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In the wake of yet another blitzkrieg in mid-Northern Alberta, I really hate to say I told you so.
But yeah, I told you so.
Sure, over the summer, I was as high as anyone on some of Stan Bowman's offseason moves. He did have his second consecutive strong draft. And he did do what I and another blogger (Jay Zawaski) had said for months he should, in shipping Brian Campbell's albatross of a contract off to Florida. With this move, Bowman instantly created millions in cap room.
He went out and added some toughness on low-risk, cheap one year deals: Jamal Mayers (hit) and Dan Carcillo (meh, miss). He brought in a nice insurance policy between the pipes in Ray Emery.
But instead of using said cap room to bolster a suspect defense, Bowman doubled down on his own bad bets. He believed his own hype: that Nick Leddy was going to be the next Phil Housley, this year. Bryan Bickell and Michal Frolik would replace the grit and glue of Troy Brouwer and Tomas Kopecky. And that Corey Crawford's "unflappable demeanor" would persist with a much less stout defense in front of him.
And he got burned.
Funny how things come full circle. It was the first Edmonton Debacle in November that caused me and a few others to have some serious doubts about this team. We were branded Negative Naysaying Nellies by the One Goal True Believers. "This team is just going through what all good teams do. Stan will fix it. Blah, blah, blah."
How ya feelin' now?
This team is top heavy. With over half its cap commitment locked up in 6 players. And the rest spread out over 175 pound rookies, has beens, a 6'8" pylon/goon (who's a swell interview!), a goalie who is much closer to Steve Mason and Marc Denis than he is to his predecessor (Antti Niemi), a Charmin soft "power forward" in Bickell, etc.
But the commercials roll out and the corporate dollars and season ticket orders roll in, so all is well.
Even this morning, the Apologists will argue that it's all good because the building is full and fun—as though they're actually employed by Rocky Wirtz themselves.
Behold, the awesome power of Blackhawk Propaganda, creating legions of panzerfaust-toting automatons, goose-stepping to Chelsea Dagger!
You want to blame Joel Quenneville, but he has been dealt a lousy hand of talent.
You want to blame Bowman, but the way I hear it, his hands are often tied.
I say, blame an entire organization that is also top heavy, loaded with functionaries, apparently overlapping responsibilities and oodles of arrogance and self-congratulation. Need proof? Just one example: Team President John McDonough actually has a special, personal hockey adviser (Al McIsaac)— who isn't the GM or Sr. VP Hockey operations (the Bowmans) who also report to him.
The Blackhawks, even with their top-heavy roster are, in my opinion, more talented top to bottom than the Detroit Red Wings are. Yet the aging Red Wings are leaving the Hawks in their dust. Why? Because the Wings are a streamlined, professional organization that is now and has been for nearly 20 years about two things, and two things only: hockey, and winning.
Not commercials. Not photo ops and CSN features on non-hockey executives. Not winking and nodding at the off-ice hijinks (that are rumored to translate into on-ice underachievement) of certain players. Sure Detroit went through that with Bob Probert and Petr Klima back in the day—before they got serious about winning Stanley Cups.
The Hawks aren't serious about winning Stanley Cups. They're serious about self-glorification. And they assume Stanley Cups will just happen. After all, they're the Hawks and Chelsea Dagger is playing, right?
They are a colossally overconfident team— from the front office (where the tone is set) right down to the ice.
The Edmonton Oilers and Sam Gagner are not better than the Blackhawks in talent. Gagner had five goals coming in to last night's game—the same as Hawk whipping boy Michal Frolik.
They're not nearly as good. But they have embarrassed the Hawks twice this year because the Hawks are an emotional trainwreck.
Some players are overcoached and beaten up. Lines, pairings and special teams are constantly juggled— while "marquee" players get free passes, excuses and endless second chances.
Square pegs have been jammed into round holes because coaches and/or the GM are afraid to admit, much less correct, their mistakes.
Blind arrogance.
How to fix this thing?
Well, is anyone seriously entertaining the notion of the Hawks coming out the West this morning? I don't know, it might still be a possibility. But the "all is well, small tweaks, Stan will fix it" mantra isn't working.
Doing the same thing, the same way, over and over again and expecting a different result is insanity.
It could well be that adding a defenseman and a tough to play against forward (and the subtraction of a couple of notorious underachievers) could be the jolt that wakes this monster up.
But you have to do it.
Bowman and the huge corporate apparatus of the Blackhawks need to wake up and realize that their vaunted talent pipeline is not all that great and worth holding on to at all costs. The Great Brandon Saad fell to 43rd in the draft, not because other executives were napping and Bowman was brilliant. But because he has flaws in his game that will not just magically mature away because Hawk fans think so.
Maybe one of the sacred calves of the "core" needs to be shipped out in order to bring in a top power forward, not another smurf—like right now.
Maybe you have to take a hard look at games like last nights (and it's prequel in November) and say Joel Quenneville has lost this team. They are simply juggled into battle fatigue.
The Hawks might well go out and paste the Flames tonight. Or get beaten 5-2 after jumping out to a 2 goal lead.
I posted a blog I am particularly proud of earlier this year and I will refer back to it now. It was about tough guys, and how the Hawks' earlier success, especially in December, was being driven by them: Mayers, Ray Emery, Marcus Kruger, Nik Hjalmarsson.
The time has come to ride Emery, a goalie who has won and won in more situations in his career than Corey Crawford has. Figure out the big contract you gave Crawford in the offseason.
Kruger is not the ideal second line center, but he is the best the Hawks have if you don't want to put Patrick Sharp there.
Get Hjalmarsson, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook some help that isn't under 21 or over 40. (And those who want to blame Steve Montador this morning, well, he was one of only three Hawks who were +1 last night).
In the offseason, it is time for Rocky Wirtz to assess the entire situation, captured in brilliant relief by an 8-4 loss the same day season ticket holders received ticket invoices with a price increase.
It is time for the One Goal party to end. And for a new, more honest era—not a party— in Blackhawk hockey, that is about winning and winning only, to emerge.
JJ
P.S. to my Badger buddy, The "Big Crush," thoughts and prayers are with you and your family
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