stan Bowman isn’t perfect, but all things considered, he’s done a great job, in my opinion.
PuckLogic – correct concerning stars and ice time, for one game or when necessary, however, Q should limit that strategy = consider cumulative impact – it’s a LONG grind and players do wear-down.
Home Opener – GO HAWKS!!
I don’t comment on here because of all the negative posters, but I do read it regularly as Tab, Brad Wall others provide tons of great info. So for those trying to bully Brad and others off the site FUCK OFF!
As Kingbash said, let’s just focus on hockey and leave the personal names out of it. I want to be able to continue reading the info on this site. A lot of the comments here are worthless but there are a number of guys, like Phil, who go to games and have an excellent incite in things. I live in Rockford and go to a lot of the Hog games, so it is going to be very exciting year here as the Hogs are loaded with talent and we finally have good goaltending since Corey left.
Thnaks Wall, I love reading your comments
Once again I will state my opinion if it’s OK – we do NOT need to win the President’s Cup. Playing young players now so they can be ready for the stretch run and playoffs – in my opinion – is the way to be successful.
Everyone has opinions and this site is one of the best to read to hear different insights into the same game I just watched. I value Sr. Brad’s writings, Rufus’ opinions, MO, BOO, ER, JS, noonan, wall, TimG, Phil, DD and mostly I find I agree with Reg Dunlop.
But weather I agree with what you write or I think you watched a different game than I did — it’s all about what I want to read about, talk about, argue about, — what I love —- BLACKHAWK HOCKEY.
Thanks Tab for giving us all the space to let it all out, GO HAWKS!
NYET! There is no opinion allowed. There is only truth. My truth. Get in line or go to gulag … if only I could be king of the world things would be much better :)
Hopefully the Hawks trounce the lowly Sabres… and things look better…
Still my concerns have been how The Hawks have been giving up more odd-mans than getting (dating back to last 1/3 of last year), a lot of times they are a result of turnovers, or Forwards leaking out early/far… but regarding the latter… You would think they would get their fair share of 3 on 2’s and 2 on 1’s (and they didn’t)… I know it’s 1 game,,,but was really surprised when the Hawks had that quick break out and clean shot 1 on 1…The next three skaters showing up/chasing the FAT rebound were all Green/Stars???
Perhaps- Hawks were just doing a lot of line changes on those breakouts (cuz Q was using short bench)
Perhaps- Q is/was preaching D/coverage 1st/foremost- details… (of course if that were the case- why did they allow so many odd-mans/break-aways)- so No!
Perhaps- The Hawks were/are flat/slow
M5,
just about everyone feels that way about this blog-site, like the regulars here are part of a roster and we all have different skill sets/good at what were good at. Thanks for including me on your list it made me feel good when I saw my name on the board.
PL, DD & M5,
yea I think Q is going to do that when the sch. gets more consolidated (not just backers).
Q makes some decisions based on the sch. and we only have 4games in first 13days. I heard him say this wk twice now that ‘that will get us going/started’ in regards to certain core guys min. & ‘putting these young Dmen in positions where they can be successful ‘ in regards to their min./playing time. So, based on that and the sch. the first 4games I think Q is going to do about the same thing (wo so many 2min box) with the min. as he did for that one.
Then after the first 4games/13days I think Q gets the min./young players more spread to all of our liking. Then, I am thinking Q gets 4 lines arranged when 23 is back and 11/13 split games. Until 86 (your my boy blue) gets here and our lines get even stronger. That’s when I would like 11/13/12 be the depth FW.
Lots of things to go threw during season & this is just the beginning of it. One thing at a time. No hurry no worry.
M5,
PS don’t forget RyanDale hes on this blogs roster to, eh.
Game 1 of 82 + games and the entertainment value is through the roof-I love the passion and yes we all have the right to voice what we need to (the how sometimes gets a bit much)-
-if you give it out to others you can expect to get it back
-if we all agreed it would suck!
-we’re fortunate to love a great team and organization
I anticipate Rufus reading up, telling us how he is too good for this website, and that he’ll never be back, only to see him the following week.
I actually like Rufus and find him to be a pretty valuable contributor if for nothing else than to stir the shit. Does it drive me crazy that he never backs up his opinions with anything of weight or that he won’t engage in an actual discussion? Kind of. But I like him regardless.
Hogs4Ever- now that you’ve admitted to going to a lot of Hogs games, you’re stuck contributing. Wall (amongst others, but still more than anyone) needs information on TT. Contribute!
I am an infrequent poster but frequent reader an enjoy the recaps and insight this group brings to the table. I don’t quite get the apoplectic replies but I guess that’s the inter webs. It is nothing if not entertaining though. Go hawks.
Fat and Slow? …you should see what Leaf fans say about Phil Kessel….now thats a team you could legitimately carp on and on about, that is if you have anything left to say after all those years…we are definitely not fat and slow.
yea but the big fat and slow guys in nhl94/easports can really bomb it from the point. They didnt score many but ohh when they did, you can just feel every one.
Instead of bashing things I want to praise why the past few years have been great.
This team is not perfect, which is what I love. While winning the cup last year would have been great, was it a fun final to watch against the Rangers? Probably not. Look at the successes and failures recently.
2014, we lose in OT to the Kings. Heart breaking
2013, we win the cup, going from 1 goal down to 1 goal up in under 17 seconds. I personally was mental y preparing for game 7. Cardiac arrests for all to be had.
2013, Game 7 OT winner after being down 3-1 to the Red Wings. Another amazing high!
2013, we set the record for most games without a regulation lose to start the season. Each game had amazing anticipation behind it.
2012, OK, I kinda want to forget the game 6 loss to the Coyotes in the first round but the OT win in game 5 felt amazing.
2011, Game 7 OT loss to the Canucks in the first round. Plus they make it to the finals. Heart breaking.
2010, Winning the Cup for the first time since 1961. Amazing feeling. Top it off, OT in game 6 after giving up a tying goal part way in the 3rd. Better yet, on a shot no one saw go in. I can tell you my reaction to Kane’s reaction was priceless!
2010, Game 5 against the Predators when Hossa takes a 5 minute major at the end of the game. We trail with no hope in sight but Seabs shoots and Kane puts in the rebound. I think my neighbors heard me yelling in pure delight. Top that off with Hossa getting the game winner right after coming out of the box.
I could go back to 09 but you get my drift. Nothing with our Hawks is ever given except for the fight they give. I love them because they are NOT perfect. I love them because they are AMAZING to watch. They give me heart attacks as well as heartaches.
While Q may choose a line up we disagree with one thing is certain. While 19 is the Captain of this team they always have a chance.
Would you want this team to be a given winner every night? I know I wouldn’t. I love that we are not perfect.
/end memory lane
100.
Mike 57, thanks for the nice comments. Sr. Brad is the authority because I believe that he is an ex-NHL player from way back, so I, like you, always read what he says. I don’t always agree with him, but I read what he says……LOL.
After a day to think about it, I watched the game 3 times and really liked our “resiliency”. Dallas threw “EVERYTHING” at us, including intimidation and a line drive off of Daley’s stick that was a play that only a hockey player could make and we still WON THE GAME. Crow had to stand on his head but he is part of this TEAM, too. There are nights when he has to be better than others and we will have to rely on him. He gets paid around $7mil a year, he better be there when we need him.
As far as the rest of the team, they were “mediocre” at best. Some guys were not good at all. But every team is going to throw their best at us every night. Some games we will win, some we will lose. But I would rather be the Hawks than any other team in the league. We seem to learn by our mistakes and make the correct roster / line up moves to correct the problems.
Our depth is what separates us from the other teams.
Great shot by Kane in the shootout. Dallas and their goalie will remember that play. I missed the first two periods and I watched the third, OT and shootout. IMO Kane’s the best player on the team. Also BRING TT UP NOW. WHAT ARE THEY WAITING FOR.
I don’t post a whole lot but I am on here every single day to hear what everyone has to say and enjoy all the comments and agree with some and not others but I really appreciate a lot of the news especially the preseason stuff from all the prospects. I’m glad to see the Rockford fans on here and wait info they can pass on to us as I can watch the Hawks and make opinions but don’t get to see the future stars. Keep the news coming boys I will be reading. Go Hawks!!!
JS- here is the News on TT,,,
TT is faster than 91
TT is younger than 91
TT is a lower cost than 91
Keeping TT and not signing Richards- would have left the Hawks a Million $$$ closer to keeping Leddy this year (and more importantly… not skating Runbad)
I don’t have anything against the guy, but 5 needs to be switched. Its like hes getting tackled by Posluszny out there.