What I’ve Missed
While “BlackhawksBuzz” was MIA, a landslide of Blackhawk activity has gone uncommented on (at least from us), until today.
The Limo Affair: the pics from a Vancouver limo – who cares? I thought the boys could have done a lot better, but it’s Vancouver. Kane seemed to do well with Stifler’s Mom. Drinking that cheap Canadian beer could really impair your vision. Hope Madden’s wife has a sense of humor.
Barker for Johnsson and Leddy: This was a nice, quiet move from Stan before the deadline chatter stirred up. Barker will be missed, but this cleared up salary going forward. Johnsson and Barker are an even trade, but the addition of a young Nick Leddy, a first rounder in the 2009 Entry Draft (16th overall) is a great pickup.
Hawks stand pat, Take 1: Among the midst of trade chatter and speculation, the Hawks are inactive at the trade deadline prior to the break.
Olympics: Congratulations to Toews, Kane, Keith and Seabrook on their medals in an exciting tournament. The first game between Canada and the USA was one of the best games I have ever seen. Though the Olympics was a nice showcase for both Toews and Kane, who were among the top performers in the tourney, the return to Blackhawk hockey took a hit. Many top teams, including the Hawks, had trouble returning their game back to pre-Olympic form. This break really killed any momentum the Hawks built prior to the lockout. A large factor may have been the loss of Campbell.
Hawks stand pat, Take 2: Among the midst of trade chatter and speculation, the Hawks are inactive at the season’s final trade deadline. A few teams made big moves to shore things up for the playoff run, with Washington making the biggest splash. The Hawks lack of activity made a statement on their goaltending. Was this the right decision remains to be seen, but we will know withing the next 2 months.
Loss of Soupy: Ovechkin’s “push” on Campbell, just missed sending Brian head first into the end boards was tough to watch. The embarrassing 2 game suspension was tougher to take. What was really embarrassing was comments from Ovechkin and Bruce Bourdeau regarding the incident. Everyone understands you need to defend your team/teammates, but his comments were just idiotic. Great talent + Reckless Ass with no regard for other players health = Ovie. And a 2 game suspension for a repeat offender? Way to lay down the law. I am sure there is another knee-to-knee or unnecessary boarding in Mr. Ovechnik’s future.
Wiz Sucks: Just days after losing Brian Campbell for the remainder of the regular season and a big question mark as to his return in the playoffs, James Wisniewski refused to be outdone by Ovechkin. he upped his game and took a run at Seabrook from the blueline, not letting up till he left his feet and delivered a head shot to Brent. Seabs was out before he hit the ice. IMO, the 8 game suspension was a little light for the intent behind the hit. Again, what was interesting was the comments on Ducks message boards as well as Wiz’s explanation on the play. There was a good deal of discussion that Seabrook deserved it for his prior hit on Bobby Ryan. The Bobby Ryan that was skating along the boards behind the Hawks goal, carrying the puck – as opposed to Seabs who didn’t expect a hit as the puck was no where near him.
WWE? – Seabrook thought it would be a good idea to introduce a Championship belt to the locker room. I have nothing on this.
Recent play:
The Hawks have struggled a bit recently, and need to work through it quick. They have shown their ability to jump out to early leads, then proceed to let the game slip through their fingers. This has been an issue in the past. If the Hawks play a consistent 60 minutes at their best, they are an elite team that will give any team problems.
In addition, their power play has been pathetic. Not good numbers since the break.
Lastly, the goaltending has been scrutinized lately, but the Hawks have been sloppy in their own end. The loss of Campbell has hurt them and will continue. I doesn’t help that Barker was moved for Johnsson, who has given us 8 game since acquiring him in mid February due to a concussion.
A good trend as of late is the production from the fourth line.
Lastly, Niemi taking the starting role from Huet is not that surprising. This decision should make many Hawks bloggers happy, as they have trashed Niemi all season, regarding his goaltending play as “shit” and “never will be a starting goalie in this league”. Well, buckle up for the Niemi Era. Regarding the way Q has handled Huet as of late, his confidence is not there if we need his to come off the bench in the playoffs. We can only hope he digs deep and gives us a game like Game 5 against Detroit, when he looked like a 5+M goalie in the loss.
