Holy cow (as Harry Caray would say), what has happened to the Hawks? Dare I ask if we have a Cristobal Huet-type situation brewing in net? Something went wrong in tonight’s game when the Hawks were shut out by the Avalanche, 4-0. Ouch. Are ya missing Antti Niemi yet? How about Marty Turco? Well, hopefully Corey Crawford finds a way out of his “sophomore slump” because I just don’t think Ray Emery is going to fly as back-up. (more…)
Wow, what happened last night in the Blackhawks’ season opener against the Dallas Stars? It would’ve been a shutout had Nick Leddy not crashed the net with sheer determination in the last few seconds of the game to score the Hawks’ lone goal. The final score was 2-1 Dallas, but it could’ve been so much worse given how the Hawks played. They did not appear to be well-conditioned at all. They could not match the Stars on their stamina, and even Jonathan Toews was left far behind on one of Patrick Sharp’s mad dashes to the net. And while Sharpy had a high-throttle game coming strong off of his emergency appendectomy, the rest of the team appeared tired and sluggish as early as the 2nd period. (more…)
To be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to this year’s crop of Blackhawks new-comers. Nobody likes change, at least not as much as there has been, and so it’s been hard these past two seasons to watch some stellar veterans go (although when I heard lackluster under-performer Brian Campbell had finally got the boot I almost threw a party).
However, in pre-season play it has been delightful to watch Brandon Pirri’s rising star. This kid is amazing! He almost had a hat trick in last night’s loss to the Penguins. And while the guy in the Hawaiian shirt at the bar where I was watching the game disagreed with me, the call on Pirri for “interference” in the last minute or so of the game was in error. Unless I missed something, it looked like Pirri was just following through with a check on the boards, though it was difficult, judging from the camera angle, to see where the puck had gone. What wasn’t hard to miss was Pirri on the ground, on his back, getting his ears boxed by, it looked like Pens’ Zybnek Michalek. Still, it looks like Pirri will go far. Apparently opponents think so too or Pirri wouldn’t have become an early target. So bang on Pirri. You’ll get that hat trick yet! (more…)
I’m back to address the awful decision handed down by the NHL to suspend Niklas Hjalmarsson two games for what was clearly NOT a dirty hit on Sabres’ Jason Pominville. (In this case, kudos should also go to Jonathan Toews, who, as ever, was first to rush in and defend his boys. Clearly he too did not think the ensuing mêlée was merited by Jelly’s hit.)
So, as they say, let’s go to the film.
Despite the commentators in the above YouTube video obviously stumping for a suspension and purposely not seeing what was right in front of them in a slow-mo, slow-frame replay, this was NOT a dirty hit from behind. It was a side hit, and probably a hard one, but Hjalmarsson didn’t even throw an elbow, again, despite what commentators were saying (and the commentators are suspect in this case because they knew that, upon review, the NHL would hear their comments and be swayed by them). (more…)
Update: The NHL suspended Wisniewski for 8 games without pay. Good! I hope this means that instead of adversely affecting all players when dirty hits happen, the NHL sees that they need only punish the offenders, and even more harshly repeat offenders like Wisniewski (and Ovechkin). Thank you NHL for finally getting it right!
When the Blackhawks traded James ‘Wiz’ Wisniewski last season, I was not shy about saying what a mistake that was. How could the Blackhawks trade a valued and tough d-man like that? Since then, the Hawks have been struggling with their ‘D’ no question about it. But watching as Wiz and Brent Seabrook exchanged pleasantries before the first intermission in tonight’s Hawks/Ducks game and then watching Wisniewski gun for Brent Seabrook in the 2nd period, charging across the ice and purposely leaving his skates to take Seabs out by the head?! Oh, them’s fightin’ words Wiz! And are you kidding me with just that “charging” call? What? No automatic ejection?
At least Duncan Keith rushed in to box Wisniewski’s ears after that dirty hit. Similarly, Nick Boynton more than proved his worth in having a go at Wisniewski in the last minute of the game. If only Boynton had gotten some good shots under Wiz’s visor!
The very hard Kronwall hit on Martin Havlat (which did not appear to be a dirty hit, despite what some Hawks fans and Brian Campbell would like to believe) in game three of the Western Conference Finals match-up between the Blackhawks and the Red Wings would come to bear in game four. Jonathan Toews, who would end up scoring the only goal for the Hawks in game four, said before the game that the Hawks weren’t out for revenge on Niklas Kronwall for his “dirty” hit on Havlat. No, seemed the Hawks were looking to self-destruct instead, probably as a result of being psyched out by the Kronwall hit, though only the Hawks know for sure. (more…)