The stupid thing is few were willing to look at Pirri's glaringly bad defensive play and only focused on Pirri's moderately successful offensive numbers as proof he deserved the position. Had Pirri been handed the position those same Zus bashers would have been calling for Zus to replace Pirri. Now Pirri can show off his game in Florida where I am sure he will have some reasonably good offensive numbers, but a player you'll always hear mentioned in trade rumours.
- paulr

Most of us watch the games on TV, where it's very difficult to see anything other than the puck, the pass, the shot, the save.

Very hard to see the defensive play away from the puck - or, the lack of defensive play.

So - we defend Q's decisions and get called apologists or cool-aid drinkers.

Oh, well....

That is a loaded, well-constructed sentence. Well done, Phil.
- mohel

Thank you Mo....can i call you for backup when the French Foreign Legion
come looking for me

Is rule #3 like Catch 22?
- StLBravesFan

Those rules remind me of the NHL rulebook and the Wheel of Justice.

How the combination of several facts leads to a conclusion is sometimes funny...

1. Q has played several (bordering on many) young players, often big minutes at important times.

2. The Hawks have a need for a 2C.

3. Pirri plays center, and gets a shot.

4. Q stops playing him at center, and Pirri is traded.

Conclusion some make about this set of facts? Q doesn't play kids. How about "Pirri" doesn't play the game the way the Hawks want it played? Never!!

Substitute Morin or Hayes for Pirri - same deal.
- mohel

Some people actually think they know more than Quenneville which boggles the mind.

Thank you Mo....can i call you for backup when the French Foreign Legion
come looking for me

- philco28

(frank)ing right you can.

edit - but they haven't been scary in a long (frank)ing time.

Ek says E. Kane is on the way in the off season, so we got that going for us....which is nice. Jumbo Joe is on the block according to him as well, so our 2C issue would be solved...
- Sundevil

Sure...EK is all over it...Hawks are in the middle of a very tense Cup run, so Bowman is out trying to shake the bushes for adding players.

There is a time to consider adding any player (be in Evander or whoever), now is not that time.

Further, HOW does Kane fit here both cap wise and positionally? For the Hawks to land Evander Kane it would take a dynamic trade offer, one that would have 1 core guy heading out. That's not something that just crawls by on the rumor board.

Where is this stuff hatched?

1)
- John Jaeckel[b]Da faq you talking 'bout?
2) Saad's really a left wing. The player who could affect Kane's tenure is Teuvo Teravainen, who is either going to be a C or a RW in the NHL.

NO DEFEATING THE SWEAR MONITOR

Sure...EK is all over it...Hawks are in the middle of a very tense Cup run, so Bowman is out trying to shake the bushes for adding players.

There is a time to consider adding any player (be in Evander or whoever), now is not that time.

Further, HOW does Kane fit here both cap wise and positionally? For the Hawks to land Evander Kane it would take a dynamic trade offer, one that would have 1 core guy heading out. That's not something that just crawls by on the rumor board.

Where is this stuff hatched?
- kwolf68

It also seems that Bowman tries to obtain players who will be a fit with the other players. I haven't heard anything positive about Evander Kane's character that would make me think he'd be a good fit. It's one thing to babysit Patrick Kane through his immaturity but another thing completely to trade for a guy you know you will also have to babysit.

(frank)ing right you can.

edit - but they haven't been scary in a long (frank)ing time.
- mohel

Good stuff and I take your word. Things just haven't been the same
since Dien Bien Phu.

Some people actually think they know more than Quenneville which boggles the mind.
- paulr

Who knows they may know more than Q in some regards. There is more than one way to win a championship team. If Q was infallible, he would never have been fired from previous coaching gigs. Should winning two Cups give Q a pass? Sure. Does that not mean he can never be questioned? What do you think?

Some people actually think they know more than Quenneville which boggles the mind.
- paulr

There are plenty of times where I have no idea why Q makes a certain move. I'm pretty sure, though, that he has his reasons.

(frank)ing right you can.

edit - but they haven't been scary in a long (frank)ing time.
- mohel

Not since Algiers.

Sure...EK is all over it...Hawks are in the middle of a very tense Cup run, so Bowman is out trying to shake the bushes for adding players.

There is a time to consider adding any player (be in Evander or whoever), now is not that time.

Further, HOW does Kane fit here both cap wise and positionally? For the Hawks to land Evander Kane it would take a dynamic trade offer, one that would have 1 core guy heading out. That's not something that just crawls by on the rumor board.

Where is this stuff hatched?
- kwolf68

Ek probably read all of the trade scenarios involving Sharp on this blog.

Screw the dam WSCR,listen to 87.7!those jack offs over there all of a sudden are hockey experts, especially the two arse holes in the afternoon,or get XM & listen to the NHL channel! Saad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!all I can say is keep it up kid! &23,take a seat,12 in tonite?!
- wonthecup10

Have to agree Cup...B&B know nada about hockey...I don't mind the Game 87.7 if you can actually get the station on your car radio...good luck with that. It's a nice change of pace though.

McNeil & Speigs can talk the game but Mac spends the majority of his time whining about when he can get a smoke or gambling...

There are plenty of times where I have no idea why Q makes a certain move. I'm pretty sure, though, that he has his reasons.
- mohel

We also don't see the practices, where strengths and (especially) weaknesses are probably more apparent.

Screw the dam WSCR,listen to 87.7!those jack offs over there all of a sudden are hockey experts, especially the two arse holes in the afternoon,or get XM & listen to the NHL channel! Saad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!all I can say is keep it up kid! &23,take a seat,12 in tonite?!
- wonthecup10

How's it going, Cup? I agree on 87.7. Also agree on Regin going in. What channel number is the NHL on XM or Sirius?

If those two sit, I'd guess the most likely fill-ins would be Regin and Nordstrom.
- FredoXV

Seems like a no-brainer to me. If you keep Bollig in the game when will the line of Handzus, Bollig and Regin ever play and if they do when will they ever get out of their own zone. I hope it's Regin, Handzus and Nordstrom.

Have to agree Cup...B&B know nada about hockey...I don't mind the Game 87.7 if you can actually get the station on your car radio...good luck with that. It's a nice change of pace though.

McNeil & Speigs can talk the game but Mac spends the majority of his time whining about when he can get a smoke or gambling...
- DK002

Or being proud of his past alcohol and drug abuse.

It also seems that Bowman tries to obtain players who will be a fit with the other players. I haven't heard anything positive about Evander Kane's character that would make me think he'd be a good fit. It's one thing to babysit Patrick Kane through his immaturity but another thing completely to trade for a guy you know you will also have to babysit.
- paulr

Good point and I'd normally agree with this (the idea you leave suspect character guys alone), but the Blackhawks internal leadership is so damn strong that I have that much confidence in our core leadership group that they would take that 'questionable' player and turn him into a star.

Wasn't Brandon Saad thought to be 'questionable' coming out of the draft...he'd disappear in "big games"?

You have Kane, going from a punky kid to a totally mature winner.

Bickell...the epitome of laziness...now showing more and more work ethic by the day

That is why a player like Mark McNeil...the book on him is the talent is TOTALLY there, but he can be lazy, take shifts off...what he needs is a little medication from Doctors Toews and Seabrook, as well as the rest of the staff.

SO...Evander Kane would give the Hawks snarl, size, grit, and talent...IF he'd join the party. However, even assuming he could be 'reformed', I JUST DONT see the fit. His cap hit and position make it questionable.

Positions I see the Hawks looking at in off-season
L2-Center-As always
Bottom 6 winger-PK guy, speed, and size
Bottom pairing D-man

Bottom 6 players could come from the farm...

Ek probably read all of the trade scenarios involving Sharp on this blog.
- faustus1500

Any trade of Sharp (and I believe it's very logical) should...

REDUCE the Cap + Fill L2-Center hole or add another top 4 D-man

If trading Sharp doesn't do the above there is no reason to trade him. Evander Kane does not meet above criteria.

Have to agree Cup...B&B know nada about hockey...I don't mind the Game 87.7 if you can actually get the station on your car radio...good luck with that. It's a nice change of pace though.

McNeil & Speigs can talk the game but Mac spends the majority of his time whining about when he can get a smoke or gambling...
- DK002

Disagree on 87.7 - it's all unlistenable.

Kaplan and Hough have zero chemistry, if they're even in the same building.

Teinowitz is even worse than he was in his previous gigs - and those were pretty bad (although he had help in being bad by that ex-football player whose name I can't remember).

Didn't he and McNeil get into a fight at one point?

Spiegel and Bernstein merely repeat what they read somewhere that morning - Boers can't put five words together to make a coherent sentence, when he's able to get his head out of Bernstein's ass.

Who knows they may know more than Q in some regards. There is more than one way to win a championship team. If Q was infallible, he would never have been fired from previous coaching gigs. Should winning two Cups give Q a pass? Sure. Does that not mean he can never be questioned? What do you think?
- faustus1500

Clearly he can be questioned about moves he does or doesn't make. What Paul said was that there are posters on an internet board who actually believe they know more than Q - those are different things. Many of them say things like "there is no reason to play Bollig" or "Q is an idiot for putting Zus in the lineup." Question away, but don't pretend you know more than an NHL coach (any of them). Also don't pretend that you have access to anywhere near the information the coach (any of them) has in front of him when making a decision.

Assuming that one knows more than a coach that will soon be second in wins in the history of the NHL causes the person making the assertion to lose credibility, imo.

Let's leave "corksucker" out of the equation. "Bastage" is probably pushing it a little too.

Also, if the rest are used in a playful manner that isn't a personal attack or isn't out to offend anyone, I'm not going to say anything. At least for the time being, or until I hear different from the higher-ups.

Use the rest of them at your own risk.
- EKolb13

Judge, Jury and Executioner. Same role my wife took on after we got married.

If you are a coach you will ALWAYS be questioned. I get questioned.

I remember a tournament not long ago our team was getting smoked and I asked my goalie how he felt and gave HIM the choice to remain in the game. He wanted to keep battling so I left him in there. BTW-Our backup goalie is horrible, lazy, terrible. (its not the backup isn't skilled, its the lack of effort in practice that gets me.)

A parent questioned why I didn't make the goalie move...

Instead of saying, "the main guy wanted to keep playing and the 2nd goalie is horrible"...I said...

"it was on our team, not the goalie to turn that game around and 'd' didn't want to be taken out and in that particular situation I respected that."

Sometimes coaches have to put up with crap and walk the high road while all the know-it-alls can walk around like they know it all.

Good point and I'd normally agree with this (the idea you leave suspect character guys alone), but the Blackhawks internal leadership is so damn strong that I have that much confidence in our core leadership group that they would take that 'questionable' player and turn him into a star.

Wasn't Brandon Saad thought to be 'questionable' coming out of the draft...he'd disappear in "big games"?

You have Kane, going from a punky kid to a totally mature winner.

Bickell...the epitome of laziness...now showing more and more work ethic by the day

That is why a player like Mark McNeil...the book on him is the talent is TOTALLY there, but he can be lazy, take shifts off...what he needs is a little medication from Doctors Toews and Seabrook, as well as the rest of the staff.

SO...Evander Kane would give the Hawks snarl, size, grit, and talent...IF he'd join the party. However, even assuming he could be 'reformed', I JUST DONT see the fit. His cap hit and position make it questionable.

Positions I see the Hawks looking at in off-season
L2-Center-As always
Bottom 6 winger-PK guy, speed, and size
Bottom pairing D-man

.
- kwolf68

I totally agree about the strength of the Hawks culture and its ability to make a player better. It has limits, though; such as getting Pirri to play defense a little more. But if I were Stan, I'd be willing to take a chance on a "bad apple" and see if said bad apple has the balls to do his bad apple-ness with Toews, Seabrook, Kane, Hossa and Keith to answer to.

That said, E. Kane would cost the Hawks a core player to fit within the cap and I don't see Stan breaking up the core just to shuffle the deck in the next couple years. For cap reasons, maybe, but adding Kane would certainly not be a cap reason.
Bottom 6 players could come from the farm..