No its, ands or buts.

Ask the 2011 Vancouver Canucks (and please don't mention they got close, cuz close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear weapons). Or better yet, ask the 1991 Chicago Blackhawks. On the contrary, ask the 2012 LA Kings.

A solid RS, even a spectacular one like it can be argued the 'Hawks are now having, goes right out the window if they don't get 16 wins starting in May.
- blackhawk24

Depends who you ask. For some the story has already been written. Hawks win the Cup and it will be that they won in spite of Stan and the FO and lack of moves. Hawks fall short of a Cup and it will be because they weren't tough enough and got wore down by the more physical opposition, regardless of if that was the case or not.

In a sport like hockey, if you only judge the success of a season by if you get to skate around with the Cup or not, there's going to be a lot of years deemed a failure regardless of regular season successes. Just look at playoff finishes by playoff seed...its a quirky game that can change on one bounce or high hit. If I recall in 2010 the first round winners in the East were the 4th, 6th, 7th, and 8th seeds. Nothing in the sport is guaranteed, whether your team stands pat at the deadline or gives up the booty for Paul Gaustad or Steve Ott.

So where are the expectations? Where do you expect this team to end up?

Me...I'll be surprised if they make it out of round 2. I think they can easily handle a Dallas/Detroit/Columbus.

From there....the only team I am willing to bet they could beat pretty easily based on potential matchups of St. Louis, San Jose, LA, and Minnesota? Minnesota.

When the larger teams take liberties at the stars, our PP has to make them pay, and it's absolutely a non factor right now. 1-32 or something to that nature? What I dont' get is that players and coaches just assume, it will click....
- SteveRain

Tell me Great Pharoh of Premature Demise what team do you think would have their hands up volunteering to play the Blackhawks first on the basis of their extreme confidence in prevailing over 7 games.

Those teams you mention above are rather slow afoot. I'd be more concerned about a healthy Canucks team with 2 #1 goaltenders, both superior to ours.

Boy you are really loving Stan huh?

Anything less than 16 playoff wins is unacceptable? If this team goes to the Western Conference finals and loses in an epic series there will be no blame going anywhere. Don't pretend like in 2011 this team was expected to do anything. They didn't flame out, they lost to the #1 seed in the Western Conference!
- droe411

Probably should have been able to do better than make the play-offs AFTER completing their season and then putting themselves into an almost impossible hole against that #1 seed.

So where are the expectations? Where do you expect this team to end up?

Me...I'll be surprised if they make it out of round 2. I think they can easily handle a Dallas/Detroit/Columbus.

From there....the only team I am willing to bet they could beat pretty easily based on potential matchups of St. Louis, San Jose, LA, and Minnesota? Minnesota.

When the larger teams take liberties at the stars, our PP has to make them pay, and it's absolutely a non factor right now. 1-32 or something to that nature? What I dont' get is that players and coaches just assume, it will click....
- SteveRain

1991 proved anything can happen and you have to be up for the challenge. You can't expect anything in the playoff's!!! I like our chances but I expect nothing. Our stars have had to play against rough tough teams all year.. Their not little boys. You take a hit to make a play.. Now if people get injured it's a different story.
No question about the power play, if they get some bounces before the end of the year to at least feel good about it, that would be nice!!!!

Probably should have been able to do better than make the play-offs AFTER completing their season and then putting themselves into an almost impossible hole against that #1 seed.
- StLBravesFan

This team was better than an 8 seed? Not in my eyes. They were playing with a bunch of young guys and retreads. A few trades might have bumped them up a little, but no one should think that team was anywhere near a Cup contender. Last year was the disappointment, they should have been able to beat the Yotes.

Tell me Great Pharoh of Premature Demise what team do you think would have their hands up volunteering to play the Blackhawks first on the basis of their extreme confidence in prevailing over 7 games.

Those teams you mention above are rather slow afoot. I'd be more concerned about a healthy Canucks team with 2 #1 goaltenders, both superior to ours.
- RickJ

Do the refs hide their whistles a little more in the playoffs? They sure do.
Does LA and SJ have a better starting goaltender? Yep.
Does LA have pretty good depth across the blue line with Greene coming back? Could Kopitar, Brown, Richards, and carter stand up to Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Sharp? Yep
Is Stoll arguably a better shut down center then Bolland? Yep.

Hawks had a better team then Phoenix last year, but a goalie won they a lot of games. Could Niemi do that against the Hawks? Aren't the SHarks 15-1-and change at home? Yep.

STL always plays the Hawks tough...size, some skill, a pretty deep blue line with the Boumeester and Leopald additions?

Size, goaltending, PP. Those 3 things will be exposed come playoff time. If 2 hold up, they'll be fine...If 2 falter, they are done by the 2nd round.

Remind me how many stanley cups were awarded during the regular season?

Bowman is playing a dangerous game of chicken...In 2010 he won, when Niemi came through.
In 2011, 2012 he lost when his team flamed out in the 1st round...

Anything less then 16 playoff wins, with this team, is unacceptable and is blamed squarely on the shoulders of a GM who for the 3rd straight year thought he was smarter then the rest of the league.

Again, he wins...I'll glady give him credit..This team loses, I assume you and the others will run back to hiding...
- SteveRain

I don't get this. By saying losing "with this team" is "unacceptable" you are at least implying that the GM has put together the best team in the league. If so, wouldn't it be on the coaches and players if they don't win the Cup? The GM's job is to put the team together; aren't you admitting he's done a great job if losing "with this team" is "unacceptable"?

1991 proved anything can happen and you have to be up for the challenge. You can't expect anything in the playoff's!!! I like our chances but I expect nothing. Our stars have had to play against rough tough teams all year.. Their not little boys. You take a hit to make a play.. Now if people get injured it's a different story.
No question about the power play, if they get some bounces before the end of the year to at least feel good about it, that would be nice!!!!
- moots

agreed. Nothing is a given, but I expect a deep playoff run.

PP really needs to get going...Would love to see Barry Smith get involved because Kompon proved last year in LA he cant run a PP.

I don't get this. By saying losing "with this team" is "unacceptable" you are at least implying that the GM has put together the best team in the league. If so, wouldn't it be on the coaches and players if they don't win the Cup? The GM's job is to put the team together; aren't you admitting he's done a great job if losing "with this team" is "unacceptable"?
- mohel

To an extent. If this team gets man handled, that's on Bowman. if the 2nd line gets killed because Bolland isn't a 2nd line center, that's on Bowman.

I'm not saying Q is scott free here, if disaster occurs.

I hate saying it, but I like the pens-flyers better. Both are great, though. And don't let the flyers record fool you, they have a lot of great young players. Injuries killed their D. Flyers are my 2nd favorite team to watch.
- tomcat24

IMO, you don't have to hate saying it at all. There is no factual measure of what makes up a best rivalry; it's an opinion. And as JJ said earlier, it is regional, too. Someone who is a fan of Michigan football is gonna think Mich-OSU is the best; a graduate of UCLA may see it as USC/UCLA, and neither is wrong.

Thank you.

You sound like a hawk employee who is spinning anything he can for good ship Blackhawk. Go ask the comcast studio hosts that were canned over the years, how this works...

Please...the object is to win championships. Not gloat over president trophies, tv ratings, consecutive sellouts, or the comical talking points I get to see every game day in the press releases coming from the hawks..."here's johnny!!!, etc"
- SteveRain

Completely non-responsive.

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

Wiz, always love your stories and hockey insights. Looking at this roster we can see how they derailed themselves. Talented yes, but they always at the edge. All these names paints a picture of tough in your face hockey team. I went into this series thinking smuggly saying next, then walking away with my head down. This team I believe is different. Tazer was asked concerning the last two early round exits in the playoffs " what is the difference with this team?" He clearly stated "It is about what we learned over the past two years that will make a difference." Before the season began he was quoted as saying "The past couple years we did not all have the same focuse "FROM THE START" ,this year we will."" Great to have a leader like that! Dirk was a strong leader on the `91 team, yet the combustable attitudes "Of the boy`s" took over. The one to blame was the biggest personality, Mike Keenan. He reminds me of Tortirella, a hard fisted coach that gives no quarter. This is where Q pays off. Tough but controlled & focused. The Stl. game was hard to watch the first 25 mins. after that the Hawks seemed to fight back smartly. I believe they will fight back when needed in the PO. Looking forward to a long playoff run Thanks for the memories

No its, ands or buts.

Ask the 2011 Vancouver Canucks (and please don't mention they got close, cuz close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades and nuclear weapons). Or better yet, ask the 1991 Chicago Blackhawks. On the contrary, ask the 2012 LA Kings.

A solid RS, even a spectacular one like it can be argued the 'Hawks are now having, goes right out the window if they don't get 16 wins starting in May.
- blackhawk24

So a first round out is the same to you as a 7-game loss in the Finals? How about not making the playoffs? Florida this year is just as successful at whoever loses the Final? Interesting....

And just to compare and contrast, two words: Bob Pulford!

I like the version of the Blackhawks since the passing of William Wirtz MUCH more than I liked the pre-passing version. Warts and all, this is an organization that finally does justice to the greatest franchise in sports.

To an extent. If this team gets man handled, that's on Bowman. if the 2nd line gets killed because Bolland isn't a 2nd line center, that's on Bowman.

I'm not saying Q is scott free here, if disaster occurs.
- SteveRain

You can't have it both ways - if you think the team should win with the roster they've got, you can't blame it on the GM if they don't. Of course, if you think there are holes in the roster, you'd have to say "the players and coaches will deserve extra credit if they win with this roster." But you seem negative on the Hawks' chances of beating just about anybody, so I find it hard to believe that you actually think they should win with this roster.

And just to compare and contrast, two words: Bob Pulford!

I like the version of the Blackhawks since the passing of William Wirtz MUCH more than I liked the pre-passing version. Warts and all, this is an organization that finally does justice to the greatest franchise in sports.
- Baaaaaaannerman!

Thank the lord he's not sitting with Scotty giving insight's on what we need. Old man Wirtz and him were like a wrecking ball! All about getting to the dance and going home early....Painful

You can't have it both ways - if you think the team should win with the roster they've got, you can't blame it on the GM if they don't. Of course, if you think there are holes in the roster, you'd have to say "the players and coaches will deserve extra credit if they win with this roster." But you seem negative on the Hawks' chances of beating just about anybody, so I find it hard to believe that you actually think they should win with this roster.
- mohel

Just gave 3 solid ones up above if you read...

hole 1: no 2nd line center
hole 2: no size..not meathead size who can't skate, but guys who can take the body and not hurt 3.
hole 3: a PP point man. Nice if they gave Leddy a shot, instead of forcing Keith. Keith is a talented D man, but offensively he's mediocre.

So a first round out is the same to you as a 7-game loss in the Finals? How about not making the playoffs? Florida this year is just as successful at whoever loses the Final? Interesting....
- mohel

No the non playoff teams have a worse year. We all know that.

However, a 1st round loss Hawks team has a worse year then a conference final loss Blues team. Regardless of regular season standing.

Regular season is all about seeding for the cup tourney. How often do you hear stories about the 1991 Hawks team? Never. Why? Playoff failure.

Ask any player and their season is a failure if they don't win the cup. How long can this team live off the 2010 cup win? Keep on talking about how great this team is, how great thsi depth is, then god willing....the prove it..starting on April 30th.

Thank the lord he's not sitting with Scotty giving insight's on what we need. Old man Wirtz and him were like a wrecking ball! All about getting to the dance and going home early....Painful
- moots

and historic drinking buddies.

Unreal how poorly this team was run with WWW and Pulford in charge.

I will give McDonough a lot of credit for getting on his pony and reaching out to all those that were back stabbed by those 2 goofs.

Just gave 3 solid ones up above if you read...

hole 1: no 2nd line center
hole 2: no size..not meathead size who can't skate, but guys who can take the body and not hurt 3.
hole 3: a PP point man. Nice if they gave Leddy a shot, instead of forcing Keith. Keith is a talented D man, but offensively he's mediocre.
- SteveRain

We use to female dog about Buff all season until the playoff's and then he came through.. Maybe Bolland can do the same, he's been able to a few times!!
I think we might see a few wrinkles in the lines and parings in these last 2 weeks on the PP to see if something will catch..

No the non playoff teams have a worse year. We all know that.

However, a 1st round loss Hawks team has a worse year then a conference final loss Blues team. Regardless of regular season standing.

Regular season is all about seeding for the cup tourney. How often do you hear stories about the 1991 Hawks team? Never. Why? Playoff failure.

Ask any player and their season is a failure if they don't win the cup. How long can this team live off the 2010 cup win? Keep on talking about how great this team is, how great thsi depth is, then god willing....the prove it..starting on April 30th.
- SteveRain

I agree that a team's expectations should be taken into account. But I don't buy that first round loss by the Hawks is equal to a SCF loss.

Tell me Great Pharoh of Premature Demise what team do you think would have their hands up volunteering to play the Blackhawks first on the basis of their extreme confidence in prevailing over 7 games.

Those teams you mention above are rather slow afoot. I'd be more concerned about a healthy Canucks team with 2 #1 goaltenders, both superior to ours.
- RickJ

I would think a few teams would prefer a Hawks match up over one of the really physical teams. I think some of the Blues and I think Kings have indicated as much - of course this was after losing to the Hawks in the RS.

I think a draw of Scum would be my ideal 1st round opponent. Non physical. Let the Blues, Ducks, Jackets, Kings, SHarks and Cannots beat each other up in round 1 and hopefully rd 2.

Right now it would be the Jackets rd 1. Physical but hopefully quick. Unless there was an upset it would be the Kings in rd 2 which could be a tough one. However, the trend has been early exits lately for the previous year's finalists. Hope it stands up this year.

Do the refs hide their whistles a little more in the playoffs? They sure do.
Does LA and SJ have a better starting goaltender? Yep.
Does LA have pretty good depth across the blue line with Greene coming back? Could Kopitar, Brown, Richards, and carter stand up to Toews, Kane, Hossa, and Sharp? Yep
Is Stoll arguably a better shut down center then Bolland? Yep.

Hawks had a better team then Phoenix last year, but a goalie won they a lot of games. Could Niemi do that against the Hawks? Aren't the SHarks 15-1-and change at home? Yep.

STL always plays the Hawks tough...size, some skill, a pretty deep blue line with the Boumeester and Leopald additions?

Size, goaltending, PP. Those 3 things will be exposed come playoff time. If 2 hold up, they'll be fine...If 2 falter, they are done by the 2nd round.
- SteveRain

So the refs hide their whistles, but the PP is key? People realize the Hawks excel at 5v5 right? Its when they easily play their best hockey, and they are substantially better than everyone in the league at dictating 5v5 play except the Kings. The Sharks may be 15-1 at home but they have less ROW than the Flames, and we beat them in their barn. Could Crawford play like he did against Vancouver in 2011? Yep. Did we handle StL on the road last week with their new additions? Yep. No one thinks the team is perfect but you insisting they can't win a second round matchup is ridiculous

We use to female dog about Buff all season until the playoff's and then he came through.. Maybe Bolland can do the same, he's been able to a few times!!
I think we might see a few wrinkles in the lines and parings in these last 2 weeks on the PP to see if something will catch..
- moots

I'll give BOlland the benefit of the doubt but he's still not slotted right as the 2nd line center. He thrives in a defensive first approach, and you can't restrain two of your top scorers in Kane and Sharp playing with him. Time to move Shaw or Kruger up there and put Bolland down low in the bottom 6.

yeah, I believe last year when the PP gained steam is when they put crazy Montador up front and he scored 2 or 3 goals...I think against Columbus.

Just gave 3 solid ones up above if you read...

hole 1: no 2nd line center
hole 2: no size..not meathead size who can't skate, but guys who can take the body and not hurt 3.
hole 3: a PP point man. Nice if they gave Leddy a shot, instead of forcing Keith. Keith is a talented D man, but offensively he's mediocre.
- SteveRain

That sounds like you believe the roster is not ideal, which of course would be the fault of the GM (this seems a reasonable position to me, even if I don't completely agree with you on that). If you're interested in being fair, you can't then say they should win 16 playoff games "with this roster" and that losing with this roster would be "unacceptable."