BINGO.

RS is all find and dandy. But that's it. Zero rings are handed out after 82 games (in this season's case, 48 games).
- blackhawk24

Can anyone else confirm this?!?

Can anyone else confirm this?!?
- AceRatbang

I can.

Hey, John McDonough told me personally yesterday that the playoffs were all that mattered and that this team really needs to play strong in May and June.

Typical company lne from a marketing man, but it was still nice to hear.

Almost made me forget about his ridiculous comercials about taking the Stanley Cup back home.
- AceRatbang

Again, what's he gonna say? Other than repeating word for word the outgoing message when on hold with the ticket office?

I know we rip little Stanbow here a lot, but maybe he has made all the right moves? The last two years it could have been easy to sacrifice the future for another round in the playoffs. He stood pat, decided the depth players just needed time to grow. It looks like a good decision right now. Last year people were yelling for trades at the deadline, that would have cost us our first round pick TT. I must admit I ripped management too, maybe I was wrong.

Yep, he is one of those others I referred to by all means.
- John Jaeckel

It also has to really help to have a captain that is so young, yet so determined and well respected. Players being able to look up to veteran guys like Hossa and Mayers, who have had great careers (for their own respective roles) while still being able to relate to part of the leadership group that is young. Look at Colorado where everyone is pretty young and they don't have the kind of leader that Toews is, that team is a franking mess. I'm not entirely sold this team is built for playoff success, but the players are really fun to root for

Hey, John McDonough told me personally yesterday that the playoffs were all that mattered and that this team really needs to play strong in May and June.

Typical company lne from a marketing man, but it was still nice to hear.

Almost made me forget about his ridiculous comercials about taking the Stanley Cup back home.
- AceRatbang

Nothing wrong with that

I think you hit on the biggest postitive...long term success is in place.

As much as we all would love to think this tweak or call-up insures this in the playoff, I don't think you can call an organization flawed if it is able to suit a team that looks to challenge for the Silver Cup, and having that many good pieces for the sheet is what you judge the organization, not a yearly we won the Cup.

Lot's of things must go right and players must be healthy and completely focused to selflessly bring it to win.

You know that 1991 North Stars series that each and every Hawk fan thought was a "gimme" first round match up says a lot about how emotion and over-emotion can confidence and over-confidence, and composure get called into the play fort the first face-off.

My seat was behind the goal where the Hawks shot twice. The club was filled with toughness, veteran leaders, and scorer.

From Belfour, JR, Larmer, Chelios, Presley, Goulet, Noonan. jocelyn Lemieux, Greg Gilbert, Steve Thomas, Doug Wilson and their captain Dirk Graham, they SHOULD have kept their heads and kept their hotheads (Chicken Stew Grimson, Charile Manson, Cam Russell) in control too.

People talk about the anthem during bush one's Desert Storm All-Star game as the loudest, but the atmsophere of the fans before game one at this one was higly explosive and loud an hour before the first game.

I remember it far too well. Dave McNab (Pete's brother, and a pro scout who was the one who was absolutely giddy that his NJ Devils were able to steal Parice late in the nashville draft) was sitting next to me, and before the game we figured out we had a mutaul acquaitance, a goalie Dave played with in San Diego...).

Anyway the building was crazy loud and what seemed to be in the first minutes when the Hawks threw the puck in behind the North Star net, Dirk Graham simply destroyed the North Star goalie Jon Casey, that was retrieving the puck outside the now trapezoid...and the Hawks started behind the 8-ball with that penalty. The Hawks had scored even earlier.

Belfour lost his cool right after Graham when he got scored on...

After that Shane Churla just decided to be Shane Churla MAX, and started running guys, and the it seemed like every Hawk got caught up in the emotion to enact return fire.
Think about the recent Blues-Hawks game and how the hawks stuck to their game and didn't get side-tracked. (Let's face it Chelios always played close to dirty with the elbows

Well the series just continued with momentum going towards the North Stars and the Hawks feeling it slipping. The lumberjack Wilkerson kept chopping down Hawks and Tinordi was no wussy either, clearly showing his affection for Hawk helmets.

THIS WAS A STRONG DOMINATING HAWK TEAM WITRH BALANCED SCORING AND TOUGHNESS.
BUT ... suddenly a few bad goaltending plays and standing around instead of getting to the pucks hurt them.
suddenly the series saw the Hawk player off and the just got off more and more with unnecessary retaliations and pims, and let's give the NorthStars credit ----they had injuries up to the February and got in stride and were a good club...that went on to the final.

Hey I forgot The Hawks coach was Adolph....and he probably didn't make the room and between games a picnic for every Hawk...remember this was very close drinking Hawk team that spent time out together at all hours after games...Keenan probably just added the pressure.

HEY!


I just found this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMzAQrFOutI

and to my surprise at 2:41 in there is fan camera pan and those are my friends I am nOT in the picture but about four people to the right and down a row....so funny!


Anyway, Dave McNab sat there the entire series, and his take was that Shane Churla got under the entire Hawk team's skin and you cannot have that happen..you have to focus on playing all phases and NOT start looking for ememy pay-back...

Things could get tricky cap wise a few years from now when 19 & 88 need new deals. In all likelihood, both players are going to get money very comparable to what Perry and Getzlaf of Anaheim received. A big chunk of the cap will be spent on those 2 players. As it should because they are the 2 best players on the team, but how much money will be left for others that will be needed to make a serious Stanley Cup run year in and year out. I think the Hawks will have very good regular seasons, but unfortunately reloading happens a lot to good young teams in the NHL's salary cap era, and makes it very difficult to make deep playoff runs every season.

I know we rip little Stanbow here a lot, but maybe he has made all the right moves? The last two years it could have been easy to sacrifice the future for another round in the playoffs. He stood pat, decided the depth players just needed time to grow. It looks like a good decision right now. Last year people were yelling for trades at the deadline, that would have cost us our first round pick TT. I must admit I ripped management too, maybe I was wrong.
- droe411

I think the real issue is everyone is focused on Stanley. He deserves neither too much blame nor too much credit.

John Jaeckel: A Culture Of Winning
- John Jaeckel

Excellent read, content and opinion JJ.

Has never been a doubt in my mind who calls most of the meaningful final shots as it relates to players on the team, in the system and at the draft table. And the name isn't Stan Bowman but a certain relative with pedigree.

I heard Scotty say in a radio interview a couple of years ago that he saw no reason with the corps of talent they were amassing that this team couldn't win 3 or 4 Cups if they were fortunate health wise.

Players will come and go as a natural evolution. They aren't dumping guys like Bolland or Stalberg or Hossa or Emery until Scotty and staff are good and ready to. And he picks up players like Handzus and Rozsival as useful parts because he sees particular roles for them in their old age.

Thank the baby Jesus that Scotty doesn't spend all his time studying meaningless popular NHL statistics - he sees players and knows whether he can use him to win with.

Nothing wrong with that
- John Jaeckel

And nothing wrong with McD doing his marketing job and making commercials.

IS something wrong with him getting involved in areas he knows nothing about (if he is).

I know we rip little Stanbow here a lot, but maybe he has made all the right moves? The last two years it could have been easy to sacrifice the future for another round in the playoffs. He stood pat, decided the depth players just needed time to grow. It looks like a good decision right now. Last year people were yelling for trades at the deadline, that would have cost us our first round pick TT. I must admit I ripped management too, maybe I was wrong.
- droe411

You know last playoff when they KNEW Toews was still feeling the head hits, that was when they could have basically sent lots of picks and prospects out the door for maybe a Derek Roy....and that would have been a disaster...

So there is a lot to being able to make moves and even actually making them ...and if there was ever a panic buttom lats year would have been it....

Things could get tricky cap wise a few years from now when 19 & 88 need new deals. In all likelihood, both players are going to get money very comparable to what Perry and Getzlaf of Anaheim received. A big chunk of the cap will be spent on those 2 players. As it should because they are the 2 best players on the team, but how much money will be left for others that will be needed to make a serious Stanley Cup run year in and year out. I think the Hawks will have very good regular seasons, but unfortunately reloading happens a lot to good young teams in the NHL's salary cap era, and makes it very difficult to make deep playoff runs every season.
- ChicagoHope

True, but the only real confidence anyone here should have in Stan is that he can sure manage a cap. One of the only large market teams to sign free agents to one year contracts the last few years. We may not agree with the direction he will take to cap management, but I firmly believe he will get there.

Things could get tricky cap wise a few years from now when 19 & 88 need new deals. In all likelihood, both players are going to get money very comparable to what Perry and Getzlaf of Anaheim received. A big chunk of the cap will be spent on those 2 players. As it should because they are the 2 best players on the team, but how much money will be left for others that will be needed to make a serious Stanley Cup run year in and year out. I think the Hawks will have very good regular seasons, but unfortunately reloading happens a lot to good young teams in the NHL's salary cap era, and makes it very difficult to make deep playoff runs every season.
- ChicagoHope

Hard to say without knowing what the cap number will be. There will be a one year adjustment then, if history is any indicator, it will start rising again fairly regularly.

Hawks cap situation is good, with value-priced kids like Saad and Danault and Kruger perhaps positioned to push a highly priced veteran or two out of town (not named Marian Hossa).

No guarantees of anything, but the Hawks are in a very good position going forward.

And nothing wrong with McD doing his marketing job and making commercials.

IS something wrong with him getting involved in areas he knows nothing about (if he is).
- StLBravesFan

The Stanley Cup commercial was a bad move. Poorly timed. Wrong subject. Wrong message.

People get fired in business for stuff like that.

You know last playoff when they KNEW Toews was still feeling the head hits, that was when they could have basically sent lots of picks and prospects out the door for maybe a Derek Roy....and that would have been a disaster...

So there is a lot to being able to make moves and even actually making them ...and if there was ever a panic buttom lats year would have been it....
- wiz1901

Agree, we rip him for patience. Maybe in the end he will prove to be smarter than all the arm chair GM's here, including myself. The playoffs will sure be interesting!

I do like how respected this team is by the coaches of the Western Conference. Toews for Hart, Saad for the Calder, Toews for the Selke, Q..... Won't happen, the media will go vote crazy for the Eastern Conference.

I think you hit on the biggest postitive...long term success is in place.

As much as we all would love to think this tweak or call-up insures this in the playoff, I don't think you can call an organization flawed if it is able to suit a team that looks to challenge for the Silver Cup, and having that many good pieces for the sheet is what you judge the organization, not a yearly we won the Cup.

Lot's of things must go right and players must be healthy and completely focused to selflessly bring it to win.

You know that 1991 North Stars series that each and every Hawk fan thought was a "gimme" first round match up says a lot about how emotion and over-emotion can confidence and over-confidence, and composure get called into the play fort the first face-off.

My seat was behind the goal where the Hawks shot twice. The club was filled with toughness, veteran leaders, and scorer.

From Belfour, JR, Larmer, Chelios, Presley, Goulet, Noonan. jocelyn Lemieux, Greg Gilbert, Steve Thomas, Doug Wilson and their captain Dirk Graham, they SHOULD have kept their heads and kept their hotheads (Chicken Stew Grimson, Charile Manson, Cam Russell) in control too.

People talk about the anthem during bush one's Desert Storm All-Star game as the loudest, but the atmsophere of the fans before game one at this one was higly explosive and loud an hour before the first game.

I remember it far too well. Dave McNab (Pete's brother, and a pro scout who was the one who was absolutely giddy that his NJ Devils were able to steal Parice late in the nashville draft) was sitting next to me, and before the game we figured out we had a mutaul acquaitance, a goalie Dave played with in San Diego...).

Anyway the building was crazy loud and what seemed to be in the first minutes when the Hawks threw the puck in behind the North Star net, Dirk Graham simply destroyed the North Star goalie Jon Casey, that was retrieving the puck outside the now trapezoid...and the Hawks started behind the 8-ball with that penalty. The Hawks had scored even earlier.

Belfour lost his cool right after Graham when he got scored on...

After that Shane Churla just decided to be Shane Churla MAX, and started running guys, and the it seemed like every Hawk got caught up in the emotion to enact return fire.
Think about the recent Blues-Hawks game and how the hawks stuck to their game and didn't get side-tracked. (Let's face it Chelios always played close to dirty with the elbows

Well the series just continued with momentum going towards the North Stars and the Hawks feeling it slipping. The lumberjack Wilkerson kept chopping down Hawks and Tinordi was no wussy either, clearly showing his affection for Hawk helmets.

THIS WAS A STRONG DOMINATING HAWK TEAM WITRH BALANCED SCORING AND TOUGHNESS.
BUT ... suddenly a few bad goaltending plays and standing around instead of getting to the pucks hurt them.
suddenly the series saw the Hawk player off and the just got off more and more with unnecessary retaliations and pims, and let's give the NorthStars credit ----they had injuries up to the February and got in stride and were a good club...that went on to the final.

Hey I forgot The Hawks coach was Adolph....and he probably didn't make the room and between games a picnic for every Hawk...remember this was very close drinking Hawk team that spent time out together at all hours after games...Keenan probably just added the pressure.

HEY!


I just found this!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMzAQrFOutI

and to my surprise at 2:41 in there is fan camera pan and those are my friends I am nOT in the picture but about four people to the right and down a row....so funny!


Anyway, Dave McNab sat there the entire series, and his take was that Shane Churla got under the entire Hawk team's skin and you cannot have that happen..you have to focus on playing all phases and NOT start looking for ememy pay-back...
- wiz1901

I think all of us Hawk fans want a perpetual contender, but I would also guess that most of us would gladly see some of that future sacrificed if it means providing the team with a boost that improves their chances at winning the cup.

Things could get tricky cap wise a few years from now when 19 & 88 need new deals. In all likelihood, both players are going to get money very comparable to what Perry and Getzlaf of Anaheim received.
- ChicagoHope

Yeah, probably will want a lot more, and if they want to go, they will have that chance.

This is exactly why you want stock and develop players, and as they come in and have smaller Cap hits, you have $ to play with to fill all the spots around the big ticket players...

You don't have to go far to see this is going to be a new issue in Minnesota Wild's summer, and is already one for Edmonton's build.

We can look at the Frolik move, and then the resign and try and say too much money, or while Bickell developed (and was paid almost NHL minimum wage) and say GET RID of him, but you have to have an appreciation of the rebuild and again a big part is based on two newly drafted guys, Shaw and Saad, doing things we would have been looking for if they were not "found."
You have have an appreciation for what seem like little moves, like a Emery career re-build...I could see why a lot of GMs would shy away from that.

Is some of this luck? Of Course! But probably more like whta you hope will happen after you make the move, signing, decision, drafting...

Agree, we rip him for patience. Maybe in the end he will prove to be smarter than all the arm chair GM's here, including myself. The playoffs will sure be interesting!
- droe411

I think we will all be very happy and will willingly eat crow if the Hawks win because of his patience ... however if the team goes out quickly and the perception is he could have improved the club but didn't .... it will get ugly on this site!

I think we will all be very happy and will willingly eat crow if the Hawks win because of his patience ... however if the team goes out quickly and the perception is he could have improved the club but didn't .... it will get ugly on this site!
- paulr

THIS!

Per the Score, Carter Hutton was called up from Rockford...

Per the Score, Carter Hutton was called up from Rockford...
- Glenman12

Who is sick or hurt?

Per the Score, Carter Hutton was called up from Rockford...
- Glenman12

Now that the trade deadline has passed we can't have any fun with making up trade rumors based on this. Likely Crawford or Emery are sick, hopefully there's no injury.

Per the Score, Carter Hutton was called up from Rockford...
- Glenman12

http://www.icehogs.com/ne.../icehogs/?article_id=3796

Thanks for the heads up. So which goalie is sick or injured? Emery or Crawford?