Hawks Hockey Hoiden

As several of the Hawks and Coach Q noted after the game, the 3-1 win over the Atlanta Thrashers wasn’t a pretty one.  The boys employed a more utilitarian sort of play rather than the sort of play that keeps you on the edge of your seat feeling every hit and every slapshot.  The Hawks made better use of the power play, but even still the play lacked the Hawks’ usual finesse.

Also, Sharpie scored a goal, and that’s something we haven’t seen in about five games.  And tonight in particular, Nikolai Khabibulin was a bull with a save percentage of .973.

Editor’s note: Luckily I taped this game so that I was able to rewind and play the goal in the first period that was at first credited to Kris Versteeg, but which was actually tipped in by Jonathan Toews. Seems Toews was too modest to tell Versteeg that Versteeg had the assist, not the goal.

Going to the United Center is always interesting. Getting there during rush hour (which if you’re not familiar with Chicago is from about 3:30-7:30 p.m. or later in bad weather), especially in weather below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, is a hassle. But once you’re there, it’s like magic. And, it was Patrick Sharp bobblehead night, which placated all the fancicles that streamed into the UC (including yours truly). They were nice bobbleheads too, not the cheap kind. And who doesn’t love bobbleheads? And who doesn’t love taking in a game between Original Six teams? (more…)

The Hawks got robbed tonight on that first goal when Avalanche winger Ryan Smyth kicked (i.e. a distinct forward motion with his foot) the puck into the goal. How the War Room in Toronto did not let the no-goal call on the ice stand is beyond me.

And let’s not forget the disaster with Patrick Sharp arriving late for that face-off in the 3rd period (or did it seem like the linesman counted a very quick 5 seconds after he blew the whistle?) which led to the questionable hooking call against Matt Walker.

…The only good thing about games like this one is that they end.

When asked about Patrick Sharp’s missed face-off in the 3rd period, Coach Quenneville told the Daily Herald “You can’t justify that play they made to get the power play…That’s totally unacceptable. It was a homer drop. I haven’t seen that in four years.” A ‘homer drop’ is a drop of the puck that favors the home team, not a bumbling puck drop the likes of which you might expect from Homer Simpson. Still, d’oh!

All kidding aside, why wasn’t Sharpie considered for the All-Star ballot??

For most of us, Training Camp is as on-the-glass as it will ever get for us. Those seats are usually reserved for the corporate flunkies who can’t even appreciate them. So it was cool (for $5 a ticket!) to be able to have nearly a front-row seat on the glass to watch the Blackhawks scrimmage! (more…)