Hawks Hockey Hoiden

It sucks to lose to the Red Wings…in OT no less.  Still, many players put in a good game.  Dustin Byfuglien, who played 24 minutes in today’s game, just keeps getting better and better as a defenseman.  I really hope he stays on D.  Duncan Keith too played a hard game with 27 minutes on ice.  But then, we’ve come to expect that from the guy who for a while there played almost 30 minutes in every game.  Credit goes to Brent Seabrook too who in the last game with the Avs had 5 hits and in this game with the Red Wings had 3.  He is averaging more hits than anyone.  We have really needed to see an amped up ‘D’ and Seabs has delivered.  (more…)

Line changing seems to be the name of the game of late for the Hawks. On the Jonathan Toews line now is Patrick Kane again and Troy Brouwer.  Hmm, not bad in terms of forechecking and all out aggressiveness.  And how about that Madden line with Kris Versteeg and Dustin Byfuglien on wing; Madden who has steadily increased his face-off wins and overall performance?  And Jordan Hendry replaced Tomas Kopecky (Bout time somebody did!) on the Colin Fraser line.  Has Coach Q finally solidified the offensive lines?  Well, let’s hope so.  Let’s hope Q has finally found a winning combination. (more…)

There were many goon moments in tonight’s 2-1 Hawks win over the Penguins. The Penguins trash-talked and were guilty of cheap shots and picking fights.  In fact, and I never thought I’d say this, there were too many scuffles.  The Penguins were obviously using their gooniness as part of their strategy, and too many times the Hawks did not keep their composure, not that you could blame them.  Still, for all the Penguins’ jawin’ and scrappin’ the Hawks still took them. (more…)

Last night’s 7-1 win over the Flames was breathtaking.  For the first time this season, it felt like the magic of last season had returned.  I can’t decide if that was because the Hawks have finally gelled with each other, or if the Flames just fell down, psyched out by the remembrance of the playoffs last season.  I want to believe it is the former, not the latter.  (more…)

Wow, I take back everything I said about Colin Fraser not being a good choice for enforcer.  Fraser made it quite obvious in two scraps that he is more than equipped to be team agitator in tonight’s Hawks/Avalanche match-up (which resulted in a 3-2 Blackhawks win in OT, of course).  I renew my irritation, however, at the overpenalizing of fighting.  A 5-minute major penalty for a little roughing that doesn’t even draw blood is excessive. (more…)

Tim Sassone, my favorite writer over there at The Hockey News was spot on in his blog yesterday when he mentioned the ‘R’ word — Rockford.  But why bring up just one forward? (And if it has to be just one, it should be Jack Skille, no question.  Looking at Andrew Ebbett, you have to ask why Jack Skille was ever sent back down.)  I believe it was a commenter on Sassone’s blog that said that bringing up some boys (that’s plural) from Rockford might shake some of these guys just collecting paychecks from their collective reveries.  (more…)

What a home-opener last night at the UC between the Hawks and the Colorado Avalanche!  Almost makes you wish you were there. (Almost.)  But if I hadn’t been at home I wouldn’t have gotten to see the replay (about 6 times) of Niklas Hjalmarsson’s swing-batta-batta swing into the face of the Avs Darcy Tucker.  In a word: awesome.  And Hjalmy didn’t even get called for high-sticking! (more…)

Woohoo, the War Room in Toronto made another good call in the first 42 seconds of the Hawks/Flames game allowing Dave Bolland’s goal to stand.  The issue was did Bolland “punch” or “bat” the puck into the goal off his hand.  Toronto said no, and the goal stood. (more…)

Looks like the Blackhawks have started taking the advice of sports writers and fans all across the Chicagoland area who have suggested that the Hawks have to be more aggressive on the forecheck/backcheck.   Against the Oilers tonight, James Wisniewski delivered a really nice, hard open-ice check and Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith put the hurt on a few people as well.  Matt Walker and Colin Fraser got into a few good scraps, though Adam Burish was surprisingly tame.  Bur did, however, have a rather large grin on his face at one point which usually indicates he’s trash talkin’ somebody, which is of course always extremely entertaining. (more…)

Cam Barker, Colin Fraser, Duncan Keith Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and James Wisniewski muse about who’s going to do what during the All-Star Skills Competition.  Brian Campbell is in the Fastest Skater Competition, Jonathan Toews the Accuracy Shooting Competition, and Patrick Kane is in the Breakaway Challenge.  And Wiz thinks that Dustin Byfuglien would win hands-down in a hotdog eating contest.