Sorry to bring this up if it has already been, but I Hammer and Pizza Man were not on the Switz's Olympic roster.... I figured at least Hammer would be there.

I left a couple of cases of water in my car and its parked in the attached garage......frozen solid.
- UnnamedSource

I made a drunken stumble out to the whip the other night just to prevent such an occurrence. When the water thaws it tends to taste funny.

Sorry to bring this up if it has already been, but I Hammer and Pizza Man were not on the Switz's Olympic roster.... I figured at least Hammer would be there.
- Fooseshark

Sweden, not Switz.

Sorry to bring this up if it has already been, but I Hammer and Pizza Man were not on the Switz's Olympic roster.... I figured at least Hammer would be there.
- Fooseshark

Sweden's loss....Chicago's GAIN

Sorry to bring this up if it has already been, but I Hammer and Pizza Man were not on the Switz's Olympic roster.... I figured at least Hammer would be there.
- Fooseshark

I haven't seen anything to confirm but I would be shocked if that's the case.

Sweden's loss....Chicago's GAIN


- philco28

Damn I can't believe Hammer wasn't added. you are right, though, I am glad they will get some rest. Hammer sure needs it. Tomorrow is the big day. I still say it will be Toews, Keith, And Sharp

I made a drunken stumble out to the whip the other night just to prevent such an occurrence. When the water thaws it tends to taste funny.
- philco28

Thats because of the plastic water bottle.....FYI don't ever drink from a plastic bottle left in a car during the summer heat....

Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc):

‪#‎Blackhawks‬ defenseman Michal Rozsival named to Czech Olympic team roster.

Damn I can't believe Hammer wasn't added. you are right, though, I am glad they will get some rest. Hammer sure needs it. Tomorrow is the big day. I still say it will be Toews, Keith, And Sharp
- tomcat24

Saw on NHL.com the Swiss team has been announced...not the Swedish team.

James Tanner: Should the Coyotes Trade OEL? Mike Smith and An Unconventional Team Canada Coyotes thoughts at the half-way mark, trading your best player, Gilbert Brule, Mike Smith and an unconventional look at Team Canada

Phoenix Coyotes blog up. What would you give up for OEL?
- resqmed99

Oliver Ekman Larsson, my predicted sleeper star of the draft.
(Oliver Ekman Larsson, left defense, 6 foot one 1/2, 175 lbs. :
This IS the wild card of this draft. If he lasts THIS long this pick's value goes up and up with other GMs. One of the best skaters, and although not the finished product at his present size, displays the abilities to be as dynamic a player as ANY defenseman in this draft. Every team is looking for an ice dancing rover who can thread the needle on the stretch if his rushing lane closes. Super creative, poised, and has really good vision. He is already growing into his frame. His point shot is developing and he already can get the puck to anybody on the ice. Displays a long stick and breaks up developing plays. Has had problems in the past with larger forwards who attack with power, but he will add size and weight and nullify much of that. Some will say that even though his upside may be equal to Hedman, he may be a little bit riskier pick with bust written on him. Others are convinced he is already a better prospect than Ottawa's recently signed Erik Karlsson, and bigger and better defensively. I think there will be more than a few NHL teams interested in moving up to the middle of the draft if he lasts this long.)


If I am the Hawk GM I am not at all interested...not because of his talent but because of the trade price and eventual salary.

If I am Stan, I have already talked to the agent of the Isles Andrew MacDonald, becasue he is a UFA, fits on any pairing, is a young 29, and probably wants to win sooner than later.
He costs you nothing in terms of trade bait or picks
He allows movement within the next couple years on defense with a drop, and all he cost is cap $.

As much as I like Eckman-Larsson they will get a Gagner and more or key piece in return if they are stupid enough to dangle him out there...

I spent the morning going over the Swedish World junior games again, and I can now offer a bit more on Robin Norell.
Just mind the fact that the defenders who play in front of him are basically Swedish junior national vets who get the minutes and situations based on their experience, seniority, etc.
At this point he is isn’t tall but a stocky.
He appears to already have really good upper body strength.
Similar to Nik Hjarlmarsson, he plays the right side as a left hander.
As Hammer at this point he is asked to play a defensive role, and there were only two incidences where he carried on into the attack zone to maintain possession as his team made it’s change.
Comparisons to Hammer are pretty easy because both are really well-balanced powerful skaters, although Norell doesn’t have Hammer’s bent-over hitch.
Norell excelled as a strong shot blocker, and was always on one of the PK pairings on all penalties.
He closed the gap on puck carrying attackers gaining the zone, but what was noticeable was he very physically strong and engaging in his zone, whether it was on the wall, in front or behind the red line.
Please understand my meaning: he wasn’t on bone-rattler checker-but in every opportunity where on opposition attacker was in reach, he applied strong forearm punch (similar to the move an offensive linemen in football makes once the ball is hiked) to players and usually moved them or disrupted their attempted mobility.
Watching the games before doing the “Norell iso” I didn’t realize his feet, because when in the middle zone, he always reverted to a more compact forward skating style, where he knew he was passing off and not gaining the red line. In his own zone he opened up the hips and was very fluid in all directions to allow him to poke check, close and engage and move to body check in his defensive zone.

I refuse to make predictions except that he is smart and solid on the ice defensively at his current level.

Just thought all of you needed something from me to make for my posts yesterday.

I just want all our kids to be with parent club when the situation is most conducive to their success, not every Hawk fan having Danault TT, and the rest penciled in the hawk line-up because it a popular thought.
- wiz1901

Good stuff Wiz...appreciate your diligence in breaking down the video regarding Norell.

What are your thoughts (if any) on the progress of Garret Ross who has quickly become my favorite prospect in Rockford.

Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc):

‪#‎Blackhawks‬ defenseman Michal Rozsival named to Czech Olympic team roster.
- Beaver-Warrior

Good thing Q is rotating him out to keep him fresh!

Damn I can't believe Hammer wasn't added. you are right, though, I am glad they will get some rest. Hammer sure needs it. Tomorrow is the big day. I still say it will be Toews, Keith, And Sharp
- tomcat24

Sorry, i didn't catch the error about it being the Swiss who released their roster. Have a strong feeling that Hammer will be on the Swedish roster, at worst as a depth guy, though i believe most here would argue he's a top 4 d-man on ANY TEAM.

Thats because of the plastic water bottle.....FYI don't ever drink from a plastic bottle left in a car during the summer heat....
- UnnamedSource

Thanks for the tip Source and i tend to instinctively toss any water that's been sitting in the car for any period of time.

Sweden, not Switz.
- powerenforcer

The rights to Lalonde?
- DarthKane

Sorry to bring this up if it has already been, but I Hammer and Pizza Man were not on the Switz's Olympic roster.... I figured at least Hammer would be there.
- Fooseshark

They would be a little disconcerted if that happened. They are both Swedes.

I went over there and watched the clip. Scotch Broom is an evil invasive right up there with Himalayan Blackberries and Nutria.

EDIT: Add English Ivy to the list..
- Beaver-Warrior

If you can make a decent beer out of it, maybe it could be eradicated? Beer drinkers unite!

Why tip your cap to a team that plays that way? First off, hit a guy in the back numbers is a penalty, yet SJ can get away with it. Burns committed 2 penalties on the play he scored the tying goal. Krueger gets slashed before a face-off and no call. Tell me that SJ played a clean, penalty free game. Even a beer-league team can beat a pro team if they can play outside the rules.
- powerenforcer

Call were blown both ways but the Burns miss caused a goal...

But SJ controlled the game, Crawford was really good otherwise its over well before the shootout.

Plus Sharks played the day before got in very late and played a solid game...Hawks are a bit off.

Lackluster Hawks fall to SJ 3-2 in a shootout. Bickell benched in 3rd period-
0n The Blackhawks-Fox Chicago: http://bit.ly/1dJ8YJ5

Good stuff Wiz...appreciate your diligence in breaking down the video regarding Norell.

What are your thoughts (if any) on the progress of Garret Ross who has quickly become my favorite prospect in Rockford.
- philco28

I actually this there are some positional play issues, but I really am a believer in using that farm to let them play together, win together and get called up together.

I know that the big story in Tampa is big ben bishop, but it is clear that all their Sryacuse farmhands got a chance to play together and i think the time put in developing them makes their NHL roles seamless transitions.

I am all for Ross and the entire IceHog group to grow together.

If I am Stan, I have already talked to the agent of the Isles Andrew MacDonald, becasue he is a UFA, fits on any pairing, is a young 29, and probably wants to win sooner than later.
He costs you nothing in terms of trade bait or picks
He allows movement within the next couple years on defense with a drop, and all he cost is cap $.
.
- wiz1901

http://www.newsday.com/sp...h-the-islanders-1.6734784

- Ogilthorpe2

One day Ogi. One day.

- DarthKane

I actually this there are some positional play issues, but I really am a believer in using that farm to let them play together, win together and get called up together.

I know that the big story in Tampa is big ben bishop, but it is clear that all their Sryacuse farmhands got a chance to play together and i think the time put in developing them makes their NHL roles seamless transitions.

I am all for Ross and the entire IceHog group to grow together.
- wiz1901

DITTO

DITTO
- philco28

Them learning how to win together seems to be the issue here. For all the hyped draft picks, the hogs haven't made the playoffs in 2 or 3 years.