Drew

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Feb 1, 2010 -> 07:32 PM) While I agree that hockey fans could very well be the snobbiest of them all, I think he really does the sport an injustice by simplifying it the way he does. I agree. I think hockey and soccer are cousins in terms of team strategy, although hockey is much faster moving due to matters of physics—a puck moves faster along the ice than a ball through the air or on the ground, and 200' x 85' is a smaller surface than 110 x 80 yds. Plays and shooting/passing lanes are set up similarly, and offensive attacks and defensive parrys are not identical, but definitely related. Unlike football and baseball, the skill sets to make a great hockey player are less specialized (a goaltender being the obvious exception). Baseball has infielders, outfielders, leadoff men, DHs, catchers, and pitchers. Football has linemen, backs, and receivers, and special teams—each with a specialized skill set. In hockey, you have to skate well, handle the puck well, and know how to deliver, finish, and survive a check. That's really it, and what differentiates a forward from a defenseman in skill set is slimmer than a lineman and a receiver in football, or a pitcher and an infielder in baseball. That's a big part of what makes it appear the way Morrissey paints it. Hockey is certainly the underdog of the four major professional sports—the 2004-05 season cancellation did little to help—and as such, there are fewer knowledgeable people about it in both the media and the stands. Outside Minnesota, Michigan, and New England, it is often viewed as a foreign language of team sports. Granted, I'm a four-hour plane ride from Chicago, but is this really a problem that neophyte Hawk fans aren't welcoming the newcomers and would really rather go back to the last days of Dollar Bill's Lack Hawks and 5,000 paid attendance per game?

I like Niemi and would rather see him in goal than Huet, even after the Vancouver game. That was a game where the Hawks just flat out got beat. Vancouver matched their momentum and had an answer for everything the Hawks tried to do. Niemi's got potential, but he owes a lot of his success to luck—watch his shutouts, or even his wins—and listen for the amount of iron opposing shooters draw. It is imperative that he handle the puck better, stay in position better and give up fewer rebounds.I think his upside is far greater than the Frenchman, who at age 34 and his fourth NHL stop probably will only ever be a backup. Can he learn how to do that? Well, I think he can—he's young and hasn't played much in the NHL. Huet, OTOH—I think he's as good as he is going to get, which is not very. I want the Hawks to get a top-flight goaltending coach for Niemi, like Belfour had the luxury of working with Vladislav Tretiak in his days as a Blackhawk. Ed Belfour is a goalie consultant for St. Louis, and that's a guy who needs to become an ambassador and brought back to the family.

Huet's contract is another example of how the Hawks had to overpay for their talent not long ago. But you're right, anyone with the cap space would be nuts to take Huet. CommittedIndians.com (a great Hawks blog, btw) posed an interesting maneuver of buying out Huet, which spreads his salary over four years to the tune of 2M per annum for that amount of time. That doesn't do the Hawks any favors, either. I hate to say it because I can't stand seeing him on the ice but it looks like they're stuck with him.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 20, 2010 -> 07:42 PM) You don't remember Osgood giving up goals on essentially dump ins from a step inside center ice? I was only slightly hyperbolic, but I do—my main point is that Detroit fixed their goaltending questions with elite veterans in both Vernon and later Hasek. Huet is a guy who has been around the league for quite a while and if he was going to figure it out, he would have done so by now.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 20, 2010 -> 09:54 AM) If the Wings can win with Osgood, the Hawks can win with Huet. I want Niemi starting. You can tell the guy cares and is trying hard, and he's got a flair for the big game. If Huet is in goal against Detroit last Sunday, the Hawks are down by four at second intermission. Huet is a guy who has a knack for making games far more interesting than necessary. In the mid-90s at the beginning of Detroit's dynasty, Chris Osgood was young and unproven, yes. What did Detroit do? They went out and picked up Mike Vernon, who split the regular season goaltending duties in the regular season and started in the playoffs. Osgood won one on his own in '97, and for the next run, Detroit went out and got Dominik Hasek, at the time the most elite goaltender in the league. I don't remember Osgood spending whole periods on his knees building snowmen in the crease or letting in at least a soft goal or two by either playing out of position or general apathy. Buy out Huet, send him on a bus to Rockford, and get someone like Giguere to mentor Niemi. I can't stand Huet, I want his ass fired already.

Hawks have looked slow all game and Ottawa had a good game plan. Huet gave up at least two goals by playing out of position. Again.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 17, 2010 -> 05:36 PM) I do have to say that both of the Detroit SO goals were just awesome moves. They were two very pretty goals.

I have NHL Gamecenter, so I'm blacked out of most National broadcasts and therefore can usually avoid Pierre Maguire.

QUOTE (SockMe @ Jan 17, 2010 -> 01:15 PM) I think I stopped breathing during overtime, then again maybe it was just the announcers lol Usually on a National broadcast, the announcers defer to the team with the better record, but those mouth-breathers were rooting for Detroit the whole game. Listen to how they called the fight between Eaves and Versteeg, listen to how they called the goals for Detroit compared to the Blackhawks. And I only have Internet, where the radio stream is about :30 behind the video, which means I can't do what I did as a kid and listen to the radio with the TV sound off. But yes, it was a great game. Best thing of all? If you ask me, I think we've found our big-game goalie.

QUOTE (Jenks Heat @ Jan 12, 2010 -> 10:22 AM) I would like to see Huet win a game once. I do not think the defense of the Hawks will give him the opportunity but he has lost more games than he has won. Precisely.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Jan 6, 2010 -> 04:19 PM) Where's Buddy Biancalana? And really...Steve Balboni...really? I thought the same thing. His bio is even funnier, it mostly talks about how much he struck out swinging.

The Hawks had a stellar first half and seem to just be heating up. They went on a 'slump' for a while where they weren't scoring more than one or two per game with the shot totals we're used to seeing them rack up. Now, you're starting to see the team jell, with Hossa healthy and the guys learning how to work together. I'm not holding my breath, but Ilya Kovalchuk would be pretty amazing for a postseason run. Hossa. Kovalchuk. Kane. Toews. Sharp. Damn. If it happens, it happens—if it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not expecting or holding my breath. I have a good feeling about the guys they've got.

I don't know if last year's Hawks win that game—the book on them was to play the body to fluster them into making bad decisions. They're fast, aggressive, and control the neutral zone—shoring up their most glaring trouble area from last year. It was amateur referee night, and they were handicapping the Hawks whenever they got the chance. Best example is the Cam Barker penalty. Barker should have waited for a better time to pound Backes, who was asking for it all game long—but instigator + fighting major + misconduct + game misconduct? Ridiculous. Huet looked good. St. Louis got lucky on at least two of those goals and scored on flukes. But they also drew iron on a couple of chances when Huet was out of position.

QUOTE (JPN366 @ Dec 31, 2009 -> 03:58 PM) Yeah, enough red already. I was mad when the Barons added red back to their uniforms instead of keeping the White Sox mimicked uniforms. Paul Lukas is okay, but a little nuts, plus his opinion of what uniforms are the best overall will make you hurl. (Red Sox, Steelers, etc.) I like Paul Lukas' blog although it's safe to say I don't always agree with his opinions. I think the Red Sox and Steelers do have some of the best uniforms in sports, but it's difficult to pick one without any fan bias. Of course I'm blessed to root for teams that are sartorially sound—White Sox, Dodgers, Bears, Blackhawks.

When they were released late in the 1990 season, the silver and blacks quickly shot to the top of MLB's best-selling uniforms and fan gear. I like the nods to the 50s-70s unis with a modern update in silver, although the silver often translates to gray. Although I should be careful what I wish for—the LA Kings use silver in their uniforms and their lettering and accents have a glittery finish that fits the city's effervescent, superficial tendencies and is a hit with the Ed Hardy-loving set. I do like the idea of white socks. If they had a black calf and were white the rest of the way down, that's the only thing I'd change. They have to have some black in there to balance. I also like the sleeveless white pinstripes, and wish they'd have kept those instead of the ones they chose. And while they were among the first to rock the third jersey, I think it's time to either mothball it or at least let it breathe more than they do. They also need to bring back the satin jacket instead of the ski parka. League-wide.

QUOTE (chimpy2121 @ Dec 29, 2009 -> 07:09 PM) I hate watching Sopel play. He is really frustrating. My sister likes him because she thinks he looks scary. And she's right. Sopel skates like he has a load in his pants and he thinks the two Bushes and Palin would be good dinner guests, according to the Roenick Heritage Night program. Niklas Hjalmarsson is a guy who I am really liking a lot. Always seems to be in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Dec 29, 2009 -> 03:06 PM) Effectiveness of a goalie starts with the defensive pairings in front of them, and luckily this is a huge strength of the Hawks. I am even becoming impressed with Hendry's performance of late which is encouraging. The goaltender is the most important position on the ice, I don't care how talented your defense is and how hard your offense attacks. I just watched Huet do a French flop in front of Modano and let in another weak goal. Where's a gong when you need one?

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Dec 29, 2009 -> 10:15 AM) If you get 4 shutouts in 10 starts you're doing something right. I'm actually pretty confident in the goaltending tandem going forward. The Hawks are doing a lot of things right, and I think time will tell about our goaltending tandem. I remember my teen years with Ed Belfour in the net for the Hawks and went on to a Hall of Fame career. But it was Belfour who was unproven when he showed up big in the 1990 playoffs and landed the starting job the next Fall. Sportswriters and fans said the same thing about Chris Osgood not having the experience or a big enough pair to win a Cup, and he's turned out all right. So, time will tell—but I'm skeptical about Huet. He gives up a lot of very soft goals. Watch the San Jose game and see what I mean. Dany Heatley is good but that should not have been a difficult stop to make, nor Demers' from the third period. Also, the power play unit looks good and gets plenty of chances, but somehow doesn't light the lamp very much. Soupy is producing now, but had a slump that lasted through the end of last season and into the playoffs which is definitely not up to his cap number. But let's also remember that the Blackhawks signed him in a time they were having to overpay for talent because the team did not have the proven winning equity they do now. If Soupy and Huet were FAs now, they could probably have them for less time and less money.

The only thing that gives me pause about this team is the goaltending situation. Niemi is good but is also very lucky. Luck has a way of running out fast in the playoffs against hot teams with solid offenses. And Huet, well—he just sucks. You can't look at numbers and say he's having a good year because it's not that easy. Numbers only tell part of the story. What I mean by that is the book on Cristobal Huet has been published in every language spoken in the NHL and is on newsstands and bestseller list now—he goes down, gives up the top shelf and his glove isn't good enough to make up the difference. He's been in the league a long time and would have figured it out by now if he was going to. He is a very expensive career backup playing in a no. 1 spot. Think about this—if he doesn't have Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook in front of him for 30 minutes a game, he faces twice as many shots and the Hawks are in fourth place instead of atop the West. I want Niemi starting until we can find a legitimate no. 1, or maybe he gets that spot after the end of this season. Huet I want gone but he is on a foolishly expensive and long contract.

Sopel is underperforming. I was at the Sunday night game and think I saw him in position maybe twice. If he isn't performing up to his cap number I think you won't see him around much longer. I like Soupy, but he has a tendency to showboat a little too much. He also seems to get out of position and has to rely on his speed to get him back in the play, which doesn't always work. But he has been producing of late.

QUOTE (CanOfCorn @ Dec 28, 2009 -> 07:59 PM) He is most definitely the MVP of the first half of this season. He does all the little things PLUS, he has 7 goals. I didn't think he would get much more ALL YEAR. He wins faceoffs and has taught the other young centers how to win more often. He's the "guy who knows how to win" that young teams need to get over the hump. I'm not saying he should be getting millions of dollars, I just hope they can sign him for a couple more cheaply. If not, they can't, but I'd personally like to see it. Precisely. Pierzynski's intangibles catapulted him to team-MVP status for at least a couple of seasons with the White Sox, I think John Madden has a similar effect, albeit with a totally different set of intangibles. With both Madden and AJ, each brought a toolbox full of stuff that was lacking in the rest of the team. With AJ, it was competitive fire. It didn't hurt him that he had a little pop in the bat and could call a stellar game. Madden's the vet with a Stanley Cup ring on a very young team is good for the kill and face-offs—Sami Pahlsson's role last year. They've had to overpay for free agents like their goaltenders, Campbell, and Hossa, but winning builds equity. A lot of guys will take a pay cut if it means a shot at the Cup.

QUOTE (sircaffey @ Dec 22, 2009 -> 07:57 PM) How does Floyd > or = Lester? Lester is a BIG step ahead in my opinion, and the best SP Boston has. I like John Lackey—he's a gamer who gets it done when it counts. But hasn't he had health problems the past couple of seasons and since when does a probable 12-14 win season an ace make?

QUOTE (Kalapse @ Nov 4, 2009 -> 11:23 AM) Normally Major League Baseball will suppress the announcement of trades during the World Series - they don't want anything taking attention away from the games - but it's perfectly legal to make a deal. Unless your name is Alex Rodriguez.

QUOTE (greg775 @ Nov 4, 2009 -> 09:52 PM) I still think that was a boring series. The only feel good moment for me is Rivera. He's so durable, consistent. It's fun to watch him pitch. Just like starters can learn from watching Buehrle work, relievers could learn a lot watching Rivera. He's a god. I hope the Phillies are done for a while; no need to see them in the WS again unless we are playing and beating them. Mariano Rivera benefits from having a 36" wide home plate. All the Yankee pitchers do. Marte—8" off home plate and he gets a strike because of the uniform he's in. And we know Damaso Marte better than most, don't we? I would not be at all surprised if the Yankees were buying umpires. I know, it may sound like a petty drunk posting—and that's at least half true—but look at the tapes. Every call went the Yankees' way in this Series. Utley out when he was clearly safe. Several ball and strike calls that if were thrown by Yankees, would have been strikes.

QUOTE (bschmaranz @ Oct 5, 2009 -> 09:01 AM) Dodgers had FIVE rookie of the years in a row during that stretch. Karros-Piazza-Mondesi-Nomo-Hollandsworth. How sick is that? Oakland had back-to-back winners in 04 and 05 (Crosby & Street). Oakland also had Canseco-McGwire-Weiss in 87-89, iirc.