VS. 

The circus trip is upon us again.  The bad news is that due to the disappointing end to the Hawks homestand, going 0-1-2, they'll need a successful road trip-say better than .500-to balance that out.  The good news is this is more than possible, because the schedule is not The Stonecutters Unblinking Eye of a gauntlet.  The ‘yotes, Stars, and Leafs are all winnable games.  So do so.    

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Come on, I know you're out there. We are 82 hours away from the beginning of the Blackhawks' season in New York against the Rangers, and you're getting very anxious. I know I am. Heck, after watching my Cubs get absolutely embarassed in the playoffs after a terrific season (one that Al Yellon recapped terrifically over at Bleed Cubbie Blue), I need something to help me move on, and the Blackhawks will help give me that (you don't really think the Bears are going anywhere this season, do you?).

This season promises to perhaps be something special. There is a buzz around this team that has not been here for a long time, and I think everyone will agree that this is a club that could definitely finish 4th or 5th in the conference if they stay healthy and if luck is on their side. With the additions of Huet and Campbell, Toews and Kane a year more mature, and if Havlat can stay even relatively healthy, it should be an exciting team to watch this year.

So, come on. This is the thread where we all discuss how slowly the next 82 hours are going to go and how much we can't wait. Talk about the Hawks, talk about the Rangers, talk about New York, whatever. Let's help pass the time until hockey is finally back for us.

So we're about a month from training camp and the excitement is building. Visions of Jonathan Toews scoring goals, Brian Campbell quarterbacking the power play, and Denis Savard constantly juggling lines are definitely dancing through my head, and I assume everyone else's as well. Who can help it? This season promises to be one for the ages. You'll be telling your grandchildren about it, I'm sure.

And yet, there's one player that I think the Hawks are really going to need to get production from, and I don't know if he can come up with the results. And that player is Martin Havlat.

Flash back to July 9th, 2006. The Hawks acquired Havlat from the Ottawa Senators, while giving up Mark Bell, who headed to the Sharks as part of the deal. When I heard about the trade, I thought "Wait, we got a guy as talented as Havlat, and only gave up an underachiever like Bell? Awesome!". And I do think it was a great move by Dale Tallon at the time.

In his first game as a Hawk, he scored 2 goals and added 2 assists in a Hawk win in Nashville to start the 2006-07 season, and I thought "My god, this guy is going to get at least 100 points and all we had to give up was Mark freaking Bell!". And he continued on that great pace by recording 13 points in his first 6 games, and it looked like we had our first legitimate star forward since probably Jeremy Roenick (or "PR", as he's known to most).

Unfortunately, he injured himself in a game in Dallas in October, and since then, it's been an absolute struggle for him to stay healthy for any period of time. In two seasons with the Hawks, he's played in 91 games and put up 84 points. So, when he has been healthy, he's been good. However, those healthy stints are few and far between.

I love watching Havlat play, and I think that he's one of the top players in the league, when healthy (yes, that caveat is annoying but true) but this is a year where he needs to prove that he's not the most fragile man in the world and stay on the ice more often than on the injured list. This is a good team on paper, and with Havlat out there at 100%, they can be that much better. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Marty.

It's been kinda slow since the outdoor game was announced. Not much news in the past few days other than that, save for Martin St. Pierre being traded, Corey Crawford being re-signed and Mike Haviland added as an assistant coach. Some minor moves for the most part. We still have a little under two months until training camp starts, and it's safe to say every Hawks fan wishes it started next week. A packed UC, Pat Foley back, a young team on the rise, all 82 games on TV, it's going to be the most exciting year I can remember as a Hawks fan. Anyways, I'm just going to take a look at a few random Blackhawks/hockey items on this Sunday night to help pass the time.

• I'm still wondering what is going to happen with this goalie situation. You have two good goalies in Nikolai Khabibulin and Cristobal Huet. They're both being paid a handsome sum of money. I just don't see how you can carry both of them. The trade rumors involving Khabibulin seem to have died down lately after the crazy one involving the Hawks getting Anze Kopitar went away. It would be a waste to keep both of these guys on the roster and pay about $12 million this year just for two goalies. Sure, there's the possibility that carrying both will give you a "hot" goalie every night, maybe they will push each other to be better. Or maybe one plays great and the other is terrible, and you waste a ton of money. Maybe Dale Tallon is trying to deal Khabibulin and just hasn't found the right deal yet; since the Hawks are over the cap, I think that is the most likely case. I would guess (or hope) that Khabby gets traded sometime during training camp. Holding on to both of these goaltenders doesn't make sense to me.

• Jay Blunk says the Hawks are getting a new locker room at the UC. That's not very exciting news, is it? Apparently the old one was auctioned off at the convention. Why would somebody buy a locker room? Where do you put it after you buy it? It's a mystery of the world, I guess.

• I keep looking at this picture:

and I think about how cool it is going to be on New Year's Day when the Blackhawks are playing the Red Wings on that rink. It is seriously going to be an event to remember for a long, long time. I can't wait.

• Don't believe the buzz is back for the Blackhawks? Check this out:

The buzz goes beyond the outdoor game. The Blackhawks have nearly tripled their season ticket base since the start of 2006-07 — from 3,400 to more than 10,000. "And demand continues to be strong," Werner says.

Werner says the sales staff has been doubled, and "we are now working nights and weekends to keep up with demand."

Awesome. One of the coolest things this season we'll be seeing a packed United Center more often than not. Seems like not long ago we'd be excited if 14,000 came out to a Hawks game. Now it looks like most of the games will be sold out at this point.

• This isn't Hawks related, but apparently the Iowa Chops are offering Brett Favre a contract. Isn't this kind of ridiculous? I would be absolutely shocked if Favre even considered it for a second. Why would the Chops even offer him something like this? I guess just trying to garner up some publicity? Then again, being a Bears fan, I wouldn't mind seeing Favre get knocked against the boards a little bit. Might be kinda cool.


• I can't wait until October 10th. Yes, you guessed it, the season opener. Unfortunately it is over 2 months away. This whole off-season thing gets pretty boring. Start the season. Now.