Why Does it Have to Be This Hard? Hawks 2, Western Canada 0

Awreet, since I watched both weekend games one after the other I'm sure I'll get some events mixed up, so I'll just pop in some general comments about both games.  It helps that both matches had a similar feel, with many things in common, both good and bad.
- The Hawks needed to come out of this weekend with four points and they managed that but, Sweet Mother of Zuul, they didn't exactly cruise to either victory.  That this occurred against two utterly feckless teams is somewhat worrisome.
- I say "somewhat" because we all know that The Hawks can be much better.  They seem to have this annoying let-up every March, so there's that, but the time to get serious is upon us, as there is still a dim hope of snagging home ice in the first playoff round.
- Both games "featured" a lot of the crap passing, poor timing and weird choices that we've been treated to over the past 3-4 weeks. Too often a player, mostly but not exclusively Panarin, either hangs onto the puck too long, missing a chance to hit a moving linemate, or hits the eject button too early and either launches a pass toward a colleague who's in no position to accept a pass or misses their mark entirely.  There were fewer of these instances this weekend, though, and a greater number of sequences in which The Hawks moved the puck kinda well but, again, consider the level of the opposition before declaring this a turning point.
- Scott Darling was very, very good.  I'll try not to diminish his efforts by pointing out (multiple times) that the quality of their opposition this weekend flatters to deceive, but the big guy allowed no soft goals, had decent positioning and a quick glove hand in both games.  He spent a lot of time in a semi-butterfly (kinda like in the photo above), though, with his stick flat on the ice, jerking his head back and forth trying to get a bead on the puck.  He's a large fella and covers a lot of the lower part of the net by doing that, but I have this niggling worry that if this represents his Plan A he's going to get lit up by teams that are more disciplined and accurate with their shooting (i.e. all the other teams in The West).
- The defense wasn't awful in either game but, again, level of opposition.  TVR was actually working rather well alongside Ehrhoff, which was weird because I thought it was supposed to be Ehrhoff that would push the play from the back and jump in on the offense.  TVR's first assist was a bit lucky as Flasch was fortunate to corral a pass that hot from so close, but the assist on Teravainen's goal was impressive;seriously, did anyone not expect TVR to shoot?  Anyway, good for him but let's not forget he was also alone, standing still when Burrows scored, earlier.
- Svedberg was on the ice for that goal, too, and was just as guilty of loitering as TVR.  I'm not sure what Svedberg hopes to accomplish by simply camping out in front of The Hawks' net; he hasn't shown any ability to read the play and lacks the quickness to react to any threat beyond his immediate reach, so he mostly just stands there, being in the way.  He was able to use that considerable reach to break up some plays along the boards but, really, this guy shouldn't be playing until his game becomes more active than reactive.
- As ridiculous a job Coach Q has done with the defense at least he had the good sense to immediately reunite possibly the finest fourth line in the league, Kruger, Shaw & Desjardins. These three wasted no time getting back to the task of consistently moving the puck north before handing the keys to one of the other lines and even cashing in a couple of times for good measure. The best Hawks line, overall, this weekend.
- Of small concern is the fact that Andrew Shaw took a lot more faceoffs than Marcus Kruger.  This could just be a cautious approach with Kruger just returning from wrist surgery, as he took 3x as many draws in his second game back than in his first, or it could just be a matter of which side of the ice these draws were taking place, as Coach Q seems to always want his centers drawing the puck backhand-style. It actually worked out fine on Sunday, as Shaw inexplicably laid waste to his Canuck counterparts, winning 11 of 12 attempts.

- Andrew Ladd had himself a good weekend after two weeks of just pilin' 'er up and down the wing.  He didn't have to work especially hard for any of his goals but that's okay; sometimes the gimmes lead to other things in the near-future.

- Teravainen was alright centering the second line.  I suspect that having played center the last few weeks had him better-prepared for the task than the last time he was parachuted into that spot. Amazingly, Teravainen led all Hawks forwards in ice time on Sunday.
- Looking ahead we're off to Minny on Tuesday for a chance at redemption against the eighth-placed Wild.  I would half expect Coach Q to come back with the same lineup as Sunday's, but that probably depends on whether Large Arthur was, in fact, out on Sunday due to an injury or if his exclusion was a coach's decision. Weise wasn't bad in limited duty on Sunday, so I see him getting the nod over Panik.

Some Problems I'm Having

I probably shouldn't be typing this post and it will likely come out all wrong and incoherent, but some things have been bugging me the last two days and it has literally given me a headache.  I won't get any work done until I do this, so I'm just going to do it.

So there's this:
Garret Ross Suspended Over Sex Charges

Yeah, here we go again, right?
The Blackhawks assert that they only got wind of this on March 19th despite charges having been laid on Feb. 2nd, which I find difficult to believe.  Why the big gap?  I cannot imagine that the folks in Rockford kept this situation under their hat all that time.
I guess it's a good thing that The Hawks have done something, but the fact that nearly seven weeks passed before they responded makes it seem half-hearted and somewhat of a hollow gesture.

This revelation, of course, brought forth another wave of commentary on the Patrick Kane assault investigation and the intensely polarized reactions which that story has generated. I'm sorry to say that neither the Kane defenders nor the Kane detractors have covered themselves in glory.
I still don't know, exactly, what to think or what to feel about the allegations leveled against Kane; it's something I've struggled with since the investigation was made public.  I've tried to just enjoy the games (which has become increasingly difficult for other reasons, but that's not for now) but it hasn't been easy.  

People are people, and there are stupid people, cruel people and horrible people among us.  In any group, in your neighborhood, your school, your job, there are always going to be men and women who do or say rotten things. Pro athletes are no different.  People may hold celebrity athletes to higher standards, or at least hope for "more" from them than regular citizens but in the end, and as that guy from the trailer park says, "A shit leopard can't change its shit spots."

There is also a sense of invincibility or entitlement that some of these individuals acquire as they achieve success and admiration, and we can point to a distressingly large number of  athletes, entertainers and politicians who have been accused and often found guilty of doing all manner of dirty deeds.
In our own little hockey microcosm, though, Garret Ross was caught and charged with a crime.
Patrick Kane was investigated for having possibly committed a crime.
Anyone who believes that Ross and Kane are the only guys within The Hawks' organization who are capable and/or guilty of doing horrible things are simply kidding themselves.  Ross and Kane are likely just the only ones that have been stupid enough, careless enough or arrogant enough to put themselves in a vulnerable position.
I've been around athletes or varying skill levels for 30+ years and have been exposed to the unfortunate "lads culture" that often (but not always) prevails, especially among the more skilled athletes.  No, I'm not saying that the better athletes are all dicks, but there is a disproportionate number of lowlifes among the elite performers, in my experience, at least.
And this goes back to what I typed about entitlement. 
And it manifests itself in small and large ways, from guys breezing through school without accomplishing much, to the commission of actual crimes and never being taken to task for any of this, simply because they're "on the team".  They become accustomed to getting a free pass from responsibility, whether it's at work, school or from the rules that guide our society.
It's a ridiculous double-standard that, at best, makes you shake your head and, at worst, makes you sick to your stomach.

With all this in mind, and I remind you that it may all be horseshit, think about the locker room of your favourite sports team.  In that room there are likely to be one or more thieves, woman-beaters, liars, tax cheats and adulterers, just as likely as you'll find these types in practically any group of people, anywhere.
And putting the guys who are inherently jackasses on a pedestal won't make them sweet, respectable young men, either.  In my experience it only makes their bad qualities worse. 
I'm not comfortable with the manner in which The Hawks organization handled either Kane's or Ross' cases, but I suspect the sad truth is that any other sports franchise would do more or less the same thing.  I suppose the day-late-and-a-dollar-short acknowledgement of the charges laid against Garret Ross is a small step forward, but it doesn't make The Hawks all bright & shiny, either.

In case there's any misapprehension, I'm not defending or excusing any misdeeds committed by Ross, Kane or any other elite athlete who may have been misled to believe they can get away with stuff that regular folks cannot.  I only type this to remind myself that these young men are as unfortunately human as any of the rest of us, but with the benefit of an extra layer of protection from condemnation. Sometimes knowing this makes me feel better, sometimes it makes me feel a lot worse.

Yet, I'm still uncomfortable with the widespread assumption that Patrick Kane did what he was alleged to have done in his home last Aug. 2nd.  Only a handful of people know what actually occurred that evening, possibly as few as two people, and it seems presumptuous and heavy handed, to me, for anyone who was not there to declare Kane guilty of the alleged sexual assault.  Yep, Kane has a history of idiotic behavior and a less than sterling reputation where his attitude toward woman is concerned but, at the same time, Kane's accuser and her family were determined, it seemed, to destroy their credibility at every opportunity. I've tried to reconcile myself to the fact that, unless one of the two aforementioned parties declares that they lied, I'm never going to know what to think about Kane, exactly.  This conflict may yet steer me away from The Hawks.

I'm reminded of a Hawks-oriented blog that, until recently, I read and enjoyed regularly.  I can't even look at it anymore, unfollowed them on Twitter...all that stuff, because one or more of the contributors on that site had determined Kane to be guilty since the get-go and, quite frankly, I find that vain and tiresome.  One of the contributors has been particularly vitriolic and, given the tone of some of his anti-Kane and anti-Hawks Organization sermons, I hope he's lived a good and virtuous life, because of that whole thing about people in glass houses not throwing stones.
It's too bad, too, because the writing on said blog was mostly smart, funny and insightful, but I'm just not comfortable with opinion and conjecture being passed off as truth, I guess.
I could be wrong on this, but my impression is that one or more of the contributors to the blog in question makes a living from that endeavour, so they're kind of biting the hand that feeds them, at least a little bit. I get that there's a lot of disappointment out there among Hawks fans, though, and I suppose there's more than a bit of  disillusionment shining through.

Like there is here.
I'm not sure if that helped or not, but I shall click "Publish", regardless.  

About Last Night: Wild 3, Hawks 2 and If They Don't Care Why Should I?

Far be it from me to suggest that the second-winningest coach in NHL history is bad at his job, but granting Trevor Van Riemsdyk 28+ minutes is not a recipe for success. 

                            My birthday is approaching soon and this is what I want.

That Q seems to be utterly oblivious to how little TVR provides, which is typically and frustratingly at the expense of what the team needs, i.e. competent puck-movers from the back end, is driving me around the bend.  Seriously, what did TVR accomplish during the third period, which Gustafsson spent the entirety of on the bench?  How do Gus and Ehrhoff get absolutely no leeway yet TVR receives enough rope to hang himself over and over again?

Well, since I'm bothering...
- This could have easily been a 3-0 win for Minny, as Shaw's shot was absolutely a shot Dubnyk should have saved and Panik's goal, while it was the product of some admirably hard work, was of the "let's just keep smashing at this thing until someone tells us to stop" variety.  Even with these goals Zach Parise should have salted it away but inexplicably failed to hit a wide-open net.
- While Shaw was one of the better Hawks in this one I'm still left wondering how effective he could be if a) he could shoot the puck harder than a 14-year-old, and b) he would refrain from taking these weak shots at every opportunity.

That is all.

Ray of Hope (But Let's Not Get Too Excited): Hawks 4, Jets 0 and Friday's Big Boy

Let's preface this by stating that The Jets aren't very good at hockey right now.
A visit to The 'Peg was perhaps exactly what The Hawks needed to break their four-game losing streak, facing a Jets club that is looking a bit thin in all areas.  But hey, this isn't all about how bad The Jets are, some other stuff happened too.
- The big story tonight is that Coach Q gave his head a shake and restored order to his forward lines, reverting almost entirely to the combos we had seen a week+ ago.  Only the Kane/Hossa flip-flop remained from his major retooling earlier this week.  It takes a man with a ridiculously large moustache to....oh, never mind.
- That said, as long as Q continues to persevere with TVR as he has, he remains on my shit list.
- Three of the four Hawks' goals were highlight-reel quality; Fleischmann received a barely onside pass after a sneaky lift by Teravainen before pulling off some greasy moves to cash in. Similarly, Large Arthur swiped a puck in The Jets' zone, busted a few sweet moves of his own and got a shot on net, the rebound ending up on the fat part of Hossa's stick.  Finally, Kane dashing down the wing and depositing yet another backhand laser behind Ondrej Pavelich...can anyone else in the league place a backhand shot, and a hard one at that, like Kane does?
- Caveat: some of these plays were made possible by the Jets being bad at hockey.
- On that note, it was sure refreshing to see a Jets goalie play a representative game against The Hawks, rather than pull a rabbit out of their hat as they've seemed to do for the last two years.
- It's worth noting that the top guys all played 15-16 minutes tonight, this made possible by The Jets being bad at hockey and by a fourth line that can be trusted for more than 7 minutes of sheltered starts. Richard Panik may not be excellent in any regard but he's competent in most ways, which is far more than anyone can say about B. Mashinter.

Tough one tonight with no standout, really, but several very good efforts, regardless.  Because he had a strong game on the road and was there for a very important win I shall go with Scott Darling.

                           One year to the day since his first NHL shutout.  Spooky.

About Last Night: Kings 5, Hawks 0. Of Course This Will be Negative

Maybe typing this will make me feel better about that mess last evening.
- Crawford looks tired, and who could blame him?  It didn't appear that he made much of an effort on the last two goals against and I can sort of get that.  The Kings did not actually have the puck a whole lot in this game, especially in relation to the score; it just seemed that whenever they got a primo chance the puck went in.  Lacavalier's open-netter, I suspect, took Crow's heart out of this one.
   - Sidebar, here: so what do you do?  Scott Darling hasn't been as bright & shiny as The Hawks 
     had hoped or expected he would be.  Still, if The Hawks are going to make any noise in the post-
     season it will be with Crawford in net, so I believe they've got to allow him more rest and, if 
     Darling gacks a few games what's the difference, really?  Taking a few more chances with your 
     backup seems preferable to breaking your No. 1 starter's confidence.
- My lasting memory of this game will be a view of Seabrook's back while he unsuccessfully  pursued a Kings forward, 'cos we were treated to that view every second shift, after all.  Edzo can gush all he wants about Seabrook's "excellent stick" when he tried to use his reach to disrupt a faster opponent, but the fact is that, at that point, it was Seabrook's only option as the other guy blew past him.  Not at all good.
- Exciting news!  The Hawks will wear green jerseys during the warmup for Wednesday's game!  It's great to see that management is taking the team's on-ice problems extremely seriously.
- Back to puck control for a sec: The Hawks appeared to control the puck a lot more than The Kings and "enjoyed" several periods in which they sustained considerable pressure in The Kings' zone. BUT, they failed to pull the trigger very often and, when they did, had a couple of posts, a broken stick and a shot that zinged three feet wide despite being shot from point-blank range.  The Hawks' puck movement seemed imprecise in this one as, while they controlled the puck, they were not particularly crisp with their passes and spent a lot of extra time recovering the handle, kicking the puck out of their feet or to their preferred side...that sort of thing.  This may not be all on The Hawks, as The Kings are quick enough to disrupt passes and were causing many Hawks to work a little faster than they would like.
- Not Gustafsson's best effort, as he bobbled the puck into an offside position three times in the first 15 minutes.  The Kings smelled blood, I think, as they seemed to make a special effort to get after Gus whenever he tried to start something in his own end.
- When Brandon Mashinter gets a regular shift The Hawks are a three-line team.  Enough said.
- While I get that Hossa hasn't been at his best, lately, putting Shaw on the PP over Hoss is idiotic.  Shaw is fine, even quite good, on the PP whilst stationed in front of the net but, with Ladd now pulling that duty what does Shaw offer?  Not much, as he spent his PP time in this match darting around without any apparent plan.
- In other news, Marko Dano had 3 points for The Jets last night.  Just sayin'...

The Beats Go On (and on, and on...): An Abridged Summary of Today's Hockey Headlines

From nhl.com:
Canucks' Prust done for season
Decision made to allow veteran forward to rehabilitate ankle injury.

No details were offered on any plans to rehabilitate Prust's complete lack of skill or common sense.

From tsn.ca:

Why Galchenyuk should stay at centre

The Montreal Canadiens drafted Alex Galchenyuk to play centre and since his move back, the young forward has excelled. Craig Button explains why keeping Galchenyuk at centre makes sense.

This is akin to explaining why swimming is a better option than drowning.

Better fit for the Leafs - Stamkos or Tavares?

Dave Poulin joins Naylor & Landsberg to talk about whether Steven Stamkos or John Tavares would be a better fit with the Maple Leafs 

Why stop there?  If they're going to write a Fantasy novel about The Leafs why not bring Gordie Howe or Wayne Gretzky in, too?  Who wrote that headline, anyway, Harry Turtledove?

From sportsnet.ca

Panthers media stuck in elevator during morning skate

"And now for our top story...what?  That IS our top story?"

About Last Night: St. Lewis 3, Hawks 2

Rarely am I compelled to type stuff after a loss, but here we are.
- The Hawks will occasionally squander points by letting the opposition back into the game after batting them around like a cat toy. It's unfortunate but it happens.  It just bugs me all the more when it happens against The Missourah Morons.  I feel like they had this one and, by various means, let it slip away.
- There are probably several teams around the NHL in which TVR could legitimately be playing 18 minutes/game, but The Hawks are not one of those teams.  Seriously, when he has his best game he's barely acceptable and even an average game for TVR is one in which he's routinely out of position, missing his assignment and paralyzed with indecision. I don't see this nightmare ending anytime soon, so I'll just shut the hell up.
- Brandon Mashinter over Richard Panik? Yeah, that makes sense. What does Mashinter do, exactly?  He doesn't fight, despite his rep, and when he does he's not even that good at it.  He records the occasional hit...against stationary opponents.  He's easily the worst skater I've observed...possibly ever, cannot make or receive a pass and is as guilty as TVR is of just milling around, waiting for something to happen so he can respond incorrectly to it.  Ugh.
- I used to find Pierre McGuire cheerfully amusing but, now that he feels it necessary to weigh in on every damn thing he thinks he sees, he's just tiresome.
- Okay, maybe Ryan Reaves is a worse hockey player than Brandon Mashinter.  He's certainly more stupid.

Promise Kept: Kruger Re-upped

First, I forgot that The Hawks were playing on Sunday.  Not only did I not catch the game but I didn't even learn the result until Tuesday.  Yup, keeping on top of things here.

Second, this news from yesterday afternoon:
                                   

The Chicago Blackhawks announced today they have agreed to terms with forward Marcus Kruger on a three-year contract extension, which runs through the end of the 2018-19 National Hockey League season.

Kruger, 25, registered one assist in 33 games with Chicago this season, prior to being placed on Injured Reserve on Dec. 28. The two-time Stanley Cup champion recorded 17 points (7G, 10A) in 81 games with the Blackhawks last season en route to the 2015 Stanley Cup championship. He added four points (2G, 2A) over 23 postseason games, including a triple-overtime tally in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Anaheim Ducks. Kruger led team forwards with 180:01 of shorthanded time on ice in the regular season and ranked second with a 53.3 faceoff win percentage.

The money is slightly north of $3 Mil per which, on the surface, is a lot to pay for a fella with one assist to his credit this season, but Kruger's value cannot be measured in goals and assists, even if I wish and believe he is capable of more of that sort of thing.  Rather, it's his defensive skill and his ability to inherit a bad situation and hand off a good situation to the next line to jump over the boards.  Kruger gets the worst zone starts of any Hawks forward and faces some of the toughest opponents of anyone in the league, yet is consistently able to press the play in the other direction.  He isn't a pure shut-down guy so much as a momentum-shifter.  Kruger has become excellent on faceoffs and is the go-to penalty killer for The Hawks.

Also, GM Stan Bowman was able to sign Kruger last summer for far less than what he's worth, presumably with the promise that The Hawks would make it worth his while on his next contract.

So, Kruger helped The Hawks out of a cap crunch last year but contributes to a similar situation this season.  $3 Mil does seem like a lot, but a deal is a deal and The Hawks do get a load of value from him.  Still, looking ahead to The Hawks' projected roster for 2016-2017, there will be a lot of holes to fill and not a lot of dosh with which to fill them. The only way I see The Hawks retaining Andrew Shaw, to mention just one challenge Bowman will face, is to somehow wiggle out of Bryan Bickell's $3 Mil cap hit.  Maybe Fleischmann and or Weise re-sign at an affordable rate just to remain in the fold, as Desjardins did.  Failing that, we'll be treated to the likes of Kero, Hartman et al patrolling the wings next season.  Ick.

                                       I'm looking forward to 16 and 65 re-uniting.

Too Nice Out to Spend All Day on This: Hawks 5, Red Wings 2 and Last Night's Big Boy

Like it says, I have other things I wanna do, so just some quick points.
- Shots were even and chances seemed close, but The Hawks were simply finishing better, thanks to Petr Mrazek being less-than-average in The Wing's net and The Wing's D-corps leaving The Hawks unchecked far too often.  I wonder if Ladd's shot had not gone in how many more whacks they would have let him take.
- When Goose makes passes like the one he sent to Seabrook on the game's first goal it's hard to believe he's ever a healthy scratch.
- Christian Ehrhoff made his Hawks debut and I like what I saw.  No red flags thus far.
- Looking ahead, Dale Weise is expected to play in Boston tonight and I assume Scott Darling will start.  

Oh, those feckless Red Wings made several Hawks look positively heroic in this one, but the tie breaker gives Seabrook the nod due to last night at least being something other than him standing around looking bewildered.  Oh, and he had three points, both assists being actually very fine plays. Also, I stole this image ages ago and have been dying to use it.

              They do?  I think he looks like a homeless Eddie Munster, but I'm no lady...