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…)

The Hawks seem to struggle against defensive-minded teams, and the Hawks’ 5-4 overtime win tonight against the Nashville Predators was no exception.  Patrick Kane was phenomenal for the second game in a row, with two goals and an assist, and a +3 for the night.  Jonathan Toews on the other hand struggled again tonight as he has for several games now.  Toews did not score, was sluggish, and registered only an assist.  What?  Did Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews switch bodies for Halloween?  (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…)