if you’re headed to the grave you don’t blame the hearse...
TRANSCRIPT
Honestly, what do we make of Wednesday night? We’re buffaloed. Colum-nist Matt McClure says we should take the two points and run. Head of cyber-division Matt Killion sent us two very confused text mes-sages. Let’s see if we can’t decipher it all by look at everything that went down: -The Hawks put five goals past Ev-geni Nabokov, who hadn’t given up more than three in five of his past six starts. Yet, they gave up five goals to a team that was basically sporting a line and a half, such was its injury list. -For long stretches, the Hawks were all over the Sharks. But, there were other stretches where it was quite the opposite. To a mash-unit of a Sharks team, no less. -Khabby had given up 5 goals on 26 shots, although three of those went off a teammate’s chest, skate, or possibly face. -Every line registered a goal, except Kane, Versteeg, and Pahlsson. So after all that, we’re still more con-fused than the first time we tried to decipher the female anatomy (it was last week). Every-thing that the Hawks have been since the turn of the calendar was on display. They’re ca-pable of some breathtaking hockey, a penalty-kill that still needs some help, defensive errors that end up in goals (seriously, Seabrook! Joe Thornton is 7 feet tall! Don’t try and muscle him while you’re off-balance!), and lately, some horrific bounces that also end up in our net. Yeah, we know, we’re no help. You want help? See a shrink. Or your bartender. That’s what we do.Proof We’ve been beating the drum for a while now that one thing the Hawks have lacked recently is the “big save.” There was no clearer evidence of that than Wednesday’s 2nd period, though it was at the other end of the ice. Nabokov pulled off what is one of the stops of the season at the UC, robbing Byfug-lien with a farcical glove save. That would have made it 5-1, and it probably would have been game over. To a lesser extent, Nabokov’s save on Aaron Johnson later in the period had the same effect. You could see the momentum shift after those saves, as if the Sharks just knew their goaltender would keep them in it. The Hawks have not had that in recent games. Yes, Campbell was caught cold on Setoguchi’s breakaway (though that was a 120-foot pass that ended equidistant to both ends of Setoguchi’s stick blade, so that’s more just-too-good than a fuck up). And Seabrook got horsed by Thornton for the equalizer. But
it’s at that point you need your goalie to bail you out. Unforutnately, no one’s posting the Hawks bail right now. May You Be In Heaven Half An Hour... Needless to say, the Hawks will have to be better tonight, because another of the league’s premier teams is in town, and this one doesn’t have any of the injuries the Sharks do. We got enough of a glimpse of New Jersey last Tuesday, where the 3-2 final score doesn’t really illustrate how much better the Devils were. However, it was always set up to be the Devils’ night, what with Fatso breaking Douchebag’s wins record. The Devils have been a weaker proposition on the road recent-ly, losing their last three away from America’s Asshole, and six of nine. That doesn’t mean tonight’s task is anything resembling easy. We’re going to get in the prediction business, and say that this is your Eastern Conference champion come May. That’s because there is no game the Devils can’t play. These aren’t the lock-it-down, turn-the-game-to-a-slog, hate-your-life-boring Devils you remember from years past. They can still strangle you out of a game, with the criminally underrated blue line of John Oduya, Paul Martin, Colin White (questionable tonight), and Bryce Salvador. But the Devils can run-and-gun with you, too. For the first time in memory they
boast one of the league’s most dangerous players in Zach Parise, who has helped Jamie Langenbrunner to an already-career high 25 goals (we’ve always hated Langenbrunner, and we can’t tell you why. Something about the look on his face, just screams “assbutt”). Gionta and Elias are on the second line, with Rolston and aged jerkoff Brendan Shanahan floating below that. They can get goals from a lot of places. Whatever game they have to play, you still have to solve one of the greatest goalies of all time to beat them. He’s also fresh, as Martin Brodeur has only played in 22 games this season. All in all, there may not be a team with fewer questions heading into the playoffs than this one. It’s pretty imposing.We’ve Got To Admit It’s Getting Better The Hawks look to be coming out of their doldrums on this homestand. They haven’t been perfect, but they were better against the Kings than they were against the Oilers, and better against the Sharks than they were vs. the Kings. That parabola had better keep going up, because these are the two big ones. With Vancouver losing last night, the Hawks have a chance to open a gap with two more wins. It will take all they have to get one of them tonight.
-The Swedish Chef
If You’re Headed To The Grave You Don’t Blame The Hearse...
[email protected] 27th, 2009
The Committed Indian
The REal Fan’s Program
DAZED AND CONFUSED
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New Jersey Fans Celebrate Brodeur’s Record
ThiswillbethefirsttimeIhaveseenMartinBrodeurlive,and I have to say that I’m looking forward to it (watch, Weekes will get the start now). I try and always appreciate when I’m seeing a legend. Unfortunately, if Brodeur puts up a good game, it probably means the Hawks will lose. Such is the Catch-22 of seeing a legendary goaltender. At least when I saw Gretzky as a kid, I knew that his goals and points could be cancelled out in a Hawks win (though they rarely were). I saw Gretzky score a hat trick at the Old Stadium. I have seen Brett Hull score 4 in a Hawks win. I have seen Mario Lemieux dive on the Stadium ice. I saw Steve Yzerman abuse Karl Dykhuis to the point that Dykhuis probably needed therapy. Certainly, Brodeur belongs in this pantheon, and we should all appreciate what we’re seeing. Though I hope he gets lit up. Sports and concerts are the only events that provide this sort of glimpse to a star performer (I suppose there was a time when theater did this as well, but having seen more than a few movie stars mail it in onstage, I think this time may have passed. I’m looking at you, Julia Roberts). I know the unique thud the bat makes when Albert Pujols makes solid contact (though I still hate the man, and I don’t care about his work with mentally-challenged kids. I don’t think Pujols takes steroids. I’m convinced
he eats those mentally-challenged kids for baseball power. Yes, I know, I’m fucked in the head, but such is my hatred of the St. Louis Cardinals). I was lucky enough to be treated to 6th-row seats to see the sheer power of LeBron James driving to the hoop. I could swear I heard a Pedro Martinez curveball snap to strike out Frank
Thomas on a 3-2 pitch after a 10-pitch at-bat (one of the coolest sports moments I have wit-nessed). This is part of the reason we’re sports fans, and why life is just better if you are. It’s moments like those that make all the grief you take from your supposed “adult” friends, the relationships you’ve ruined with your emotional swings due to sports, and the money you’ve blown on tickets, gear, and booze completely worth it. -We have spent time railing about the Minnesota Wild’s and Columbus’s style of play here. These are styles clearly derived from New Jersey’s path to success. However, I think it is important that
we have teams like this in the league. It may suck to watch, but the NHL is better served if teams around them have various, clear identities. If every team emulated the Buffalo Sabres or Edmonton Oilers, which is seemingly what the league wants, it would be a dull and faceless place. The NHL needs teams with styles like the Dev-ils, and Wild, to make teams with styles like the Oilers or Sabres stand out. I hope they know that.
FROM THE EDITOR
Sam Fels
NHL STANDINGS
W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY
1 Boston 46 17 10 102 243 171 25-6-6 21-11-4 2 New Jersey 47 23 3 97 225 181 26-10-1 21-13-2 3 Washington 45 23 7 97 240 219 26-9-2 19-14-5 4 Philadelphia 40 23 10 90 235 210 22-11-4 18-12-6 5 Carolina 41 28 7 89 218 213 23-13-1 18-15-6 6 Pittsburgh 40 27 8 88 235 222 22-13-3 18-14-5 7 NY Rangers 39 27 9 87 193 204 23-11-4 16-16-5 8 Montreal 38 27 9 85 223 225 23-8-6 15-19-3 9 Florida 36 28 11 83 207 213 19-11-7 17-17-4 10 Buffalo 35 30 8 78 217 211 21-13-3 14-17-5 11 Toronto 31 30 13 75 222 259 14-13-9 17-17-4 12 Ottawa 32 31 10 74 194 209 20-12-6 12-19-4 13 Atlanta 31 38 6 68 231 259 15-19-2 16-19-4 14 Tampa Bay 24 33 17 65 193 244 12-15-11 12-18-6 15 NY Islanders 24 41 8 56 184 240 16-15-5 8-26-3
W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY 1 Armpit 49 16 9 107 276 219 26-5-4 23-11-5 2 San Jose 48 15 11 107 240 185 30-3-4 18-12-7 3 Calgary 42 26 6 90 238 228 24-9-4 18-17-2 4 HAWKS 39 22 11 89 239 196 20-8-7 19-14-4 5 Vancouver 39 25 9 87 221 202 22-11-4 17-14-5 6 Columbus 39 28 7 85 207 202 24-11-2 15-17-5 7 Anaheim 37 31 6 80 212 211 18-16-3 19-15-3 8 Nashville 36 30 8 80 188 203 22-12-4 14-18-4 9 Edmonton 35 30 9 79 211 225 16-13-6 19-17-3 10 St. Louis 35 30 9 79 205 214 21-13-5 14-17-4 11 Minnesota 35 31 8 78 190 182 20-11-6 15-20-2 12 Dallas 33 32 9 75 206 228 19-14-5 14-18-4 13 Los Angeles 31 33 10 72 188 215 16-14-8 15-19-2 14 Phoenix 31 36 7 69 184 227 20-14-3 11-22-4 15 Colorado 31 41 2 64 191 239 18-18-0 13-23-2
PUCK DROP
Eastern Conference Western Conference
TOP 10 LIST
Top 10 Players Who Annoy Us For No Good Reason10. Jamie Langenbrunner (see right)9. Milan Hejduk- another one with a dufus look on his face8. Alexander Frolov- sounds like a Russian hobbit7. Ryan Getzlaf- we don’t know the definition of choad. We just know that Getzlaf is one6. Adam Deadmarsh- can’t explain this one at all, just hate his guts5. Brandon Dubinsky- it’s not the player so much as it is listening to Rangers fans pronounce his name: “du-BIN-sky!” Up yours4. Montreal’s top two lines. We’re sure they’re in a date-raping com-petition3. Mike Ribeiro- actually, there are tons of reasons to hate this dude, starting with his resemblance to Pepe Le Pew2. Jiri Hudler- or as he known around here, Cockhole Smurf1. Larry Murphy- Simply the worst analyst in hockey. Hey, fuckwad, Scum didn’t invent the game!
*late game not included
Jamie Langenbrunner-Ass-butt, New Jersey: As we said on the front page, we’ve always strongly disliked the Devils’ captain. We would love to tell you why, but we can’t quite put ourfingeronit.Butlookatthisguy. Doesn’t he look like some Lincoln Park douche? Some dude a blue shirt with the collar popped? Couldn’t you see this
motherfucker hitting on your sister right in front of you? Just that smirk on his face. Either way, we can’t question how effective he’s been this season. He’s already eclipsed his season-high in goals with 25, and he’s obviously been a steady hand in what could have been some very rocky waters when Brodeur went down. He’s got a fair amount of jam to his game, and we’re sure if he were wearing an Indian Head we’d love him. Still, the thought of this guy receiving the Cup from Bettman in June makes our bungholes itchy.
teams that have clinched playoff berth in italicsteams that have clinched division in bold italics
Chicago Blackhawks 39-22-11
# Pos Player Ht WT AGE GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S% Salary (Cap Hit)
24 R The Perfect Beard 6' 2" 217 27 71 25 40 65 24 24 5 0 5 218 11.5 $6,000,000
88 R Patrick Kane 5' 10" 187 20 70 24 40 64 -6 40 13 0 3 231 10.4 $3,725,000
19 C Captain Marvel 6' 2" 209 20 72 30 32 62 6 49 12 0 6 177 16.9 $2,800,000
32 L VerStud 5' 10" 180 22 69 20 29 49 14 55 5 4 2 121 16.5 $491,667
51 D Brian Campbell 6' 0" 188 29 72 7 39 46 -1 20 4 0 1 98 7.1 $7,142,875
36 C Dave Bolland 6' 0" 188 22 72 17 28 45 21 44 1 2 4 102 16.7 $845,833
16 L Andrew Ladd 6' 2" 198 23 72 13 29 42 23 26 0 0 1 172 7.6 $1,550,000
10 L The Sharp-Shooter 6' 1" 197 27 56 25 17 42 4 39 9 0 4 170 14.7 $3,900,000
2 D Duncan Keith 6' 1" 194 25 68 8 33 41 30 42 2 1 1 151 5.3 $1,475,000
25 D Cam Barker 6' 3" 213 22 58 6 34 40 -5 53 5 0 1 83 7.2 $2,768,587
33 R Dustin Byfuglien 6' 3" 247 23 67 13 13 26 3 73 3 0 3 177 7.3 $3,000,000
22 R Troy Brouwer 6' 2" 213 23 63 10 16 26 8 50 4 1 0 122 8.2 $675,000
7 D Brent Seabrook 6' 3" 220 23 72 6 15 21 21 55 2 1 0 113 5.3 $3,500,000
46 C Colin Fraser 6' 1" 188 23 72 5 11 16 3 53 0 0 0 58 8.6 $500,000
26 C Samuel Pahlsson 6' 0" 204 31 56 5 10 15 -19 34 1 0 1 78 6.4 $301,000
55 L Ben Eager 6' 2" 220 24 66 10 4 14 3 139 0 0 0 69 14.5 $568,000
8 D Matt Walker* 6' 3" 214 28 58 1 13 14 5 75 0 0 0 78 1.3 $600,000
37 R Adam Burish 6' 1" 189 26 56 6 3 9 4 73 0 0 2 74 8.1 $712,500
23 D Aaron Johnson 6' 1" 211 25 31 3 5 8 21 24 0 0 1 25 12 $600,000
5 D Brent Sopel* 6' 1" 211 32 23 1 1 2 -4 8 0 0 1 15 6.7 $2,333,333
4 D Niklas Hjalmarsson 6' 2" 200 21 11 0 1 1 -2 0 0 0 0 7 0 $643,000
# Goalie HT WT AGE GPI Min GAA W L OT SO SA GA Sv% G A PIM Salary
39 Nikolai Khabibulin 6' 1" 209 36 34 1977 2.52 19 7 6 1 993 83 .916 0 2 8 $6,750,000
38 Cristobal Huet 6' 1" 205 33 39 2231 2.5 19 14 4 3 1031 93 0.910 0 0 2 $5,625,000
Totals/Averages 6'1" 207 35 2.64 39 22 11 4 29.0/g 190 0.909 0 2 10 $12,375,000
TOTAL CAP NUMBER: $57,283,000
CAP SPACE: $274,000**space also affected by buyouts and injured players
16 years ago, David Stern sent me to ruin the NHL. I have done every-thing I can think of to drive the core
fan away, strip hockey of all that’s great about it, and eliminate any at-tention by the mainstream media...
I am so close to completing the task Stern charged me with....
*injured
Injury ListBrent Sopel- Out (Talent)Matt Walker- Questionable (Idiocy)Ben Eager-Suspended
Probable LinesLeft Wing Center Right Wing
22 Brouwer 19 Toews 10 Sharp16 Ladd 36 Bolland 24 Havlat
32 Versteeg 26 Pahlsson 88 Kane37 Burish 46 Fraser 33 Byfuglien
Probable Pairings2 Keith 7 Seabrook
51 Campbell 4 Hjalmarsson23 Johnson 25 Barker
Totals/Averages 6’ 1” 202.5 24.4 235 413 14.3/g 67 9 33.3/g 9.7% $44,607,000
Think Johnson is trying make his point? He’s +3 the past two games, and has been very physical in the defensive zone. He is a great partner for Barker, quicker than Cam but also allows Cam to play the of-fensive game that he wants to.
Coach Q is going to have a decision on his hands after this game. Eager will be back from suspension, and the 4th line needs his motor and physicality, as Burish hasn’t provided any. The argument could be made that Bur is valu-able on the PK and can’t sit, but the PK has been pants recently, so how valuable can he be?
# Pos Player Ht WT AGE GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S% Salary (Cap Hit)
9 L Zach Parise 5' 11" 190 24 73 41 47 88 30 24 13 0 7 320 12.8 $3,125,000
26 L Patrik Elias "A" 6' 1" 195 32 72 30 47 77 17 30 12 2 6 235 12.8 $6,000,000
15 R J. Langenbrunner "C" 6' 1" 205 33 72 25 38 63 27 52 4 3 6 206 12.1 $2,800,000
19 C Travis Zajac 6' 2" 200 23 73 20 39 59 36 27 5 1 2 167 12 $984,000
14 R Brian Gionta 5' 7" 175 30 72 18 37 55 15 32 3 3 1 219 8.2 $4,000,000
8 C Dainius Zubrus 6' 5" 225 30 73 14 23 37 9 63 1 0 2 114 12.3 $3,400,000
23 R David Clarkson 6' 1" 200 24 73 15 14 29 -2 131 4 0 3 135 11.1 $838,000
7 D Paul Martin 6' 1" 195 28 64 4 25 29 23 34 2 0 1 92 4.3 $3,833,000
29 D Oh, Do Ya? 6' 0" 200 27 73 7 21 28 23 26 1 1 4 97 7.2 $600,000
12 R Brian Rolston 6' 2" 214 36 55 14 14 28 2 28 8 0 3 146 9.6 $5,062,000
11 C John Madden "A" 5' 11" 190 35 67 7 16 23 -5 22 0 1 2 118 5.9 $2,939,000
28 D Niclas Havelid 6' 0" 200 35 72 2 16 18 5 44 0 1 0 49 4.1 $624,000
5 D Colin White 6' 4" 220 31 63 1 16 17 24 32 0 0 0 64 1.6 $3,000,000
27 D Mike Mottau 6' 0" 190 31 71 1 13 14 27 31 0 0 0 65 1.5 $746,000
24 D Bryce Salvador 6' 2" 220 33 67 3 11 14 0 78 0 0 2 64 4.7 $2,900,000
18 R Methusala 6' 3" 220 40 25 5 7 12 0 27 2 0 1 50 10 $383,000
20 L Jay Pandolfo 6' 1" 190 34 55 4 5 9 -8 10 0 1 1 56 7.1 $2,500,000
17 C Mike Rupp 6' 5" 230 29 65 3 6 9 -1 126 0 0 0 71 4.2 $500,000
6 D Andy Greene 5' 11" 195 26 45 2 7 9 1 16 0 0 0 34 5.9 $600,000
16 C Robert Holik 6' 4" 230 38 55 4 4 8 -2 56 0 0 1 70 5.7 $2,500,000
2 D Jay Leach 6' 4" 220 29 24 0 1 1 0 21 0 0 0 5 0 $367,000
...IS THIS THE YEAR?
# Goalie HT WT AGE GPI Min GAA W L OT SO SA GA Sv% G A PIM Salary
30 Martin Brodeur 6' 2" 215 36 22 1287 2.14 15 5 2 5 586 46 0.922 0 0 2 $5,200,000
1 Kevin Weekes 6' 2" 215 33 15 774 2.40 7 5 0 0 387 31 0.920 0 0 0 $688,000
Totals/Averages 6' 2" 215 35 2.45 47 23 3 7 29.0/g 179 0.915 0 0 2 $5,888,000
TOTAL CAP NUMBER: $54,980,000
CAP SPACE: $1,720,000
*space also affected by buyouts and injured players
Shout at the devils 47-23-3
* injured
Injury ListAndy Greene- Questionable (Ankle)Colin White- Questionable (Upper Body)
Probable LinesLeft Wing Center Right Wing
9 Parise 19 Zajac 15 Lang’brunner26 Elias 12 Rolston 14 Gionta16 Holik 11 Madden 17 Rupp
20 Pandolfo 8 Zubrus 23 Clarkson
Probable Pairings7 Martin 29 Oduya
28 Havelid 24 Salvador6 Greene 27 Mottau
Totals/Averages 6' 1" 204.9 30.8 220 407 12.8/g 55 13 32.8/g 9.0% $48,786,000
Elias didn’t play Monday in Philly, but The Star-Ledger reported yesterday that he expects to play to-night. Elias gets all sorts of credit for his scoring, but he’s actually the 3rd best PK’er in the league, ac-cording to Behind The Net.
This leads the league.
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Scott Clemmenson isn’t listed here, he’s back in the “A”. But he’s had a big hand in keeping the Devils afloat, with 2.39 GAA and a SV% of .917. He’s a free agent after the year, won’t that be a decision for NJ?
The Rocky & John PR Firm
Call Today At: 800-whos-www
What To Watch For: We may get one tonight. These teams just saw each other a week ago, in a very emotional game. Both teams will be on tilt as they’re in their own races for playoff seeding. The building should be charged on a Friday night, and the Devils don’t shyfromthefisty-fisty.They’reeighthintheleagueinthecategory,andareledbyMikeRuppandDavidClarkson,whohave33dis-putes between them. Eager’s suspended, so he and Rupp won’t get to renew their discussion. But the way the Devils can frustrate an
opponent, someone will snap.
Team Opp PPG PP%DET 323 84 26WSH 302 74 24.5SJS 325 78 24BOS 281 63 22.4PHI 288 64 22.2
ANA 280 62 22.1BUF 324 69 21.3CHI 324 67 20.7STL 311 64 20.6ATL 319 64 20.1MIN 297 59 19.9NJD 277 55 19.9TOR 299 59 19.7LAK 335 66 19.7VAN 313 60 19.2
Team OPP PPG PP%OTT 304 58 19.1TBL 308 58 18.8CGY 328 61 18.6MTL 337 60 17.8CAR 344 61 17.7NYI 289 50 17.3PIT 328 56 17.1
EDM 319 54 16.9COL 293 48 16.4FLA 281 44 15.7DAL 322 49 15.2NSH 289 43 14.9PHX 307 45 14.7NYR 320 46 14.4CBJ 303 39 12.9
Power PlayTeam TS PPGA PK%NYR 300 37 87.7MIN 267 34 87.3SJS 283 46 83.8NSH 315 52 83.5CGY 326 54 83.4LAK 320 55 82.8PHI 365 63 82.7BUF 301 52 82.7STL 324 56 82.7BOS 272 48 82.4FLA 289 51 82.4MTL 337 61 81.9CBJ 308 56 81.8NYI 319 58 81.8PIT 318 58 81.8
Team TS PPGA PK%OTT 308 58 81.2CHI 299 58 80.6ANA 350 68 80.6VAN 334 65 80.5NJD 289 58 79.9WSH 357 72 79.8TBL 360 74 79.4CAR 280 58 79.3COL 287 61 78.8DAL 291 62 78.7DET 298 66 77.8EDM 305 70 77PHX 260 60 76.9TOR 279 68 75.6ATL 329 81 75.4
Penalty Kill
GAME FIGHT TIME Bloody Nose
Black Eye
Bruised Ego
Just Dancing
Analysis
3-17-09 Eager v.Rupp
3rd.9:45 √ Eager jostles Rupp after whistle, and they
decide to push and pull all night like Mick Jagger. Uneventful draw.
HAWKS vs. DEVILSFight Stats provided by Hockeyfights.com
The Fight Card
Spotlight
Zach Parise
When the puck drops in Vancouver for the Olympics next February, Zach Parise will be the leading American threat, and it’s not even really close. Coming into the league the same year, and on the same coast, as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin didn’t do Parise a lot of favors as far as publicity goes. His rookie-year totals wouldn’t wow anyone, but Parise has gotten better every year. This year he has busted out. He’s second in the league with 41 goals and fifth in points with 88, and looks an outside bet for his first 100-point season. Part of this is that Parise finally has a center to play with, in the development of Travis Zajac. The biggest result of Parise’s coming-out party is that he’s transformed the entire team. The Devils, though still as defensively solid a team as you’ll find, are not afraid to push the pace and attack. Never before have they possessed a scorer like Parise to do so, how-ever. Brian Gionta once potted 40 goals, but that was a result of the first season out of the lockout being so special teams-heavy. Patrick Elias has been flying the offense-flag alone for most of his career. There was Scott Gomez, but as we’re seeing this year, that might not mean all that much. Parise has given the Devils offensive depth they’ve never seen, to go with their shutdown abilities, and this is why Parise might just get his name on the Cup before his rookie compatriots Sid and Ovie do. Parise is also your leading hope for the US to medal in Vancouver. While the US will probably concentrate on speed and check-ing to cancel out the far more talented Canadian and Russian squads, they will be looking to Parise to provide the scoring. That tends to happen when you’re the best player that country has, and that’s exactly what Parise is right now.
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KNOW THY ENEMY
Hawks-devils: the Last 4
March 17th, 2009: Hawks 2, Devils 3You all saw it. Martin Brodeur breaks all time wins record, Matt Walker stumbles around like drunkardforfirsttwoDevilsgoals,beforeElias
and Gionta abuse Campbell to put it out of reach.
Nov. 9th, 2006: Hawks 1, Devils 2 (SO)Even more boring than it sounds. Ruutu cancels out Rupp’s goal in the 1st, and then teams do absolutely nothing for two periods until Hawks futile attempts
at Brodeur in Skills Competition.
Jan 15th, 2006: Devils 3, Hawks 2 (SO)See above.
Dec. 21st, 2003: Devils 2, Hawks 2Something called Burke Henry has a goal and an as-sist to earn the Hawks a point. Yeah, we don’t know
either.
Because he’s ace, Yahoo! hockey maven Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski, has been kind enough to answer our q’s about the Devils. Even though the Puck Daddy blog in league wide, Greg is a passionate Devils fan, which probably means he doesn’t bathe much, and we’re grateful he took the time. Just don’t stand too close, Greg.
We’ve seen the Devils put together division titles two of the past three seasons, only to have it come to a disappointing end in the playoffs. Though we think it will end differently this time, why will the Devils go farther this year? Well, keep in mind at least one of those division titles was built on a foundation of skills competition bullshit, as the Devils won the At-lantic thanks to the shootout and the fact that Brodeur is, like, 200-0 in the fake overtime. Whatgivesmehopeisthatafit,restedBrodeurwillputupbetter numbers than the pudgy, tired Brodeur has since the last Cup in 2003. And that the Devils’ goal-scoring is deeper and better than it’s been for a while; they haven’t had two guys like Parise and Elias going as well as they have since forever. We know this will get you riled, and we’re not arguing that Brodeur isn’t one of the greatest goalies of all time, but what are we to make of the Devils not really missing a beat when Scott Clemmensen was in net? You know how they say that when your arm gets cut off, your penis gets stronger? More or less the same principle here. The Devils lost Marty and played a more responsible system of defense and offense than they had been under Sutter, and it was out of desperation. It wasn’t perfect; they’d play two good periods a game. But what made it work was Clemmer saving their asses in that bad period, even if he was average the rest of the game. That’s just how it worked. The team was so good, the difference between Clem-mensen and Marty was the difference between a 3-2 win and a 3-1 win. Your blue line doesn’t get the credit it deserves, maybe because it contains no Stevens or Niedermayer. But tell us about Oduya, Colin White, Paul Martin, and Bryce Salavador.
Johnny Oduya is a startlingly good puck-handling defenseman who has improved his play inside the zone this season. I’m a Colin White mark, in the sense that I think he’s always been a physical defense-man like few teams have but has really cut down on the dum-dum penalties this season. Paul Martin, although I’m still waiting for his numbers to creep closer to what Brian Rafalski’s were, is an ice time whore and a great two-way D-man. Bryce Salavador has had a much better season than last year, and is physical D-man Part Deux for the Devils. Brent Sutter will always have a place in our hearts for that sweep of Detroit in ‘92. He’s obviously a great coach, but we keep hearing stories about how hard it is for him to be away from his family in Alberta. Is he in for the long haul? Does it matter with Lamoriello back there? I’m starting to believe that this will be it for him, both in what I sense and what I’ve heard. No one knows for sure, of course. The Devils have been grooming former franchise scoring leader John MacLean to take over for the last few years; but he’s yet to get the job, so who knows? It’s a shame, really, because Sutter’s been an outstanding coach in the NHL. But I guess it’s back to hiring someone just to firethemwith45minutesleftintheseasonsoLoucancoachagain. What’s one thing that could keep the Devils from coming out of the East? If the scoring goes to pot, or if they play the Rangers and suddenly morph back into the younger siblings they looked like last postsea-son. And by that I mean allowing Sean Avery to bully them. We know about Brodeur, Elias, and Parise. What’s one player Hawks fans should watch tonight that they might ordinarily overlook? Two guys, assuming they play: Travis Zajac and John Madden. Both have been very solid two-way players for the Devils this sea-son, and in Madden’s case I think he’s one of the best penalty killers in hockey. A real difference maker. Even if he doesn’t have his own EA game or tour bus. Boom!
NAME QUALCOMP QUALTEAM TOI/60 GFON/60 GAON/60 +-ON/60 GFOFF/60 GAOFF/60 +-OFF/60 RATING
Aaron Johnson -0.04 -0.21 11.76 4.11 1.15 2.96 2.29 2.11 0.18 2.79
Andrew Ladd 0.08 0.21 12.91 3.67 2.29 1.38 2.37 2.11 0.26 1.11
Duncan Keith 0.06 0.13 18.48 3.29 2.18 1.11 2.56 2.26 0.3 0.82
Martin Havlat 0.05 0.18 13.45 3.63 2.55 1.08 2.39 2.01 0.38 0.71
Dave Bolland 0.08 0.29 12.71 3.46 2.39 1.06 2.46 2.07 0.39 0.68
Adam Burish -0.08 -0.1 7.15 2.59 1.53 1.07 2.77 2.28 0.49 0.58
Troy Brouwer 0.02 -0.15 11.6 2.5 1.67 0.83 2.79 2.25 0.54 0.29
N. Hjalmarsson -0.01 -0.18 12.81 0.94 1.41 -0.47 2.97 3.71 -0.74 0.27
Brent Seabrook 0.07 0.27 16.56 2.76 2.04 0.71 2.73 2.23 0.5 0.22
Matt Walker -0.03 -0.13 13.89 2.73 2.12 0.61 2.49 2.03 0.46 0.14
Colin Fraser -0.12 -0.14 7.78 2.39 1.85 0.54 2.81 2.22 0.58 -0.04
Ben Eager -0.11 -0.12 8.23 2.47 1.91 0.56 2.76 2.14 0.62 -0.06
Jonathan Toews 0.03 -0.11 13.26 2.87 2.36 0.51 2.68 2.08 0.61 -0.1
Kris Versteeg 0.02 -0.18 12.13 2.62 2.18 0.44 2.82 2.23 0.59 -0.15
Dustin Byfuglien -0.03 -0.05 11.84 2 1.61 0.38 3.09 2.43 0.66 -0.27
Patrick Kane 0.02 -0.11 13.8 2.46 2.33 0.13 2.71 2.14 0.58 -0.45
Patrick Sharp 0 -0.02 13.2 2.68 2.27 0.41 2.95 1.86 1.09 -0.69
Brian Campbell -0.02 -0.04 17.29 2.69 2.59 0.1 2.77 1.89 0.87 -0.77
Cam Barker -0.04 -0.13 13.18 2.16 2.56 -0.4 2.88 2.01 0.87 -1.27
Samuel Pahlsson 0.03 -0.88 12.31 1.57 2.7 -1.13 2.97 1.98 0.99 -2.12
Hockey SabermetricsCHICAGO
Every game, we provide you with the Behind The Net numbers. These are at even strength, 5-on-5. Key: QUALCOMP- A measure of the quality of competition each player faces on the ice. Calcu-lated by averaging +/-/60 for opponents on the ice against player. QUALTEAM- A measure of the quality of teammates each player plays with. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for teammates on ice with player. TOI/60- Time on ice, per 60 minutes, that player spends on ice at full-strength. GFON/60, GAON/60- Goals for and against team per 60 min. player is on ice +/-ON/60- Team’s Plus/minus, per 60 minutes, while player is on ice. +/-OFF/60- Plus/minus of team while player is off ice, per 60 minutes. RATING- +/-ON/60 subtracted by +/-OFF/60.
Player GFON/60
Cam Barker 11.28
Troy Brouwer 8.8
Patrick Kane 8.59
Patrick Sharp 8.48
Jonathan Toews 8.04
Brian Campbell 7.56
Dustin Byfuglien 6.2
Duncan Keith 6.17
Martin Havlat 6.03
Brent Seabrook 5.73
Kris Versteeg 5.21
Player GA/60
Troy Brouwer 4.63
Adam Burish 5.48
Duncan Keith 6
Brent Seabrook 6.14
Aaron Johnson 6.28
Andrew Ladd 6.44
Colin Fraser 6.71
Samuel Pahlsson 7.01
Kris Versteeg 7.07
Matt Walker 7.08
Cam Barker 7.59
Dave Bolland 8.29
N. Hjalmarsson 19.78
Power Play RatingsThis is a measure of a team’s goals-for per 60 minutes of player being on the
ice on the power play.
Penalty Kill RatingsThis measures how many goals a team
gives up per 60 minutes the player is on the ice on the PK.
Corsi RatingShots attempted for a team vs. how many are at-
tempted against while a given player is on the ice, per 60 min.
NAME CORSI
Jonathan Toews 17.2
Martin Havlat 15.8
Troy Brouwer 14.9
Brian Campbell 13.7
Andrew Ladd 13.4
Patrick Kane 13.1
Kris Versteeg 12.3
Patrick Sharp 12.3
Brent Seabrook 11.9
Cam Barker 11.7
Duncan Keith 11.4
Dustin Byfuglien 11
Dave Bolland 9.8
Aaron Johnson 9.5
Matt Walker 8.7
Adam Burish 8.4
Ben Eager 8.1
Colin Fraser 3.4
N. Hjalmarsson -3.3
Samuel Pahlsson -12.4
Penalties Drawn vs. Taken
NAME PDRAW/60 PTAKE/60
Adam Burish 1.8 1.1
Colin Fraser 1.5 0.5
Kris Versteeg 1.5 0.7
Patrick Kane 1.5 0.9
Patrick Sharp 1.4 0.9
Dave Bolland 1.3 0.8
Jonathan Toews 1.3 0.8
Andrew Ladd 1.2 0.7
Ben Eager 1.2 2.5
Dustin Byfuglien 1.2 1.2
Martin Havlat 1.1 0.6
Troy Brouwer 1.1 0.9
Aaron Johnson 0.5 1.8
Brian Campbell 0.4 0.4
Samuel Pahlsson 0.4 1.2
Brent Seabrook 0.3 0.9
Matt Walker 0.3 0.6
Duncan Keith 0.1 0.8
Cam Barker 0.1 0.6
N. Hjalmarsson 0 0
Face-offsPlayer Face-Offs Taken FO%
Jonathan Toews 1139 55.0
Samuel Pahlsson 1107 53.4
Colin Fraser 719 47.8
Dave Bolland 1060 44.3
Total Rank: 26th 47.8
Hockey Sabermetrics
Player GAON/60
Patrik Elias 2.25
B. Shanahan 3.72
Paul Martin 5.87
Colin White 6.23
John Oduya 6.46
John Madden 6.94
Bryce Salvador 7.51
Jay Pandolfo 7.96
J. Lang'brunner 8.78
Travis Zajac 9.29
Niclas Havelid 10.45
Jay Leach 12.6
Travis Moen 7.83
Power Play RatingsThis is a measure of a team’s goals for per 60 minutes of player being on the
ice on the power play.
Penalty Kill RatingsThis measures how many goals a team gives up per 60 minutes the
player is on the ice on the PK.
Corsi RatingThis measures how many shots are attempted for a team vs. how many are attempted against while a
given player is on the ice, per 60 min.
NAME CORSI
Zach Parise 16.3
J. Langenbrunner 13.1
Travis Zajac 12.6
Brian Gionta 12.1
Patrik Elias 11.7
Dainius Zubrus 11.6
John Oduya 11.1
Paul Martin 9.3
Colin White 6.9
Bobby Holik 6.3
Mike Mottau 6.2
Andy Greene 0.5
David Clarkson -0.5
Michael Rupp -1.2
Brian Rolston -4
Jay Leach -4.1
Bryce Salvador -4.2
John Madden -7.4
Brendan Shanahan -7.5
Jay Pandolfo -9
Niclas Havelid -13.4
Penalties Drawn vs. Taken
NAME PDRAW/60 PTAKE/60
Michael Rupp 1.7 1.5
Patrik Elias 1.5 0.6
Zach Parise 1.4 0.7
David Clarkson 1.4 1.3
J. Langenbrunner 1.1 0.9
Travis Zajac 0.8 0.4
Brian Gionta 0.8 0.4
Dainius Zubrus 0.8 1.1
John Madden 0.8 0.6
Mike Mottau 0.6 0.6
Bobby Holik 0.6 2.7
Jay Pandolfo 0.6 0.5
Brian Rolston 0.5 0.8
Niclas Havelid 0.4 1
Paul Martin 0.4 0.6
Andy Greene 0.4 0.4
John Oduya 0.3 0.6
Colin White 0.3 0.9
Bryce Salvador 0.3 1.2
Jay Leach 0 0.4
Brendan Shanahan 0 2
Face-offsPlayer Face-Offs Taken FO%
Bobby Holik 467 58.4
Travis Zajac 1155 52.9
John Madden 1025 51.5
Dainius Zubrus 835 50.9
Total: Rank: 11th 51.1
Player GFON/60
Paul Martin 8.38
Patrik Elias 7.87
J. Langenbrunner 7.72
Travis Zajac 7.4
Zach Parise 7.26
Brian Gionta 5.96
Andy Greene 5.62
Dainius Zubrus 5.51
Brian Rolston 5.33
David Clarkson 5.07
Brendan Shanahan 2.01
NAME QUALCOMP QUALTEAM TOI/60 GFON/60 GAON/60 +-ON/60 GFOFF/60 GAOFF/60 +-OFF/60 RATING
Travis Zajac 0.05 0.57 12.84 3.58 1.86 1.73 2.18 2.01 0.17 1.56
Zach Parise 0.04 0.55 13.88 3.73 2.13 1.6 2.07 1.89 0.18 1.42
Mike Mottau -0.04 -0.1 15.87 2.88 1.49 1.38 2.3 2.22 0.08 1.3
J. Langenbrunner 0.06 0.65 12.59 3.38 1.92 1.46 2.29 1.97 0.32 1.14
Patrik Elias 0.03 0.06 12.58 3.05 2.12 0.93 2.41 1.92 0.49 0.44
John Oduya 0.03 0.11 16.29 3.13 2.27 0.86 2.26 1.8 0.46 0.39
Brian Gionta 0.01 0.09 13.25 3.02 2.2 0.82 2.42 1.89 0.53 0.29
Niclas Havelid 0.02 0.08 16.28 2.51 2.61 -0.1 2.41 2.75 -0.34 0.24
Dainius Zubrus 0 0.06 12.87 2.81 2.04 0.77 2.47 1.94 0.54 0.23
Paul Martin 0.04 0 16.76 2.8 1.79 1.01 2.71 1.89 0.82 0.19
Colin White 0.03 0.18 15.18 3.01 2.32 0.69 2.4 1.82 0.58 0.11
Brian Rolston -0.03 -0.26 11.63 2.25 1.97 0.28 2.4 1.8 0.6 -0.32
Andy Greene -0.09 -0.19 13.93 1.82 1.53 0.29 2.72 2.02 0.7 -0.41
Michael Rupp -0.13 -0.49 8.64 1.6 1.71 -0.11 2.68 2.11 0.56 -0.67
David Clarkson -0.03 -0.34 10.77 2.14 2.06 0.08 2.7 1.94 0.76 -0.68
Bobby Holik -0.07 -0.36 9.77 1.12 1.23 -0.11 2.7 2.07 0.63 -0.74
Jay Leach 0.02 -0.06 13.3 1.32 1.69 -0.38 3.21 2.39 0.82 -1.2
Brendan Shanahan -0.03 -0.24 10.59 2.49 2.49 0 2.47 1.23 1.23 -1.23
Bryce Salvador 0.01 0 15.93 1.8 1.97 -0.17 3.16 2.06 1.09 -1.26
John Madden 0.03 -0.4 12.47 1.72 2.3 -0.57 2.83 1.88 0.95 -1.53
Jay Pandolfo 0.01 -0.41 11.96 1.28 2.1 -0.82 3.19 2.09 1.09 -1.91
NEW JERSEYEvery game, we provide you with the Behind The Net numbers. These are at even strength, 5-on-5. Key: QUALCOMP- A measure of the quality of competition each player faces on the ice. Calcu-lated by averaging +/-/60 for opponents on the ice against player. QUALTEAM- A measure of the quality of teammates each player plays with. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for teammates on ice with player. TOI/60- Time on ice, per 60 minutes, that player spends on ice at full-strength. GFON/60, GAON/60- Goals for and against team per 60 min. player is on ice +/-ON/60- Team’s Plus/minus, per 60 minutes, while player is on ice. +/-OFF/60- Plus/minus of team while player is off ice, per 60 minutes. RATING- +/-ON/60 subtracted by +/-OFF/60.
Referee Stats For The HawksReferees 1st NHL
GameHawks Games Hawks PP’s Hawks
PK’s Pens/Game Hawks PP/Game Hawks PK/
GameW L OTL
2 Fraser, Kerry 1980 3 14 17 10.3 4.7 5.7 3 0 0
3 Leggo, Mike 1997 5 19 22 8.2 3.8 4.4 4 0 1
4 McCauley, Wes 2003 5 11 14 5.0 2.2 2.8 2 2 0
5 Rooney, Chris 2000 1 4 1 5.0 4.0 1.0 1 0 0
6 Marouelli, Dan 1984 3 14 11 8.3 4.7 3.7 1 2 0
7 McCreary, Bill 1984 4 17 15 8.0 4.3 3.8 2 3 0
8 Jackson, Dave 1990 6 28 24 8.7 4.7 4.0 4 1 1
10 Devorski, Paul 1989 3 12 16 9.3 4 5.3 1 2 0
11 Sutherland, Kelly 2000 2 11 14 12.5 5.5 7 0 2 0
12 Koharski, Don 1981 4 19 20 9.8 4.8 5.0 3 0 1
13 O’Halloran, Dan 1995 6 34 23 9.5 5.6 3.8 3 2 1
14 LaRue, Dennis 1991 6 28 24 8.6 4.3 4 4 1 1
15 Auger, Stephane 2000 4 17 13 7.5 4.3 3.3 3 0 1
16 Shick, Rob 1986 1 2 2 4.0 2.0 2.0 0 0 1
18 Kimmerly, Greg 1996 5 26 25 10.2 5.2 5.0 3 2 0
20 Peel, Tim 1999 4 19 19 9.5 4.7 4.7 2 2 0
21 VanMassenhoven, Don 1993 4 17 10 6.7 4.2 2.5 2 0 2
23 Watson, Brad 1996 4 15 8 5.7 3.7 2 2 1 1
25 Joannette, Marc 1999 2 13 5 9.0 6.5 2.5 1 0 1
26 Martell, Rob 1996 1 3 1 4.0 3.0 1.0 1 0 0
27 Furlatt, Eric 2001 6 27 26 8.8 4.5 4.3 2 3 1
28 Lee, Chris 2001 2 11 10 10.5 5.5 5 1 1 0
29 Walsh, Ian 2000 1 1 3 4.0 1.0 3.0 0 1 0
30 Hasenfratz, Mike 2000 3 22 13 11.7 7.3 4.3 0 1 2
32 Kowal, Tom 2000 4 13 10 5.8 3.3 2.5 4 0 0
33 Pollock, Kevin 2000 4 14 15 7.2 3.5 3.7 1 1 2
34 Meier, Brad 1999 4 14 20 8.5 3.5 5.0 3 1 0
35 Warren, Dean 1999 - - - - - - - - -
36 Morton, Dean 2000 3 24 13 12.3 8.0 4.3 1 1 1
38 St Laurent, Francois 2006 2 14 15 14.5 7.0 7.5 1 0 1
39 Dwyer, Gord 2003 5 30 24 10.8 6 4.8 3 0 2
40 Kozari, Steve 2006 5 30 23 10.6 6 4.6 2 2 1
42 O’Rourke, Dan 1999 2 11 13 12.0 5.5 6.5 1 0 1
43 Pochmara, Brian 2006 3 12 14 8.6 4 4.6 2 1 0
45 St. Pierre, Justin 2003 6 29 26 9.2 4.8 4.3 3 1 2
NHL LEADERSPoints
Player Team P
1 Evgeni Malkin PIT 1062 A. Ovechkin WAS 963 S. Crosby PIT 964 Pavel Datsyuk DET 895 Zach Parise NJ 8835 Martin Havlat CHI 65
Goals
Player Team G
1 A. Ovechkin WAS 512 Zach Parise NJ 413 Jeff Carter PHI 414 I. Kovalchuk ATL 395 P. Marleau SJ 3721 J. Toews CHI 30
GAA
Player Team GAA
1 Tim Thomas BOS 2.112 Steve Mason CBJ 2.183 Pekka Rinne NSH 2.224 Jonas Hiller ANA 2.295 N. Backstrom MIN 2.3615 Cristobal Huet CHI 2.50
SV%
Player Team SV%
1 Tim Thomas BOS .9312 T. Vokoun FLA .9253 Craig Anderson FLA .9254 Pekka Rinne NSH .9225 N. Backstrom MIN .92112 N. Khabibulin CHI .916
Tallon Over Troubled Waters Should Dale Tallon, if he’s even steering the ship at this point, not be able to move Dustin Byfuglien and/or Brent Sopel for draft picks this summer, the Hawks’ salary cap issues will only worsen next season. The $12.75M in contracts everyone thoughtwouldbeexitingstageleftaslittleasfourmonthsago,nowfigurestobejustNikolai Khabibulin’s $6.75M, as Martin Havlat is reportedly wrapping up talks on a new deal to keep him in an Indian Head sweater for at least two more seasons. Cam Barker will be negotiating a new contract this summer, as will Dave Bolland and Kris Versteeg. All will be due sizeable increases in pay. Bolland (846k) and Versteeg (490k) will see their salary’s at least double, possibly triple (Versteeg’s may quadruple) in size, depending on term. Barker will likely come in at the same cap number he is now, 2.7 million, only from now on that will be guaranteed. Havlat’snewcontractwillbenoteworthy.You’dfigurehe’llhavetoshavesome points off his deal to make it worth while for the Hawks. Not that they don’t need Havlat, because all you need to do is watch a few games when Marty’s interested and you’ll see he’s this team’s second-best forward behind Toews. But with the Blackhawks having to plan for Kane and Toews second contracts over the next sixteen months,nottomentionDuncanKeith’s,andtheleagueembroiledinfinancialuncer-tainty, John McDonough and Rocky Wirtz simply can’t risk handing Havlat another six million a-year, for any length of time. Havlat has stated he’d rather re-up with the resurgent Hawks than test the market. I guess Chicago’s a great place to rehab a shoulder? 2008first-rounderKyleBeach(6’3–220)isexpectedtosign his entry-level deal this summer and begin a pro career in the fall. The Hawks anticipate him earning a second or third line spot in train-ing camp, which if that were to happen, would absolve this team of any need for Dustin McByfuglien. After Beach’s contract, that leaves little space for free agents. Dale Tallon has suggested all along he wasn’t interested in trading for a rental and since bringing in Samuel Pahlsson has reiterated his stance. We project he’ll have approximately two million in the coffer after the above-mentioned negotiations to address next season’s center ice situation, and he may be left with no other choice afterfinalizingBolland’snewpaperbuttore-signPahlssonoracheap,journeyman middle-man with similar characteristics. To say its essential Tallon orchestrate a reversal of his own wrongdoings andfindnewhomesforByfuglienandSopelwouldbeanunderstatement.Ifhecan’t,don’t be shocked when Columbus overtakes the Hawks in the standings in ’09-10.
Huety Duty? Corey Crawford practiced yesterday with the Hawks at the Edge in Ben-seville, taking Cristobal Huet’s place in the optional team skate. Apparently Huet left in a huff after being told he was injured and Nikolai Khabibulin would be starting in net for the fourth straight time tonight. How exactly does one get injured sitting on the bench with his arms folded modeling a skull cap? Before you start thinking the Hawks should move Huet and re-sign Khabi; exercise that short memory of yours. Even in this, his best season as a Hawk, Khabibulin has proven at his age, 36, he can’t stay healthy. If it weren’t for this team having the luxury of another overpriced above-average starting goaltender lurking the player’sbench,theHawkswouldbefightingfortheeighthspot,notthefourth,justasthey were twelve months ago, Quenneville or not. ThehumorinallofthisistheHawksmadeasplashandduallyfilledaneed when they lured Huet off the free agent market with a ludicrous four year, 22.5M contractonJuly1st.Themovesignifiedtheorganization’sdismaywithKhabibulinand they continued to highlight that discontent by banning him from training camp two and a half months later. Dale Tallon reportedly had a deal in place with Los Angeles(whichiswhyAnttiNiemiwasstillwiththeteamonfinalcutday),tomoveKhabibulinthefirstweekofOctoberonlytohaveKings’GMDeanLombarditalkedout of the deal by members of his hockey staff -- one rumored to be recent Hawks’ assistant coach Mark Hardy. Thus, Tallon was stuck with the most-expensive goalie tandem in NHL history and obliged to say it was his master plan all along. Since then, Khabibulin has been the better performer overall and won the confidenceoftheorganizationtothepointhe’s,forthemomentanyway,beenpickedto handle the workload down the stretch and into postseason. Huet will be counted on to not screw things up next year, which is precisely what Tallon and Quenneville are afraid he’ll do this spring. Making any sense? Here’s the deal. Tallon is under immense pressure to push this group as far into the playoffs as possible. As great as things have been this season, the Hawks are spending a ton of cash to permeate an image of vivacity into the local sports culture, and coupled with last year’s losses and economicdoom;Rockyishungrytoturnasizeableprofit.Thefactthey’vechosen
the guy to shoulder the load on his way out over their franchise goalie in such a crucial period, tells you all you need to know about how they feel about Huet.
Down Along the Cove If the Hawks’ power play keeps you up at night, try watching the Rockford IceHogs. The Hawks’ farm squad is 2 for its last 52 with the man advantage. The elusivetwoinquestionweretalliedbyPetriKontiola(fleecedbyBobMurray)andTyler Mosienko (Bill Mosienko’s midget grandson). Jack Skille scored his second goal in as many games in Wednesday’s loss tofifthplaceIowa.Cooldown,heonlymanagedtwoinhispreviouseighteengames.Some point soon the Hawks will decide whether Skille is more valuable to them in a Hawks’ uniform, or as an asset on the trade market. Other than foot speed, nothing he does stands out, and everything he does, Kris Versteeg does better. Skille’s not as big as you think, and his offense is too predictable. Two players to keep an eye out for in September are Evan Brophey and Bryan Bickell. Brophey has showed the biggest gains in his second pro season com-ing out of Plymouth (OHL). A one-dimensional offensive player in junior, Brophey is transforming into a responsible two-way center in Rockford. Bickell has turned his game up several notches since returning earlier this month from a broken thumb sufferedinafightonNewYearsEveandseemsintentonmakingupforlosttime.
Bickellscoredinhiseachofhisfirsttwogamesback.He’sabigkid(6’4–225)andpossiblyacontenderforBenEager’sspotonthefourth line next fall. Both are restricted free agents this summer.
Calling Scotty Am I the only Blackhawks’ observer annoyed with Scotty Bow-man persistent contact and consulting of Red Wings’ head coach Mike Babcock?Undeniablyaconflictofinterest,BowmanandBabcockdefend their regular discussions insisting they’re just good friends. So let’s get this straight. The Blackhawks employ the greatest hockey coach of all time… but he doesn’t want to be a coach. Bow-man’s perhaps the most knowledgeable and instinctive hockey mind in the business…. but he doesn’t want to be the GM. So, he sits in his Tampa home half the season collecting a Rocky Wirtz’ signed paycheck and two or three times a week advises the brain trust of the
hated Red Wings? How is this acceptable?
What the Wiz? So you’re a big James Wisniewski fan, are ya? No Wiz = No Wins? Hardly. Ifmissingamarginal–onhisbestday–bluelinerischieflyresponsiblefor your team’s recent woes, then the Hawks have deeper issues than any of us could ever know. Yearning for number 43 is akin to getting dumped by a girl with the Clap, false teeth and prosthetic arms then crawling into bed, balling yourself to sleep every night for a month. I’m sure she was a nice girl, but how much pleasure were you get-ting out of that relationship, really? But if you insist this team can’t go on without “the Wiz,” you must also be in that group of fans who believe the Hawks will never win a Cup as long as Travis Moen, Kyle Calder, Patrick Lalime, Todd White and Anton Babchuk are wearing op-posing sweaters. Good young players don’t get traded for rentals. And when’s the last time Bob Murray made a great trade? He got his job sucking up to Brian Burke and the Samueli’s in four seasons, with his lone claim to brilliance as being the architect behindtheFrancoisBeacheminacquisition.Comeon,evena200poundhookerfindsa John. Wiz fans, don’t confuse activity with accomplishment. That’s how Adam Burish jerseys get sold.
Chris Block writes the impeccable Third Man In (thethirdmanin.com), which is your one-stop shop for all the Hawks info you could ever want. He also writes an NHL-wide blog called Puck Chatter (puckchatter.blogspot.com). Can’t get enough Chris (and who could?), he’s also the latest guest on the Hockee Night Puckcast, where we’ve occasionally washed up. You can find that at hockeenight.com.
Strange Thoughts On This Nervous Night
Chris Block
Block Party
The Making of The Chicago Blackhawks
YEAR DRAFT TRADE FREE AGENT2008-2009 Samuel Pahlsson (COL 7th round 1996) and
Logan Stephenson (PHX 2nd round 2004) from ANA for James Wisniewski (CHI 5th round 2002) and Petri Kontiola (CHI 7th round 2004)
Brian Campbell (BUF 6th round 1997Cristobal Huet (LA 7th round 2001)Matt Walker (STL 3rd round 1998)Aaron Johnson (CLB 3rd round 2001)
2007-2008 Patrick Kane (1st round) Ben Eager (PHO 1st round 2002) from PHI for Jim Vandermeer (FA PHI 2000)Craig Adams (HAR 9th round 1996) from CAR for future considerations.Andrew Ladd (CAR 1st round 2004) from CAR for Tuomo Ruutu (CHI 1st round 2001)
Brent Sopel (VAN 6th round 1995)
2006-2007 Jonathan Toews (1st round) Martin Havlat (OTT 1st round 1999) from OTT and Bryan Smolinski (BOS 1st round 1990) for Tom Preissing (FA SJ 2003), Josh Hennessy (SJ 2nd round 2003) and Michael Barinka (CHI 2nd round 2003)Kris Versteeg (BOS 5th round 2004) from BOS for Brandon Bochenski (OTT 7th round 2001)
2005-2006 Niklas Hjalmarsson (4th round) Patrick Sharp (PHI 3rd round 2001) from PHI for Matt Ellison (CHI 4th round 2002) and CHI 3rd round pick 2006
Nikolai Khabibulin (WIN 9th round 1992)
2004-2005 Cam Barker (1st round)Dave Bolland (2nd round)Troy Brouwer (7th round)
2003-2004 Brent Seabrook (1st round)Dustin Byfuglien (8th round)
Colin Fraser (PHI 3rd round 2003), Jim Van-dermeer (PHI FA 2000) and 2004 2nd round pick from PHI for Alex Zhamnov and 2004 4th round pick (WIN 4th round 1990)
2002-2003 Duncan Keith (2nd round)Adam Burish (9th round)
COACHESHead Coach-Joel QuennevilleAssistant Coach-John TorchettiAssistant Coach-Mike HavilandAssistant Coach- Marc BergevinGoaltending Coach-Stephane Waite
GM HISTORYDale Tallon (2005-Present)Bob Pulford (Too Fucking Long)Mike Smith (2001-2004)Bob Murray (1999-2000)
info in part provided by hockeyreference.com
The Making of The New Jersey Devils
YEAR DRAFT TRADE FREE AGENT2008-2009 Niclas Havelid (ANA 3rd round 1999) and
Myles Stoesz (what?) for Anssi Salmela (huh?)Bobby Holik (HAR 1st round 1989)Brian Rolston (NJ 1st round 1991)Brendan Shanahan (NJ 1st round 1987)
2007-2008 Dainius Zubrus (PHI 1st round 1996)Kevin Weekes (FLA 2nd round 1993)
2006-2007 Mike Rupp (NJ 3rd round 2000)Mike Mottau (NYR 7th round 1997)Johnny Oduya (WSH 7th round 2001)
2005-2006 Andy Greene (Undrafted FA)Jay Leach (PHX 5th round 1998)
2004-2005 Travis Zajac (1st round) David Clarkson (Undrafted FA)2003-2004 Zach Parise (1st round)2001-2002 Jamie Langenbrunner (DAL 2nd round 1993),
and Joe Nieuwendyk (CAL 2nd round 1985) from DAL for Jason Arnott (EDM 1st round 1993), Randy McKay (DET 6th round 1985) and 2002 1st round pick
2000-2001 Paul Martin (2nd round)1998-1999 Brian Gionta (3rd round)1997-1998 John Madden (Undrafted FA)1996-1997 Colin White (2nd round) Bryce Salvador (TB 6th round
1994)1994-1995 Patrick Elias (2nd round)1993-1994 Jay Pandolfo (2nd round)1990-1991 Martin Brodeur (1st round)
info in part provided by hockeyreference.com
GM HISTORY1988-Present: Lou Lamoriello
COACHESHead Coach: Brent SutterAsst. Coach: John MacLean (DIE HARD!)Asst. Coach: Tommy AlbelinGoaltending Coach: Jacque Caron
Playing at home............ 20-8-7Playing on road........... 19-14-4Scoring first.......... 27-5-4Opponent scores first........ 12-17-7Shoot the puck bimbo scores...... 5-1-1Shoot the puck bimbo doesn’t score...... 15-6-6Shoot the puck bimbo blows editors of Commited Indian..... 0-0-0Editors of Indian have car broken into day of game ....... 1-0-0Playing on a Monday.............. 2-2-1 Playing on a Tuesday................ 6-3-0Playing on a Wednesday........... 9-1-3Playing on a Thursday.............. 2-3-0Playing on a Friday................ 4-4-4Playing on a Saturday............. 7-5-3Playing on a Sunday................ 9-4-0Savard changes lines during game... 1-2-1Coach Q keeps lines as they are..... 38-20-10Are out-muscled by opponent.... 10-17-4Outshoot opponent....... 28-13-6Are outshot by opponent.... 11-9-5Havlat shies from contact......... 16-6-6Patrick Kane scores............... 11-7-3Jonathan Toews scores.......... 13-3-6Martin Havlat scores............. 15-4-1Patrick Sharp scores............ 16-3-2Dustin Byfuglien scores......... 7-2-1Dustin Byfuglien wins a foot-race??!!!!!..... 1-0-0Andrew Ladd scores............. 11-0-1Dave Bolland scores......... 11-1-4Adam Burish scores....... 3-2-1, and totally ruins that joke51 Phantom scores....... 3-2-1Duncan Keith scores........ 5-3-0Brent Seabrook scores...... 4-1-1VerStud scores.... 11-7-1Troy Brouwer scores.... 8-0-0Scoring a Power Play goal....... 28-10-9Not scoring a Power Play goal... 11-11-2Allowing a Power Play goal...... 17-16-10Not Allowing a Power Play goal....... 22-6-1Scoring a short-handed goal........... 6-2-0
Allowing a short-handed goal......... 2-4-1Taking 30 or more shots......... 30-16-8Taking less than 30 shots..... 9-6-3Allowing 30 shots or more...... 17-8-6Allowing 30 shots or less......... 22-14-5100 Level doesn’t cheer for anthem. 20-7-71st of a back-to-back...... 4-5-32nd of a back-to-back..... 7-5-1Opponent played night before.... 8-5-2Taking more than 5 penalties..... 16-15-5Taking 5 or less penalties.... 23-7-6Seabrook gets a flat-footed penalty.... 8-5-6Burish takes a penalty....... 7-5-2Keith takes a penalty......... 12-3-2Sharp takes a penalty....... 10-2-2Toews takes a penalty..... 9-5-3Havlat takes a penalty.... 6-3-1Sopel takes a penalty...... 3-2-1Sopel looks 6 steps slow...... 7-5-551 Phantom blows a coverage...... 27-18-9Toews is trying too hard...... 3-7-3At least 1 fight in 300 Level... 3-2-4No fights in 300 Level..... 17-5-3Playing Eastern Conference..... 8-6-3Playing Western Conference..... 31-17-8Playing Central Division...... 4-7-6Playing Northwest Division.... 12-6-1Playing Pacific Division 15-4-1Playing Atlantic Division 1-3-2Playing NASCAR Division 4-1-0Playing Northeast Division 3-1-1Playing in October.... 4-3-3Playing in November.... 6-3-3Playing in December...... 10-1-1Playing in January..... 7-6-1Playing in February..... 7-4-1Playing in March...... 5-5-2Playing in April...... 0-0-0UC plays really stupid goal song..... 20-5-7Huet’s five-hole open like Lindsay Lohan’s..... 3-11-4
Getting obliterated on face-offs....... 15-10-4Are even close on face-offs..... 24-12-7Eddie O tells crew to “stop it right here!”.... 33-18-11Eddie O tells us D have the forwards and forwards have the D during 4-on-4........ 33-17-11Pat Foley screws up a name...... 37-18-11Ice Crew wear skirts....... 7-1-3Ice Crew wear pants....... 3-1-0Ice Crew wear shorts.... 10-6-4Member of Ice Crew hilariously falls on her shapely ass.... 0-1-0Leading after 2 periods...... 31-2-3Losing after 2 periods...... 2-15-4Tied after 2 periods......... 6-5-4In overtime.......... 4-5In shootout....... 4-6Cam Barker plays....... 31-18-8Cam Barker is in Rockford due to GM incompetence..... 6-2-3Lacking a #2 center........ 37-22-9In 1-goal games..... 10-7-11In 2-goal games...... 12-7-0In 3-goal games....... 8-5-0In 4+ goal games...... 8-3-0Scoring 3+ goals..... 36-6-7Scoring less than 3 goals...... 3-14-4PA plays Ministry....... 0-0-0PA plays Modern Cock-Rock..... 20-8-7PA plays Stranglehold....... 6-2-4PA plays P.J. Harvey........ 0-0-0Fraser fights...... 7-3-1Burish fights....... 5-2-0Seabrook fights..... 0-0-0Barker fights......... 0-0-2Buff fights......... 1-1-2Sharp fights........ 1-0-0Eager fights.......... 10-3-1On Comcast...... 29-12-8On WGN....... 10-7-3On Vs........ 0-2-0On NBC.... 0-1-0Judd Sirott hates Adam Creighton 39-22-11
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