2010 Training Camp Festival Player Evaluations

by ZLionHawk on Sep 19, 2010 4:46 PM CDT

FORWARDS
#	Name	Height	Weight	Age	Training Camp Festival Notes
12	Kyle Beach	6' 3"	202	20	Looked OK. He seems to be off on his passing. Scored a nice goal in the shootout after scrimmage one. Right now he's targeted for AHL. He should be anyway.
29	Bryan Bickell	6' 4"	223	24	Big strong, great shot. Put the first puck past Turco with a laser wristshot low gloveside. Doesn't replace any individual player we lost in the offseason, but he brings a combination of size, speed, skill, and consistency that we didn't have from any of the players we lost.
36	Dave Bolland	6' 0"	181	24	He looked good. He is so skilled, its not far fetched to think he will be centering the second line this year. He also pissed off just about everyone he played against. Toews in particular on a shift "lost" is stick in the corner while in a scrum with Bolly and skated after him to center ice before going to the bench.
52	Brandon Bollig	6' 3"	215	23	Classic toughguy hockey, when he gets the puck he skates without changing his angle of attack and loses the puck as soon as he's challenged. Didn't drop the gloves, didn't impress.
47	Evan Brophey	6' 2"	199	23	Looked OK. He didn’t stand out, but didn't look bad either. He's comfortable with the puck and knows what do do with it from his own zone through the neutral zone. Not much offense.
22	Troy Brouwer	6' 2"	214	25	Faster than I've ever seen him before. He will help mitigate the loss of Ladd if he can raise the level of "jam" in his game. Has a phenomenal shot, and just looks like a quality NHLer. Showing more of the skill that made him a scorer in the WHL.
41	Nathan Davis	6' 1"	205	24	Did not play…if he did, I didn't see him once and that is not good.
49	Christopher DiDomenico	5' 11"	165	21	Needs some more seasoning. He looked uncomfortable on the ice. Of course, getting hit by John Scott will make anyone feel uncomfortable. Didn't get much ice time.
28	Jake Dowell	6' 0"	199	25	His best defensive play was to sprawl out and block a Hossa empty netter. The problem is that Hossa was on his line. He looked small. I would say that he definitely did not solidify a spot on the 4th line today. There is too much competition to just had the spot to someone.
67	Rob Flick	6' 2"	205	19	Looked much more comfortable than I though he would. Did an admiral job. There's no chance for him to make the squad but he will be pushing hard for the 4th line center spot in the next year or so.
58	Byron Froese	6' 0"	176	19	See notes on Chris DiDomenico
68	David Gilbert	6' 2"	186	19	Looks good and came off a decent showing at the rookie tournament. Good size, scored a couple of nice goals.
61	Mirko Hoefflin	6' 0"	174	18	Looked pretty good. Another surprise. He plays a gritty game in the corners. He'll be an interesting one to watch.
81	Marian Hossa	6' 1"	210	31	Looked a little off…which for him makes him the fourth best player on the team behind Toews, Keith, and Kane. I am still looking forward to watching him play at 100%.
46	Hugh Jessiman	6' 6"	221	26	Huge. Scored a nice garbage goal at the end of the first game. He brings great size and grit, but didn't see a great deal skill. Still he would be a nice presenece on the 4th line and didn't look like a liability.
88	Patrick Kane	5' 10"	178	21	He picked up where he left off last year, no one is as comfortable in traffic as Kane (Toews and Hossa are a close second and third.)
59	Rob Klinkhammer	6' 3"	206	24	Looked fast, but his skill at speed drops off quickly (no pun intended). He scored a nice goal and is a good addition to the AHL team. If he ends up on the squad at any point this year, the team is in trouble.
82	Tomas Kopecky	6' 3"	203	28	Stepped up big time. Something clicked in him at the Olympics last year and he has consistently gotten better ever since. I predict he will be the next clutch performer for us with the departure of Byfuglien. I think he and Hossa are a lock on the second line.
26	Igor Makarov	6' 1"	195	22	Biggest surprise of the camp. He was dominant against all but the elite players he was matched up against. He hits, he's fast, he's skilled at all speeds, and he plays defense (although he was cherry picking for a hat trick at the end of the last scrimmage). Scored two nice goals. It was kind of funny, he was a little too excited, it seemed, after scoring (maybe because he's spent the last couple of years not getting ice time in the KHL where scoring seems to be frowned upon). Versteeg replacement candidate #1.
27	Jeremy Morin	6' 1"	189	19	Made the best passing play of the day hitting Pirri with a no look behind the back pass through the deep slot. He held his own, but should return to a line up where he will be on one of the top two lines. He just won't be able to break the deep line up of the Hawks and would be stunted as a 4th line player.
54	Philippe Paradis	6' 2"	205	19	Looked better than he did in the prospects camp. He's tough, but lacks hockey sense. The puck seemed to play him and he didn't seem too aware of his positioning.
14	Brandon Pirri	6' 0"	160	19	He's skilled and finished a beautiful feed from Morin, but he's also not going to benefit by playing on anything but the top three lines and there's no room for a player with his lack fo size and defensive awareness.
15	Fernando Pisani	6' 1"	205	33	Started slow (as any 33 year old would), but finished strong with a beautiful wrist shot that found the back of the net. He should make the team (ideally as a 4th liner). He will benefit from playing on a Q coached team.
16	Ryan Potulny	6' 0"	190	26	Not bad, but didn't impress. I think he was a mediocre player on a terrible team last year and looked relatively good. Today he looked like a relatively average player. He's got a decent shot, but I didn't see enough defense from him to make me forget about losing Madden.
44	Ludvig Rensfeldt	6' 3"	192	18	Looked WAY better than he did in prospects camp. He was big on the ice and the puck seem to follow him. He had a great showing and was good in the high-traffic areas of the low slot.
10	Patrick Sharp "A"	6' 1"	199	28	Steady as always, you get the impression that he's the glue that ties Toews to the rest of the team. He looked like he's been practicing his shot. With all of the chances he gets, he could have a huge scoring year if he's been able to improve his accuracy.
20	Jack Skille	6' 1"	215	23	Played with a nice edge and physicality. If he continues to pursue that element of his game, and step up his defense, he could be our Ladd replacement. He justs needs to be a little more nasty.
57	Ben Smith	5' 11"	205	22	I like this kid, he's my darkhorse to make the 4th line. He could knock Pisani out of the lineup. His $ might be the only reason he doesn't make the big club. I'd like to see him at center.
25	Viktor Stalberg	6' 3"	210	24	FAST. He has some wheels, but didn't see a great deal of control in his rushes. He did the Skille thing where he trys to angle, and lean his way from the wing to the slot and get off a shot. He's so fast that he slid past the defender, but, like Skille, his stickhandling isn't good enough to keep up. It makes me miss Versteeg.
23	Jeff Taffe	6' 3"	207	29	Looked pretty good. Threw his body around a little and may be the answer at 4th line center. He made some nice plays in both zones.
19	Jonathan Toews "C"	6' 2"	210	22	The best player...by far. If he wanted to, he could win any scoring titles he wants. He's so talented and competitive it makes me feel spoiled as a fan.
DEFENSEMEN
#	Name	Height	Weight	Age
24	Nick Boynton	6' 1"	218	31	Smart player. A good veteran presence on a very young team.
51	Brian Campbell	6' 0"	189	31	Looked like the player we overpaid for. Winning a Stanley Cup has done him a world of good.
43	Jonathan Carlsson	6' 2"	187	22	OK…big, was brutalized by Toews on a play where he had clear possession of the puck in his own end. Long story short, Toews took it from him and buried the puck in about a 3 second span.
56	Brian Connelly	5' 10"	167	24	Really sharp. I think he could be the next defensive gem. Strong passing, great skating, and never seemed in over his skis. Needs about 20 lbs of muscle.
5	Jassen Cullimore	6' 5"	235	37	He looked OK. He laid some nice hits. Had a couple of shots. Still looks a little slow, but never seemed uncomfortable.
48	Simon Danis-Pepin	6' 6"	229	22	He also looked OK. Didn't make any big hits, but skated fairly well and effectively pushed rushes to the outside. I'd like to see him get some time with the big club this year, but I don't think he should make the starting lineup.
6	Jordan Hendry	6' 0"	197	26	He's a steady player and seems to be stuck at the same level he's been at for the last three years. That's not a bad thing, because he's been a quality support player on the big squad, but it doesn’t keep him ahead of players behind him that are stepping up (Leddy, Lalonde, Connelly, Vishnevskiy).
4	Niklas Hjalmarsson	6' 3"	205	23	Looked off early, he seemed to get the worst of the first three big hits he threw. He took a terrible, lazy, holding penalty against Toews. He's still a great passer and made a couple of nice hits that had the intended effect later in the scrimmage.
2	Duncan Keith "A"	6' 1"	196	27	Stud. He, Kane, Markarov and Toews were the highlights of the scrimmage. He finished his scrimage with a beautiful one-timer, top-shelf that beat Turco from the blueline.
42	Shawn Lalonde	6' 1"	192	20	Looked pretty good. He skates well, makes intelligent passes. The panic threshold isn't where it needs to be to beat out Leddy for a shot the big squad.
37	Nick Leddy	5' 11"	179	19	Looked solid. Way better than I remember him in the prospects camp. He was everything as advertised today. He really has a high panic threshold and seemed to hold his own in the corners (which was a major concern after the prospects camp). He could benefit from watching Keith use his stick. If Leddy develops the stick skills that Keith has (which would perfectly compliment his game), and adds some more meat to his frame, he could be a force for years.
32	John Scott	6' 8"	258	27	Way better than I thought he would be. In drills he missed on a pass so badly that I was really concerned, but in the scrimmage he was noticably good. Its scary to think of a guy that big being mobile and effective moving the puck. He laid some hits that ruined some of the other player's scrimmages.
7	Brent Seabrook	6' 3"	218	25	As solid as he's ever been. Steady, in perfect position, and not one to be trifled with.
55	Ryan Stanton	6' 2"	205	21	Not very noticible today. He seemed to be on the wrong end of too many plays.
34	Ivan Vishnevskiy	6' 0"	193	22	He's my bet to make the squad with Scott on the third defensive pairing. He's got a great shot, and has all of the right skills. His panic threshold may be a little too high. He got caught on the blueline a couple times in a way that makes me feel he's vulnerable to giving up a shorty every once in a while, ala Timmonen in the Finals. At 22, though, I'm expecting him to have some room to grow in the wisdom department.
GOALIES
#	Name	Height	Weight	Age
50	Corey Crawford	6' 2"	200	25	Looked great today. Had nothing get past him and made an effort to move the puck in a way that we never saw from Niemi.
70	Joe Palmer	6' 2"	190	22	Looked OK, he'll be a good back up at Rockford.
38	Alec Richards	6' 4"	210	23	Not bad, but didn't impress.
33	Hannu Toivonen	6' 2"	200	26	Really effective. Battled well against Turco in the first scrimmage. It took a couple of phenomenal plays to beat him, but was really never challenged one on one.
30	Marty Turco	5' 11"	184	35	Fun to watch. He's so good with the puck its scary. If he's playing with the Hawks top defenders, the majority of pucks he plays will end of in quick scoring chances. There were a couple of times where he hit a defender or forward with a pass and they didn't seem prepared to receive the puck. The result was that the puck ended back towards Turco. He was only beat with a great one on one shot from Bickell, a Kane back-breaking deke backhand, and a screened Norris trophey winning blueline top-shelf slapshot from Keith.

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Comments

went to training camp

but still enjoyed your take on the players. I didn’t actually notice Dave Bolland annoying any of the guys, probably from the angle of our seats, but that’s amusing to me.

I read today that Hossa was still recovering from a knee injury (MCL sprain or tear, can’t remember), so hopefully that’s why he seemed a bit off today.

Makarov and Morin impressed me a hell of a lot today. Gotta be cautious about sample sizes, obviously, but Makarov’s been some sort of scoring machine so far.

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 18, 2010 8:25 PM CDT reply actions

Did you see what he wrote about my boy??

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 18, 2010 11:34 PM CDT up reply actions

haha yes

I don’t see him as the “next Byfuglien” necessarily, but I think he’s beginning to fill into the top-six role he was handed. Would be interesting to see, definitely.

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 10:56 AM CDT up reply actions

Who's "your boy"?

My Father's name is Jack, and my Mother's name is Daniels...

by Joe Banks on Sep 19, 2010 5:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Blue

I'm not superstitious. I'm just a little stitious.

by AirTrafficAJ on Sep 19, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs

kopecky...CNS has defended him for a long time

by blackhawkeyes on Sep 19, 2010 8:06 PM CDT up reply actions

when I suggested Kopecky had more of a 2nd or 3rd line skill set, but just wasn’t talented enough compared to the guys we had last year. I told everyone they better get used to Kop because he would be rotating between those lines this season, not on the 4th.

I got booed off the stage.

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions

No, we were saying

Buuu-urns!

39 years of pain vaporized by one OT goal. (1971 loss to Habs)

by Badgerdano on Sep 20, 2010 7:11 AM CDT up reply actions

I was saying “Buuu-urns.”

"What the hell, let's review it." - Dale Tallon
"They are!" - Pat Foley
"What a farce." - Dale Tallon

by HawkVision on Sep 20, 2010 9:21 AM CDT up reply actions

and Bolland's 2nd line center potential?

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 19, 2010 7:00 PM CDT up reply actions

WORD.

You must have me confused with someone else, I have never been to Chicago.
[whispers] I sexually assaulted Scottie Pippen in 1997.

by DocPepper on Sep 19, 2010 7:38 PM CDT up reply actions

Everyone's a winner!!!

In summary: I want to see Bolland prove he can be the 2nd line center of the future, but would prefer him on the 3rd line this year. Then we’d have 3 kick ass lines. I just can’t envision the 3rd line being nearly as strong without Bolland on it.

Toews, Kane, Brouwer
Sharp, Hossa, Kopecky
Bolland, Bickell, Stalberg

Sure the forward lines are going to change a lot, but I feel confident that with Bolland on the 3rd line our top 3 lines can be among the 5 best in the league in all-round play. Add the fact that our defense is top notch, we’re looking pretty damn good.

I keep stepping back and looking at that previous paragraph and wondering “Am I just a homer??” Does anyone else feel this is a realistic assessment?

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 10:19 PM CDT up reply actions

I agree

But my homer goggles are surgically attached.

Go jump in Toews Lake.
Aubrey: old German for king of the elves. Huff: English for...huff.

by shinkicker on Sep 20, 2010 7:14 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Was at Training Camp

as well and I can’t agree more about Makarov. He looked incredibly skilled, and he has a nice shot.

Toews was in typical midseason “Fuck you I’m Jonathan Toews, and you’re not” form.

There seemed to be some tension between Toews and Hjalmarsson. I saw them yapping back and forth on multiple occasions.

If Crawford can keep up how he looked today, I’ll feel very comfortable with our goaltending this year.

by giddyup on Sep 19, 2010 12:11 AM CDT reply actions

Fave moments

That behind the back pass from Morin to Pirri was SICK. It happened right in front of me & I think I sat there with my mouth open in amazement for at least a minute.

Toews was PISSED when Toftbo took him down in the corner. Cap’t was talking shit to him all the way back to the bench. Tazer made him pay when he scored on the ensuing penalty shot. He about deke’d Joe Palmer right out of his shorts. As my brother said, “that wasn’t even fair.”

Oh, and the video of Sharp trying to get his dog Shooter to eat milkbones out of the Cup – LOL.

"Kane is skating as if his mullet is on fire." - 6/9/10, 10:06PM CST

by chevrier30 on Sep 19, 2010 12:16 AM CDT reply actions

yeah, and then Hammer SLAMMED his stick on the ice in frustration

the moment when Hammer got called by the ref and he threw his hands up in the air and shouted—quite audibly, from where I was sitting—“WHAT THE FUCK?” was probably the highlight of our morning.

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 9:31 AM CDT up reply actions

actually, no

I think Morin’s pass was the highlight of my morning. That was so definitely Versteeg-like.

I also think Bolland may have played better with Makarov than Stalberg. But that’s just me.

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 9:33 AM CDT up reply actions

Toews and Hammer

Fuck Toews, that dude came off as the biggest douche on the team. after bitching out Hammer for hitting him he was a sour puss the rest of the day. I was right by the red team’s entrance he was one of the only players on the team to NOT give high 5s to the fans. And just seemed like he was having a horrible day cuz he got hit.

on a happier note Turco was the coolest dude, signed at least 50 things for all the fans and Kopy gave some little kid next to me a stick. Great guys!

by joedl42 on Sep 19, 2010 10:50 AM CDT up reply actions

Why else do you think they call him Captain Serious?

He may be pissed, but in the heat of competition, sometimes you forget to do some things, such as high-five the fans. As long as Toews produces and looks like as if he’s in midseason “fuck you all” form, then I’m okay.

But off the ice, he’s been great with the fans. I would just chalk it up to his seriousness and his competitive fire that pretty much blocks out everything else.

OMFFGWTFLEMONGRASSONABBQ!!
I am in desperate need of hockey now.
On Twitter? Follow my occasional rants about whatever...

by chisoxfan1473 on Sep 19, 2010 11:00 AM CDT up reply actions

Everyone has a bad day, these guys are actually human (yes, even Toews)

And that’s why he’s the player and captain that he is – I’m sure they’ll be fine off the ice and Toftbo got the same Toews treatment that I (we) hope that all the young’uns get from Cap’t Serious. I can’t believe someone wrote “Fuck Toews.” Never thought I’d see that in the SCH comment section, but to each his own.

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 1:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Fuck Toews?!!!!!!????

WTF guy, write him a letter and I’d bet he issues you a public apology.

I had a waitress this morning who would barely look at me let alone talk to me more than to say “whaddya want?”, but I wouldnt go so far as to say “fuck that waitress”, and she certainly didnt captain the Hawks to a Stanley Cup

Afroman likes tall cans.

by OMFS88 on Sep 19, 2010 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions

Speaking of fucking and Captain Serious I have a Jonathan Toews fact of the day....

“Jonathan Toews never allows women on top during sex…The reason? Because Jonathan Toews never fucks up!”

"Make the bastard chase you, he will follow."

by RaoulDuke27 on Sep 21, 2010 11:43 PM CDT up reply actions

I had to read this 4 times, and I'm STILL amazed.

Oh well.

I'm not superstitious. I'm just a little stitious.

by AirTrafficAJ on Sep 19, 2010 6:16 PM CDT up reply actions

what you really mean...

is “Fuck, yeah! Toews!!!!”, right?

by aeroplane on Sep 19, 2010 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions

fuck yeah toews haha

true to all your hating on me haha. i guess “fuck toews” was the wrong choice of words… maybe “toews was simply rude” haha, i think that suits the situation much better.

by joedl42 on Sep 19, 2010 11:10 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Haha

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 11:19 PM CDT up reply actions

The only time "Fuck Toews" should be used on this site

Is in the context after a play, pass, goal, whatever that is so sick that the mind simply cannot wrap itself around it.

That’s when you go “Fuck, Toews!” :D

OMFFGWTFLEMONGRASSONABBQ!!
I am in desperate need of hockey now.
On Twitter? Follow my occasional rants about whatever...

by chisoxfan1473 on Sep 19, 2010 11:31 PM CDT up reply actions

comma is key

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 6:32 AM CDT up reply actions

no,

money down!

It's the Chicago Blackhawks man...

by Campbell32 on Sep 20, 2010 6:46 AM CDT up reply actions

laugh,

out loud

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 7:45 AM CDT up reply actions

jizz,

in my pads

/luongo’d

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 8:08 AM CDT up reply actions

you do realize

the comma turns it into am imperative, don’t you?

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 9:02 AM CDT up reply actions

Go,

fuck a duck

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

thanks for doing this write up.

that is all.
i really appreciate the effort you put forth doing this, even tho its just the 1st day.
is Makarov the 2010-’11 dark horse for our Men of Four Feathers?

Here come "The Hawks … !!!

LETS GO HAWKS!!!!!
LETS GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

"It's The Chicago Blackhawks, man." ~ Jeremy Roenick, June 9th, 2010.

by Hawkynite! on Sep 19, 2010 1:33 AM CDT reply actions

Ditto

Thanks from those who can’t be there
and rec’d.

541 goals. 1467 points. Stanley Cup. Hall of Fame. All hail our man Stan.

by furryogre on Sep 19, 2010 4:54 AM CDT up reply actions

Agreed.

It kills me that I wasn’t able to see any of these, – I would sure love to.

ZLionHawk, Thank you very much for the great info!

My Father's name is Jack, and my Mother's name is Daniels...

by Joe Banks on Sep 19, 2010 6:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Lo mismo.

"....we have to find a way to win. And good teams do that."

Tomas Kopecky May 29, 2010

by ballyb on Sep 19, 2010 8:17 PM CDT up reply actions

cracks me up

that 90% of the comment is after ‘that is all.’

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 6:34 AM CDT up reply actions

Ditto

39 years of pain vaporized by one OT goal. (1971 loss to Habs)

by Badgerdano on Sep 20, 2010 7:16 AM CDT up reply actions

Barring any unforeseen bed-shitting

I’ll be surprised if Makarov doesn’t make the team. He’s looked solid in everything he’s done so far since coming to the states. Was one of the most consistent in the rookie tournament and has been dominant in training camp day 1. He should make the team over Beach and several others, easy.

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 1:36 AM CDT reply actions

I definitely agree his chances look good

He’s seems to be a name that many forget when they speculate on our opening roster. Seems a lot of people just want to see Beach up at the start of the season. The Hawks have definitely been grooming Beach’s public image this summer, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens.

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions

As long as Makarov

Doesn’t seduce StanBow into becoming the next Mike Smith. Just because a dude is Russian don’t mean he’s amazing. I still get angry when I hear the name Boris Mironov.

I'm not superstitious. I'm just a little stitious.

by AirTrafficAJ on Sep 19, 2010 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Eh

I don’t think it matters. If Makarov starts to falter, he’ll be a healthy scratch and someone else will be called up. All of these rookies have small cap hits and are essentially interchangeable. I just hope he gets a shot with the team considering how well he’s been doing. He’s got at least 10 points through 5 days of hockey so far, including the last 2 scrimmages and the rookie tournament (I say at least because I’m not sure how many assists he got in the rookie tourney). If he can keep this pace up, I see no reason to leave him off the roster.

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 7:20 PM CDT up reply actions

I also get pissed when I hear.....

Alexei Zhamnov, Alexei Karpovtsev, Sergei Krivokrasov, Anders Eriksson, and Anton Babchuk. Then again I honestly Mark Bell was going to be a good player with the Hawks.

"Make the bastard chase you, he will follow."

by RaoulDuke27 on Sep 21, 2010 5:18 PM CDT up reply actions

*thought

"Make the bastard chase you, he will follow."

by RaoulDuke27 on Sep 21, 2010 5:19 PM CDT up reply actions

You forget Boris Mironov

by PDiggy on Sep 21, 2010 6:24 PM CDT up reply actions

Hahahaha.....

And that asshole Boris Mironov!

"Make the bastard chase you, he will follow."

by RaoulDuke27 on Sep 21, 2010 11:36 PM CDT up reply actions

wait what?

head-scratcher.

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 22, 2010 6:19 AM CDT up reply actions

Krivokrasov was no superstar, but he wasn't all that bad in his time here

Preparing my psyche for the coming Capocalypse
Confusion will be my epitaph.

by krome on Sep 22, 2010 9:08 AM CDT up reply actions

no no

ATAJ’s original comment mentioned Mironov.

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 22, 2010 10:05 AM CDT up reply actions

Makarov's play seems to be doing all the image greasing for him!

I’m sure you might have seen THIS from our Blackhawks’ nhl.com page, but for those who haven’t please give it a read. Personally, I really dig the Makarov love since now is his best opportunity to really break camp, and so far hes been doing just that!

To see Igor Makarov progressing over the first 2 days of Camp (leading scorer with 3G, 3A)& the Rookie Tourney (Hat Trick & 1A in 9-5 Spanking! of Pittsburgh) is extremely positive to say the least.

The last in-depth piece i remember reading about him was a not-so-promising report directly under another, more glowing report i initially posted a LINK to a while ago regarding Marcus Kruger
(who currently has 4 pts in 4 games for Djurgården after coming off 10pts in 16 playoff games, being awarded Most Points by a Rookie, and being nominated for the ’09 – ’10 SEL Rookie of The Year Award)

Back to Makarov however whom, if he keeps up his point production and actually breaks the roster by the time the ‘10-’11 Regular Season opens, I am calling Hurricane Igor (seems topical/badass enough, no?) or even Iggy (Im a serious Stooges fan).

All kidding aside, I’m sure many of you can agree that Makarov’s recent production is putting him in a very good position as the clear & early on favorite to break the Opening Night Roster, and if the value of a franchise’s prospects is any indication of their longevity and overall success long term, I think the prospected Diamond-In-The-Rough-Players like Makarov, Beach, Kruger & Morin should build excitement in the hearts of every Blackhawk fan for this season and for the coming seasons within this new decade for our

DEFENDING STANLEY CUP CHAMPION CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS!

(that never gets old.)

LETS GO HAWKS!!!!
LETS GO HAWKS!!!!!!

"It's The Chicago Blackhawks, man." ~ Jeremy Roenick, June 9th, 2010.

by Hawkynite! on Sep 20, 2010 1:10 AM CDT up reply actions

One more thing in Makarov's favor

is his Cap hit.. He’s at $552,500. Beach is at $1,170,833, Kruger $735,000 and Morin is at $977,500. If by the end of camp the competition is close, I’m sure he’ll be the one chosen to open with the Hawks on opening night.

Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."

by cdz3210 on Sep 20, 2010 9:09 AM CDT up reply actions

Thanks man.

Awesome write up. Rec’d for effort.

GO HAWKS!

It's the Chicago Blackhawks man...

by Campbell32 on Sep 19, 2010 2:13 AM CDT reply actions

Something happened to TomoKop during the Olympics…he really found his game. He probably grew in confidence and is more willing to try certain plays, and it shows. He was solid in the scrimmage, I am liking him more and more each time he plays. I feel like it’s his spot to lose on the 2nd line with Hossa and Sharpie.

Brouwer was fast and has more intensity in his game, Klinkhammer has a great set of wheels too, but his stick-handling isn’t quite there. I loved Hendry’s end-to-end rush, I think he’s improving…and what the hell, John Scott? I thought he would have the mobility of a Mack truck, but he’s a wee bit faster than Sopel and can probably play just as well as Catfish along the boards. If he continues he’ll be a sure thing on our 3rd D line, and us having a defensive Ogre with decent shut-down skills will be huge for our team. Huge.

Also Makarov deserves some pre-season ice time. Kid is impressive.

by PDiggy on Sep 19, 2010 9:27 AM CDT reply actions

Something happened to TomoKop during the Olympics

Yeah, his testicles finally dropped and he became a man. Mozel tov!

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 9:17 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs

Ok, mozel tov made me lol

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 9:58 AM CDT up reply actions

meanwhile, at today's scrimmage

Black team (Bolland, Hossa, Makarove, Crawford, Soupy, Hammer, etc) beat the Red team (Toews, Kopecky, Brouwer, Seabrook, Turco) 7-1. Obviously I don’t know what happened there but it kind of sounds like we just Luongo’d Turco. And Crawford’s given up 1 goal in about 75 minutes of play. DundundunDUN goalie controversy?? (ahahaha jk)

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 12:16 PM CDT reply actions

I know what it is.

Red team was missing a second D man.

Honestly, Black team seems way better on paper. And as much as I’d love to see Turco dominate this year, it’d be great if there was a goalie controversy with Crawford and him. It would mean Crawford was doing well enough to be considered the starter, which would be great for us going into next year since we really don’t have a goalie after this season. If he can put out a solid season this year, he’ll probably stay with the Hawks as the number 1 next year.

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions

As long as Crawford doesn't take over the starting job at the end of the season

help win us another Stanley Cup and then want $3.5M+ when he becomes a RFA next summer. Boy that would suck.

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 3:31 PM CDT up reply actions

looks like we're gonna need a new horse

Bug Chucker Fly Fishing

by BigCSouthside on Sep 19, 2010 2:37 PM CDT up reply actions

Somebody dig up the corpse of Barbaro!

I will also accept Carlos Lee.

I'm not superstitious. I'm just a little stitious.

by AirTrafficAJ on Sep 19, 2010 6:13 PM CDT up reply actions

nice.

El Caballo reference = good stuff.

It's the Chicago Blackhawks man...

by Campbell32 on Sep 20, 2010 6:48 AM CDT up reply actions

ChiBlackhawks starting a goalie controversy?

Now that’s hilarious – worthy of a Danny Thomas – Uncle Tinoose spit take!

My Father's name is Jack, and my Mother's name is Daniels...

by Joe Banks on Sep 19, 2010 6:15 PM CDT up reply actions

i take that goalie controversy back

apparently Turco only played half the scrimmage— so he really only let in 3 goals, not 7. ~~Though that’s still 2 more than Crawford did…~~

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 7:13 PM CDT up reply actions

1 more.

Crawford’s let in 2 so far since yesterday. Again, small sample size but I hope Crawford can keep this up in the regular season.

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 7:16 PM CDT up reply actions

nope, 2 more

Crawford played only half a game yesterday, and he didn’t let in any while he was in net.

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 7:18 PM CDT up reply actions

Ah

I think I misunderstood. Crawford’s let in 2 TOTAL so far according to the main Hawks blog. You were saying Turco let in 3 today if I’m reading right, which means Crawford let in 1 today. Still doesn’t make sense if you go by the stats on the Hawks blog, but meh.

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 7:25 PM CDT up reply actions

if crawford let in 1 today

then I don’t see when he could have let in the other goal. I was at camp and I swear they changed goalies— Crawford was in for the first half and the score was 2-0. Another goalie came in and then the red team started scoring on the black team.

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 19, 2010 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Didn't he play yesterday too?

That would explain how he let in 1 today (if he et in 1 yesterday). Or did he play all 75 minutes today?

by Ban on Sep 19, 2010 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions

Goalie fight!!!

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 10:44 PM CDT up reply actions

Thanks for the updates!

I tried to watch on the online feed, but it was a little choppy at times. I know some of the kids are young and here to get experience, but I felt like some of the stars were just toying with them. At one point in the 1st game Kane was just stickhandling through 3 guys like nothing.

Anyways, I’m pretty excited after watching the scrimmages! I know we knew the sky wasn’t falling after the cap debacle, but this really showed we have some good pieces to add in.

And I’m looking forward to seeing Turco’s puckhandling skills when we play in the preseason. It’s already a different type of game, but I can’t wait to see him when Keith, Kane, and Hossa are on his team!

by blackhawkeyes on Sep 19, 2010 1:03 PM CDT reply actions

thank you for this

it was nice to see some perspective and feedback on all the players, I’m curious if after watching this, you feel that the personnel in place are sufficient substitute for the guys we lost

Bug Chucker Fly Fishing

by BigCSouthside on Sep 19, 2010 1:45 PM CDT reply actions

Replacements for our lost Stanley Cuppers

Byfuglien: 1) Bickell, 2)Scott -if defense) 3)Jessiman
Ladd:1) Skille 2) Beach
Sopel:1) Boyton 2) Scott 3)Visnevskiy
Eager: 1) Scott 2)Beach
Burish: 1)Pisani 2)Smith
Versteeg: 1) Makarov 2)Stalberg 3)Morin
Madden: 1) Potulny 2) Taffe 3) Dowell

by ZLionHawk on Sep 20, 2010 6:50 PM CDT up reply actions

i liked the write up...

I do disagree that Skille could ever become a Ladd replacement, unless you’re talking primarily about replacing his point total.

by aeroplane on Sep 19, 2010 5:49 PM CDT reply actions

Nickname!

“Soviet Military Pistol”

yessssss

You must have me confused with someone else, I have never been to Chicago.
[whispers] I sexually assaulted Scottie Pippen in 1997.

by DocPepper on Sep 19, 2010 8:04 PM CDT reply actions

.....awkward formatting regrets...

You must have me confused with someone else, I have never been to Chicago.
[whispers] I sexually assaulted Scottie Pippen in 1997.

by DocPepper on Sep 19, 2010 8:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Are you trying to compensate for something officer?

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 19, 2010 10:45 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm liking that Leddy and Lalonde looked good

The Seabs note made me happy as well.

I don’t know if I can see Vishnevskly and Scott playing on the 3rd pairing though, if so my pants my endure a lot of shitting.

When in Rome we shall do as the Romans, when in Hell we do shots at the bar.

by HolyBlackhawksBatman on Sep 19, 2010 8:27 PM CDT reply actions

"Leddy could benefit from watching Keith use his stick"…priceless.

The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.

by Overserved on Sep 19, 2010 11:06 PM CDT reply actions

John Scott...

…is on this team as a not so subtle reminder to opposing team’s mouth-breathing knuckle draggers not to run our star players into the third row. He is not as much of a liability as his ginormous size might lead one to believe; but then again he should not be put into too many situations where we find ourselves pining for Matt "the human pylon" Walker either. I love having him on the Hawks.

The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.

by Overserved on Sep 19, 2010 11:20 PM CDT reply actions

In the playoffs Id be fine with Hendry/Vishnevskiy or Boynton/Hendry.

During the regular season however Scott will be worth a lot especially when we play teams like St. Louis who think they can push us around.

I can’t wait to see Scott beat the living piss out of a sniveling shit like Cam Janssen. I know a lot of people here are anti-enforcer at the moment. I think that attitude was a result of all the sniping last year that the Hawks weren’t tough enough. It was a natural reaction.

As long as Scott doesn’t become a major liability I think a lot of these people are going to come around to having a guy who is around to kick some ass.

Hell I was like 6 years old and I still remember the way Hawks fans loved a good Stu Grimson freakout. Remember Stu’s Crew at the Old Stadium? The love of people like my father and uncle for a player like Keith Magnuson? Probie too!

19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks

by HjammerTime on Sep 20, 2010 11:30 AM CDT up reply actions

for me, it's not that

I don’t want an enforcer, as much as I don’t want to waste a roster spot on our own version of Cam Janssen. We hate little shits like him, why do we want one for ourselves?

I’m not opposed to a big strong guy, as long as he can actually play hockey. With the salary cap, new rules from the Stu Grimson era, yada yada, our “enforcer” needs to be useful aside from just: See Opponent, Knock Head, Skate to Box, Repeat.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 11:43 AM CDT up reply actions

Agreed

I’d also add that I don’t think we were against enforcers per se, it’s just we didn’t agree with people who thought we needed an enforcer to win. Either way, Scott (apparently) isn’t just a gorilla in hockey get-up, so that’s a plus.

by Germware on Sep 20, 2010 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions

Yeah, you're right

Our team was pretty damn tough as a whole (Soupy coming back early, Hossa playing with a knee injury, Ladd and his shoulder, etc). Scott looks to have a brain, so that’s a plus.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions

We need to make it to the post-season in one piece.

Scott is more than just another not-so-pretty face beater…he has some skill and on the third D pairing should be fine. I agree with the concept of team toughness, and love how the Hawk players jump to each other’s defense, but during the regular season there is something to be said for having a guy like Scott on your roster. I loved Adam Burish, but his presence on the bench for 52 minutes a game did not dissuade anyone from taking liberties with our core stars, and liberties were taken; John Scott’s presence will.

The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.

by Overserved on Sep 20, 2010 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions

but they all survived in mostly one piece.

I’m not unhappy with Scott as I think he might be able to skate and handle the puck at the same time, but more skilled, bigger bodies like Bickell serve the same kind of purpose.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 1:10 PM CDT up reply actions

Bickell should be able to do some deterence duty too

Preparing my psyche for the coming Capocalypse
Confusion will be my epitaph.

by krome on Sep 20, 2010 3:50 PM CDT up reply actions

meh

If I were a player I’d be more scared of Scott staring me down than Bickell. Scott already carries a reputation of being an ass-kicker, and is a deterrent by existing in a Hawks sweater on the bench. Bickell will have to earn that reputation. I hope he does. And scores some goals along the way.

by PDiggy on Sep 20, 2010 4:04 PM CDT up reply actions

I was limiting myself to guys who appear to be able to play fulltime too

Preparing my psyche for the coming Capocalypse
Confusion will be my epitaph.

by krome on Sep 21, 2010 9:50 AM CDT up reply actions

not to win.....

but to be able to survive the win…..remember Versteeg being the team protector—the run at Kaner’s knee, —-the near miss to Toews’ head……nice to be able to carry a deterent

"Trying is the first step towards failure" Homer Simpson

by ccm on Sep 20, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions

My point exactly. Nice.

The less a man makes declarative statements, the less apt he is to look foolish in retrospect.

by Overserved on Sep 20, 2010 12:55 PM CDT up reply actions

it wasn't always just Versteeg though

Brouwer would get into it (Kaner’s knee being the example) as would Eags, Burish, and Fraser. They may not have been as big, but I don’t think we really ever had someone who would ignore when a teammate was being targeted.

by ahnfire on Sep 20, 2010 1:16 PM CDT up reply actions

You're aware that all the guys you just named are gone except for Brouwer, right? ;)

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 2:42 PM CDT up reply actions

it was protection by committee though

I think we’ll see the same thing from the likes of Bickell, Dowell, Boynton, maybe Hendry, if they make the team.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions

He'll what??

What’s ‘Endry gonna do, bleed on me?!
You’re a loony.

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 6:30 PM CDT up reply actions

size isn't necessarily a problem (Z. Chara, for example)

Preparing my psyche for the coming Capocalypse
Confusion will be my epitaph.

by krome on Sep 20, 2010 11:41 AM CDT up reply actions

trust me

size matters

All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity. - Gordie Howe

by stacie7 on Sep 20, 2010 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions

Why do you have to tell the truth?

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 2:08 PM CDT up reply actions

we are all about the facts here at SCH

All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity. - Gordie Howe

by stacie7 on Sep 20, 2010 10:35 PM CDT up reply actions

Not when they damage my fragile male psyche

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 11:12 PM CDT up reply actions

especially then

happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!

by puppetmasterp on Sep 21, 2010 6:30 AM CDT up reply actions

Just curious

what you meant about Sharp being the glue that ties Toews to the team. You don’t think Toews is connected to the others on his own?

I disagree a little on Vishnevskiy, I think it will be a combination of Boynton, Scott, and Hendry to start the year. I liked the interviews they did with Boynton and Scott, both seem really happy to be in Chicago.

Beach didn’t have a noticeable game to me, which was a bit disappointing as this is the first time I’ve seen him live. Turco was definitely exciting. He’s very aggressive and comes out really far on the top of his crease when the puck comes into the zone. He was really far out on the shoot outs too. I had to keep myself from yelling at him to get back in the net. I thought he looked a bit rusty though, the first GA looked to be a bit soft (I’m thinking of the 5 hole one – that was the first one, right?). But he’s had rust collecting since April so I’m sure he’ll round into form.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 12:00 AM CDT reply actions

Sharpie's the glue

My comment on Sharp comes after seeing Toews reaction to Hjlammarson taking a lazy penalty against him. Toews is a great guy and I’m sure off the ice, all is well in Blackhawkland. I just notice sometimes that Sharp seems to take the edge off by taking Toews down a peg (with tongue in cheek).

Toews should expect the most of the guys around him. He should be pushing his teammates, but the Hawks play their best when they’re lose and confident. Sometimes, I get the impression that Toews can look at a guy for messing up and the guy will want to jump off a bridge.

by ZLionHawk on Sep 20, 2010 2:46 AM CDT up reply actions

this was what I got from that comment

I keep thinking, Toews and Crosby are very similar players, and Crosby didn’t have a Sharp until Billy Guerin joined the Pens. There was an article about how Guerin was the first one to joke around Crosby or something.

I only really paid attention to Hammer during that scrimmage, but Sharp wasn’t playing for either team. Was there anything else that prompted you to say the glue comment, besides maybe Sharp’s public challenge to make sure Toews’ team is the first one bounced out of the training camp tournament?

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 20, 2010 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm glad Toews is forced to hang out with Kaner all the time

They balance each other out, and I think Kane makes Tazer more of a person and less of a robot.

Go jump in Toews Lake.
Aubrey: old German for king of the elves. Huff: English for...huff.

by shinkicker on Sep 20, 2010 9:23 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

O/T

“Yes, my gorgeous wife and I are plotting to kill you. Slovakian Oddjob, show them what you do…”

Bug Chucker Fly Fishing

by BigCSouthside on Sep 20, 2010 2:16 AM CDT reply actions 4 recs

rec'd

for the caption.

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 6:39 AM CDT up reply actions

who was it that said

they looked like James Bond villains?

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 20, 2010 7:59 AM CDT up reply actions

rec'd

for Slovakian Oddjob, since I didn’t notice him till you said something. By the way, Slovakian Oddjob also sounds like something Hossa would do on his honeymoon. Or to Kopecky. Probably both.

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 9:24 AM CDT up reply actions

I think she looks a bit like Natasha Fatale

But Hossa is no Boris Badanov.

…Kopecky with his playoff stache though.

Go jump in Toews Lake.
Aubrey: old German for king of the elves. Huff: English for...huff.

by shinkicker on Sep 20, 2010 11:05 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

I think hossa looks a bit like

Bond himself (the Daniel Craig Bond, I mean). His wife I could see as an evil Bond girl. I think it’s her eyebrows.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 11:45 AM CDT up reply actions

So glad to hear

that Makarov stood out for the second straight day,i really hope he makes the team….
Kinda disappointed that there isn’t more good news about Stalberg,I knew the kid could fly up and down the ice,but i was hoping to at least hear that he was backchecking constantly,or improved his stick handling or anything positive,but nothing for now…

How is Morin’s skating ability?i keep hearing he is skilled and that he has a filthy wrist shot,but can the kid move?

by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Sep 20, 2010 3:03 AM CDT reply actions

Igor

,,,,,He signed a two year deal only after management “promised” him playing time in the big show….otherwise he was headin back to the KHL

"Trying is the first step towards failure" Homer Simpson

by ccm on Sep 20, 2010 7:23 AM CDT up reply actions

Management promised

Makarov that he would be playin in the NHL?I didn’t hear about that…hopefully he gets some playin time Wednesday against the Lightning,would really like to get a view of his skills

by Special Agent Dale Cooper on Sep 20, 2010 8:33 AM CDT up reply actions

Looking for the article

He was heading back to khl unless he was going to get some time at NHL level….. I am looking for that article now

"Trying is the first step towards failure" Homer Simpson

by ccm on Sep 20, 2010 9:57 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

Nice write up!

Thanks. Wish I could of made it. I’ve gone the last 2 years but glad Makarov has been stepping up. I really hope he can see some time this year. Also Morin; I’m fucking excited to see that kid play in another year.

The clock is ticking….I’m just excited to be going to the Oct 3rd pre-season game.

by Jrs23 on Sep 20, 2010 8:55 AM CDT reply actions

Nice recap

You lost me at Kopecky.

by Scott13 on Sep 20, 2010 9:39 AM CDT reply actions

Thanks!

Appreciate all info, also still love seeing Madden’s name. Crap, I need a new jersey.

The sun never sets on a badass

by Trixietrx on Sep 20, 2010 9:41 AM CDT reply actions

82 would look good on you!

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 9:59 AM CDT up reply actions

oh my god, that would be hilarious

Trix, can you lose a bet or something so you have to wear an 82 shirt/sweater?

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 10:52 AM CDT up reply actions

WILL

NOT
HAPPEN

The sun never sets on a badass

by Trixietrx on Sep 20, 2010 12:17 PM CDT up reply actions

awww

what if we got you realllllly realllllllly drunk? ;)

by ahnfire on Sep 20, 2010 12:19 PM CDT up reply actions

also known as

“Tuesday” at the Trixie household

Bug Chucker Fly Fishing

by BigCSouthside on Sep 20, 2010 3:40 PM CDT up reply actions

thought it was

any day ending in -y

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 20, 2010 5:08 PM CDT up reply actions

No comment

Still, even drunk, I know better.

The sun never sets on a badass

by Trixietrx on Sep 21, 2010 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions

you know we love you for it, Trix

(Tweets @ChiBlackhawks and blogs at Blackhawks Down Low.)

by chiblackhawks on Sep 21, 2010 6:05 PM CDT up reply actions

Oh shit

I forgot to LOL, cause really, I thought those 2 comments were hilarious.

The sun never sets on a badass

by Trixietrx on Sep 22, 2010 10:47 AM CDT up reply actions

oh, that was good for a laugh though

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions

Where is Marcus Kruger?

Heard alot about his potential . In college?

"Trying is the first step towards failure" Homer Simpson

by ccm on Sep 20, 2010 10:17 AM CDT via mobile reply actions

Sweden

he signed a contract with the Hawks but decided to play another year in Sweden.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions

O/T

For those with nothing better to do today, starting at 11 am, NHL Network is playing Game 6 against Calgary (from 2009) and following it up with the entire San Jose series.

Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."

by cdz3210 on Sep 20, 2010 10:26 AM CDT reply actions

for those night owls

they are playing the whole Sharks series again at midnight again

All hockey players are bilingual. They know English and profanity. - Gordie Howe

by stacie7 on Sep 20, 2010 1:43 PM CDT up reply actions

Just like it started on California time!

by spokeinthebandwagon on Sep 20, 2010 1:45 PM CDT up reply actions

This was great!

Thanks for the write-up. I didn’t think it was possible, but now I’m even more excited for the start of the season.

‽ ⅋ ‽

by K_Dog on Sep 20, 2010 10:53 AM CDT reply actions

re: Brandon Pirri – how can you be 6’0" and only weigh 160 lbs.? Wow, is that kid light.

‽ ⅋ ‽

by K_Dog on Sep 20, 2010 11:04 AM CDT up reply actions

I'm having flashbacks to my brother playing jv football

6’2" 140 was padding his weight in the stats. Probably still is.

Go jump in Toews Lake.
Aubrey: old German for king of the elves. Huff: English for...huff.

by shinkicker on Sep 20, 2010 11:07 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions

My brother is 6'5" and only weighs 130.

Combination of high metabolism and strong exercise schedule. The Pirri height/weight doesn’t seem unrealistic to me, though that weight will make him a victim if he hopes to play at NHL levels.

by spokeinthebandwagon on Sep 20, 2010 11:35 AM CDT up reply actions

I think I saw him in the Nightmare Before Christmas ;)

Lord Stanley's new address: Sweet Home Chicago!

by ChicagoNativeSon on Sep 20, 2010 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions

you certainly know better than I do, but 6'5", 130?!

Is that even physically possible; have you seen him on the scale with your own two eyes?

Ditto for Badgerdano

by Hack on Sep 20, 2010 12:36 PM CDT up reply actions

Reminds me of an old Bill Cosby line

about Weird Harold – they used him to get baseballs out of gutters.

by stanfordron on Sep 20, 2010 12:41 PM CDT up reply actions

Heh. It's physically possible, and yes I've weighed him in myself.

He works out every day of the week in a combination of weight training and three different martial arts, and he’s a parkour runner; it’s his goal to try a different building in our city every week. The height/weight makes him look malnourished, but he can down 3000+ calories a meal, he just has a ridiculous metabolism and he works it out while running.

I tease him that he’s going to get fat when he gets older and that metabolism slows down. He teases me that he can climb our state capital building and I can’t.

by spokeinthebandwagon on Sep 20, 2010 1:41 PM CDT up reply actions

it sounds like your brother and I have similar hobbies

~~Weight training, 3 different martial arts, parkour, climbing tall buildings~~, downing 3,000+ calories per meal

Ditto for Badgerdano

by Hack on Sep 20, 2010 1:51 PM CDT up reply actions

hey

If you ever need a training partner.

‽ ⅋ ‽

by K_Dog on Sep 20, 2010 2:04 PM CDT up reply actions

Ooooh, parkour

I could never do it, but it’s fun to watch.

2005 Chicago White Sox. 2006 Chicago Rush. 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks. CHAMPIONS.

by HappyHuman on Sep 20, 2010 8:19 PM CDT up reply actions

Frankly I am shocked to hear that Crawford did that well

I haven’t been all that impressed with him up here in Rockford. I actually liked Toivenen better… glad to hear that Corey is looking good because he is a really nice guy and always has time for the fans.

Also, Skille is going to be bust….

by 815Sox on Sep 20, 2010 11:23 AM CDT reply actions

That has certainly been the line on Skille and its the current meme on Beach.

I hope were all wrong on all counts.

19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks

by HjammerTime on Sep 20, 2010 11:31 AM CDT up reply actions

I seem to have missed those rumblings about Beach

I was under the impression he was quite skilled but mental in the head and hence needed time in Rockford to grow up, not that he would never be effective in the NHL.

by Germware on Sep 20, 2010 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions

Seems to be the vibe I’ve been getting reading stuff around the internets.

19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks

by HjammerTime on Sep 20, 2010 12:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Can we start the season so we can get Leddy/Markov and Pirri in NHL 11 please!

Dam the Hawks are going to be stacked at the first roster update.

19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks

by HjammerTime on Sep 20, 2010 11:33 AM CDT reply actions

When do the roster updates come out ...

… and how can one download them?

by Don'tToewsMe on Sep 20, 2010 11:50 AM CDT up reply actions

Other roster errors in NHL 11

Most glaringly, Mike Modano is nowhere to be found in the game. He’s not on Detroit, not on Dallas, not a free agent. He’s presumably retired.

Also, I’d like to put Ben Smith either on the Hawks or the IceHogs, but he’s unavailable (because the game assumes he’s still at BC).

by Don'tToewsMe on Sep 20, 2010 11:58 AM CDT up reply actions

You need to long onto X-Box Live or the PS3 equilivent and try before it allows you in their is a roster update which you download. Modano is in the game and so is Ben Smith. You can also go find Beach and Morin. I’ve done some pretty heavy editing for all the teams in the league.

No Leddy or Markov yet. They will do another update about two weeks into the season when all the new rookies become eligible. We should get Pirri-Rensfeld and Hoffelin at that point as well.

Ive given up doing a current franchise and have just been playing the playoff mode. The Hawks minor league team sucks without some of these new guys.

19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks

by HjammerTime on Sep 20, 2010 12:15 PM CDT up reply actions

Anyone see Morrissey's "too cool for the Cup" article that ran yesterday?

DOUCHE
This town has the worst fucking sports writers. ever. Please god, Wednesday pre-season puck cannot come quick enough.

"...can i have a glass of whiskey and a slice of bread?"

by west_fulton on Sep 20, 2010 12:35 PM CDT reply actions

Morrissey is the absolute worst. If I ran a newspaper in this town the only people I would even think about hiring would be Sassone-Rosenbloom and Verdi.

Haugh could stay but he stick to Bears coverage exclusively.

19-88-81-2-7-10-36-4-51 : The Hawks

by HjammerTime on Sep 20, 2010 12:45 PM CDT up reply actions

disagree on haugh

did you read this little gem?

I can’t stand drivel like that. Haugh has had it out for Cutler since the moment Cutler got here.

Ditto for Badgerdano

by Hack on Sep 20, 2010 12:57 PM CDT up reply actions

he's a Hester-homer, too

I felt like I was reading an article about Niemi from Jesse Rogers.

and how frightening is it that Hester is the most experienced receiver on the roster?

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions

so much dumb in that piece

First off, dude, it’s week 1. It’s not like it had been 4 weeks and Hester wasn’t getting his catches.

Secondly, Cutler is supposed to make his pre-snap reads, go through his progression, and make a good decision. He can’t force throws to Hester just because Angelo is paying him like a number 1.

And finally,

Cutler needs to figure out more ways to get Hester involved the way elite quarterbacks do for big-play wide receivers.

Why is it Cutler’s job to turn a speedy z-type receiver into Andre Johnson?

I’m sure Haugh thinks that Hester’s performance yesterday vindicates the nonsense he wrote the week before, but in reality, it makes Haugh look even dumber for completely disregarding sample size.

Ditto for Badgerdano

by Hack on Sep 20, 2010 1:30 PM CDT up reply actions

I would prefer it

if Cutler threw to the guy who was open, rather than trying to force it to Hester when he’s not open just because he’s the “#1” receiver. I don’t care what number’s on the jersey catching the balls, as long as it’s navy blue.

sometimes I don’t know why I bother to read the paper anymore – anything intelligent they say has already been said by someone in my living room sunday afternoon (no joke – Troy and Joe repeated everything we were saying, it was getting weird). I need an SCH equivalent for the Bears, any suggestions out there?

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 1:42 PM CDT up reply actions

why bother to read the paper?

quotes from players and coaches. period.

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 1:50 PM CDT up reply actions

Although there is nothing equivalent to SCH

Windy City Gridiron isn’t bad.

LINK

Maybe, just once, someone will call me 'Sir' without adding, 'You're making a scene."

by cdz3210 on Sep 20, 2010 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions

I doubt there is an SCH equivalent for many teams

I hop on Windy City Gridiron, maybe once a week, just to see what’s going on. It’s certainly no SCH though.

I usually get my bears news and notes from Waddle and Silvy, and Jeff Dickerson (espnchicago’s beat reporter). JD is pretty solid, but deep down, he’s kind of a cutler hater too.

Ditto for Badgerdano

by Hack on Sep 20, 2010 1:58 PM CDT up reply actions

i get my beat reporting

from Brad Biggs, who does a pretty good job. Have to check out Windy city Gridiron.

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 3:22 PM CDT up reply actions

even worse, it got linked to by PD

now the world knows we have the worst fucking sports writers ever. Well, columnists at least. most of the beat writers do pretty well.

How is it possible to be a sports fan and be too cool for the Cup?!

by Katherine215 on Sep 20, 2010 1:12 PM CDT up reply actions

How is it possible to be a sports fan and be too cool for the Cup?!

A: You are a huge bag of dicks that only does his job for the paycheck, not because you’re a fan. God reporters in this town suck, like a black hole….they’re a black hole of suck.

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 2:19 PM CDT up reply actions

I don’t want to tattle on my brethren, but incredibly professional, hardworking journalists have had their pictures taken with Lord Stanley’s Cup. Would Woodward and Bernstein have stood proudly for a photo with Nixon after he had resigned? I think not.

I honestly have to question the intelligence of someone who makes this sort of comparison and doesn’t step back to say “self, that comparison is stupid and you should feel stupid for making it.”

it's entirely possible this isn't sarcasm

by boldmatter on Sep 20, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions

Well, as for this,

I honestly have to question the intelligence of someone who makes this sort of comparison and doesn’t step back to say "self, that comparison is stupid and you should feel stupid for making it."

He did ask the question to himself, but himself was not talking to him after reading the last Hawks focused article he had written.

Fan of the 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks!
Fan of the not 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Isles!
TMFF is a Genius. 'Nuff said.

by burpchelischili on Sep 20, 2010 1:25 PM CDT up reply actions

what we have here

is a major facepalm.

We like our people.

by cliffkoroll on Sep 20, 2010 1:52 PM CDT up reply actions

somehow i don't think even this is enough facepalm, but whatever

OMFFGWTFLEMONGRASSONABBQ!!
I am in desperate need of hockey now.
On Twitter? Follow my occasional rants about whatever...

by chisoxfan1473 on Sep 20, 2010 3:19 PM CDT up reply actions

Wow. What a jerk.

It’s the greatest trophy in hockey, your city hasn’t won it in half a century, and you somehow too don’t want a picture because everyone is doing it? Of all places, I’d think Chicago would be the first to take advantage of a chance to get a picture with Stanley. I mean, it’s not like these opportunities come around every day.

by spokeinthebandwagon on Sep 20, 2010 2:02 PM CDT up reply actions

It's just so adolescent

Not wanting to do something because then you’d be part of the crowd. I didn’t know that Morrissey was an emo. Someone get him a gift card to Hot Topic and some vampire books.

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 2:21 PM CDT up reply actions

I believe the word you're looking for is "hipster"

even then he’d probably still take a picture, but it’d be “ironic”.

Go jump in Toews Lake.
Aubrey: old German for king of the elves. Huff: English for...huff.

by shinkicker on Sep 20, 2010 3:56 PM CDT up reply actions

Such

A hipster douche

Afroman likes tall cans.

by OMFS88 on Sep 20, 2010 8:12 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions

See, I think it’s more angsty than that. He seems almost pissed that people would dare take a picture with the cup, and all that do are lame, or just following the crowd. I think we get him some white face makeup and an AFI shirt. Then he’ll be “unique” enough to feel special.

My hatred of the Canucks is matched only by my love of drinking.

by whiskeyboy on Sep 20, 2010 11:17 PM CDT up reply actions

What he said!

Boo AFI!

by Ban on Sep 21, 2010 12:23 AM CDT up reply actions

the American Film Institute?

happy ninja is happy....and wants to share its new toy!

by puppetmasterp on Sep 21, 2010 6:32 AM CDT up reply actions

Armed Forces Insurance?

by ahnfire on Sep 21, 2010 1:26 PM CDT up reply actions

American Football Israel?

by Germware on Sep 21, 2010 3:18 PM CDT up reply actions

I took

a pretty “douchey” picture with the cup at the pond hockey championships in Eagle Ridge, WI back in February 2009. I blame the free Labatt’s Blue for 2 straight days

Afroman likes tall cans.

by OMFS88 on Sep 21, 2010 4:49 PM CDT up reply actions

If anyone wants to see it

I’m the guy on the right in my profile picture. If anyone has the chance, I cannot recommend this tournament strongly enough. That’s the most fun Ive had drinking on a frozen pond since…. ever

Afroman likes tall cans.

by OMFS88 on Sep 21, 2010 4:52 PM CDT up reply actions

not douchey

Not douchey at all.

I remember seeing photos of the rink setup for that pond hockey tournament. I couldn’t believe how many freakin’ rinks they had, one after another, after another. Looked like it was a pretty big deal.

‽ ⅋ ‽

by K_Dog on Sep 21, 2010 5:30 PM CDT up reply actions