When you need a little comic relief

Anyone need a Monday pick-me-up?

2 Windsor Spitfires from 2009, show how a Memorial Cup winning team works out with some help from Britney Spears' Womanizer.

Adam Henrique & Andrew Engelage, everybody.

Next up 4 of the Barrie Colts from 09-10 do the Cha Cha slide.. I'm on the younger side but what middle school dance didn't this get played at?

You also might recognize the "clap your hands" which is frequently played in rinks.

Luke Pither, Bryan Cameron, Matt Kennedy & Mavric Parks, everyone.

And on a more serious note if you haven't seen it yet here's a link to the Versus new commercial for the Blackhawks/Blues game on the Blackhawks Down Low blog.

Hope you all got a laugh like I did seeing hockey players acting a little silly.

Just give me something to punch

2 times we've played the Oilers & 2 times we've lost. I didn't see the first one but this second loss was awful.

14 seconds. That was all it took for the Blackhawks to throw away a one goal lead after deciding to play "How many 3rd period penalties can we take before they score?" game with the Oilers.

After monster games from Kane & Toews in Atlanta, only Fernando Pisani was able to put one past former Hawk, Nikolai Khabibulin. The Bulin Wall did play exceptionally, which didn't help an already frustrating game from the Hawks.

Honestly, I'm about ready to bag skate the ENTIRE team, Miracle style. But really it's just my frustration.

The lone bright spot was John Scott (who broke 3 sticks) finally showing us his fists & handing it to Zach Stortini.

Blah, blah, blah, we've played the most games in the league, we've had players hurt, etc.

I don't care. I really don't.

The Blackhawks are under .500 & the Central Division this year is good, like losing these points to teams we should win is going to leave the Hawks on the outside looking in at the end of the day.

Yeah the Hawks topped the Thrashers but it was in a shootout, which really isn't good enough.

What concerns me most? This is not a goaltending issue, you really can't put this on Turco or Crawford for how they've played. They've given the team a chance almost every night.

It's the team as a whole. The cohesive unit we became so accustomed to seeing last season is no longer here. This team doesn't have that spark that was there. There's no team identity. Yet.

But, I refuse to think that a team with Jonathan Toews leading them is going to continue to play like this.

Marian Hossa nails it by saying, “As a championship team we have to respond better.”
(source)

Now, that I've had a good vent. It's time to regroup & get it together for Phoenix on Wednesday.

17 games out of 82. We've got a long way to go.

It's easy to forget how the highs & lows of the regular season can be after such a high of a post-season but it's all part of the ride.

And 82 games is a long and bumpy ride. See you all Wednesday.

Let me show you just how much you missed me

Everybody still with me? You are? Good, I was a little concerned.

What a game. Seriously a roller coaster. But thank goodness a win 5-4 shootout win.
Wins make it worth it.

• Well, we seemed to have found Patrick Kane & Jonathan Toews. Thank goodness for that.
  
• Kaner with 3 points (2 goals & 1 assist)
  
• Tazer with his first ever 4 point night in the regular season (2 goals & 2 assists) plus a sick shootout move that knocked Pavelec's water bottle off the top of the net.
• Turco, I love you but man you're testing my sanity with leaving the net & going halfway up the ice.
• Jeremy Morin is a trooper. Took a shot block to the back of the knee & tried to play through it but couldn't. Points for trying. Hope he's not hurt too bad.
  
• The power play is looking solid, but in the hell has happened to the penalty kill?
  
• Viktor Stalberg with some beautiful moves to score the shootout winner & Turco held down the fort with some nice saves.
• Marian Hossa is coming back tomorrow for the game against the Oilers! (source)
• Everybody watch out, if Jack Skille scores. The world/Twitter might explode. I wait for the day this happens.
  
• Saying hat trick before it happens, it like saying shutout before it happens. Just saying.
• Man, do I miss the former Hawks but it's nice to get the win over them. Broke my heart with that shootout goal Ladd did.

This about sums it up, Jonathan Toews on getting the title belt, "I forgot what it feels like. It feels pretty good, though."

Here's to 2 points & 2 more tomorrow! Rest up & prepare yourselves.

When the past comes back.. to bite you

And the moment you've all been waiting for... The Blackhawks take on the Atlanta Thrashers.

It's the inevitable faceoff between the Hawks & the team that was more than willing to take all the cap casualties the Blackhawks were willing to give them.

I'll be the first to admit it, I miss all of the Blackhawks that we lost. Some more for hockey reasons and some more for their personalities that we were so lucky to see because of Blackhawks TV. Either way, I'll miss all the former Hawks since the the 2009-2010 Blackhawks team will always be my favorite. (Can you blame me? First sports team I ever loved to win me a Championship!)

How valuable these depth players were though is starting to become more and more apparent as the Hawks struggle to find a flow in the young NHL season.

Essentially the Blackhawks had the same team for the most part of the previous two seasons until the salary cap made keeping the team together no longer an option.

Guess that's what happens when you have a solid core of young players who are all looking for what they're due.

I'm not bemoaning the salary cap and all the players we lost. It's over and done with and there's nothing that's going to change it. (I'm really not upset about losing Niemi now like I was during the summer.)

But tonight when the Blackhawks take on the Thrashers, I'll be watching Ben Eager, Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Sopel thinking they look better in red and black.

And hopefully seeing their old teammates will motivate the Blackhawks to show the boys they're doing just fine without them.

Gimme Mor(in): While the Blackhawks did lose a lot of their depth in offseason trades, one key pieces that they got in return was Jeremy Morin.

While Kyle Beach was the prospect most Hawks fans had their eyes on, Jeremy Morin stole the spotlight with some impressive moves in training camp & preseason games. (Which inspired the creation of the Jeremy Morin Fan Club, of which I'm a member.)

When Morin was sent down to Rockford, I was a bit surprised but made sense for his development to get minutes and I'm sure salary cap wise. (this seems to be a reoccurring theme.)

Well with the Hawks needs something, anything at this point to spark an offense that is looking lost on remembering how to score. Morin has been called up and hopefully provides that spark since he's expected to get decent minutes on the 2nd or 3rd line.

And of course, it doesn't hurt that he's about to make his NHL debut against the team that traded him away. Show 'em what you got kid. (He's older than I am, but oh well.)


Let's hope the battle drills, a long practice & getting kicked off the ice by Q during morning skate woke up the Hawks & shows some positive results tonight.

Personally, I'm waiting for J.Toews to get seriously pissed off & dominate like we know he can.

Wanted: Blackhawks Offense

So wait, we just lost to the worst team in the NHL?
And Brodeur wasn't even playing for most of the game?

Excuse me while I bang my head against the wall..

Right about now I'm ready to bag skate the entire team & make them do battle drills.

I thought during the first period of the New York Rangers game with Soupy back the Hawks were about to return to form.

Well, I was wrong.

While it's fine and dandy that the 4th line is doing well (FERNANDOOOOO). It doesn't mean jack squat when the other 3 lines are disappearing.

The fact that Patrick Sharp was a -5 & Duncan Keith was a -4... Eff.

It was concerning enough that Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp were the only ones really scoring early on.
Now that Hossa is out with an upper body injury, it's like the entire team forgot how to score.

Does anywhere know where Patrick Kane & Jonathan Toews went? Or anyone playing forward?
I'm about ready to send out a search party with rewards to find some goals.

As of right now.. 15 points in 15 games. It ain't pretty.

For now I'm repeating one phrase over and over again, "It's only November, it's only November, it's only November..."

Now is the time to get pissed & show up Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks Thrashers wanting to prove something.

For now, I leave you with one word, "Again."

Pucks & a loss in your face

• Soupy’s back thank God, I feel like slowly but surely the defense is going to find it self & the overall team defense will get better.
  
• The 1st period was good, however after giving up a goal in the last minute it was kind of all downhill from there.
• Hjalmarsson & Potulny took pucks in the face, I think Duncan Keith just sat and laughed about it. "Feels good, don't it boys?" *grin*
  
• Patrick Kane scored (THANK GOODNESS), he's temporarily in my good graces unless this becomes a regular thing then he's good.. which it should.
  
• The happiness over that goal lasted all of 30 seconds, because the Rangers scored pretty much right after.
• This was the one and only meeting of the Hawks/Rangers all year.
• UGH, that’s all.

I wait for the day, when the ENTIRE Blackhawks team is healthy.

I hope this day comes soon.

Alright stop, collaborate & listen..

First off, I hope that everyone had a safe and fun Halloween weekend.

I haven't had much time to watch the highlights of either game the Hawks played this weekend.
So I'm just going to judge based on the scores, which is always accurate don't ya know?

Hawks lost the the Oilers 7-4.
Say what... 7-4? Not the score or result I was expecting at all.
Turco ends up getting pulled for Crawford. Hall, Cogliano, Eberle & Gagner all scored for Edmonton.
Clearly, I'm not as sad now about missing this game. My soft spot for the Oilers clearly came back to bite me.

Well the 2nd of the back to back games the Hawks come back with a 3-1 win over the Wild.
Turco starts the 2nd of two games and bounces back with a win after being benched in the Oilers game.
I honestly have no idea how this game went since I didn't watch any of it. I'm just glad the Hawks won.

Moving on to tonight's game which I actually be able to watch, the Blackhawks take on the Rangers, the only time the two teams will meet all year.
Two Marian's are out with Hossa for the Hawks & Gaborik for the Rangers.

Reunited & it feels so good: Brian Campbell has been activated for tonight's game and should be reunited with Niklas Hjalmarsson to make up the 2nd D-pair. (YESSSSSSS)
I'm hoping that this means we start playing less in our zone & freaking out less about the defense outside of Keith-Seabrook. (who have even made me a bit nervous at times)

The hits they just keep on coming: Though Brian Campbell is returning from injury, Dave Bolland has been place on IR with an "upper-body" injury, this is retroactive to Friday, meaning that the Bolland can't return to Saturday at the earliest.
I have no idea what's wrong with Bolly. But I really hope this trend of injuries stops, like now.

How you doin' junior:
-The Tips lost their Pink the Rink night game 3-2 in a shootout to the Tri-City Americans.
-Pink the Rink raised $38,897.77!
-The highest bid for a jersey was $1,500.00 for Ryan Murray's jersey.
- Full story here

- The Chiefs lost the first game of their 6 game Eastern Conference road trip to Moose Jaw 3-2 but bounced back the next night with an 11-1 win over the Regina Pats.
- In the 11-1 win over Regina, Cole Hamblin, Collin Valcourt and Marek Kalus all scored their first WHL goals. Congrats to them!

Can't catch a break: Jordan Staal, two days before he was set to return from a foot injury which had prevented him from playing this season, suffered a broken hand in practice & is said to be out about 6 weeks, though it has been said he'll be out indefinitely. (source)
Update: According to the Penguins, Staal will be undergoing surgery on his hand & will be out up to 6 weeks.
All the best to him & hope he can get back on the ice soon!