2018-2019 Hawks Season - Redemption

[UOK]

I keep up with the Blackhawks via highlights, The Athletic, and their beat writers, watching only the odd game or two anymore. Just don't have time to watch every game like I used to. Lot easier to stomach that when they're staring down a rebuild.

[Otis Day]

The ship is sinking. They have a lot of dead weight on this team. Just had a conversation with a Hawks fan. Told him I was disappointed they resigned both Toews and kane when they did. Hard for me to say, but wished they would have traded one prior to signing or had something worked out. With all the other bad contracts Bowman has put out there, it is going to be hard to rebuild. Hell Trade Toews now, would not bother me

[UOK]

The ship is sinking. They have a lot of dead weight on this team. Just had a conversation with a Hawks fan. Told him I was disappointed they resigned both Toews and kane when they did. Hard for me to say, but wished they would have traded one prior to signing or had something worked out. With all the other bad contracts Bowman has put out there, it is going to be hard to rebuild. Hell Trade Toews now, would not bother me

The Schmaltz trade is, uh, alright I guess. Kane was pretty visibly pissed about it. Every time he finds chemistry with someone they trade them away.

[Otis Day]

Schmaltz was just kind of a body this year. His play took a dip this year. I think he was just there. Not sure what happened to him, he lost his aggressiveness on the O end.

[Otis Day]

Fucking Hawks continue to give up early goals and get behind early!!

[UOK]

I fully anticipate a tidal wave of change this offseason. It's going to be a lot of bittersweet goodbyes.

[Otis Day]

My GAWD!! I sit and watch this team and think to myself, WTF happened and how did it happen so fast? Just wow. I then think to myself, the young guys are learning. Then I question why are some of the old guys playing so much? It is just strange. Shit is cyclical but damn they fell off fast. Bowman has set them up to fail for awhile with some of the contracts.

[Otis Day]

How about that, a W!!!!. Ward plays a helluva game, we actually saw some D played and they actually won a game they should have (Preds on the back end of back to back games on the road). They have started to show a little with the good game against the Jets (a 4-3 loss). Still really inconsistent and the young guys need to start getting their heads out of their asses.

[Otis Day]

It has been a little over 2 weeks since there has been a post here. I can say I like the way they have been playing of late. The D still suffers long lapses of "head up the ass" syndrome but they have been fewer. Delia is showing he belongs in the NHL and to be honest, I would really like for him to be the main goalie. Stromme has shown he can play and he and Kane have shown some chemistry. I am still hating on Seabrook. The guy is just, slow, bad and they need to get rid of him somehow. Keith is a little better, but it is time for him to go as well. Turn this over to a youth movement.

Kane, hot as hell. He would be the piece I would keep because the guy can just flat out score. I think the team will get it turned around some and be more respectable.

[Otis Day]

Really nice game last night. they killed off 2 5 on 3s and technically were 1-3 on their power play (scored 2 goals within seconds of Penguins gaining even strength).

Kane and Stromme seem to have some chemistry growing.

Hawks continued to dominate the Penguins, haven't lost to them since 2014.

[Otis Day]

If I haven't said it before, I will say it now, I HATE FRIGGING 3 ON 3 OT BULLSHIT!!!! I just don't see why the NHL thinks this is good for the game. Granted peeps probably think I am saying this after the last 2 OT losses but didn't like it from the get go. The Hawks seem to be a team that this rule favors with Kane, Toews, The Cat and talent years past, but it sucks. One mistake and the goalie is under pressure. Get rid of it.

[Otis Day]

Kane is killing it!! 5 straight multi-point games. 64 pts in 47 games. He is on fire.

[Boris13c]

Blackhawks turn to ‘nuclear line’ with Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews

With the Blackhawks staggering through a five-game losing streak and the season sliding into insignificance, coach Jeremy Colliton went into the lab and played mad scientist with his lines.

He poured this tube into that one and mixed names in a beaker until sparks flew, smoke rose and bolts of lightning cracked across the sky. A profound idea emerged in his moment of genius: Put his two best players together.

It’s a forward combination some playfully refer to as the ‘‘nuclear line,’’ and the elements include Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. It’s highly dangerous, as the Capitals saw when Toews (three) and Kane (two) combined for five goals in the Hawks’ 8-5 victory Sunday.

Eureka.

‘‘It makes the game simple,’’ Kane said after practice Monday. ‘‘It’s not like you have to think too much or even talk too much about what we want to do. We just want to work hard, win battles and play well defensively. If we do that, we should get a lot of chances.’’

Colliton would be crazy to split them apart now. And while he definitely tinkers with the lineup, he’s not crazy.

keep em together and good things happen ... I know the Capitals didn't appreciate them figuring it out against them

[Otis Day]

Drake Cagguila is reaping the benefits as well. New, young guy, getting to play with a couple of superstars.

"You come to the rink and you see your number next to two Blackhawks legends, it's a pretty cool thing," Caggiula said. "It's a little extra special for me because I grew up idolizing those two players. The biggest reason why I went to North Dakota was because of Jonny Toews. And I used to watch Patty Kane's highlights on YouTube and then go in my basement and try to copy them. It's pretty special to come in the room and see your name is beside theirs."

Hey, 2-0 since they went nuclear

I am enjoying watching the young guys. There is some promise here. Gustaffson, Kahun, Kampf, Forsling, Delia, Cagguila, Jokiharju (sp).....

[UOK]

There is promise, it's more of a matter of the organization having some care and grace about navigating the final years of their core.

Time and time again the Blackhawks have played to "loyalty" over hockey evaluation. Bringing back Sharp, Oduya, Kruger, Saad, Morin, among others, none of which have panned out; over-rewarding Bickell and Seabrook for their pasts without being rational about the future.

Then at the same time, they fire Quenneville and promote Collinton, which is itself both a sign of loyalty and a breach of trust.

I dunno. They've got things going for them, but this offseason will be very telling.

[cblaz11]

Lose for Hughes!

[Boris13c]

There is promise, it's more of a matter of the organization having some care and grace about navigating the final years of their core.

Time and time again the Blackhawks have played to "loyalty" over hockey evaluation. Bringing back Sharp, Oduya, Kruger, Saad, Morin, among others, none of which have panned out; over-rewarding Bickell and Seabrook for their pasts without being rational about the future.

Then at the same time, they fire Quenneville and promote Collinton, which is itself both a sign of loyalty and a breach of trust.

I dunno. They've got things going for them, but this offseason will be very telling.

I am still of the opinion Quenneville should not have been fired ... those 3 Stanley Cups should have been more than enough collateral to buy him more time to work through the issues

and the truth of the matter is some of the issues are not / were not his to clear up ... being hamstrung on payroll would seem to me to be right in the lap of the GM not the Head Coach

this is worth reading (from back in November) :

The murky side of the Blackhawks firing of Joel Quenneville

[Otis Day]

5 IN A ROW BABY!!!!!!!! This team has gotten kind of fun to watch. Kaner keeps tearing it up. Gustaffson has came on and has played really well. STromme has played well also. I am kind of digging this Cagguila kid.

[Boris13c]

Lose for Hughes!

Column: Let's not make a deal: The Blackhawks are playoff contenders and need to act like it

Don’t do it, please. Don’t be upset the Blackhawks are making a run at the playoffs.

Resist the urge to be anything less than thrilled that Patrick Kane is playing like a man possessed, that Jonathan Toews has recaptured a prime that appeared to be gone, and that the Hawks’ power play is practically a sure thing.

Resist feeling conflicted when Erik Gustafsson is blasting overtime goals from the point like a youthful Brent Seabrook, when veteran Cam Ward and rookie Collin Delia are taking turns standing tall in the net or when Alex DeBrincat snipes another wrist shot past an unprepared goaltender.

Resist the idea that coach Jeremy Colliton doesn’t have the Hawks believing in themselves.

But above all, resist being in any way angry that the Hawks are winning. That’s the cardinal sin of fandom. Don’t go there.

I’m sorry if your dreams of drafting Jack Hughes or Kaapo Kakko are being interrupted by real life, but the fact is the Hawks’ charge toward the playoff is happening and it needs to be seen through. The talk of the Hawks being sellers as the Feb. 25 trade deadline approaches needs to be shut down.

Nobody should be going anywhere, at least not for the time being. General manager Stan Bowman should let his fellow GMs know he’s hitting the pause button until he knows exactly what he has on his hands.

Things are tenuous enough that the Hawks’ flirtation with the playoffs could go up in a puff of smoke by next week. There will be losses here and there, of course, but even a two-game losing streak can do irreparable damage when you’ve been as bad as the Hawks have been most of the season.

Remember as well that the Hawks are batting six other teams for a single wild-card spot. It's not enough to finish ahead of a few of them, they have to finish ahead of all of them.

I'm enjoying this resurgence and would think it would be great for them to sneak on in ... because when they are in the playoffs, they will be dangerous

[Otis Day]

I cannot stand the mentality of losing for draft picks. If you ever played sports, could you purposely play like shit to lose? HELL NO!!! No professional athlete, certainly not an entire team is going to mail in a performance to lose.

These guys are on fire. Will it last? Who knows, but they are beating the teams on their schedule at the moment. Are they the top tier teams getting beat? No, but these same teams were the ones beating the Hawks earlier in the year.

The young guys are showing some improvement. The D is still bad, especially effin Seabrook. This guy's decline has been quick and drastic. He looks like he is skating thru cement.

[UOK]

In hockey it's particularly terrible to tank, IMHO, as the organization can suffer greatly at the expense of hoping you draft Crosby 2.0, when chances are you'll draft a guy like Yakupov.

It's even more of an issue for a franchise like the Blackhawks that has set a very prestigious standard of excellence for themselves after decades of being a professional sports afterthought. Not in their best interests at all to throw in the towel because defining themselves as winners, even when they lose, is attractive to free agents, scouts, etc.

[Boris13c]

very pissed at the Blackhawks effort in Boston last night

a 5 on 3 power play and they only manage to get off 1 weak shot on goal? they looked like they were playing in slow motion the whole time ... the game was still close at that point so their lack of scoring aggression puzzled me ... and pissed me off

[Otis Day]

IMO, this game showed the lack of quality depth of the Hawks and how bad Seabrook sucks. Boston was the far better team the entire game. Hawks just not up to playing against a team that good at this point in time. They need to do something with Seabs, hell make him inactive for some games or something. He offers nothing at this point in his career and the dumb ass contract Bowman signed him to really handcuffs the Hawks.

[Otis Day]

Nice little 7 game streak came to an end but the Hawks still going pretty well. That Ottawa game, holy shit. Delia looked awful, all 3 goals, 5 hole. The young guys continue to show improvement and it is good to see. I think they are coming around and the future doesn't look too bad.

[UOK]

It's weird how Crawford is sort of in denial about how bad his health is. I get that he's a fighter, but his body's breaking down on him. He's got to be the first one to admit it.

[Otis Day]

Crawford definitely needs to walk away. He needs someone in his ear shouting, "GET OUT!"

That Hawk D is just so dreadful. Seabroook, I keep harping on him, brings nothing to the table. The D is slow, looks unsure of what they are doing and that usually means the goalies are hung out to dry. Both goalies look a little slow compared to other goalies I have seen this year.

4-1 and they blow it in less than one periods time. Kane just happens to put himself in the best positions of late.

[UOK]

Kane is having and wasting a banner year while the team struggles. There's bright spots, but they need to push the button on a few of these guys and start flipping for younger talent. The roster's not OLD, really, but the parts that are are anchoring the lineup.

Lazerus made an interesting point about how the Blackhawks made a mistake by not firing Quenneville *sooner*, and giving him a clean break and Colliton a clean start. The nice point streak they had going for awhile was slight evidence that this team can thrive when it clicks, but there's clearly not enough of that. Perhaps getting Colliton a full offseason and the roster time to properly say goodbye to Quenneville would've helped this season be less of a roller coaster.

[Boris13c]

I disagree with Lazerus because I don't think Coach Q should have been fired ... the mess with the contracts hamstringing their ability to make needed moves was not Coach Q's doing

[Otis Day]

I think this team would be in a worse position of Q was still around. I love Q, love that he helped bring 3 Cups to the Hawks, but those were times when the vets were "old" and were producing. That same core, some of those just do not have it anymore and Q was still going to lean on them heavily. He hated playing young guys. This team is about the young guys now and and not the Kunitzs, the Seabrooks or the Keiths. Hate to say it, but at this time they are better off without Q.

Bowman has fucked up royally for sure. The fucking no movement clauses he likes to throw on these vet contracts is a killer. His foresight with some players was just awful. I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I have enjoyed watching this team since Q was fired. I like what I see, the young guys have shown improvement.

[Boris13c]

Maple Leafs nearly erase five-goal deficit during insane third period vs. Blackhawks

a quote from the story :

If you decided to stop watching Wednesday's Blackhawks-Maple Leafs game after two periods, you happened to miss one of the craziest finishes to a game this season.

raises hand

went to bed ... then today, reading what I missed

hard to believe in this topsy turvy season the Blackhawks are still in the wild card chase ... those 2 points from the Leafs were important