Friday, December 25, 2009

And We're Back...

Okay, so it's been a while, I realize. Two posts ago, I was pondering whether or not the Blackhawks would keep Kane, Toews, OR Keith, as if not all would stay. Thankfully, a sports organization actually did what I wanted them to, they signed a strong, young nucleus of great players by keeping all three. Since that time, the Blackhawks have proven themselves quite capable of being considered a top-tier team in the NHL.

As we near the midway point of the NHL season, the Blackhawks still sit at the top of their division. They boast quite a few victories over some real contenders. In this list include the Flames (twice; once coming from behind by 5 GOALS!), the Sharks (twice; at one point during one of the games, the Blackhawks led 7-0), the Penguins, and the Kings. Sure, the Blackhawks lost to the Kings once (in a shootout) and the Sharks once (by a goal), but the 'Hawks have looked impressive.

The Blackhawks have really been sporting a one-two punch in net with Cristobal Huet playing well at the moment and back-up Antti Niemi answering the call nearly every time (he has only lost twice, one of them in overtime). Together, the Blackhawks have 7 shutouts; the most in the league.

The goalies aren't the only ones working either. Most of the shutouts are due to solid defensive play that have kept the goalies from needing to make very many saves. And when you don't have to make many saves, it's easier to make those more difficult stops. The 'Hawks can thank one of the best defensive pairings in the league, Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith, as well as the young and promising Niklas Hjalmarsson. Cam Barker has been playing up to his potential ever since the Blackhawks brought him back from his much-deserved stint in Rockford last season. Also, a player that hasn't impressed me much, Brian Campbell, has played well the last 5 or so games, so let's hope that continues.

Finally, the Blackhawks offense has been solid. It has been hard to count them out of any of their games. They usually don't have much trouble winning when they score first. Even when they don't score first, they have come from behind in several games this season. Recently, the 'Hawks fell behind the New York Rangers 1-0 in a game that the Blackhawks were dominating. The 'Hawks managed to tie the game and pull out the win in overtime. Also, the Hawks fell behind against the Bruins one week ago, 1-0, in a game that they battled back and eventually won in a shootout. Lastly, I must mention the game against the Flames early on in the year, in which the Blackhawks fell behind 5-0 at one point in the first period before the 'Hawks scored 5 unanswered goals to tie the game and force it into overtime. In overtime, Brent Seabrook notched the game-winner (the first of three game-winners he would notch so far this year).

On top of all this good news, the Blackhawks also have taken advantage of opportunities to get ahead of the ever-threatening Red Wings. This year, the Red Wings have struggled with many injuries. After the Blackhawks lost in their first meeting with the Red Wings, they picked up two shutouts against them this last week. One Red Wings posted on a comment board after the game something to the effect of "You Blackhawk fans better not get used to beating the Red Wings. If you didn't notice, the Red Wings are missing 9 players and the Blackhawks are only missing one." I decided not to get involved in a war of words online, but I had to disagree with the guy's statement in two ways. First of all, the Blackhawks had 4 players out that game (Dave Bolland, Adam Burish, Ben Eager, and Cam Barker). Secondly, and more importantly, just because the Red Wings were not at 100% when the Blackhawks posted the two shutouts, it doesn't mean that the Blackhawks aren't the better team. If you think about it, part of being a good team is staying healthy. The fact is this: the Red Wings are mostly old and experienced players which make them good, but also more susceptible to injury. The Blackhawks are young and quick, which make them good, but also means that they may not have all too much experience. The Blackhawks were just able to exploit their advantages better during the two shutouts.

All of this is good news and is very promising. I'm almost afraid to say it because most of the time I'm let down, but the Blackhawks have made a believer out of me this year. And I know I'm not alone, because in the final minutes of the shutout in the United Center, the home crowd chanted "We Want the Cup!" Let's get going...

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Bolland Undergoes Back Surgery


It appears the Blackhawks can't seem to stay healthy this year. First of all, we signed an extremely expensive forward with a torn rotator cuff to a 12-year deal. Next, we lost Adam Burish to a torn ACL in the second game of the year. In the same game, we lost Ben Eager who suffered a concussion. Jonathan Toews also suffered a concussion. Thankfully, Eager and Toews came back last night. However, this comes with the news that Dave Bolland is out with a back injury and today we found out that he had a herniated disk operated on, leaving him on the sidelines for the next 3-4 months.

On the surface this seems like a recipe for a bad season. In some ways, it's taken its toll. The 6 games that Toews was gone (although he hadn't produced much offense prior to his injury), the Blackhaws lost 3. Coming back last night, Toews put one in net to put the 'Hawks up by 2. Remember his rookie season when Toews was out for a week or two with a leg injury? They struggled badly. When he came back, the 'Hawks "magically" began winning again.

However, the other injuries have not taken a huge toll yet. The Blackhawks are still tied for the lead in their division. It's good to see others step up in their place. I feel that, now, when we get Hossa in late Nov./early Dec. we will be stronger than ever.

The other, somewhat cynical, view of this is that it gives the Blackhawks all the more reason to dump these guys this summer and re-sign Toews, Kane, and Keith instead. Not Eager so much, because he's cheap anyway, but Burish and Bolland are soon-to-be money pits. Let's delve into this a little deeper.

Think about it, Bolland is 23. He already has back problems? Back problems are not things that just "go away". This will continue to plague him and the Blackhawks in the years to come. We don't need another Havlat. Bolland is one of the players the Blackhawks had to run around and throw entirely too much money at to get him to stay because that dumbass, Tallon, had his head shoved up his ass. Currently, Bolland is leaching $3.375M/year for the next five years. Trade him at the trade deadline after we have played without him for 3-4 months and keep the salary cap space.

Burish is a UFA after this season and isn't that expensive to keep around. I could go either way on this guy. After an ACL injury, he will never be as fast as before. For that reason, I say let him sign with someone else. However, if we can fill a spot with a cheap guy, I say do it, because we have too many roster spots to fill next year and not enough money to do it. It's a toss up.

Until then, I hope the 'Hawks continue to adapt and develop guys from the AHL to save cap space and improve our team.

Friday, October 30, 2009

Kane, Toews, or Keith?


So the Blackhawks seem to have the best team they've had in years. They currently lead their division with the NHL's biggest off-season acquisition, Marian Hossa, sitting on the sidelines recovering from rotator-cuff surgery, Jonathan Toews trying to get his mind right after a big jolt from Willie Mitchell which gave him a concussion, and their two ruffians (Adam Burish and Ben Eager) out for a long stint. It's hard to imagine what they'll be like when they are healthy. However, it seems that the Blackhawks will not be able to hold together all the talent at their core. The major names that come up are young phenoms: Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.

These three guys have played at a level way beyond their years and losing even one of them would be a fairly big hit. As it stands, though, it seems that the Blackhawks might only be able to keep one of them. As I mentioned earlier, the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa to a $62.8M/12-year deal. As great as the name sounds, the contract is crippling. Many praised the Blackhaws right after the signing for coming to terms on such a long deal in order to spread out the money enough to avoid paying such a high price per year. However, the Blackhawks have backed themselves into a corner that will make it difficult for them to excel after this year. The Blackhawks now have (and yes, I borrowed these stats from ESPN) 12 players for next year for $42.5M, leaving 11 roster spots to fill with $11M of cap space left. How can the Blackhawks afford more than one of these phenomenal young players?

Kane and Toews have been playing for $875K/year for the last 3 years, because they were still on their rookie signing contracts. I'm not sure what Keith was being paid, but he'll want more than that too. As a Blackhawks fan, you'd really want to believe that these guys would take a hometown discount to stay together and win some championships, but the likelihood is nil. First of all, these guys know they're worth a lot of money, and if they don't, I'm sure their agents will inform them. Either way, they're gonna want their payday. Second of all, it's not easy to take less than what you're worth because the Player's Association won't be too happy with you driving down the price of skilled hockey players.

What can we do?
1. Do what the Blackhawks organization will probably let happen: let them go. Wave goodbye to the guys that have earned you millions in attendance and merchandise sales; the guys who you built an entire advertisement campaign around; the guys who brought hockey back to life in Chicago. Say, "Thanks!" and let someone else pay them what they're worth.

or

2. Cut some minor characters

Dustin Byfuglien is a pretty interesting character. He's a big guy we can throw in front of the opponents net to completely blind the goalie, then have him move out of the way just in time for the puck to hit the net. However, this seems to be the only thing he can do (other than stuff in rebound goals), which a lot of people can do. We're paying him too much money for what he does ($3M)<---and no, that's not three Monopoly dollars, that's three million. Drop him like he's hot, put him on waivers. Save that $3M for someone who's worth it.

Cut Brent Sopel. There's $2.5M of defense that someone from Rockford could easily make up when he's gone. Put the $2M that he's gonna be paid next year to Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, or Duncan Keith.

Brian Campbell. Sounded like a good idea at the time. Get rid of him. He sucks. He's nothing close to what we paid him for. Twice last year, during the playoffs, Campbell turned over the puck to the Red Wings for breakaway goals. Here's where you could really cut some losses: $7.14M. I'd rather have Jordan Hendry.

Cristobal Huet. He finished the season 11-2 with the Capitals in the post-season prior to the Blackhawks signing him. Another guy who sounded like a good idea at the time. However, he's terribly inconsistent. Let him go. Antti Niemi has played just as well as he has and for less money. $5.65M back in the Blackhawks pockets.

This won't solve all our problems, but at least we might be able to sign one more of those guys. The rest of our spots can be filled by guys from Rockford. The Blackhawks have turned lots of minor-leaguers into success stories (Dave Bolland, Troy Brouwer, Niklas Hjalmarsson). I think that with enough solid players around the call-ups will help them develop enough that they can play at a high level.

I'm no contract genius. Maybe everything I've said is illegal or stupid, I don't know. But, all I know is I want to see Kane, Toews, and Keith in the red, Indian-head sweater next year.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Week 4

We're now four weeks into the NFL season. I don't think me or Bryce have blogged as much as we've wanted to, but I've decided that there are too many things to blog about to stay silent.

Antwan Odom and the Bengals are impressing the hell out of me
Not that I like it. I was near inconsolable when the Bengals beat the Packers while I was at the game. I felt a little better when they continued to beat the Steelers a week later. Then again, they had to go to OT to beat the Browns. The Bengals are 3-1 and really, they ought to be 4-0 had Stokley not made that fluke of a catch for a TD at the end of their game on Week 1.

We see a Bengals team this year that features a decent defense with Antwan Odom racking up sacks and tackles. Rey Maualuga was not a bad addition either. To that, add a healthy Keith Rivers who was knocked out for the season with a broken jaw by the most beastly receiver I've ever seen, Hines Ward.

The Bengals lost T.J. Houshmandzadeh to the Seattle Seahawks in the off-season, however, this offense seems more alive than it's been in a while. Carson Palmer is healthy this year--a much better option than Ryan Fitzpatrick--and Chad Johnson has not been disappointing either. Cedric Benson, whose career seemed to be dead, is running pretty well this year.

It's things like this that make the NFL interesting.

Josh McDaniels blunders in the off-season, starts the season 4-0?

Should I subtitle this "Orton looks less like a pedophile, more like a QB?"

Everyone shook their head and said "Idiot" when McDaniels got caught trying to trade his Pro Bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler, for his man-crush, Matt Cassel. Cutler proceeded to pout and make a big scene until he got traded to the Bears. Who was going to take Cutler's place? The Broncos acquired Kyle Orton--amongst many draft picks--who seems to be managing games and making throws to lead the Broncos to a 4-0 start. It seems, maybe, that Cutler wasn't the critical piece, but defense was. Their off-season acquisition of Brian Dawkins was smart and whoever was responsible for that move is probably preparing to move into a bigger house.

Another rookie QB tearing it up?

Mark Sanchez, other than today, has looked awesome this season and has taken his team to a 3-1 start. Sanchez still has a lot to learn, as he exhibited today, but he looks to be the next Matt Ryan/Joe Flacco. It doesn't hurt that Sanchez has considerably more pieces in place than fellow rookie start, Matthew Stafford. With guys like Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller to throw to and Thomas Jones and Leon Washington to hand off to, Sanchez doesn't have to carry the whole load.


The defense isn't too shabby either. Shaun Ellis, Kris Jenkins, and Darrelle Revis are good places to start. I predict the Jets to make it to the playoffs--for real this year.

The Titans are 0-4?
Who could have predicted this? This team started out the year 10-0 last year, right? They only lost 3 games last year, right? Needless to say, this team has already missed the playoffs this year...


Packers/Vikings
There's never been a more heart-breaking game...and it hasn't even happened yet. Either way it turns out, it won't be okay. Ultimately, I want the Packers to win, but if they do, what does that say to whatever legacy Favre has left. I know that I was mad at Favre for coming back again this year and for playing for the enemy, but last week's last second TD pass made me remember Favre's magic and I missed having him on our team. I kinda don't wanna see him lose. However, I would hate to see him beat his old team. It just isn't right. I would hate to see Favre happy to see the Packers lose.

My predictions? Packers lose by 10 or more. The Vikings have a balanced attack and Favre has something to prove. I don't think we can really stand up to that. Best case scenario? Packers are hungry on the ball on defense and send a lot of blitzes, force a lot of turnovers. Ultimately, we'll just have to see.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Week 1: Packers


It wasn't pretty. Before the Packers' final touchdown, Rodgers only had 134 yards passing on the night. Rodgers missed his receivers when they had their coverage beat. Rodgers could have had at LEAST one more deep TD pass like he had to Jennings for the game-winner. However, the Packers still managed a win (over their rival no less!), but more importantly they did two things they couldn't do last year that cost them many games:
1. Rodgers led a 2-minute drill, 4th quarter comeback
Time and time again last year, the Packers came up short because they were offensively stagnant in the fourth quarter. These were times when Packers fans wish they had "He Who Shall Not Be Named" back. I'm sure Rodgers knew what everyone was saying when he walked on the field for the final series. "Will he do it?" Did Rodgers really answer the question? Last night he did. I do not necessarily think that this means that everything has changed since last year, but it's a good sign and was very reminiscent (as Bryce and I discussed last night) of the deep ball Jennings caught to win the game in Denver two years ago.
2. The defense held in the fourth quarter
The Packers always gave up vast amounts of points in the second half last season. They seemed to be going down the same road last night when they gave up their lead. After Rodgers answered his call last night, my first though was (and Bryce can attest to this, because I sent him this text) "We have to play defense." I knew the things that the Packers always struggled with late in the game. However, the defense answered its challenge by picking off Jay Cutler for the FOURTH time. It was very reminiscent of the Packers' playoff game against the Seahawks many years ago when Matt Hasselbeck so infamously said "We want the ball and we're going to score." Al Harris picked him off that day for a game-winning touchdown. Although Al didn't score last night, the effect of his interception was still game-winning. Good job D, and great job Dom.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Some Thoughts Before the NFL Season Begins

1. Brett Favre is gonna suck this year.
No, this is not because I'm bitter, although I am. Favre is too old and his arm is too gone. I know that for a game or two, Brett will prove me wrong. And I know that pre-season doesn't mean all that much, but Favre seriously sucked last night. 1 for 4 for 4 yards. Wow. Rosenfels made a pretty good case for the starting position in the first pre-season game with 10 for 13 for 91 yards. And Jackson was even more impressive in the second pre-season game going 12 for 15 for 202 yards and 2 TDs. I'd take either one of those guys right now. But, sadly for them, they won't get the chance because the Vikings spent $25M on a guy that is more likely to divide his team than to split defenses. Also, for the second year, Favre skipped camp. No one likes camp, but it's important. Peyton Manning missed camp and pre-season last year and look at his first-half stats. And on a personal note, I hope the Packers catch a few more passes from Favre this year.

2. The Packers defense will surprise a few teams this year.
This is mostly just because I'm a Packers fan. But, on a serious level, I really think they will. Rodgers said he was having a tough time predicting the new 3-4 defense in camp. A lot of guys are stepping up too. Desmond Bishop has 2 interceptions, a sack, a fumble recovery and 9 tackles in the first two games of the pre-season. And Brady Poppinga had a good game against Buffalo with an interception and a fumble recovery. The only problem they seem to have is that they have too many capable linebackers (Aaron Kampman, Nick Barnett, A.J. Hawk, Brandon Chillar, Brady Poppinga, Desmond Bishop, Clay Matthews), but it's a good problem to have with a 3-4 defense that relies heavily on linebackers.

3. Beanie Wells will be a disappointment.
Wells has been highly touted because of his college career with "THE" Ohio State University (what a bunch of crap) and because the Cardinals no longer have Edgerin James. This means Beanie will only have to battle it out with Tim Hightower for the starting job. Considering that Hightower is a third-down, change-of-pace back, Wells will probably get most of the touches. Here's the problem, though: He was injury-prone in college, and the NFL won't be any softer. Wells has already missed a considerable amount of time and reps with the Cardinals in training camp and pre-season. Wells will either get injured or start the season cold, or both.

4. The Lions will still suck.
Congratulations, Detroit! You went 0-16 last season! No one has ever been that terrible, EVER! Your prize is the first overrall pick in the draft! You selected Matthew Stafford! Good choice! Too bad that this excellent pick won't make a difference for a while. You still need an offensive line, and maybe a defense. Later on, though, Stafford will be worth it.

These are my predictions, and I will happily admit if I am wrong....except if Favre actually turns out to be good....or if the Packers' defense sucks...or if the Lions are good...

Friday, July 31, 2009

Wow, Dale, Really? You Got Us In MORE Trouble?

It's coming out now that the NHL is investigating the contract that the Blackhawks signed with Marian Hossa. As you may recall, the Blackhawks signed Hossa to a 12-year/$62.8M deal. The NHL has found that Hossa will be making $3.5M/year towards the end of the contract as opposed to the normal $5M-something/year he will be making otherwise.

The league is looking to see if the Blackhawks discussed Hossa's retirement during the contract negotiations. This is apparently against the collective bargaining rules of the league. Apparently this has also pissed off other owners around the league, becuase they're backing the league on this one.

If the NHL finds the Blackhawks to be guilty, they can face a fine of up to $5M, and could lose future draft picks.

Way to go, Dale! Looks like we got one good year, and now we'll be mired down at the bottom of the Central Division again, thanks to your antics.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Dale Tallon, You Officially Suck

Okay, I can understand not wanting to pay the big bucks for players who have been injury-prone in past years. We dealt James Wisniewski--a great young defenseman--at the trade deedline in order to obtain a good face-off man in Sami Pahlsson. I can deal with that, I guess.

Then, this offseason, we waved goodbye to Nikolai Khabibulin--easily our best goaltender--because his high price tage and annual injuries just didn't jive well. I can understand that from a financial standpoint, even though I realize how badly that hurts us at the goalie position.

Also, this offseason, we gave up contract talks with our points leader from last season, Martin Havlat. This last season was the first time in a long time that the veteran forward didn't suffer an injury that kept him out for any extended time.

What did we do instead? We signed an injured player. WHAT?!

Granted, Marian Hossa is a great talent. I mean, he led a team of all-stars in goals scored last year for the Detroit Red Wings. Some reports say that the Blackhawks never made Hossa pass a physical. Others say that we knew about his torn rotator cuff when we signed him. Both these stories could be true, but why would we do this?

Hossa underwent surgery last Friday and will be recovering for four months. This means he will miss the first two months of the season. I know you're all thinking, "Yeah, but when he's healthy, he's gonna be killer!" But the fact still remains, he will miss two months of the year that the Blackhawks need to make it to the Stanley Cup before they lose their young players. Why would they be losing their young players?

Because Tallon's an idiot. If the huge 12-year deal didn't tie up enough money in a player, then Tallon's next blunder definitely did. Tallon failed to send 6 restricted free agents qualifying offers before the deadline. Why? Because he decided to mail them during the July 4th weekend, instead of faxing them like he was supposed to. The result? The Blackhawks had to scramble to re-sign several of their integral parts (i.e. Cam Barker and Calder Trophy finalist Kris Versteeg) costing them more money.

Now, the Blackhawks face an off-season next summer where three great, young talents' contracts come due: Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith. The Blackhawks have already promised big money to two disappointments--Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet--and made the biggest off-season move this summer by signing Hossa. With this added blunder, how will we ever fit under the cap?

Either all three are going to have to take huge hometown discounts, or we're going to have to let go of one of our better players in order to pay for one of our gambles.

Duncan Keith makes up one of the best young defensive pairings in the league. How can we afford to give up yet another defenseman? Keep in mind, we failed to re-sign Matt Walker this off-season, and we let go of James Wisniewski last season.

Patrick Kane was the first overall pick of the 2007 draft and won the Calder Trophy (Rookie of the Year) that season. Kane is small, maybe a little quiet, but he's an assist machine, and a scoring Houdini, not to mention my favorite Blackhawk.

I consider Jonathan Toews to be least likely to lose his job. This is because the Blackhawks named him captain of the team last summer. I doubt that they will part with him after two seasons as captain. Although Toews may not score quite as much as Kane, but he does carry some innate leadership qualities.

So, as I was saying before, the Blackhawks need to make their move this season, before they lose one of these young phenoms. Tallon has just made it more difficult for this year, and even more difficult in the years following. Great work.

One final note. Blackhaws, what are you thinking? Sure, you demoted him, but why not just get rid of him? I can see why you kept Savard around after you fired him as coach--he was a Blackhawk legend. But Tallon? Really? Maybe there's something I'm missing here.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Mr. Favre

Recent reports indicate that Brett Favre, former Packer great, will most likely be playing for the Minnesota Vikings this coming season. If this happens, all of my Brett Favre memorabilia will be boxed up for 10 years, except for the NFL Authentic jersey that Spencer got me. ESPN quotes Football Outsiders as projecting Favre for 25 TD's and 18 INT's. I doubt that. Anyway, mark my words, I'll put away all my Favre stuff for 10 years as a punishment, maybe longer if he does well.

Go Pack.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Some Corrections...


Okay, hideously bad error. Nikolai Khabibulin was signed to a FOUR-year deal for $15M. I thought that $15M was a little steep for one year. However, this makes the Blackhawks inability to sign him seem quite a bit more unacceptable as well.
Also, I was very down on the ownership yesterday. I think after I've had a day to soak it all in, I feel a little bit better. I also think that I understand the moves they made a little better too.

Havlat got hurt all the time.

Two years ago, we were all wondering where Havlat was. He never seemed to be around long enough to make any considerable goal production. And when he was around, he just wasn't always at his A game. You'd always hear Blackhawks fans say, "Havlat would be good if he wasn't hurt all the time." This is why the Blackhawks considered dealing him at the trade deadline two years ago.

Last year was the first time in a long time that he actually stayed healthy for a large part of the season. He was only out for a few games, and BOOM! look what happened, he was an awesome player. I don't really blame Dale Tallon for not wanting to offer Havlat more than a one-year deal. He was too risky.

Marian Hossa--on the other hand--has been a pretty solid player who seems to stay healthy. Here's to you, buddy! Hope things work out better.(Havlat was signed by the Wild to a six-year $30M deal today.)

In other news...

The Blackhawks didn't really try too hard to re-sign their trade deadline acquisition, Sami Pahlsson. This is because they have now picked up two decent centers in free agency--Tomas Kopecky and John Madden (formerly of the Devils, not the former football coach/announcer). I'm good with this. Pahlsson was a decent face-off winner, which is what the Hawks wanted, but otherwise wasn't too flashy. These guys aren't either, but they're decent enough that I've heard of them before. So, kudos.

The Blackhawks let Matt Walker slip through their fingers. I don't like that. He was a pretty good defenseman who didn't get very much credit. Plus, he could kick ass if needed. Who's our enforcer now? Adam Burish? I don't know. I thought trading James Wisniewski was a bad idea too. We need good defensemen. Plus, he was like a discount player since no one had really heard of him. Tampa Bay signed him to a four-year deal for $6.8M.

We re-signed Dave Bolland. I thought that was a good move. He was selected to play in the Young-Stars game this last year--which is the equivalent of the All-Star Game for rookies. Bolland wasn't really all that flashy, but he seems to be somewhat promising.



We re-signed Antti Niemi. He's a goalie we drafted last year. He turned out to be pretty decent and apparently Tallon has decided that he wants him to be Huet's back-up. I might bet that he becomes the new starter. We'll see.

That's really about all for now. We'll stay tuned to the free agency, though.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Grass is Always Greener?

I have a service that sends me score updates after every period of the Blackhawk's games. They also send me little news tidbits every afternoon. It's the way I found out about the Blackhawks signing Brian Campbell and Cristobal Huet last summer. This year, I used it to confirm a friend's question through a text message that the Blackhawks had acquired Marian Hossa.

When I first found out about it, I was ecstatic. Here's a guy who was a huge acquisition for the Penguins two years ago at the trade deadline to help them make a Stanley Cup run that ended with the Red Wings squashing those hopes. Last summer, Hossa was a huge signing for the Red Wings as they set themselves up to return to the Stanley Cup Finals. This time, Pittsburgh squashed Hossa's hopes. Despite the lack of a championship, the man was an incredible help to the teams he was a part of.

Howver...
And I hope you knew this was coming, because I'm a huge pessimist--I don't know that this was our best move. I know you're thinking: "Spencer, what are you talking about? You just said that this guy was awesome." I know, but here's why I'm not so sure ownership did such a great job today.

We might lose Havlat.
I have to say might because we hasn't been signed by anyone yet, but according to ESPN, the Blackhawks only offered Havlat a one-year deal before contract talks broke down. Suddenly, the Blackhawks ditch negotiating with their most clutch player, not to mention their points leader--yes, the man who saved them again and again throught the playoffs--Martin Havlat and instantly sign Marian Hossa. I don't think I really need to explain why we can't afford to lose Havlat. He's younger, he scored more points last year, and he had great chemistry with Andrew Ladd and Dave Bolland. The man was an assist machine, and went on wicked point streaks. The Blackhawks won't be the same if they don't get him back.
You can always be hopeful and say there's still time to re-sign him, but the Blackhawks signed Hossa to a 12-year $62.8 million deal. So, I think the Hawks have spent their money. Oh, and I just saw a note on Havlat's profile on ESPN.com that the Chicago Tribune reported that Havlat won't be coming back because they signed Hossa. So, yeah, mistake.
Aaaaand....I now need to get a new Blackhawks jersey.
Hossa's 30
And Havlat was 28. Okay, I'm done with the Havlat thing. Anyway, we just signed him to a 12-year deal. That means he's a Blackhawk until he's 42. I know that hockey players last longer than football, baseball, and basketball players, but still, come on. I think Hossa's still got some great years in him and I'm excited to have him, but I don't think we should have signed him to such a long deal.
Khabi...
A good offense isn't worth that much when you have no goaltender. Khabi was snatched up by the Oilers for a one-year deal at $15M. Nik was an important part of our success this year. Huet was a nice goalie to switch with, but he showed us that he was not that great. Constantly, Huet let leads slip away and let goals by that any NHL goalie should have been able to stop. I'm very scared about heading into the next season with Huet starting. Then again, I can't really blame the Blackhawks for spending $2.75M/year on Huet rather than $15M on Khabibulin. Still, sad to see him go.

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Another Open Letter to Nick Collins


Dear Nick,

Glad you showed up at camp. Lose the 'tude, though. Let's not forget, you're still not good enough to whine about your contract. And, stop saying things like this: "I'm a humble kid. I'm here to do my job, come in here, help this team win, play football. That's all I know how to do is play football. I'm a winner and that's what I'm trying to do, win a championship here." Humble people don't call themselves humble. And they don't demand more money when they have a year left on their contract. Nick, take a look at Greg Jennings, for example. He got a new contract with one year left on it. Notice, Nick, that he did not accomplish it by playing mind games, holding out for more money, and calling himself humble. He did it by earning on the field. Now go and do likewise.

Love,
Bryce

P.S. You're set to make $3 million next year. That is enough money.

Big Ups to Ted

This space is usually used to rip on Ted Thompson. Not today friends, not today. Reports out of Green Bay indicate that TT and the Pack signed my boy Greg to a long term deal.

I won't give you all the specs because I'm not that technical. I will give you my reaction though: this is good, an A-/B+ move for Ted. Why not just a straight up A? Because, I don't know if Greg is the 2nd best WR in the entire NFL just yet. Has he even been voted to a Pro Bowl yet? I guess the Pro Bowl is kind of overrated anyhow. I can live with the contract though, because as new guys get contracts they'll get more money, so it's not a huge issue. Overall I'm stoked. Here's why:

1. Jennings is the prototype of the Ted Thompson strategy. Draft a guy you've never heard of, develop him in your system, and then if he pans out pay him well. So, it's nice to see the TT philosophy playing out well in the long term, although it does make me scream at the TV occasionally in the short term.

2. There's probably not going to be a salary cap next year about this time, as it will be the last year of the collective bargaining agreement between the NFLPA and owners. So, to resign him at this time next year would have cost way, way, way more money.

3. I like Greg, he's a fan favorite, so it's nice to see Ted being interested in keeping him around.

Unrelated side note: the picture above is from what is potentially my favorite Greg Jennings moment thus far: when Favre hit him streaking down the sideline in OT vs. the Broncos. Unfortunately, I didn't see it in real time because I was moving my car as I was watching it at Spencer's dorm, and nobody ever wins on the first play from scrimmage in OT. Except then. Funny enough, Spencer and his then roommate Andrew exploded in applause, screaming at the top of their lungs, and, although they lived all the way down the hall from the elevator, could still be heard in the elevator a few floors down as I was riding back up. The girl in the elevator with me remarked about how people are idiots, and I kind of mumbled in agreement before I realized who was yelling. When I heard that it was Spencer and Andrew, I took off sprinting down the hallway as soon as the elevator doors closed.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

An open letter to Nick Collins


Dear Nick Collins,

You're not good enough to hold out for more money. Shut up and play out the remainder of your contract.

Love,

Bryce

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Nightmare? No, this is like a never ending daymare...

Well, it's the worst possible Packer news that I could blog about. It seems that the reality of Favre starting at QB for the Vikings is becoming more and more likely each day. Unlike last year, I will not be supporting Favre. Not so much because he's going to play for the Vikings, but the way that he's going about it. If he would have signed with or been traded to the Vikings last year, I think I would have supported him, based on the circumstances last year. But the stunt that he's pulling right now is unacceptable. And the way that he's gone about things really causes me to wonder if he had this planned all along. I'm pretty sure that when he was traded to the Jets, he decided that he would re-retire/seek his release and try to go sign with the Vikings. Obviously that's what the Packers thought that he had in mind, hence the clause that they included in the trade. For him to retire again, from a franchise that basically rolled out the red carpet for him, then demand to be released, then get surgery on his shoulder and start talking to the Vikings...these are the actions of an arrogant megolomaniac. When he came back last year it was about playing football. He could have played for the Jets this coming year, they didn't push him out the door at all. In fact, they fired their head coach when they could have made Favre the scapegoat and run him out of town on a rail.

It's not about playing football this year, this is obviously about getting revenge on TT. It is very apparent that he has decided he wants to play against the Packers, as if that is going to hurt TT somehow. Look, I'm no fan of Ted Thompson, but for Favre to go this far, spend this much energy, and do this much damage to his reputation, for the sole purpose of giving the middle finger to TT, that's insane. So, I'm not going to make any bold declarations about how I'll boycott the Packers (even though this is partly their fault), or Favre (even though I'm disgusted with him and he'll probably always be tarnished in my mind if he wears purple), or the NFL (even though it just won't be as enjoyable for me to watch). No, no boycotts, only a statement: I'm sad. I'm very sad. I'm sad, as a Packers fan, even more than I'm angry. I'm sad because one the of greatest Packers of all time seems to have lost his mind and is now bent on playing against the team that everyone would have remembered him for. I'm sad because Favre could have rode off into the sunset of our minds, still the golden boy that brought the Lombardi trophy home and made all of those impossible, ridiculous throws. But, he didn't. He retired. If only he wouldn't have. He asked to be given his job back. They didn't, if only they would have. He was traded...re-retired, released. Even then, with his reputation still in tact, he could stay down south. I'll concur with Michael Hunt, maybe the biggest lesson we can learn from this is not to hero-ize athletes. Maybe Favre should have never been "Favre", but just a guy that played quarterback, maybe. All I know is, it's not going to be as much fun to watch the NFL this year. I'll leave you with a clip, eerily similar to last year, of Favre sweating while throw balls to high school kids. He's throwing off his back foot, Favre style.







Friday, June 12, 2009

Redemption

One year ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins were on the other side of the coin, having been eliminated by the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins had a shaky start to this year's Stanley Cup matchup. losing two games in Detroit to start the series. However, the Penguins were able to win at home and take 4 of the next 5 games.

You stay classy, Detroit.
Winning the President's Cup and the Stanley Cup last year wasn't good enough; winning the Central Division wasn't good enough; and apparently going seven games and losing to a worthy opponent is simply UNFORGIVEABLE ::gasp!:: While the Penguins celebrated their championship and their team skated off the ice, dejected, the fans at Joe Louis Arena booed. I understand being upset, but shut up and have some sportsmanship. You can't win every year. Just be thankful that your last Cup was won more recently than 1961.

Why is this good?
Frankly, I think that everyone gets bored when the same team wins over and over again. Take the Patriots for example. Get some new faces up at the top and I think the league gets a whole lot more interesting.

Halfway through the regular season, the Penguins didn't even look like they'd make the playoffs. After a coach-firing and the promotion of Bylsma, the Penguins found themselves in the thick of things again. I think this shows that any team can win.

It's good for the Penguins' franchise as well, obviously. A few years ago, the Pens were on the verge of non-existance. After winning a Stanley Cup, you have to believe that Pittsburgh will be hanging around for a while.

Dan Bylsma is a happy man, I'm sure. After Michel Terrien was removed as head coach, Bylsma was promoted as interrim coach. This is where the team turned around from being a 'going-nowhere' team, to championship-bound. You have to believe that he's going to be getting paid a lot more next year.

Beyond all this, the NHL can now show pictures of its poster-boy, Sidney Crosby. Ever since he joined the league, the NHL has promoted this young phenom because they finally found another player who truly made hockey exciting. You have to know that Crosby's going to be making a little more on endorsements next year. Oh, and I'll say it right now, he and/or--Pittsburgh's other young gun--Evgeni Malkin will be on the cover of NHL 10.

What about me?
Oh, I'm lovin' it. I HATE the Red Wings. I mean, I HATE 'em. I'm sick of all their old veterans who and their ability to buy every good player on the market. I'm ready for the assumption that players who sign with the Red Wings win championships to end. I want their to be more parity in the leauge. Here's to hoping that this is just the beginning of a long draught for the Red Wings.

Oh yeah, one more thing
Joke's on you, Hossa. Thought you had a better chance at winning a Cup with the Red Wings? Woops. Maybe you should have stayed in Pittsburgh. I'm glad that the Penguins had no qualms about using your number again this year by giving it to Miroslav Satan. You won't be missed in Pittsburgh. (Conklin is another one who went from the Penguins to the Red Wings in the time passed since last year, but his was probably less by choice.)

DETROIT SUCKS!

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Derrick Rose in Turmoil

Shocking news on Derrick Rose, via The Onion:

"CHICAGO—An NCAA report released Monday alleging altered grades on high school transcripts and a fraudulent SAT exam could forever blemish the record Bulls point guard Derrick Rose achieved during his two semesters at the University of Memphis. "This has disturbing implications for the academic legacy of the Tigers' basketball program and is an upsetting matter for our fans, all of whom would be utterly devastated to learn that a player was admitted to this institution without meeting its minimum scholastic requirements," said University of Memphis spokesperson Henry Jackson, who added that the school has always emphasized education. "That one of his grades in high school might have been changed from a 'D' to a 'C' is a painful thing to hear for all those who followed Rose's grade point average so closely and trusted him to add to the wealth of human knowledge." Rose has also refused to acknowledge accusations that he did not attend any classes during the spring semester of his freshman year. "

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

You awake Ted?


If TT is awake, he might wanna consider signing this guy...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4224851&campaign=rss&source=NFLHeadlines

Of course, he'd have to be willing to sign for a little less than he wants to make. And maybe take a different role or position, but it sounds like he wanted to play DE a few years ago anyway.

If I had to bet I'd say that there's about a 1/1,000,000 chance that the Packers will sign him. But still, it's nice to dream.

Saturday, May 30, 2009

What the Blackhawks need to do this off-season

1. Re-sign Martin Havlat.

A year ago, he wouldn't have been worth keeping. He wasn't producing as well as he should have and was constantly injured. However, this year, he ended up points-leader for the team and was the most clutch player they had, regular or post-season. Havlat is not only a good player, he's a veteran with tons of experience--something this young team needs. Get him back in the line-up.

2. Re-sign Nikolai Khabibulin.
Again, a year ago, I was pushing for the Blackhawks to dump out the trash. Nikolai, like Havlat, was injury-prone, and featured extreme streakiness (i.e. a 10-game losing streak last season). I was ecstatic when the Hawks signed Cristobal Huet last summer. He played well at the beginning of the year. Nik and Cris really battled it out for the starting job. Khabi seemed to get better, while Huet seemed to become an AHL-level goalie. Nik proved to be the Hawks most stable goalie, not to mention their best. And, let's not kid ourselves. If we depend on Huet to be our starting goalie, we'll have no chance next year. Keep Khabi around for a year or two more and see how long he plays at this level.
3. Work on the defense.
No doubt, the Hawks are deep at this position. The immaculate pairing of Seabrook and Keith; add to that, Cam Barker and Brian Campbell. Two others surprised us with their skill--Nicholas Hjalmarson and Matt Walker, called up this year. However, the defense was one of the biggest problems when playing Detroit. Seabrook turned the puck over twice in the series to give up breakaway goals. Campbell did the same thing to lose in overtime. The worst part? They were in their offensive zone when they turned it over. Work on passing on the blue-line.
4. I'm not clear on contract rules and such, but, if possible, give contract extensions to Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. They're your all-stars. Toews took a while to heat up this year, but once he did, he proved he was a big enough man to wear the "C" on his chest--the youngest ever to do so, in NHL history. Patrick Kane started hot, and then cooled off as the season wore on. However, he was a big part of the Blackhawks playoff offense. Scoring 9 goals--including 3 he put behind Luongo in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals.
I'm looking forward to a great season next year. Hopefully we can make it to the Cup next time around.

Friday, May 29, 2009

The Packers should trade Kampman.


Yeah, I said it. No, I'm not crazy. His trade value would be high right now after being voted to the Pro Bowl in '06 and '07. He's nowhere near the end of his career and is not coming off of a devastating injury.

So why trade him then? He's not transitioning to the 3-4 very well, evidenced by his multiple refusals to talk to reporters. Kampman is too high priced to have him struggle, he needs to be a standout for what he's getting paid. The defense is going to struggle horribly this year anyway because of the switch to the 3-4. It won't help that good 'ol Ted didn't get around to signing any veterans with 3-4 experience. It's doubtful that Kampman was really excited about the change anyway, according the the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "Kampman is a creature of habit and has never liked change. Last season he was given free reign to switch from his normal left end spot over to the right side. Kampman only did so sparingly in one late-season game."

This also might be, or may become, a money issue with Kampman. According to a Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel article Kampman is in the last year of his contract and may not want his production to drop due to a new position at a contract year. I'd spin it the other way. I'd say why not trade him before we have to pay big bucks on the cap-less free agent market next year?

Look, I love Kampman. And I seriously doubt the Packers will trade him. Further, I really hope he's an awesome OLB in the 3-4 scheme. I just think he's getting paid a little too much for things to be this dicey, and it may be better for the team as a whole if the trade him and get a sure commodity in return.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Good one.


Pretty good parody of ESPN, and it makes fun of the NHL in a pretty hilarious way:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/nhl_tries_to_woo_fans_by

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Monday, May 18, 2009

Gah...


According to my sources Brett Favre intends to have shoulder surgery. Which means he intends to return to the NFL, again. Which means that he intends to play for the Minnesota Vikings.

What does this mean? It means Favre still wants revenge on TT. It means Favre is gonna tarnish his reputation by playing for the rival, and having a terrible season. It means that it's gonna be way less enjoyable for me to watch the NFL this year.

Friday, May 15, 2009

The Table is Set

Make no mistake, these teams hate each other. I hate the Red Wings more than any other professional sports team on Earth. Now is the time when I will reach the peak of hatred: the Western Conference Finals. I thought that the Winter Classic was going to be the highest-prized match between the two this year, but there is literally no higher stakes that the two most-heated Western Conference rivals can play for; a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals.


You thought their regular season meetings were tough? You're in for a surprise. I can only imagine the kinds of vicious hits and cheap shots we'll see starting Sunday afternoon.


Somethings to be hopeful about:


Osgood is not as good as Luongo

Let's be honest, we just faced one of the best goaltenders in the NHL. We still managed to produce games where we put 6 and 7 pucks in the net. Let's be a little more honest, Osgood hasn't played as well this year as he has in years past. For large parts of the season, the Red Wings used their back-up (former Penguins starter), Ty Conklin. When the playoffs started, everyone was asking, "Will Osgood start?" The Red Wings were forced to defend their veteran and announcing that they trusted him to do a good job. He played well enough against the Blue Jackets as the Red Wings swept them in 4. However, the Ducks weren't so easy to shut down, and they barely made the playoffs (much like the Blue Jackets). Granted, the Ducks were on a hot streak, but I think our forwards will have a better time against the Red Wings.


Detroit has to be tired.
They just got done struggling in a seven games series against the Ducks. They get two days rest and it's back to the ice. Meanwhile, the Blackhawks have been done since Monday, just waiting for the other teams to wrap up their series.


Experience vs. Youth?
So many people have brought this up in the playoffs already. The Blackhawks are the youngest team in the league. This means that many of them have not played in the playoffs before, with some exceptions (Andrew Ladd, Brian Campbell, Nikolai Khabibulin to name a few). However, when you point out their inexperience due to their youth, you must also account for the positive side of being a young team. They're fast! Vancouver even admitted that our guys can move. Yes, across the ice we see a very experienced team, but we also see an older, slower team. Beyond speed, the Blackhawks recover quicker. A day off is about all they need to re-energize for another game. We'll see how this compares to Detroit's recovery ability. Lastly, and probably most weakly, Patrick Kane has said throughout the last series that since they're so young, they don't know any better than to come back from game they are behind. I've already pointed out in past posts how the Blackhawks have come back from 1, 2, and even 3 goal deficits in games during these playoffs.

Special Teams
The Blackhawks have been awesome on the power play in the playoffs, scoring a little more than 29% of the time. If you don't watch hockey, I'll let you know, I don't think anyone was that high for a regular season total. Even though the Red Wings are good on the power play as well, their penalty kill hasn't been stellar. I think this might give the Blackhawks a little bit of an edge.


There's plenty that Detroit has to bring to the table, as well:


I'm going to go ahead and counter my last argument. The experience these guys have is ridiculous. I know I just down-played the Red Wings experience, but it does play a roll. I mean, we're talking about guys who have played in multiple Stanley Cup Finals series' and won. More importantly, they were together on this very same team while doing it. This poses a terrible threat to the Blackhawks.


The Red Wings are stacked. Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Marian Hossa, Nicklas Lidstrom. I could keep going, but that's enough for now. And unlike the Yankees this year, who have all the right players, but no chemistry, these guys have been playing together and winning championships together (except for Hossa) for years and have plenty of chemistry.

They've had our number this year.
The Blackhawks were 0-4 against them this year until the final two games of the regular season, which was a home-and-home between the two where the Blackhawks picked up two wins. However, by the end of the season, the Red Wings had already wrapped up the Division and weren't really playing for anything. The only thing the Blackhawks really have to be hopeful about is that they know they can beat the Red Wings, and also, they went 2-2-2 against them, forcing the Red Wings to OT twice.

Series starts tomorrow in Joe Louis Arena on NBC. Let's Go Hawks!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Ha ha ha ha ha ha



Funny.

If you don't have anything nice to say...


...then don't say it at all

I mostly just vent my frustrations on my blog. And then I was reading an interview with Chicago Bears general manager Jerry Angelo. He said some nice things about the Packers former, and current, quarterback.

Speaking about Cutler and the Bears lack of WR's, he said something nice about Favre:

“Our assumption is that it starts with the quarterback, and not the wide receivers,” he said. “All you have to do is look north and see what Favre did with his receivers in Green Bay. I don’t care who you gave Favre because they always looked good.”

And then he complimented Rodgers and the Packers draft class:

“Looking at Green Bay, I think Aaron Rodgers will make a jump this year, and they are a tough match-up on offense from a personnel and a scheme perspective,” he said. He’s also very aware of the additions Green Bay made defensively in the draft with their first-round picks, DT B.J. Raji and LB Clay Matthews. “You look at the Packers’ draft, and they are now a lot stronger up front.”

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Numbers don't lie


Gah, it's tough to admit. I actually don't want to admit it. But, these stats point to something really telling. I got this from ESPN, big ups to some guy named Robbiemustgo32 who came up with these stats. This gives Favre yet another reason to stay in Mississippi and stay away from Minnesota.

Ok, I can't seem to get the table to paste correctly, and I can't seem to delete it. Seriously, go to the link, the numbers are startling.


Breaking Down
Conditioning? Age? Weather? Whatever the cause, retired quarterback Brett Favre has dropped off considerably over the final five weeks in each of the past four seasons. Let's take a look:
Time Period Comp. % Yds/Att TD INT
'05 Games 1-11 63.6 6.77 19 19
'05 Games 12-16 56.8 5.67 1 10
'06 Games 1-11 57.1 6.54 14 10
'06 Games 12-16 53.8 5.96 4 8
'07 Games 1-11 68.5 7.90 22 8
'07 Games 12-16 59.1 7.26 6 7
'08 Games 1-11 70.6 7.09 20 13
'08 Games 12-16 56.1 6.03 2 9
Source: User Robbiemustgo32 (and double-checked by ESPN.com)

Leaky Lu



"We're going to come out Monday and play the hardest game we've played all year and bring us back here [for Game 7]."

This quote is from Roberto Luongo after losing Game 5. This fell far from the truth on Monday night. Not only did Luongo not play the hardest he played all year, he might have had the worst night of his career, giving up 7 goals and reluctantly leaving the net at the end of the third period for an extra attacker. However, I'm not convinced it's all his fault.

The game was wide-open. Lu wasn't the only goalie to give up a lot of goals. Across the ice, Khabibulin gave up 5. Was this like the two worst goaltenders in the league? No. Was it Pathetic Defense Night at the United Center? No. When teams get desperate, like both teams were, you risk a little more on defense in order to gain some offense. Both teams did this, and we got the results we could have expected to see. Sadly, Lu has taken it all out on himself.

Where was the rest of the team? Like a pitcher needs run-support, a goalie needs goal-support. Three names: Mats Sundin, Daniel Sedin, and Henrik Sedin. Where were they? I guess Mats and Daniel had some goals during games 5 and 6, but nowhere near the level expected of them. If you're a team leader, you need to show up on the score sheet in crucial games in a big way.

Finally,--and this is my favorite point--Willie Mitchell NEVER should have opened his fat yap. Listen to Kane himself in the interview I posted at the end of this post, Kane was fueled by Mitchell's comments and scored a total of 6 goals in this series, which includes a hat trick last night. I really encourage you to watch the interview, because Kane has some great thing to say.

So one more time, Willie Mitchell, shut up.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Dinner is Served, Willie

Vancouver's defenseman, Willie Mitchell,
thought it would be a good idea to play some head games with Chicago by taking a shot at one of their stars in the Vancouver newspapers. He claimed that Patrick Kane wasn't a guy worth worrying about when it was 5-on-5, that he was only dangerous when on the power play. He compared him to Sidney Crosby--of all people--saying that he was just lucky and happened to be at the right place at the right time on most of his goals. Here's some reasons that Willie Mitchell should eat crow and shut up.

First of all, don't compare someone to Sidney Crosby if you are intending to criticize them. Sure, Sid's not the face of hockey anymore, he's not even the best player on his team anymore, but that doesn't mean that he's bad. He's still incredible. Want proof? Okay, he put up a hat trick in tonight's playoff game against the Washington Capitals.

My next point is not my own. I have to give credit to Pat Foley and Eddie Olcyzk--Blackhawk's game-callers for Comcast Sports Net--when they asked something similar to: "Isn't being in the right place at the right time a skill?" Isn't that just knowing hockey? Knowing where to be is HUGE! I'll admit, a lot of Kane's goals are scraps from other player's shots, but he still has sick moves. Ever watched some of his highlights?

This next point is my favorite. And that's because Kane scored a goal in Game 2. This was because all 5 of Vancouver's skaters huddled around 2 of Chicago's. This included Willie Mitchell who let Pat Kane go. A quick pass to Kaner and deke one-on-one against Luongo lit the lamp to put Chicago up 5-2 on Saturday. A personal "Shove It."

Lastly, be a player of value yourself before you start talking about star players in the NHL. Until this series, I don't distinctly remember hearing about Willie Mitchell, and he's been in the league 8 years. So, unless you're really bringin' it, don't talk trash.

So, Willie Mitchell, do shut up.

5 reasons why Favre going to the Vikings is unacceptable


There's been some talk about Favre signing with the Vikings. This will ruin both Favre and the NFL for me for a long time. So, naturally, I'm against it. Here's 5 reasons why:

1. It's never awesome when the face of a franchise plays for another team. It's especially not awesome when he plays for a rival. Nobody wants to see Favre play for the Vikings. Except, maybe, desperate Vikings fans.

2. You gotta know when enough is enough. Favre struggled real bad down the stretch. Sure, he had the bicep tendon thing, but even if he got that repaired, he's still 39, 40 when the season ends. Just call it off, Brett. Keep what's left of your legacy in tact.

3. The Vikings don't need him. They have Jackson and Rosenfels. OK, not great options, but at this point Favre is such a wild card he's not really a great solution for them.

4. The Vikings can't afford him. The Vikings are a team on the way up, they need cap space for young players. They're paying Adrian Peterson, Bernard Berrian, and Jared Allen. Favre will take up too much cap space to be worth it.

5. He would just be doing it to get back at Ted. Favre has nothing left to play for. He's won his Super Bowl. He's got his MVP's. He's got his records. The only reason he would play would be to stick it to Ted. He wanted to be a free agent last season, and Ted was too big of a jerk to release him, so now he wants to sign where he wants to in order to whoop up on Ted's team twice a year. That's not a good enough reason to come back for another year.

Thursday, April 30, 2009

Something Good to Take Away From Game 1

I'm an eternal pessimist. Wanna know why? I stopped listening to the game after the second period. Mistake? Maybe. The Blackhawks were down 3-0, and from any accounts I could hear on the radio (yeah, screw Versus), the Blackhawks were getting picked apart. However, the Hawks made it interesting by coming all the way back and tying it 3-3. Now, the Hawks went on to give up their lead with a little over a minute left, and eventually lost 5-3, but there's something good here.

Just about any game, you'd say the team was done when they were down 3-0 heading into the third (heck, I did, and shut the radio off). However, the Hawks have picked up a "never die easy" attitude in the playoffs and I like it. I really like it.

We've watched them come back from one goal down in Game 1, Round 1. Then, we saw them come back from two down in Game 2 Round 1. Then, we saw them come back from THREE down in Game 4, Round 1. And now, we see it again. It's really unbelievable. Now, they lost Game 4 and they lost tonight, but the ability to come back from THAT many goals down is a valuable gem. Let's hope the Hawks don't HAVE to use it too often anymore.

Some sour notes?
Stay out of the penalty box! Are you kidding me? That first period was pathetic with the penalties! You can't continually put yourself down a man and expect nothing bad to happen. Keep your sticks on the ice.

Let's sandwich that with another good point, though.
Yeah, I said sandwich. It's called a compliment sandwich, haven't you ever watched Family Guy? Anyway, Patrick Kane is scoring when it really matters. Through the middle and end of the season, Kane wasn't really scoring that many goals. Sure, he had assists, which is what he really does best, but he wasn't scoring. Now that we're in the playoffs, he's stepped up his game a new level and I really like that. I really like that the Blackhawks have found the switch to turn on the heat for the playoffs. It's amazing how quickly their game can change when they really need it to.

Saturday is the next game, and I stand by my statement. If the Blackhawks don't leave Vancouver with a win, they will lose the series.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

What the Blackhawks need to do in Round 2

Win at least one of the games in Vancouver (preferably both). We're the low seed in this one and that means that we do not have home ice advantage. We start the series in Vancouver and end in Vancouver. If this series takes the same course that the last one did (with the exception of the last game of the series), this means the home team will win. We cannot leave Vancouver without a win, or it's over.

The next key point is fairly obvious, but I'll say it anyway. Win at home. We're 3-0 at home in these playoffs; don't let that end. It's the easiest way to get wins, so don't let them slip through your fingers. With HUGE fan support and a great atmosphere, there's no reason not to win.

Park Dustin Byfuglien in front of the net. If you haven't seen Dustin Byfuglien, then you need to know that he's a large man and a force to be reckoned with. We're up against a tough goalie in Roberto Luongo, but there's a way to deal with good goaltenders: Don't let them see the puck. It's an old tactic that the Blackhawks in no way created, but they use pretty often with Big Buff. Battle for a spot in front of the net and block the goalie's sight until the puck gets there. That way, if the goalie even sees the puck, he has about .03 seconds to react to it.

Take the Sedins out of the equation. And I don't mean injure them. I just mean that we need to put bodies on them and make them ineffective. Make it hurt when they touch the puck, make them not want to play hockey. If we don't, the Wonder Twins will make their powers activate and decimate Khabibulin.
Keep scoring on the power-play. We did well to take advantage of a lot of Calgary's mistakes by making them pay while they were in the box. Keep it up! 5-on-4 will make things a little more even for us since Roberto Luongo might as well be two people standing in net.

Monday, April 27, 2009

On to Round 2



The Blackhawks won Monday night, ending the series with Calgary with a 4-2 record. The Blackhawks have figured out how to play in the playoffs. I have a few reasons to be hopeful and some reasons to fear our next opponent, Vancouver.

Reasons to be hopeful

1. The Blackhawks have stepped up to the learning curve. Ever since the first game, the Blackhawks have been picking up the way that playoff games are played. The first period and a half of that game showed the Blackhawks' inexperience. They looked sloppy and were simply dominated and intimidated by the Flames. However, in the second half of the game they turned things around. Once again, after winning the first two games, the Blackhawks lost two in Calgary, and they turned it on once more. Games 5 and 6 proved Chicago's might, winning 5-1 and 4-1, respectively.



2. Defensemen are scoring.

The Blackhawks first goal in these playoffs was from Cam Barker. In fact, Barker scored 3 goals in this series. Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell each had a tally in this series as well. Scoring defensemen take a lot of pressure off the forwards and may even catch goalies off guard.


3. Nikolai is sick.
And I don't mean physically. I mean he's a monster. He stopped 43 shots on Monday to lead his team to a victory in a game that they easily could have lost had he not been on top of his games. He continues to make saves that he has no business making, and his amazing play not only fuels the rest of the team to try harder, but it also keeps them from having to put huge numbers on the board to win.


Reasons to wet myself


1. Roberto Luongo
He's sick as well. He's actually utterly ridiculous. Words really can't describe his level of play, but maybe some stats can help you understand it a little. He has a 2.34 GAA (goals against average) and a 92 SV% (save percentage). Their first matchup in these playoffs were the Blues. In four games, the Blues were only able to sneak 5 goals past him, and that was out of 131 shots. Want me to do the math? Okay, I will. That's a 96 SV% for the series. Oops, I just crapped my pants, I'll be right back to finish the rest of this post.


2. We split the series with them in the regular season.
You might say, "They split the series, that means the Blackhawks won just as many games." Yes, this is true. However, the Blackhawks won the first two games and the more recent games went to Vancouver. Not to mention, the last game we played against them was an embarrassing 4-0 routing of the Blackhawks. Also, one of the games we beat them was against Curtis Sanford in net, not Luongo. Now that split series doesn't seem too even anymore, does it?



3. They can score.
Mats Sundin was a pretty important addition to their team after they lost Markus Naslund. Also, any significant discussion of the Canucks' strengths has to include the Sedin brothers, Henrik and Daniel. They are simply electric. They are in each others minds and are a sick duo.

TWO THINGS THAT COULD GO EITHER WAY

The Canucks swept their series and were done with the first round earlier than most teams. This means that they've had time to rest up and heal up. This also means that they've had the opportunity to get cold. Think about it. They haven't had this long of a break from competitive hockey since the All-Star break. Hopefully, the latter is true and not the former.

The Blackhawks are the youngest team in the league. Young guys recover faster and are generally healthier (knock on wood). Although it may be irrelevant to the point I'm making--this also means they can keep the guys they have for a while. However, with youth comes inexperience. Many of the guys are in their first playoff appearance. As the playoffs roll on and the teams get tougher, the Blackhawks are going to have to get experience quickly.


We'll see what happens tomorrow