A guy like McD is the perfect commish. Put aside what you think of his ego and his management skills and look at what he is best at. Marketing. He understands and knows how to sell ice to an eskimo, pig stuff to the pig farmer, yada, yada, yada. Like it or not, the NHL will always be the least watched of the major 4 sports. McD knows how to put lipstick on that pig. He sold Wrigley and the experience for years and years when the Cubs only occasionally hinted at the promise of success. He has built the Hawks and the one goal message into packed houses and a long waiting list for season tickets. Sure the winning and the Cups helped, but its more than just that. The NHL has taken so many missteps along the way in how they market themselves and the game, getting someone like McD involved would be good for the league. There are lots of good young players coming into this league like McDavid, Matthews, Laine, etc. along with older stars with plenty of tread left on the tires like Crosby, Ovechkin, Kane. Lots of opportunities to raise HRR if it is done correctly.
- TheTrob

Points taken. Nice post.

One of the first things I ever heard McD say is to preface what he originally was going to say with "well, we have to win". But as long as we do" bla bla bla. In my opinion he's the pied piper of the bandwagon fans. That's why they have to win in order for him to succeed. Who couldn't fill that building if the hawks are on a run like they have been for almost a decade? The real fans were always there and who could blame them for not showing up. The biggest difference for them is the ticket prices being about 3 times what they were. So I'm not buying the line McD has brought the real hockey fan back.

But to support your post, McD wouldn't have to worry about winning if he was the marketing guy under Bettman. Wouldn't have to deal directly with all 31 owners and their agendas. He could just attach himself to the stars in the league and do his thing. And if he could help the NHL progress from a lesser tv deal into a good media deal throughout the continent and even abroad then I'll put him on the pedestal that a lot of people have him on already.

So Toronto needs D? Seabs to the leafs for JVR? Good ol fashion hockey trade there.

So Toronto needs D? Seabs to the leafs for JVR? Good ol fashion hockey trade there.
- z1990z

Throw in Sved, a bag a pucks and 2.0M a year in retained salary...

Throw in Sved, a bag a pucks and 2.0M a year in retained salary...
- riozzo

JVR gives 19 a legit power forward LW. Put Panik at RW..

JVR gives 19 a legit power forward LW. Put Panik at RW..
- z1990z

Did not Toews play on a line that cycled the puck a lot, in one of his earliest Olympics possibly before 2010. The line worked well; Toews had a big goal, was he maybe MVP. Getzlaf and Perry linemattes. At least Getzlaf was.

Now FF next season. Is Toews healthy to play that way? And JVR misses a lot of time each season with injuries. But with Panic or Hayden there is your big physical scoring line hard to contain.

Did not Toews play on a line that cycled the puck a lot, in one of his earliest Olympics possibly before 2010. The line worked well; Toews had a big goal, was he maybe MVP. Getzlaf and Perry linemattes. At least Getzlaf was.

Now FF next season. Is Toews healthy to play that way? And JVR misses a lot of time each season with injuries. But with Panic or Hayden there is your big physical scoring line hard to contain.
- jhawk59

Just want some hockey trades. Tired of salary dumps with nothing coming back.

Starts and ends with the leadership group getting the entire team ready to play and compete. The 25 yr old 2nd year player that barely speaks English is very unlikely to be a locker room leader. 19, 2, 7, 88, and Q should bare the brunt of the blame for the embarrassment of that series.
- EnzoD

I totally agree. Especially Q. I'm sick and tired of hearing Hartman, Schmaltz, TVR, Anisimov blamed for the Hawks not showing up and competing in any way in that miserable series. Q is on a one year (or less) leash.

I totally agree. Especially Q. I'm sick and tired of hearing Hartman, Schmaltz, TVR, Anisimov blamed for the Hawks not showing up and competing in any way in that miserable series. Q is on a one year (or less) leash.
- BMWChiFan

The only player or coach that has an argument of showing up is Cro. everyone else - Nada

Comment from Mike Yeo, " Preds went after Hawks with aggression because they did not respect the Hawks."


Put that on the locker room wall. They were right. Hawks said oh well. Take the series.

I agree - Lawrence Holmes is the only guy I like on 670. Some of the other guys I'll listen to if they're talking about something I care about, except for Bernstein who I avoid like the plague.
- EbonyRaptor

Laurence Holmes is intelligent, well spoken, and knowledgeable about all sports, plus he isn't afraid to criticize anyone when it is warranted. His show following the Bears signing of Howdy Doody as their new QB was a classic. David Kaplan used to be decent years ago when he was only on radio with Waddle, but now his head has become way too big for his britches.

Clown still doesn't know a thing about hockey...the more I watch Trump's stupidity the more I see a likeness to McDonut...they thrive on organizational chaos and hyperbole.
- ElkgroveMcD

I only wish Trump was as competent and savvy as McD.

So Toronto needs D? Seabs to the leafs for JVR? Good ol fashion hockey trade there.
- z1990z

I'm not sure if Babcock is a big fan of Seabs.

Did the Hawks fire JJ too?

Did the Hawks fire JJ too?
- Dieselhead

Yeah seriously he's been MIA.
Yo JJ hope you are alright man!

I'm not sure if Babcock is a big fan of Seabs.
- Dieselhead

He's not. Never has been.

Did the Hawks fire JJ too?
- Dieselhead

I hope JJ is not rooming with Josh Mora.

Comment from Mike Yeo, " Preds went after Hawks with aggression because they did not respect the Hawks."


Put that on the locker room wall. They were right. Hawks said oh well. Take the series.
- z1990z

Respect is sometimes substituted for the word intimadated in hockey....Either way he is correct. That's a big issue when u lose the 1st two games.

Comment from Mike Yeo, " Preds went after Hawks with aggression because they did not respect the Hawks."


Put that on the locker room wall. They were right. Hawks said oh well. Take the series.
- z1990z

Respect is sometimes substituted for the word intimadated in hockey....Either way he is correct. That's a big issue when u lose the 1st two games.

Comment from Mike Yeo, " Preds went after Hawks with aggression because they did not respect the Hawks."


Put that on the locker room wall. They were right. Hawks said oh well. Take the series.
- z1990z

Respect is sometimes substituted for the word intimadated in hockey....Either way he is correct. That's a big issue when u lose the 1st two games.

Why is Bowman still the GM? He is the #1 problem for this organization.

Q should be up for coach of the year with the roster he was given this year.

Shame on McD & Rocky for letting the kid live off Daddy's coaching career.

Bowman has been the WORST at handing contracts & trades. Brutal!

Time for him to go. Maybe jus maybe with a good GM this teams core has one more chance to win the Cup.

As long as Bowman is GM you will get more untradeable contracts like Seabrook's "7" year deal or Bickell's 4 year deal.

The guys trades have been downright HORRID!

Bowman = FAILURE
- Goalie-33

I think Stan is still GM because his father is Scotty.

Thete is no act of attrition through continual posts with you and particularly DK002. I agree with the points you made.

I too could never make sense out of the Runblad move. Poor skater but had the big shot. Didn't like physical contact. Hmm...what is there to his game that three other organizations originally wanted him? Apprently scouts get overly excited about certain skills? Um, and three organizations were happy to unload him.

Timmonen was well past his prime, had a medical condition yet Stan surrendered not one draft but two picks inclufing a #2 round. In another blog i mentioned that if Stan attempted to hit a HR by getting a high choice for Sharp, he swung and missed. But too much is made over what he settled for un that ecchange. How many teams were going to take the big contract. The salary cap put him in a weak position. Handing out too much salary had some to di with it. But Stan asked for two high a choice - a #2 was fair enough. Johns was and is overated. Where Stan is graded worse is how he then flipped Daley for Scuderi. Daley couldn't fit in undet Q system but was there any rub also between Stan and Q over Daley.

Well now Stan appears ready to pounce on Q if they have disagreements. Go down swinging; you are the boss, Stan

I now want to point out...

If you read carefully everything i said, i graded Stan above average for having sense to kerp the core together and win two more Cups. He added Vermette and that worked out. He added Weise and Fleischman and it didn't help us. There was conjecture if Weise had what it took to help us. Two years prior he was a playoff darling. With Chicago he did not give us what we needed. I wonder if Q had something to do with that. Just raising the possibilty it had a bad odor when he was not able to make a difference.

Now it is sort of funny in a cruel way to Blackhawk fans when i mentioned perhaps Stan is now enlightened after some egregious salary terms HE handed out.

I mean after the comments McDonough made, yes everyone is accountable. Stan's drafting record is spotty at best and if you read between the lines, just maybe after this blowout against the Pred's McDonough wants not to gloat about anyone's past accomplishments. He wants to ser what are you doing to make us good again

Henceforth future transactions must be helpful and no blunderous drafting.
Fveze said he does not believe this core has another Cup run. Even with Toews healthy i concur. We won two Cups with a pathetic looking pp while Q and Stan rose above inner turmoil. Now there is no puck control defense and the big mean fast element is working against us to the point of no return.. We need more of what Nashville poundrd into us. Stan imho must bring in one larger mean enough top six forward and someone has to be more of a physical presence on defense. That could be Kempny.

As for a lesser issue, one reason Dent has a poor record in Rockford is that Stan provided him few skill scoring forwards and no real offensive capable centers. I never liked Dent anyway. Eli criticized him and i figure he knows about the Icehogs.

- jhawk59[img][/img]

Hey Jhawk wasn't trying to slag you sir just pointing some stuff out.
As far as another cup run...who knows where this team is next season. But you've got too many high end salaries that you can't move and continue to lose secondary important pieces.

Summer of 2015 is the one that really set them back...several moves there really did it. Runny, no Bickell buyout, then Saad gone and then the immediate extending of Anisimov which didn't need to happen. And then the icing on the cake the Sharp fiasco. And who knows about Daley - Savvy and I go back and forth on this...Would Daley have worked we don't know. He hasn't looked terrible for the Pens.

As far as Dent he spoke out against the club when they moved some players earlier this year. Hine and Kuc in the tribune have the story. Dent was pretty much a goner at that point.

Who did we fire today?

Who did we fire today?
- vabeachbear

Beer Vendor, section 145

Who did we fire today?
- vabeachbear

Frank Pellico.
(frank)er couldn't figure out the right tempo for our prima donna opera anthem singer so McDonut told Stan to fire his ass.

For those that are following the Loony, WH is drafting order to break-up NAFTA, resulting speculation is driving the Loony down. Right now down .04 from yesterdays close of .741 to .736. IN other news, Gary Bettman drops only the Chicago Blackhawks cap by $2.0M for its horrendous playoff performance...