Blackhawks sign Akim Aliu to a 3-year deal

The Nigerian-born Aliu scored 28 goals and 61 points in 60 games with the London Knights last season, ranking him 3rd on the team. He also had 133 penalty minutes.
He was drafted 56th overall by the Hawks in the 2007 Entry Draft.
Aliu is one tough customer. He will become a household name this season, probably more for his rough antics.
I profiled him lastJune. Check that article out here. It has a pretty good Aliu clip as well.

T Tags: Blackhawks+sign+Akim+Aliu three+years profile fight+video

Chelios brings Stanley Cup to Wrigley Field and makes a controversial statements

This past Friday, Chelios reportedly sounded "pretty darned good" singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at the Cubs game, but when given the honor of throwing the first pitch, he threw it high over guest catcher Eddie Vedder. He was given a second chance and threw that pitch a little high as well. However, Vedder reached high and least caught that one. The crowd gave Chelios a "rousing" ovation when he was introduced. He even had the Cup beside him on the pitcher's mound.
But that isn't the really big news of the day of Chelios in Chicago. What Chelios said after the ball game (a lopsided loss by the Cubs by the way) is what is somewhat controversial.

"I know I bring it (Stanley) with the wrong team, but at least I brought it home."

"You don't want to hurt anybody's feelings. I've found a new home with Detroit, but Chicago is always going to be home and my parents are here," he said. "I intend on coming back here someday and living the rest of my days whether it's as a player or just somehow maybe involved with the Blackhawks."

Well, Chelios is 46 now, the oldest person to win the Stanley Cup, and reportedly already has a verbal deal in place with the Red Wings that just has not been announced by Wings' GM Ken Holland yet. His agent has confirmed that. The former Hawk had great things to say about the current Blackhawks team.

"They've made all the right moves," said Chelios. "They've got a great young nucleus with this team and the management, with what they've done is just tremendous for the fans.
It's been a long time coming since you felt that buzz. I can't say I wish I was a part of it right now because I'm a Red Wing, but it's great to see the fans excited about Blackhawks hockey."

So, as careful as Chelios may have sounded, he just couldn't avoid some Blackhawks and even Sox/Cubs fans' backlash by bringing Lord Stanley to a city that is the enemy of his current team Detroit. Examples:

- This writer from the Chicago Sun Times suggested that Chelios may have brought bad karma with him, as both the Sox and Cubs lost their games. Funny, but I don't believe in Karma.

-Fan Backlash #1: ...just remember the nasty,deliberate, try and knock him out hit he made last season against the Hawks' Kane.
He lost me there, he should have been booed Friday by any hawks fans attending fridays game at wrigley.

-Backlash #2: Class is Hull, Makita and Esposito not a cheap shot artist like Chelios, i remember his first game back after the trade when he was booed off the ice, the same thing should have happened at Wrigley. Hopefully he will never be associated with the Hawks again in any capacity.

-Backlash #3: He could take it to schools to friends, but to use it as a Chelios congratulatory party at Wrigley showed chelios doesn't care about us..he cares that chelios is still in the limelight. He didn't cause the Cup drought but he doesn't feel our pain either.
I tried to hear Detroit sucks in the background, but didn't. You don't know how much I wished that I could have be at Wrigley because HE WOULD HAVE HEARD ME yelling DETROIT SUCKS!

-Backlash #4: CC can stick the Cup where the sun don't shine. He wants to come back to Chicago? Yeah when he's in his 60's...The Hawks can use him like they're using Hull,Makita and Espo...I don't care what he's done he's a fricken Red Wing...

The above comments are from the Daily Herald.

I can understand the bitterness of the fans. They have endured so much shit over the past decade or so. When Wirtz Sr. traded Chicago-born Chelios to the Wings in 1999 in exchange for Anders fricking Eriksson and 2 first round picks (one turned out to be Sandy McCarthy), it was just another added blow. Two years earlier he had traded Ed Belfour to the Sharks for Chris Terreri, Ulf Dahlen and Michal suck Sykora.
The previous year, he traded the man Jeremy Roenick to Phoenix for Alexei Zhamnov, Craig Mills and a 1st round pick: Ty "who?" Jones.
Years of mediocrity ensued. But to trade the great Chelios to the enemy was a serious blow.
And that creates hate. Long-lasting hate. Especially when he has success with the enemy.
As an outsider, I would think that Chelios' presence on the Hawks' young team would be welcomed. He can still play. But this scenario is becoming more and more unlikely. Chelios looks to finish his playing years with the rival Wings and it will take years for some fans to get over the 'hate' part. That's what's beautiful about hockey and sport. Rivalries are awesome! You can be a star and saviour for your team for years, but damn you if you ever choose or are successful with an enemy team!
Personally, I know Chelios is easily hated on the ice. But I was a major fan of his especially when he played for Chicago. But I didn't like him going to the Wings either. I hate Detroit!
Regardless, here are some great Chelios memories from his days in Chicago (plus a few others):

CheliTube

-Ooo. Caught on tape, Chelios says to a host of a show that he would NEVER play for Detroit.

-Chelios fights Recchi in 1996.

- Chelios fights Glen Anderson (?). Never seen Anderson fight before. Looked like a boxer here. Landed nothing though.

- Chelios, with the Red Wings, had 4 assists against Vancouver this night. Watch him gloat to the fans in GM Place when he was given #1 star of the game. Sorry Nucks fans, but that was pretty funny.

-Chelios as a Hab destroys Brian Propp with a viscious elbow. Dirty, Cheli.

-Ron Hextall can't contain his anger anymore and attacks Chelios in an act of revenge for the Propp hit.

Images from the Chicago Tribune.

T Tags: Chris+Chelios+Wrigley+Field Stanley+Cup Chicago 2008 first+pitch

Vermette signs / Bowman to Chicago as advisor

"I don't think it would have been that nasty," Bryan Murray told reporters via conference call Thursday morning. "But certainly we're pleased to do it at the number we did. It took a long time to get done, but we're glad we could avoid it (arbitration)."

Murray should be happy about the price he is paying for Vermette. It's a 2-year deal at approximately $2.63 million per season. Vermette could have made more in arbitration, which was about an hour away.

"I’m happy. Ottawa is where I want to play hockey and I love the city," Vermette said after agreeing to the deal. "I love the fan base and the support we have there. We have a good team and I have some good friends as well."

So I guess you can take Vermette off the list of Canucks candidates. However, there is no talks between Andrei Meszaros and Senators management yet. It looks like Meszaros may be on his way out of Ottawa, leaving a huge hole on their defence. That may force Murray's hand into a trade.

---

The rise of the Blackhawks continues, as should the excitement from the Chicago fanbase. The great Scotty Bowman has jumped ship from Detroit to the rival Chicago to become the senior advisor of hockey operations for the Blackhawks. Wow. What possessed him to do that? Well for one, his son Stan is the assistant GM. Having Bowman advising the staff there can only mean good things for this franchise, who has long toiled in mediocrity from management-down. The Hawks are back, baby!

T Tags: Senators+re-sign+Antoine+Vermette Scotty+Bowman+new+Blackhawks+senior+advisor

Toews alright after Pettinger hit

Pettinger sure creamed Toews with a high hit last night and knocked him on his keester. Unfortunately, I think Toews' stick got up a little high and cut his chops open.
Check out the interview with Toews today. He's fine. He won't miss any time. But the docs want him to wear a cage.

T Tags: Toews Pettinger hit injury

Hawks embarass Canucks 4-1

I'm finding it very hard to believe that the Canucks could play this poorly in such an important game. Pick any category in today's game and I bet the Hawks beat us in it.

"They wanted it more than we did," Canucks captain Markus Naslund said. "They came out hard and we didn't respond to them at all." When someone mentioned to Naslund that the Canucks only had 10 shots on goal Naslund replied:
"Ten shots on goal? That's embarrassing," he added. "Considering where we are, we should be more desperate than they are."

Well Nazzy, YOU are the damned captain. You can stand in front of the press every postgame and cry that the team isn't desperate enough. But that doesn't cut it. I want to see results on the ice from the leader. For God's sake, they may as well put the "c" on Kesler, who, along with Burrows and Shannon are the only forwards showing any heart out there. Love how Kesler yelled "fuck me" after he scored his breakaway goal. A relief for him after being the goat in the loss to the Avalanche, and also a breath of fresh air today to a team that needed a spark. Well that spark was short-lived.
Best part about tonight? After Dan Sedin coughed the puck up leading to the eventual Kane goal in the 3rd, the twins were BENCHED! About time! Send a message to these dangly little clowns that wimpy passes and plays are not going to cut it.
I think the Nucks will respond against the Avalanche on Tuesday, for one, because they are a divisional opponent and secondly because we probably won't have a playoff spot by then.-I wonder how Jonathan Toews face is after Pettinger decked him. He was leaking blood for sure.
-Just can't blame Luongo at all for the loss today. Not when your team is outshot 28-10. Luongo had no chance on any goals against.
-So the Canucks just can't match the intensity of these non-playoff teams that are on the brink.... disappointing......again.
-I sure like this Hawks squad though. Lots of North American player content. Lots of heart. Great complete game by the Hawks today.



T Tags: Canucks Black+Hawks Review Boxscore Sedins+suck

Hawks negotiating with Forsberg / more news and rumors

Just saw this at Yahoo:

The NHL trade deadline is Feb. 26, and the Chicago Blackhawks, for a change, are in the thick of rumors that are swirling around the league. Hawks general manager Dale Tallon has admitted involvement in the Peter Forsberg negotiations, and two European news outlets reported during the weekend that Forsberg, 34, is weighing a three-year, $11 million offer from the Hawks.

As reported today, there still is a chance that Forsberg will return to the NHL this season aching foot and all. I'm not banking on it. If this story about the Hawks' offer is even close to being true, then I'll tell you right now, there is no way in hell Forsberg is coming to Vancouver. Who the hell would sign Peter the fragile for 3 years?? At that price? I don't see Nonis even trying that.

---

Why is Flyers' GM Holmgren saying this:

"As soon as we have had the opportunity to speak further with Dr. Kelly and Simon, we can shed more light on this," Holmgren was quoted in the paper. "Needless to say, we are very disappointed with this news."

That's because Simon Gagne is going to miss the remainder of the season due to concussion issues. Bad news for the slumping Flyers. I swear, Gagne is going the Lindros route. His career may not last long as this is not his first concussion. Gagne is as fragile as Lindros and Forsberg. Useless.

---

The Flames added some muscle today, acquiring d-man Jim Vandermeer from the Flyers in exchange for a 3rd round pick in 2009. Isn't that kind of a high pick to give up for a goon?
Either way, the Flames just keep getting bigger.
Wanna see Vandermeer get killed by Boogeyman Boogaard? Check this out.

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Eklund has Olli Jokinen going to the Sharks as an e3. Haha. Meaning bullshit. Yeah, this jackass is rolling in the popularity at trade season again. He won't make it onto a big sports show this year, thank Christ. He's doing his own show apparently. Be sure not to tune in.

T Tags: Forsberg+to+Black Hawks Simon+Gagne+out+for+season Flames+acquire+Vandermeer Jokinen+to+Sharks

Who's knocking Patrick Lalime now?

I agree with Kelly Hrudey, who said last night on After Hours that he really enjoys comeback stories. And Patrick Lalime is one of them. It took a while for Lalime to get a steady job with the Sens, but when he did, by 2002 he helped them get past Round 1 in 5 games over Philadelphia, allowing only 2 goals in the process. The Sens were then beaten in 7 games by the Leafs in Round 2.
The following season, Lalime played more games than the previous season (67) and won 39 games, had 8 shutouts, a .911 save percentage and a 2.16 goals against average. The Sens and Lalime made a serious push for the Cup in that season, defeating the Islanders in 5 games in Round 1 (Lalime allowed 7 goals), the Flyers in 6 games in Round 2 (Lalime allowed 10 goals), and then losing to the Devils in 7 games in the Semi-Finals (Lalime allowed 17 goals). The losing goal in game 7 in the Devils series came off the stick of Jeff Friesen who buried a shot past Lalime that he had no chance on. It was more bad Ottawa defence than anything else.
That was the best that Lalime had to offer for the Sens, as he played less games for the Sens the following year (57) and his stats dropped. The Sens were buried in the first round by the Leafs in 7 games, Lalime was pulled from the net in Game 7 after the first period after letting in 2 soft goals by Joe Nieuwendyk. He never played another game with Ottawa. Then-Sens GM John Muckler said:

"I thought Patrick Lalime performed pretty well for us and this is tough because of the type of character that Patrick Lalime is," said Muckler. "But the reality is if Patrick Lalime came back next year the pressure on him would have been tremendous.
We want to win a Stanley Cup in Ottawa and we have to make moves we feel can help us. I have no doubt in my mind that Patrick will go to St. Louis and have success. I just think we needed to make changes because we haven't had success in the past. With this move, and trading Radek Bonk (on Saturday), it gives us options to make other moves."

Dominic Hasek was brought in to address Ottawa's 'goaltending issues' and we all know how well that went.
He was then traded to the Blues in June 2004 for a conditional 4th round pick in 2005.
Lalime must have lost a lot of confidence by then, (plus playing for a gutted Blues team) because he only won 4 games out of 31 games played and his stats crumbled to a 3.64 GAA and a .881 save percentage. He was sent to the minors and also tore his ACL.
The Blues let Lalime go to unrestricted free agency in July 2006, and Chicago picked him up. Much like the Blues situation, Lalime walked into a Hawks team that was in disarray. Not even Luongo could have saved that mess last year in Chicago. His Hawks debut had to wait a few months because he needed back surgery.
This season? Things are looking up for St. Patrick the 2nd (his idol is Patrick Roy). With the ongoing injuries to Nicolai Khabibulin, Lalime is seeing playing time and performing well. He has 10 wins in 20 games, a 2.40 GAA and a .907 save percentage. Lalime and the Hawks have won 6 of their last 8 games. Lalime has allowed only 14 goals in that span. It doesn't hurt that the Hawks play that much better with Jonathan Toews in the lineup.
These are better times for Lalime, and I am happy for him. He has come a long way in the past few years, and is becoming a great comeback story.

A lot of these stats have come from Hockey Goalies.org.

T Tags: Patrick+Lalime Black+Hawks comeback stats Senators

Canucks beat the Hawks in unconvincing fashion

I watched the game with Temujin tonight and he described this game best: basically a roller coaster of emotions all the way through. From Burrows' breakway goal to make it 1-0, to Cam Barker's blooper reel flutter goal, to Dank's penalty shot miss in OT, to Ryan Shannon's beauty shootout spin-a-roonie goal this game had it all. Major physical game as well.
It didn't matter how we got it done I guess. Vancouver got the much-needed 2 points to keep up with Nashville for the final playoff spot.
One question I have is: should Shannon's shootout goal really have counted? Sure, the puck kept moving forward, but he basically crashed into Khabibulin before stuffing the puck in. You could see Lidstrom's potential tying goal against Anaheim not count tonight because Holmstrom brushed against Giguere. Well...what's the difference here?
Remember the last time Shannon attempted that type of shootout move?


We'll take it. But I'm still not content with how the Canucks got the job done.
I will sing the praises of Captain Markus now after mocking him pregame. I thought he played superb tonight, like he was on a mission. His tying goal was just sick. Great hand-eye coordination. Nice double pump after the goal too. Good to see Nazzy show some emotion out there.

BOXSCORE

HIGHLIGHTS

T Tags: Canucks Black+Hawks Review Ryan+Shannon

Canucks-Hawks Preview

After a crushing loss to the Avalanche last night I'm left scratching my head, wondering what the hell is going to happen next to this Vancouver team. The Avalanche were getting to all the loose pucks in front of the net and getting major bounces to go with it, and this Canuck team is not getting the breaks at all, hitting posts, missing golden opportunities, etc. It's not a pretty sight, as the worst case scenario nearly happened last night. We lost, and every team that we are chasing, or are close to in the Western standings except the Coyotes won last night. As you can see below, the gap between us and the rest of the Northwest Division teams ahead of us has widened overnight.
Tonight, it could get worse if we don't win. The Coyotes, who trail us by one point play the Predators who lead us by 1 point in 8th spot. We don't need the Preds winning tonight. But they are 6-2-2 in their last 10. The Coyotes are 4-3-3. Vancouver is 2-5-3.
Positive news? Aaron Miller, Lukas Krajicek and Willie Mitchell are now all day-to-day with their respective injuries. It will be great to get these stabilizing forces back on the blueline, as I think the team needs it.
More negative news? Jonathan Toews, who has missed the past 15 games with a knee injury, is expected to make his return to the Hawks lineup tonight, providing them with a serious spark, especially for Patrick Kane, who has struggled to put up as many points as when Toews was in the lineup.
What is going to happen tonight? The Canucks respond well after getting drubbed. On October 10, the Flyers destroyed us 8-2 and the Canucks responed with 2 straight wins afterward. But that was with a full lineup. I don't know what to expect with this current depleted lineup. But I tell ya, I'm not feeling so optimistic at this point. So I'll pick the Hawks to win this one 3-2.
Go Canucks go???? It's time to snap out of this slump, however it must be hard to do, as the players know where they stand in the standings. The pressure on them now is huge. A few lucky breaks here or there would be nice.

Naslund mentioned post game last night:

“The effort has to be better. We have to battle and win the one-on-one battles, and obviously get some offence. We need some more quality chances.”

Why couldn't his last name be Alredsson or Sundin? Those Swedish captains get something done out there.

Game Time: 7:00 PM PST
TV: Sportsnet HD. If you are going to lose, at least look good doing it in high definition!



T Tags: Canucks Black Hawks Preview Toews+returns Western+Conference+standings

Hawks place Sergei Samsonov on waivers

Many thought Samsonov would rejuvenate his career in Chicago after bitterly leaving Montreal. But that did not happen, as Samsonov showed a lot of flair with the Hawks but has only managed 4 assists and a -7 rating in 23 games with the Hawks. His ice time averaged about 12:20 per game. He only had 38 shots on goal. How quickly his career has declined. Samsonov enjoyed his best years with Joe Thornton in Boston.
Now he comes with a $3,525,000 price tag and is certain to be doomed to the minors. Oh well, adiose jackass!!

T Tags: Black+Hawks Sergei+Samsonov waivers

Of Canucks, Crosby and Niedermayer

CANUCKS 3 HAWKS 2

That was close. What a great game to watch. Lots of high tempo skating, some quality chances, and every goal except for Ohlund's 1-0 goal went off a skate, knee, or stick.
-The Canucks got into penalty trouble again, but the Hawks only went 1-for-7 on the powerplay.
-How about that....Morrison and Pyatt get 2 points each. Mo gets the winner. Nice line-juggling by coach Vigneault. It payed off.
-Byron Ritchie was a terrific spark plug tonight. As was Kesler...again.
-The Sedins-Naslund line looked mediocre again. Yeah, Naslund played his heart out, but the sisters look a bit 'off' to me. Hank took 3 consecutive minor penalties. Shorty talked about the Sedins being covered well, but I say they aren't skating hard enough and being too damned fancy with the passing. They are off their game more so than they are being 'tightly checked'.
-Losses by Minnesota and Colorado and Edmonton....wahahaha, we lead the Northwest Division again!!!
-Congrats to Naslund for surpassing Linden as the all-time Canucks leader in points.
I joked that it would be funny all of a sudden got a season-ending injury and then Linden passed him. Then Markus would be let go in the offseason...But that was not really all that funny. It's going to be a long damned time before someone passes Naslund now.
-Honestly, I am digging the Hawks. Any success they have this year is such a great thing. How can anyone NOT like what is happening in Chicago right now (unless you're a Wings fan)? Those kids are great to watch.

BOX SCORE

HIGHLIGHTS (tsn)

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CROSBY

Good to see the Penguins coming west. When the Canucks game ended, I switched over to the Oilers-Penguins game. It was 2-0 Oilers about 6 minutes into the 3rd. "Geeziz, either these Oilers are that good or the Penguins are that bad" I thought to myself, when all of a sudden, BAMMO, the Penguins' explosive offence scores 4 unanswered goals in a 7-minute span. Crosby had 3 assists on the Pens' last 3 goals. Geez.... 4-2 Penguins victory.

Can't wait until they play us:
"Shot by Crosby...GREAT SAVE LUONGO!"
"Another shot by Crosby...GREAT SAAAAVE LUONGO!"

That game will start at 7:00 pm PST as the 2nd game on the CBC double-header.

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NIEDERMAYER

OK, so the defenceman that has "done it all" is returning to the Ducks' lineup. The Duck fans are screaming "Ducks: 2008 Stanley Cup champions!!!" already. But you know what? Fuck that! Sure, Needs will make the Ducks better. But the Ducks do not have the same team as last year. They will have different team chemistry as a result. And they have..Todd Bertuzzi. Bertuzzi is not winning a Cup on my watch. I guarantee it!
Screw Niedermayer, the ignorant, indecisive jackass, and screw the Ducks. They can quack their asses to the bottom of the standings for all I care.
It is the time of the Canucks, people. Yes it is.

T Tags: Canucks Hawks Review Oilers+suck Crosby Niedermayer+returns+to+Ducks jackoff

Canucks-Hawks Preview

It appears that Hawks Hospital is almost empty for the time being (except Rene Bourque and Kevyn Adams, and possibly Jason Williams). With Martin Havlat and Patrick Sharp back in the lineup, the Hawks are looking deep up front and are a serious scoring threat still.
The last time these 2 teams played, Luongod and the Nucks shut them out 2-0 and Luongo went on a shutout spree. But Sharp and Havlat were not in the lineup. In fact, both Havlat and Sharp returned the next game. Chicago has played 3 games since we shut them out and have obliterated 2 opponents: Tampa Bay (5-1) and Phoenix (6-1), and lost to the Blues 3-1 in their last game on Saturday night. In those 3 games:
-Some kid defenceman named Byfuglien had 4 goals and 2 assists, including a hatrick.
-Patrick Kane had 5 assists.
-Jonathan Toews had 2 goals and 2 assists
-Patrick Sharp had 1 goal and 3 assists
-Martin Havlat had 2 goals and 1 assist.

It's amazing how much confidence Havlat brings to the Hawks team.
I think it's fair to say that a 2-0 win probably won't happen here. However...

The Canucks are coming off a dismal 2-1 loss to Minnesota. A game which they were outhustled, outchanced, and showed no discipline at all. The only bright spots were Luongo, Kesler, and Mike Brown. I would expect a different, more disciplined performance from them tonight. But jeeziz, they are going to have to match Chicago's speed and/or slow the Hawks down a bit.
Look for the Sedins and Naslund to have a little more room tonight and contribute. They had better. Bunch of floaters....
I say the Canucks take this one 5-3.

PS: Hey, I know other sites have found this, but there is actually another Hawks blog out there that isn't Wirtz Sucks (now called BlackHawkZone). It's called simply, A Chicago Black Hawks Blog. Go ahead and spam the guy, Canucks fans! haha. Seriously, welcome to the fray, Kaiser.

PPS: Isn't it amazing how offensively futile Sergei Samsonov continues to be? 4 assists in 19 games this year. He shows a lot of flash, but no finish. Kind of reminds me of how Bertuzzi was in his last year with Vancouver....except he's half Bert's size. Samsonov can rush the puck into the zone and do laps around the opposing team's net but generate nothing.
Someone in my comments section had mentioned that Recchi would fit in Chicago's mold. Maybe Samsonov should be put on waivers and the Hawks claim Recchi. It's hard to believe that a talent like Recchi would be forced in to the minors while a tit like Samsonov still has an NHL job!!! (Update on Recchi: He has cleared waivers. Unbe-fucking-lievable.)

Interesting stats from Canucks.com:

-Trevor Linden is 1 game away from 1100 games played as a Vancouver Canuck.

-Markus Naslund needs 1 point entering tonight’s game to surpass Trevor Linden for the franchise record for most points. Both Linden and Naslund sit at 724 points all-time as Canucks.

-Mattias Ohlund needs 1 goals to tie the Canucks’ franchise record for most all-time goals by a defenceman, currently held by Jyrki Lumme who had 83 goals in a Canucks uniform.

-Byron Ritchie needs 1 point to reach 50 career NHL points.

-Jeff Cowan needs 3 goals to reach 50 career NHL goals.

-Sami Salo needs 4 points to reach 200 career NHL points.

-Matt Cooke needs 8 points to reach 200 career NHL points, all with the Canucks.

Check out the piece called "Numbers" under that Canucks.com link. Good stuff.

I wouldn't mind seeing Linden play tonight instead of Jeff Cowan. Linden has been a healthy scratch for a few games now.

GAME TIME: 5:30 PM Pacific
TV: Canucks PPV (yes, AGAIN!)


T Tags: Canucks BlackHawks Preview Havlat Sharp BlackHawks+Blog

Canucks 2 Hawks 0

"That was a pretty easy one," said Morrison of his winning goal. "They have to respect Sami's shot and he made a great pass. Sami's friendship dues are in the mail."

That was a sweet play indeed.
Tonight's game was decent for a 2-0 game. Vancouver outshot the Hawks 29-27. Luongo and Lalime were terrific. At least Luongo's shutout tonight was a winning shutout, unlike the OT loss to Edmonton a while back.
The Hawks' top line of Toews, Kane and Ruutu looked out of sync, and were kept in check quite well. Kesler made an ass of Kane in the first period by checking him ass over tea kettle into the Hawks' bench. Gad, I could watch that one over and over again.
The one great chance that Toews had was stopped cold by a brilliant Luongo save late in the 3rd period.
I was disappointed by the Hawks' effort. I expected more. But hats off to the Canucks for playing a great game...THEIR game and stopping this Hawks team in its tracks.
-Is Ryan Kesler any good or what? He continues to excel. More honorable mentions go to Matt Cooke for a spirited physical game, and to Alex Edler, who was solid, even saving a point blank shot and preserving the 1-0 lead.
-Good to see Salo is blending in and coming back to form. Ironically, a Salo clearing shot hit Pyatt right in the face half way through the game. Hey Sami, it wasn't Pyatt who broke your nose, it was Burrows!
-A bit of rivalry is now evident between these 2 teams. It was a physical game. Nice to see Lord Byron Ritchie stick up for Luongo and taking on Burish, who had given Roberto a cheap shot.
-So what are we, 7-1-2 in our last 10 games? Still in a rat race in the West.
Next up: Anaheim on Tuesday and Columbus on Thursday.

HIGHLIGHTS

GAME SUMMARY



T Tags: Canucks Black Hawks Review Summary

Are these Black Hawks for real?

Chicago, who has not been in the playoffs since 2002, are finally starting to like like a team that can make it somewhere. In the last few games I've seen them play, they have so much composure, even if they are down 2 goals against a favored team.
Tonight in Toronto was a shining example. The Leafs were up 3-1 at the start of the 3rd, but were down 2 men. The Hawks made them pay and then absolutely stole this game from them, scoring 5 goals in the 3rd.
Chicago was only shorthanded once all night. The Leafs: 7. Chicago bagged 4 PP goals to make them pay.
I just can't believe how impressive the Toews-Kane-Ruutu line looks. They dominate the play when on the ice. They are 19, 18 and 24 years old respectively.
Toews: drafted 3rd overall by the Hawks in 2006
Kane: drafted 1st overall by the Hawks in 2007.
Ruutu: drafted 9th overall by the Hawks in 2001.
Duncan Keith: drafted 54th overall in 2002.

Kane and Toews are on pace for 80 points or more this season. It's early.

The misery for Hawks fans having to cheer for a basement-dwelling team does have its upside: HIGH draft picking! Now those picks are paying off.

But is this team going to keep up this pace? (They are currently 5-3-0.) What happens when the hype wears off a little? When they lose a few games in a row? How much of a maturity factor is there?
Well, you have to admire Hawks' management adding a decent complimentary blend of veterans to the young roster. Kevyn Adams, Robert Lang, Yanic Perrault, Jason Williams, and even Brent Sopel were key additions for leadership. Yeah, how good was Sopel tonight? He was great. And you could see him talking to the guys on and off the ice showing them the way.
Lang has come back alive in Chicago and has 6 points in 7 games. He looks like he's having fun. So does Samsonov actually....can't imagine why.
Patrick Lalime looked solid in the backup role tonight, and The Bulin Wall is playing superb.
This is a Hawks team that is having fun playing and believes in their coach's system right now. I can't help but be excited for them and the Hawk fans, as they have been through enough grief in the past several years.
Let's just see how long this joyride lasts. I get a feeling there will be some serious highs and lows for this squad this year as they mature. The playoffs really are not out of the picture anymore in the Windy City. It's about fucking time.
And to think that Martin Havlat isn't even playing yet.......

ToewsTube

-scores 1st NHL goal
-Toews drops the F-bomb on TV
-Toews scores what definitely will be one of the goals of the year against the Avalanche.

KaneTube

Kane predraft feature.


T Tags: Black Hawks Toews Kane

Wirtz / Bieksa / Luongo / Kesler quick links

Rest in peace, Bill Wirtz. Here's hoping better days are ahead for the fans you alienated and the team you owned.

Ray Slover from the Sporting news wrote a great piece on the death of Hawks' owner Bill Wirtz and how it comes with mixed reactions.

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Bieksa was back at practice today, but according to Rotoworld he is still ailing in his guts a bit.

"I felt good out there, not great, but good," Bieksa said. "I'm fine with my skating, and battling in the corners isn't the big issue. It's more the passing and shooting. I'm told rest will do it, but I can't just sit around doing nothing for the next few months."

Trevor Linden may play against the Sharks tonight as well after having a sore groin.
Ryan Kesler's groin is better as well after visiting the Swedish Touch Massage Parlour. He may center Markus Naslund tonight. Anyone else think Kess is going to have a good year barring injury? I say he gets 50-60 points if he plays 80 games.

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Expect a different effort from Vancouver tonight, as Alain Vigneault has called out his veterans to step it up.

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Roberto Luongo's response to the potential of the NHL using bigger nets:

“If that day comes, I don’t think you guys will be seeing me in the NHL,” he said. “I have no intentions of playing with bigger nets.”
Asked if he’d retire, he replied “Yeah.”

Kind of a drama queen isn't he? However, his explanations for bigger goaltender padding holds validity.

“The way the goalies play the game has changed,” he said. “Also, the shooters did not have synergy sticks back in the day. It all evolves with time.
“Definitely the game is different today and that’s why we see goalies needing a bit more protection and being better goaltenders and better athletes.”

T Tags: +Bill+Wirtz+death Bieksa+health Luongo+to+quit Vigneault+challenges+veterans

New Blues, Stars, and Hawks jerseys

Now here is a team that doesn't f**k with a good thing. There isn't much difference in the Hawks new jerseys. Bless their damned hearts.
View the jersey launch gallery here.








The yellow stripe looks better on the blue home jerseys than it does on the white away jerseys, in my opinion. View the Blues sweater gallery here.

















Now, speaking of f**king with a good thing...the Stars went psychotic for their home jerseys, joining the Rangers as the only 2 teams to have just the name as a logo. The home jerseys makes me appreciate the Canucks' new duds a little more. I like the black though. That's cool. It's a return to the color they wore in the 90's since their inception. The away jersey looks sweet, but I don't think a lot of Stars fans are going to like the home jersey.
Actually, the Stars fans at the Stars forum are more in favor of the dark home jersey, once you get past them arguing whether it's a dark green or black. Yeesh.
View the new Dallas jersey gallery here.


What are your opinions on any or all of these new duds?


T Tags: new+Hawks+jersey new+Blues+jersey new+Stars+jersey

Ted Leonsis on Facebook / Hawks/Coyotes swap forwards

My world just got a bit smaller today. I noticed through Eric McErlain from Off Wing Opinion that Washington Capitals, Wizards, etc owner Ted Leonsis is on Facebook. So I took the opportunity to ask him a question there that has plagued me about the Caps just to see if he'd answer it.

I know the Capitals have signed Nylander this year to center Ovechkin and that was a good start. However, with all of the Cap space you have, why wouldn't you have made a pitch at Briere or Gomez?
Are the Caps slowly building from within and not dishing out big bucks on UFA's?
I'm sure you've heard that question a million times.

To my suprise, he answered my question within a few hours.

I dont intend to use my Facebook as yet another way to answer Caps fan's questions-- if you would like--please email me at Washingtoncaps@aol.com and I will be glad to answer.However...
Why do you think signing Nylander at $5.5 million; and Poti at $ 3.5 million; and Kozlov at $ 2.5 million not dishing out big bucks? That is $11 million in new salaries out the door. We will sell $2 million more in tix next year for those signings:-). We pay Olie $ 5.5 million. We will soon have to pay Ovechkin and Semin huge dollars-- and there ya go-- the entire salary cap will be spoken for.

Points well made. I guess my question would have been better off asked last summer. This is the first summer in a while that the Caps have actually made a bit of noise in the signings of Nylander, Poti and Kozlov. All 3 players I would not have chosen, but that is just my opinion.
But the way Ovechkin (naturally) and Semin are playing, they will get big paydays next summer, and you can tack on about another $10 million at least to the Caps' salary expenditures next summer. They currently sit at about $32 million.
But this is all beside the point. The best part is that Leonsis makes himself readily available to fans online and that is both smart and admirable. See Ted's Take as an example.

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The Black Hawks have added gritty checking center Kevyn Adams to their roster today from Phoenix in exchange for winger Radim Vrbata. Points-wise Phoenix wins, as the streaky Vrbata put up 14 goals and 41 points last season. But Adams is one of my faves because he gives 100% every time he is on the ice. He is a defensive and faceoff specialist. So really, both teams win, because both players address specific holes in both rosters.

T Tags: Ted+Leonsis Facebook Coyotes+trade+Adams Hawks+trade+Vrbata

Nigerian-born Akim Aliu is one tough customer

The Black Hawks drafted Akim Aliu in the second round last week. Akim "The Dream" was born in Nigeria, raised in the Ukraine, and moved to Canada when he was 11. What a story. His father was Nigerian and his mother was Ukrainian.
Aliu is a tough guy with great hands. He scored 20 goals and 42 points in 53 games with the Sudbury Wolves last season. He also accumulated 104 penalty minutes.
Aliu is probably more known for his controversial side to this point. In 2005, he refused to be a part of an initiation ritual with a few teammates with the Windsor Spitfires. The ritual was to "cram his naked body into a hot, smelly toilet along with several other fellow Windsor Spitfires rookies." His refusal to do so may have angered Spitfire teammate and Flyer's prospect Steve Downie and they met head to head in practice (video).
Aliu is a brave dude. Check out the following clip of him challenging a much bigger opponent (Justin Wallingford) in a tangle.


Ouch. Not a good result, but a hell of a fight, huh?
He could become the second Nigerian-born player to play in the NHL, apparently. Who was the first?

T Tags: Akim+Aliu BlackHawks Draft+Pick Fight

Black Hawks acquire Samsonov

The Canadiens have rid themselves of one headache today, trading Sergei Samsonov to the Hawks in exchange for Jassen Cullimore and Tony Salmelainen. Cullimore is a large (6'5", 244 pounds), reliable stay-at-home type of defenceman who won a Stanley Cup with the Lightning. He had 7 points in 65 games last season. Salmelainen is a 26 year-old Fin who was drafted 41st overall in 1999 by the Oilers. He had 17 points in 57 games with the Hawks last season and 55 points in 53 games the previous year in Helsinki. A funny story about Salmelainen (from Wiki):

Salmelainen also made headlines during the 2005-06 season when he was sent off during a game against HPK, and threw a trashcan down the corridor to the dressing rooms in anger. After narrowly missing goaltender Jan Lundell, the trashcan accidentally hit his team's bus driver, who was injured in the face. Salmelainen was interrogated by the police and received a two-game suspension.

On a positive note, the 5'9", 185 pound Salmelainen has great speed and could regain some of his scoring touch with different linemates in Montreal. As of right now, he is streaky.
Samsonov is going to get a bigtime chance in Chicago to renew his scoring touch. He was benched 18 games in Montreal and demoted nearly the whole season. I say he plays admirably in Chicago.....IF HE STAYS HEALTHY. That is the real concern: the Hawks have acquired another injury-prone player to go along with stretcher-riders like Aucoin, Havlat, Handzus, Ruutu, etc.
I like this deal for both teams.

T Tags: Canadiens trade Samsonov Cullimore Salmelainen