|
|
Bloggers 
My HockeyBuzz
Cap Central
Fantasy
Rumor Chart
Forums
Store
Chat
RSS
|
Season Ticket Login Free Registration! |
Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 |
 |
|
News broke in the Tribune and then Vanished. It is all very odd.
Here is what I have heard. They have been close for sometime to a deal with Kane and Toews, Keith is more complicated. So why are the three linked together you may ask? Well it is tricky of course, but this is the new Blackhawks, so it should be rather obvious.
The Hawks have always been an image conscious team. Even going way back. They have always planned their bad news to hit on Fridays late and their good news to hit when the biggest impact can be made. That has been true for years. Enter Blackhawks president John McDonough, the man who many attribute with the big turn around in Chicago. I give more credit to Tallon and Dudley for the team that now is a contender. Tallon brought in Kane, Toews, Keith, and the great supporting cast. To me McDonough was smart and knew exactly when to get on the train.
And when he got on the train it is true that he made some great things happen. Revolutionary ideas like televising your home games were realized.
McDonough also introduced over paying of players to make an media impact to Chicago. Before last season McDonough had Tallon sign Campbell and Huet because it made a huge media splash. He was afraid that the young group may not be ready yet to take the team....and yes, he could not be assured that suddenly Kane, Toews, Keith and the rest could take this team very far being so young. What he could be assured of, but somehow wasn't, was that Chicago is a Hockey town. The fans weren't going anywhere. The Fans have lived through far worse and would have been fine with a "shot" at the playoffs, and being able to watch the games on TV.
Then this past summer, McDonough again had the team go hard and get Hossa. This decision put the futures of Kane, Toews, and Keith in jeopardy, but again, it MADE THE NEWS.
Again, the Hawks fans would have been fine with Havlat for less I believe....in my opinion...
So what has happened in Chicago is that everyone, including the NHL, was suspicious of the Hossa signing. How could they sign Hossa and still sign Kane and Toews and Keith? Why not just sign one at a time? It is my belief that these three are tied together, because it might not be as a big a story if you just can sign 1 at a time. I also believe that one or possibly two of the players actually do have contracts that are agreed to...they are just waiting for the big splash.
What is more interesting to me is that Patrick Sharp is not included in this big news day. That is interesting because many feel that Sharp could indeed be the most consistent and most valuable. But he isn't the most "sexy." (No offense Patrick you have lovely eyes) And also Sharp is one of Tallon's biggest wins. In the power struggle, and to prove that moving Tallon out made any sense whatsoever, you may not work as hard or pretend to value as highly Patrick Sharp.
Again, the Hawks fans I talk to are very concerned about losing Sharp in a few years.
What started as a solid slow build in Chicago with Kane, Toews, and Sharp was pushed onto a speeding truck when Campbell, Huet, and Hossa were signed...and Tallon was moved. Suddenly, the window for the Hawks is NOW and therefore McDonough can justify the grander modes of actions. He created this world and he now has to try and win a Cup.
We can debate until we are blue in the face whether a team should build slowly and have their window 75% open for say ten years, or have it 95% open for two years. Which team will win a Stanley Cup? We don't know. I am a fan of 75% open for ten years because the playoffs are such a crap shoot every year. Hot goalies, matchups, injuries, are just a few factors. Not to mention a puck going in off of someone's butt in OT. Hockey is too variable and the "Go for broke" method doesn't seem to work.
I think the Hawks will sign these three, but as another source said, the team is embarking on a road trip for quite sometime while the Circus comes to town and there isn't a great time to hold the BIG DEAL PRESS CONFERENCE until December. And the Hawks should make a big deal out of wrapping these three up. It is a big deal.
And here is what else I have noticed.
People that come to the NHL from sports that are bigger in the USA than hockey (like the Cubs are in baseball) tend to not judge themselves or their impact against other hockey teams, but rather long to make the kind of impact that is made in the other leagues. They are still friends with guys from the NFL or MLB and they want their friends to know that they are getting just as much attention.
Unfortunately you have to may a HUGE splash in the NHL to touch the impact that the NFL or MLB can do with minor transactions. And the "HUGE splash mentality" can cause you to do things that can get you in trouble long term. If you care about long term.
Just my two cents.
Here is what I have heard. They have been close for sometime to a deal with Kane and Toews, Keith is more complicated. So why are the three linked together you may ask? Well it is tricky of course, but this is the new Blackhawks, so it should be rather obvious.
The Hawks have always been an image conscious team. Even going way back. They have always planned their bad news to hit on Fridays late and their good news to hit when the biggest impact can be made. That has been true for years. Enter Blackhawks president John McDonough, the man who many attribute with the big turn around in Chicago. I give more credit to Tallon and Dudley for the team that now is a contender. Tallon brought in Kane, Toews, Keith, and the great supporting cast. To me McDonough was smart and knew exactly when to get on the train.
And when he got on the train it is true that he made some great things happen. Revolutionary ideas like televising your home games were realized.
McDonough also introduced over paying of players to make an media impact to Chicago. Before last season McDonough had Tallon sign Campbell and Huet because it made a huge media splash. He was afraid that the young group may not be ready yet to take the team....and yes, he could not be assured that suddenly Kane, Toews, Keith and the rest could take this team very far being so young. What he could be assured of, but somehow wasn't, was that Chicago is a Hockey town. The fans weren't going anywhere. The Fans have lived through far worse and would have been fine with a "shot" at the playoffs, and being able to watch the games on TV.
Then this past summer, McDonough again had the team go hard and get Hossa. This decision put the futures of Kane, Toews, and Keith in jeopardy, but again, it MADE THE NEWS.
Again, the Hawks fans would have been fine with Havlat for less I believe....in my opinion...
So what has happened in Chicago is that everyone, including the NHL, was suspicious of the Hossa signing. How could they sign Hossa and still sign Kane and Toews and Keith? Why not just sign one at a time? It is my belief that these three are tied together, because it might not be as a big a story if you just can sign 1 at a time. I also believe that one or possibly two of the players actually do have contracts that are agreed to...they are just waiting for the big splash.
What is more interesting to me is that Patrick Sharp is not included in this big news day. That is interesting because many feel that Sharp could indeed be the most consistent and most valuable. But he isn't the most "sexy." (No offense Patrick you have lovely eyes) And also Sharp is one of Tallon's biggest wins. In the power struggle, and to prove that moving Tallon out made any sense whatsoever, you may not work as hard or pretend to value as highly Patrick Sharp.
Again, the Hawks fans I talk to are very concerned about losing Sharp in a few years.
What started as a solid slow build in Chicago with Kane, Toews, and Sharp was pushed onto a speeding truck when Campbell, Huet, and Hossa were signed...and Tallon was moved. Suddenly, the window for the Hawks is NOW and therefore McDonough can justify the grander modes of actions. He created this world and he now has to try and win a Cup.
We can debate until we are blue in the face whether a team should build slowly and have their window 75% open for say ten years, or have it 95% open for two years. Which team will win a Stanley Cup? We don't know. I am a fan of 75% open for ten years because the playoffs are such a crap shoot every year. Hot goalies, matchups, injuries, are just a few factors. Not to mention a puck going in off of someone's butt in OT. Hockey is too variable and the "Go for broke" method doesn't seem to work.
I think the Hawks will sign these three, but as another source said, the team is embarking on a road trip for quite sometime while the Circus comes to town and there isn't a great time to hold the BIG DEAL PRESS CONFERENCE until December. And the Hawks should make a big deal out of wrapping these three up. It is a big deal.
And here is what else I have noticed.
People that come to the NHL from sports that are bigger in the USA than hockey (like the Cubs are in baseball) tend to not judge themselves or their impact against other hockey teams, but rather long to make the kind of impact that is made in the other leagues. They are still friends with guys from the NFL or MLB and they want their friends to know that they are getting just as much attention.
Unfortunately you have to may a HUGE splash in the NHL to touch the impact that the NFL or MLB can do with minor transactions. And the "HUGE splash mentality" can cause you to do things that can get you in trouble long term. If you care about long term.
Just my two cents.
Join the Discussion:
More from Eklund
 |
 |