Hawks Hockey Hoiden

Do you ever get that weird feeling that when the NHL is trying to sell a new rule that they pick certain teams to sell it on?  For instance, earlier in the season the NHL seemed to pick the Flyers’ Chris Pronger to sell the need to make visors mandatory for all players in the NHL.  Or how about when the NHL put rule 48.1 in place making checks to the head illegal and the Vancouver Canucks got called for it repeatedly.

Tonight the Blackhawks beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5 to 2 and Viktor Stalberg scored his first NHL hat trick, but perhaps more memorable is that the Hawks were called for ‘instigating’ twice.  So it looks like the Blackhawks will be the team that the NHL proves their instigating penalty on.  (more…)

Typical.  Where there’s a goon, there’s a Vancouver Canuck, and it’s usually Alex Burrows and Kevin Bieksa.  Good for Boston, particularly Zdeno Chara and Milan Lucic.  Forget about the misconducts.  A yard sale is the only language the Canucks seem to understand.

Hey refs, how about an instigating penalty on constant troublemaker Alex Burrows???  And hey NHL, how about a suspension on Burrows for a history of instigating and goonery?  Milan Lucic wouldn’t have left the bench had Alex Burrows not cheap-shotted Shawn Thornton in the face.  Hey, remember when Alex Burrows bit Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals last year?  Cause it looks like the refs forgot!

And as a little jog down memory lane for Blackhawks fans, remember when Alex Burrows pulled Duncan Keith’s hair like a little girl?  Remember when Ben Eager jerseyed Kevin Bieksa?  Good times.

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Alex Burrows’ Number Called by Refs

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…)

In last night’s Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, once again Canucks Alex Burrows provoked Bruins Milan Lucic.  Burrows feigned tripping over Lucic’s stick during a neutral zone face-off and Lucic about burst a blood vessel trying to point out Burrows’ embellishment to the zebras.  Yet inexplicably, Lucic was called for “tripping” instead of just Burrows being called for unsportsmanlike conduct (i.e. “diving”).  (more…)

I can’t believe the NHL didn’t suspend Canucks’ Alex Burrows for biting, that’s BITING, Bruins’ Patrice Bergeron in game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals!  Alex Burrows has a reputation for goon hockey.  Need I remind Blackhawks fans about Alex Burrows’ hair-pulling incident during a scrap with Duncan Keith in 2009?  It’s bad enough being that goony, but Burrows has a history of slap-happy girl fights and so it is baffling why the NHL would look the other way when Burrows again not only did something dirty, but then lied about it.  It just lowers the bar for the sport and depicts hockey as a sport engaged in and watched by uneducated dullards.

We hear all the time about how hockey players are supposed to be the gentlemen of the sports world.  Well, with goons like Burrows and the NHL looking the other way, not so much.  I’m all for old school, smash-mouth hockey, but keep the gloves up; no hitting below the belt.  And yes, biting someone (or pulling their hair) is the equivalent of hitting below the belt.

Geez Burrows, when are you going to man up already??? Even when I was a little girl I didn’t fight as girly as you do!

The Hawks have swept the San Jose Sharks and are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals!  Woohoo!  Someone please get Duncan Keith some teeth. (He lost seven in this game.)

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…)

Mere weeks after being dangerously clocked on the boards by James Wisniewski, Brent Seabrook had a go at Brad Winchester in tonight’s Hawks/Blues game.  That’s not what’s necessarily notable (nor are the resulting “roughing,” “fighting,” and even “game misconduct” calls on Seabrook).  What is noteworthy is that, just like the Alex Burrows hair-pulling incident last season, Winchester too pulled Brent Seabrook’s hair during the ensuing mêlée.  But Winchester had to add his own personal touch to set himself above Alex Burrows by grabbing Brent Seabrook by the nose! (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!

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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…)