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Editor's Note - In these trying times, humor is the best medicine. With that, I'm pleased to bump this entry from ChicagoNativeSon to the main page. Job well done, sir. --McClure

Dear Soupy, (I still don't get how that rhymes with Brian or Campbell? Plus you look more like that Dinty Moore kid to me. Maybe "Stewy" then?)

Please hurry back. I heard in the media and on numerous blogs that you're just "milking it". I hope that's true and you'll be on the ice soon because as you know, milk builds strong bones and does a body good. As usual, Coach Q won't tell us anything and just keeps repeating "He's got a shoulder. He's got a rib." I already knew that, duh!! I wish people wouldn't keep me in the dark on these things. Maybe my English is still not so good...

Kim Johnsson is really starting to freak me out and I'm worried about this upcoming road trip. New "partner" doesn't translate very well into Swedish and last night I found him sleeping in my ASPELUND. He also keeps making sexual innuendos about his MEATBALLS and singing in the TOFTBO that "Salty Balls" song by South Park's "Chef". I think I'll sleep with the LJUSÅS UVÅS on.

I mentioned this to Keith and Seabs in the locker room. Duncs told me not to worry and that he'd "watch my back" (I never noticed he was such close-talker before). He offered to let me crash in their room and suggested we buy some Absolut and rent Swedish movies from the 70's. (I'm so glad he's finally willing to expand his cultural horizons!) Seabs has been giving me dirty looks all day though, so I might just sleep in the hallway. Hopefully Kaner doesn't trip over me.

What's bothering me even more are the media headlines. On Monday, a story in the Trib read, "Due to Campbell's Absence, Hjalmarsson Plays with Johnsson". This is really misleading. I even got an email from my mom back home and I think I'm grounded. Then yesterday at practice, I accidentally highsticked Kim above his lip. Of course, minutes later JayZ twitters "Hjalmarsson Sticks Johnsson in Mouth." This has to stop.

The straw that broke the reindeer's back though was what happened after practice. Kopecky was home taking care of Hossa, so Kim and I figured we'd pick up the slack and fake bitch-slap Niemi around. (It's really more of a Scandinavian thing anyways. Kopecky's such a poser) Well, as I sat down at my JOKKMOKK to write this, I googled "Blackhawks" to see how to spell my name. Of course, there on my own team's website, "Hammer Smacks 'Aunty's' Face with Johnsson." Are you fucking kidding me??

Well, needless to say I miss you.

Your partner bud,

Niklas Hammerstein Hjammerson Hjalmarsson

P.S. This new guy Boynton is such a pain. He must have watched too much Muppets as a kid and keeps calling me "Chef". He denies it, but every time he skates past I can hear him mumble "Börk, börk, börk." What a dick! Eager thinks Boynton's funny though, but that's probably because he still watches Sesame Street.

No matter how "pissed" he was after this afternoon's meltdown, chokers choke. There is no way to make a donkey into a horse. Huet is not as winner. That is the difference between an Osgood (we may hate the scum, but he wins), as an example and Huet. Osgood plays better when it matters most, Huet finds a way to lose. Play Niemi, his play is better when it matters most. Niemi also makes plays to bail out his teamates mistakes, thats what winning goalies do. Huet rarely comes up with the big save to bail out his team (can't remember one actually). Huet is defended to the death by the media, but that can not defend what we all see. He has the heart of a sheep.  

Coach Q, you are a good coach, we are glad you're here.  Soon we all will wonder why you continue to put our season at risk by playing Huet.  I can tell by the look on your face that you know Huet will never be a winner.  I can also see that you believe that Niemi is.  Let him play.  We have no time anymore to worry about feelings.  Huet can sit on the bench and mope.  I don't care.  I want the cup.

Been lurking around this site for a while and finally decided to register. Most educational and entertaining Hawks blog I've seen so thanks to everyone who contributes. Anyways, I caught the Sharp Attack segment on the Eric and Kathy show yesterday and they were discussing some newspaper piece that came out recently on the Hawks' lesser known nicknames. Some of them were actually pretty amusing, notably Versteeg's tendency to give himself nicknames like Verstud and Verbeauty!!! Sharp confirmed it too - said that Steeger even sews these names on the inside of his custom made suits. Thought you might find this entertaining so here you go.

Hey everyone.  I just found out about this board, and decided to join immediately.  For the 99.9% of you who don't know who I am, my name is Jay Zawaski.  I'm the producer of the Danny Mac Show on the Score, Hawks playoff postgame show host on the score, and author of the Red Light District blog on Chicagonow.com.  I'm looking forward to a new hockey board.  Thanks for haviing me. 

What do I need to know about this place?

I just ran out to grab lunch , and I happened to scan my AM670 and they were talking about the Hawks anthem.  They were trying to figure out how it started,   and they had no idea.  People were texting them saying it was when Iran released the hostages when Regan took office, and all kinds of crap.

Then the one guy said he has an issue when Jim Cornelison sings "our flag was still there" that he point at the flag.

Really?

How pathetic. It's not so much that they didn't know, but they just were guessing and apparently dont know about "the google".

So for the idiots on the radio here is the real story, thanks to Puck Daddy for running it and Jeff Bartl for writing it so well.  And for the fans that just never heard the history, here it is.  Personally, because of how it started, I love the tradition even more.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/yg29am7

Chicago’s National Anthem tradition

I get chills discussing what this feels like. I even interviewed current Anthem singer Jim Cornelison for my blog before the season because I needed to know what goes through his mind attempting to sing over 20,000 screaming fans before each home game.

The tradition started when the Blackhawks returned home for Game 3 of the 1985 Campbell Conference Finals trailing mighty Edmonton 2-0. The fans were so ecstatic, they began cheering during warm-ups and didn’t stop. They cheered through the National Anthem, throughout the entire game and saw their Blackhawks get back into the series.

When Chicago hosted the 1991 NHL All-Star Game just days after the Gulf War began, the tradition reached its pinnacle and inspired the country when Wayne Messmer bellowed out the tune over a packed house waving American flags and displaying signs supporting the troops.

I’ve never heard a stadium so loud than when I was in attendance for Game 1 against the Calgary Flames in last season’s playoffs. I couldn’t even hear Cornelison, it was THAT crazy at the United Center. Over 20,000 people standing, clapping and cheering at the top of their lungs to get behind their team is inspiring. It’s a tradition that’s stuck for nearly 25 years and will continue before each game as long the franchise exists. If you’ve never experienced this, you need to.

Here is a youtube link of the anthem during the all star game so you can see first hand why this became a tradition.

Anyways, the I’d be more offended at the dudes starting hawks chants than the cheering at the national anthem, as it’s more about patriotism than hockey imo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvpxVE_kQXg&feature=player_embedded

The Olympics got me thinking about what elements of that tournament could be adopted by the NHL to capture some of the excitement that it brings.

One element that seems interesting is the fear of sudden death during the single elimination tournament.  The Canadian players who had to go through the play in round compared it to having to win four consecutive Game 7's.  I don't think it makes much sense to alter the NHL playoff format, but they are right that the sudden death tournament added to the excitement.

So why not scrap the All-Star game in favor of a mid-season single elimination tournament?  I don't think this idea has a snowball's chance in hell, but it does make some sense in some ways.  Explanation after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Just a quick disclaimer. I've been a hawks fan all of my life. I used to be able to see them when I was a kid. But due to a lot of reasons, it became impossible to continue to afford tickets to the games during their lean years. Which was, pretty much, the majority of my life. And since they weren't on television, I didn't really see much of them, nor was able to really "support" them during the dark ages. I also want to say that I've always enjoyed reading SCH and have spent a lot of time these past two years since the Hawks have been back on TV.

But something really started to irk me during the live blogging of the trade deadline. First of all, someone posted the Red Eye article about the bandwagon fans. I think what bothered me there was everyone complaining about fans that yell, "SHOOT!" Well, I'm a very vocal fan. I'm yelling at the athletes no matter what the sport. And, for example, against Islanders when Hossa was 5 feet from the net and couldn't decide to pass or shoot (and ended up whiffing), I was screaming "SHOOT THE PUCK!" at the TV. Like Edzo says, it's never a bad idea to direct the puck towards the net." And when I see the Hawks dancing for 2 shifts in the opponent's end like the Harlem Globetrotters (which is a good thing) and not get a shot off, yeah, I'm a lil' annoyed. I don't see how that is any different from the people on here that complain about the lack of Versteeg(!) dumping the puck, or Byflugien being constipated on the ice. Or posting pictures of clown shoes.

On to the goalies. It is a very polarizing issue, I get that. I don't like Huet. I think he is overpaid for what he brings to the team. And Niemi has the ability to be good, I think, but not yet. The goalie situation is quite possibly the weakest link of the Blackhawks, right behind the sloppy defensive play of late. People want the weakest link to be shored up a bit. I don't understand the backlash against people complaining about the goalies. I get that it is an old subject, and people have been bitching about Huet all season, and that it can be tiring to continue hearing about it, but it is a valid concern. If our defense is off, our goalies can't seem to pick up the slack. Will that be fatal in a cup run? Maybe. Maybe not. Nobody knows the answer. Even Josh Mora said he was concerned in the podcast. Reading the comments about the goalie situation is like being in a room with PS3 owners facing off against 360 owners. Seriously, you're both right and both sides have a fair amount of cognitive dissonance goin on there...So the personal attacks and idiocy on both sides has led me to stop reading the comments on this site, which I used to enjoy.

And a quick aside, I've seen a couple times where comments have talked about the psyche of the players and their body language and whatnot. I have a Master's in psychology and am working on my Ph.D. To listen to people in the comments say that Huet giving in soft goals doesn't impact the thought process and the feeling of the players on the ice is sheer...well...naiveté. The Hawks DOMINATED that first period against the Oilers. Got up one goal. And then it came crashing down. Someone said in the game thread "Is it too much to ask to see the hawks play angry for a period." Well, it took a while but they finally did. Other nights they haven't. If you paid attention you could see the Hawks struggling to regain that anger and drive. Eventually they did, thanks in part to Eager, Toews, and yes, even Kopecky.

I could go on for a while on this, but the simple fact is that is that you cannot say that the stress level of the defense is not extremely high. Almost every time they make a mistake, one of the goalies let's in a goal. That pressure could very easily lead to more mistakes. So the goalie situation is a very real problem. I don't think there is any question there. If only for the fact that we pay nearly $6 million for an average goalie. The question, though, is: "How big of a problem is it?" Only time will tell.

So I guess what I've been trying to say is that I used to enjoy reading the comments on this blog. And getting different people's perspectives regarding things like the goalie situation. I enjoy having my positions challenged and being forced to examine other's perspectives. But with the amount of vitriol in the comments lately has become overwhelming whenever the goalies are brought up. Both sides are right. It is a problem, but it also isn't. It is as much as a problem as the cap space. It is a problem, just not yet. Will the goalies be the Hawk's downfall? Time will tell. Snapping at people that complain about the goalies is a bit hypocritical when you are quick to point out the downfalls of every other player on the ice, like Steeger, Kopecky, and Seabs.

I have to echo the thoughts of the other fanposts. As I write this the Hawks are now first in the division. First in the conference. Second in the entire league. They have a +54 goal differential, second only to the Capitals. Their PP% is 7th. Their PK is 6th. They average the most shots per game in the entire NHL. They still have the fewest shots against. Both our goalies have a Sv% above .90 and a GAA below 2.5. As much as I don't like Huet and think Niemi needs experience, we've won 42 out of 63 games.  

The Hawks can seemingly dominate every statistical category (save goaltending) most nights. Toews is a monster. Kane's face lights up after an assist. It is a fun team to watch. It is an aggravating team to watch. They are not a perfect team; they have flaws. And if you want to bitch about one thing, don't snap at people that bitch about another. Because in the end, it's all just bitching about a team that just keeps on winning. Even when they do play like shit.

I apologize for the ramblings, but I just needed to vent after getting so annoyed at the comments these past couple of days.

Well, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to get my ass kicked on this one, but does anyone else here find it troubling that the Hawks have just been outscored 7-2 by the Islanders (5-0) and Oilers (2-2) during 5 on 5 play? We're talking the Islanders and Oilers here folks. I know that shaky goaltending and turnovers contributed to this. However, I think that the way the Hawks dominate play, there should be more scoring while playing 5 on 5. While I have only referenced the last two games, this has been going on for awhile. The Hawks are good at playing 4 on 4, and pick up a power play or shorthanded goal every once in awhile, but I just feel these are situations that shouldn't be relied on as a source of scoring.

Contrary to popular belief, I do have more to contribute than smart ass remarks and the occasional picture of clown shoes. I bring you photos from "Taco Bell Blackhawks Night" at the Rockford IceHogs game this past Saturday.

I had bought my tickets a couple of weeks ago with the hopes of scoring some autographs and a great hockey game. I got one out of two at least. I ended up picking up KofC on the way as she wanted to go and had luckily grabbed a ticket before they sold out. So after a stop at the IceHogs store at the local mall (I bought a puck), food and a walk around downtown Rockford (they have some cool old signs and buildings down there) we headed over to the MetroCentre.

There was already a long line to get in - they opened the doors up shortly before six. Myself and my gf headed directly to the line for the autographs. I had brought three pucks I got for an early bday present to get signed, and my gf was tasked with getting my brother's Versteeg jersey signed. The line was ginormous - the had the cattle gates set up and it resembled the lines at Great America in July. Apparently at some point the line stretched almost completely around the arena. After an hour, we had just reached the cattle gates and guys left for the pregame festivities. Before they did, I ran over and snuck a couple pictures by the signing table:

You can see Mike Haviland and Niemi in the foreground. TOFTBO, Versteeg, Fraser and Brouwer are behind the burly man in the suit. After they all left, we decided we paid to see the game, so instead of waiting for them to come back at the intermission, we'd head for the seats. We ended up sitting just inside the blue line of the goal the Hogs shot at twice. 

As you've probably seen, the Hawks came onto the ice for the ceremonial puck drop via convertibles. Here is Niemi & Versteeg's ride:

Meanwhile, Fraz, Brouwer and TOFTBO await the second convertible:

I really want to know what they were laughing about. Any thoughts?

Onto the game, here are some familiar faces:

Corey Crawford

Jake Dowell & Bryan Bickell

The early highlights included two beatdowns. The one in the first period involved the Hogs' Kyle Hagel and the Rivermens' Mitch Love (yes, that's his name):

Hagel went to the dressing room afterward to get a little sewing on his face. He was back out in the second period. And of course a great fight is always followed by the scraping of the blood off the ice:

The second period featured a scrap between Adam Hobson & Ryan Reaves:

Hobson has the classic post fight expression:

As for the game itself, it was fairly evenly matched. The Rivermen scored in the second. Skille had a sweet breakaway that he missed on (Doh!). In the third, the IceHogs got a powerplay for goalie interference with less than two minutes in regulation, and with Crawford pulled, Bracken Kearns tied the game at 1 with 12 seconds remaining. That was very exciting - I would have been disappointed to not see the Hogs score at least once. After a scoreless overtime, it went to everyone's favorite skills competition.

Akim Aliu was the first shooter and scored.

Matt Keith was the second shooter and also scored. By the way, that's our newest Finnish goalie, Hannu Toivonen (he of the slow motion net pratfalls).

Crawford made the first two saves. The third Hogs shooter was Skille and he missed. The Rivermen scored on their third attempt. Since the AHL goes to five shooters (which I wasn't aware of and prematurely started cheering, thinking the game was over), and the final two rounds were scoreless, the game ended in a 2-1 shootout win for the IceHogs!

Overall I had a great time, and I will definitely try to catch at least one more game this season. And bless KofC's heart for putting up with my inherent dorkiness. I don't know how my gf puts up with me sometimes.

One last thing. I would be remiss if I didn't put a picture of this guy on here:

This little man in the taco costume had me in stitches all night. I don't know if he wore his taco costume in honor of Taco Bell or just felt like it, but I salute him!