S.ave O.ur S.eason

There has not been a sense of urgency surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks this great for as long as I can remember watching the team. Before the salary cap was re-instated everyone assumed that there was a hockey dynasty brewing in Chicago, but now that assumption seems premature. The Hawks still have enough core talent to win the cup again, but the time is now. If this team wants to make a run at the playoffs they can’t be satisfied with anything less than a win, no matter what. They need to bring playoff level intensity because for this season the playoffs start now.

Early in the week Duncan Keith called out his teammates for not playing with enough urgency and toughness. His comments at first appeared to be directed towards the newer and lesser proven players on the team. A day after these comments were made Scott Bowman traded away Jack Skille, a once highly touted prospect, seemingly validating Keith’s comments and the team’s level of frustration.

In this trade the Hawks said goodbye to Skille (7^th overall pick, 2005) and welcome Michael Frolik (10^th overall pick, 2006). This doesn’t help the team in the immediate future as much as it sends a message of accountability. While helping give the depth at center, this also shows that players are going to be held accountable for their productivity.

This was Skille’s first year as a full time player, and though he has had flashes of potential, it was becoming more clear each game that he was not a good fit for the team’s identity. Skille is a skill player with a lot of speed and scoring potential, but the Hawks already have a surplus of this sort of athlete, they sorely need a tougher and more physical forward that can score and disrupt an opposing team’s goalie.

At this point of the season the Hawks are really feeling the effects of their team’s shakeup as a result of the NHL’s new salary cap GM Scott Bowman had no choice to trade away key players (Byfuglien, Ladd, Versteeg) but the gaps left on the team, specifically at left wing have become more and more glaring.

As it gets closer to the trade deadline expect another move to be made by Bowman depending on how the team responds to the recent struggles. Players like Jack Dowell, Tomas Kopecky, and Bryan Bickell will be shopped around the league if the team continues to flounder. It could even be speculated that the more high profile players on the team producing below a level that justifies their contracts could be moved were the season to head towards an even more negative and disastrous end.

Following the trade, the Hawks beat the Oilers 4-1, and the team’s forwards were flying around the ice, playing with fiery inspiration. Though the Oilers aren’t the premier team to defeat in the league, hopefully the Hawks can build some momentum at this crucial juncture of the season and make a run at the playoffs with the players they have on their roster.

Blackhawks favor Crawford as Hawks struggle with forward injuries

December 26, 2010
By Colleen Boyle

Announced today will be the first time Crawford doesn’t play in net for the Chicago Blackhawks due to an illness. Tonight’s game against Columbus Blue Jackets will see the return of forwards Marian Hossa and Victor Stalberg.

Patrick Kane remains out for his lower body injury sustained in against Calgary on December 5th in his first shift of the game.

Turco will start tonight’s game as goaltender after only starting two games in December and only finished one losing to the Vancouver Canucks. Starting Crawford has been the team’s obvious choice since he won seven consecutive starts from November 14th to December 8th.

While Kane and Hossa have been missing from the bench, players like Jack Skille and Bryan Bickell have performed well in the points department. Bickell has four goals and two assists in the last five games. Skille had two goals in the last Blackhawks win against Nashville Predators.

Chicago remains in the seventh slot of the Western Conference but the spread of points in the top eight is only a difference of six points.

The Blackhawks need to continue improving on ice regardless of injuries and need to take their momentum into February where their long road trip can really put them on top.

Chicago Blackhawks shape up on home ice

By Colleen Boyle

After the Blackhawks lost the first two home games, the Chicago team rallies back to win on home ice against Buffalo Sabres last Saturday and then again last night against the St. Louis Blues, a division rival.

The first periods lacked any real offensive strike from the Blackhawks and ended scoreless. St. Louis David Perron scores the only goal of the second period, and then Perron strikes again with a goal in the third period after an odd man rush puts one past Chicago goaltender Marty Turco to take a two-nothing lead.

St. Louis was successful against the Blackhawks in the first two periods. Chicago struggled to keep puck possession or to find good passing lanes.

With one power play wasted in the first, the Blackhawks were able to capitalize on a power play in the third with only seven minutes remaining by Marian Hossa. It only took two minutes for Hossa to put another back hand past St. Louis Goaltender Jaroslav Halak.

Hossa’s two goals gave the Blackhawks the energy to push the game into overtime. Defense Jassen Cullimore and right winger Patrick Kane had assists on Patrick Sharp’s overtime goal with only 70 seconds left in the overtime period.

Last night’s game gives Patrick Sharp his third game winning goal in the last three games and six goals and two assists in six games played in the regular season.

The success in overtimes rests mostly on Turco shoulders with seven saves in less than four minutes. Blackhawks had only one other shot on goal through overtime, not counting Sharp’s game winning goal.

After seven regular season games, the Blackhawks record is 4-2-1. The Blackhawks will rematch the St. Louis on away ice this Friday after facing the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday at home.

Chicago Blackhawks launch a new season to defend Stanley Cup

By Colleen Boyle

The Chicago Blackhawks and the National Hockey League (NHL) launched a new regular season last week. The Blackhawk’s overtime loss last Thursday in Colorado resulted in the first point of the season.

The championship team went on to face Detroit on home ice. After an emotional ceremony of raising the Stanley Cup Championship banner, the Chicago Blackhawks and fans felt let down with the home ice loss ending in 3-2 in favor of central division rivals, the Detroit Red Wings.

Marty Turco, goaltender acquired as a free agent from Dallas Texas in the off-season, fails to capture a win in the first two regular seasons games but not without stopping some great scoring chances.

In the third regular season game, goaltender Corey Crawford managed to pull off a win even with a shaky start to the game, letting in two goals in the first three minutes against Buffalo Sabres.

While Crawford rebounded to only let one more goal in the net, Patrick Kane got a hometown welcome from the Buffalo crowd when he scored Chicago's first goal against the Buffalo Sabres and against his former teammate on the American Olympic team last February, goaltender Ryan Miller.

Missing from the Chicago Blackhawks for the first three regular season games is defenseman Brian Campbell. Injured in the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 1st, it is rumored Campbell will remain on the injured reserve list for four to five weeks.

Without Campbell, the Blackhawks are missing one of the top defensive players on the power play special team. Usually partnered with Campbell, Niklas Hjalmarsson was given a match penalty in last night's game, a five minute penalty (served by Bryan Bickell), and forced to leave the game early after a dangerous boarding hit on Buffalo Sabres Jason Pominville. Taking off the ice on a stretcher, Pominville was conscious after the hit but was rumored to have suffered a concussion.

The NHL will decide the next day whether or not the hit is deserving of a suspension. With Campbell on the injured reserve and Hjalmarsson likely to be suspended, Coach Joel Quenneville will have to already reach back to the American Hockey League (AHL) Rockford Icehogs ranks to fill any gaps.

In the game against Buffalo Sabres, Marian Hossa scored two goals, the second being the game winning goal on a great breakaway in the beginning of the third period. Rookie defensive player Nick Leddy tallied his first NHL goal in the first period of the game at only 19 years old.

The offseason shaped a new Blackhawks team while maintaining the same core as last year’s Stanley Cup championship team. The offseason saw the departure of Dustin Byfuglien, Andrew Ladd (soon made an alternate captain), and Brent Sopel to the Eastern Conference team, the Atlanta Thrashers.

Other departures include Adam Burish, a free agent who signed with the Dallas Stars; Kris Versteeg traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs, and veteran John Madden signed with the Minnesota Wild. Colin Fraser was also traded to Edmonton Oilers.

Another big change was the loss of Antti Niemi, the surprising rookie goaltender that became the team’s backbone through the playoffs til winning the Stanley Cup. Niemi signed with San Jose Sharks after the Blackhawks declined to match the arbitration decision made by the NHL.

While many Blackhawks fans were surprised at the amount of changes, most of the team and the fans were in bliss as the Stanley Cup appeared all over Chicago and at a large taper parade on Michigan Avenue.

Additions to the team includes defense man John Scott, a towering 6’8 in height from the Minnesota Wild. In the trade with Toronto, Chicago Blackhawks picked up offenseman Viktor Stalberg. Fernando Pisani was acquired as a free agent in August and has already dressed for two of the regular season games on the offensive 4th line.