I would make the move now, this team needs stability. Mikey took over last year when Q was sick, he changed the lineup and set up lines that he left together and I believe they won four straight.
- hawksbuzz

They won 8 straight with Havi taking over. It was that streak that allowed them to be in a position to be helped in to the playoffs

Look on the bright side. The lower they fall, the higher the draft pick.
If they really try, perhaps they can totally collapse, get fewer than 85 points and get a top 10 pick.

Really I am so pissed!
I have been a fan of the Black Hawks since 1963 when I met Bobby Hull, who was a friend of my Dad when they played together in Point Anne in the good old days.
I cannot believe that the ownership of this collection of a$$holes cannot fix this team!
You bloggers are always 100% right on the money. You know exactly what the problems are and those idiots that run this disaster just refuse to listen.
Obviously you are the true and only fans of this storied franchise and the ownership, management, coaching staff and players are blatantly ignoring your incredible experience and knowledge.
You have all, with your obvious genius, given the professionals that guide this confederacy of dunces the blueprint of eternal success in the NHL.

1. Its the marketing departments fault. We should have "30 Goals" thereby guaranteeing success no matter the record!
2. Its those imperious brain dead Bowman's fault. (frank) their success everywhere else!
3. If we only had Troy Brouwer, Dustin Byfuglien, Brian Campbell, Andrew Ladd, Kris Versteeg, and the immortal Jake Dowell we would be invulnerable, impetuous and irrepressible.
4. The Hawks broadcasters are incompetent and worse have brain implants that are only capable of espousing the direct feed of the mind control front office. Their refusal to eviscerate the players, coaches and management on the back of a humiliating loss is the root of the problem!
5. WTF with the "one" Stanley Cup bullpoop! Every other NHL franchise has won a long string of consecutive Cups and has been dominant for decades at a time.
6. Hits (not those faggy "bodychecks") win the Cup every time. Goals are so 90's! And fights...well, they aren't really that important anymore unless you are losing in which case it is imperative that the bloggers lust for vindictive and vengeful spilling of blood is satiated rendering the loss inconsequential.
7. We must trade, release, kidnap or hobble the following: Keith ( too much estrogen)
Kane (not enough Matt Cooke), Bickell (child murderer), Montador (Al Quaeda operative), Frolik (Euro wussy) and especially every goalie since Glen Hall that ever played (Hasek, Belfour, Niemi)
7. How dare this franchise not panic and summarily change all the players and coaches on annual basis...it is the recipe for continued sports success eg.( Browns, (Clippers, Islanders) that whole "stability and patience" fallacy never works eg. Steelers, Lakers, Red Wings)

At any rate I guess I am just an old school fan, supporting my team through ups and downs, the highs and the lows, the good and the bad.

When I discovered the phenomenon of sports blogs and especially "Hockey Buzz" first with Sassone through Al and on to JJ I could always look forward to reasonable discourse and respect for all opinions.

However, it seems as though the Philistines have triumphed. The recent travails of the team have warped the conversation and any disagreement or positive view is met with derision, ridicule and even worse the convention that only those that are in agreement with the moderators have credence and that divergent views are only the domain of the ignorant, challenged on all fronts by a bully pulpit.

Of course, I will marginalized by the prevailing thought police, by not counseling Hawk armageddon but ther is always the hope that Ryan Miller will save the day!

.....after studying body language in a psych class I can tell you for certain that coach Q is not happy with the team he has. When asked in the post game he says he is but, he is shaking his head no. Very telling....

Reality......the Hawks are not firing coach Q now or in the event they lose six games. He will not be fired during the off season. Coach Q is the hawks coach for the foreseeable future so for the people calling for his job......please stop. SB is also not going anywhere either for the foreseeable future so again......please stop. Will they fire an assistant coach in the off season, probably. Firing coach Q sends the wrong message to a team that seems to have trouble motivating themselves. The days of a pro coach being the rah rah type are long gone. Players make to much money and tune it out. It's a fact. No head coach is going to call his players out during a press conference. It is the kiss of death for any pro coach in any pro sport. Those clamoring for a Ditkaesq post game rant from coach Q will be waiting a long long time. Those claiming he was jovial in the press conference after the Oilers game are simply foolish. It could be that he is just trying to be calm with 7 games left on the road trip with a team that is lost. A coach that goes into a crazy rant shows his team he is rattled which then brings the team down even further.

The hawks do have to make some obvious decisions though....sure this team is a playoff team but SB has to determine whether or not it's a team that will go deep into the play offs with a few minor moves or is it time to rid themselves of some dead weight (Bickell, Frolik) and prepare to make some major moves in the off season (Kane, Crawford). Again as I've stated before SB will not make an earth shattering move during the season. It's just not his style. With all the expiring contracts the Hawks will be in position to make a major move or two with free agency.....depending on the new CBA of course. However, what does he do with Kane and Crawford?. Is Crawford a flash in the pan or will he rebound from his slump to be a dominant goaltender. Do the Hawks keep betting on Kane knowing he is only 23....4 years away from his prime. Crawfords contract is not an untradeable one.....but one thing to consider. Does Crawfords confidence become shaken if he has a better defense in front of him? I believe the answer is no. It will be an interesting April for sure.

See, it's NOT the goalie.

Clown shoes most noticeably worn tonight by Mr. Active Stick himself, Duncan Keith.

Lame, soft team these Hawks are, and everyone knows it.

So Q, rather than rethink HOW they play the game, continues to switch up lines in the hope that the almighty matchup game will solve the problems.

Can this team even get 90 points this year?
- Return of the Roar

After every lose I lower my prediction for final point total. Hawks have 65 now. Games to play 29. Remaining schedule road heavy and competitive.

My guess is 80 points and 12th in the west. Top 10 pick in the entry draft...so we can celebrate that.

.....after studying body language in a psych class I can tell you for certain that coach Q is not happy with the team he has. When asked in the post game he says he is but, he is shaking his head no. Very telling....

Reality......the Hawks are not firing coach Q now or in the event they lose six games. He will not be fired during the off season. Coach Q is the hawks coach for the foreseeable future so for the people calling for his job......please stop. SB is also not going anywhere either for the foreseeable future so again......please stop. Will they fire an assistant coach in the off season, probably. Firing coach Q sends the wrong message to a team that seems to have trouble motivating themselves. The days of a pro coach being the rah rah type are long gone. Players make to much money and tune it out. It's a fact. No head coach is going to call his players out during a press conference. It is the kiss of death for any pro coach in any pro sport. Those clamoring for a Ditkaesq post game rant from coach Q will be waiting a long long time. Those claiming he was jovial in the press conference after the Oilers game are simply foolish. It could be that he is just trying to be calm with 7 games left on the road trip with a team that is lost. A coach that goes into a crazy rant shows his team he is rattled which then brings the team down even further.

The hawks do have to make some obvious decisions though....sure this team is a playoff team but SB has to determine whether or not it's a team that will go deep into the play offs with a few minor moves or is it time to rid themselves of some dead weight (Bickell, Frolik) and prepare to make some major moves in the off season (Kane, Crawford). Again as I've stated before SB will not make an earth shattering move during the season. It's just not his style. With all the expiring contracts the Hawks will be in position to make a major move or two with free agency.....depending on the new CBA of course. However, what does he do with Kane and Crawford?. Is Crawford a flash in the pan or will he rebound from his slump to be a dominant goaltender. Do the Hawks keep betting on Kane knowing he is only 23....4 years away from his prime. Crawfords contract is not an untradeable one.....but one thing to consider. Does Crawfords confidence become shaken if he has a better defense in front of him? I believe the answer is no. It will be an interesting April for sure.
- UnnamedSource

Q is incompetent. He must go.

I also do not understand the ill feelings towards McDonough. I know a few of you will never forgive him for firing Tallon even though I believe Tallon fired himself. Does he have an ego? Probably, but what person in his position doesn't? He helped make the hawks relevant again which puts more butts in the seats, which helps sell more merchandise, which helps the bottom line, which helps Rocky become more comfortable paying the contracts of huet and olesz while they do nothing. The commercials that everyone seems to hate help the team and just because a player may star in a commercial doesn't mean he is untouchable......see Brian Campbell. The hawks are doing what they need to do on the marketing end to help stay relevant and grow their fan base which in the end helps the team financially. Which in the end helps the team stay competitive.

Hey Ogi,

More sunshine at Hockeybuzz eh?

Q is incompetent. He must go.


incompetence = almost 600 wins.


....get away from the fumes.

I also do not understand the ill feelings towards McDonough. I know a few of you will never forgive him for firing Tallon even though I believe Tallon fired himself. Does he have an ego? Probably, but what person in his position doesn't? He helped make the hawks relevant again which puts more butts in the seats, which helps sell more merchandise, which helps the bottom line, which helps Rocky become more comfortable paying the contracts of huet and olesz while they do nothing. The commercials that everyone seems to hate help the team and just because a player may star in a commercial doesn't mean he is untouchable......see Brian Campbell. The hawks are doing what they need to do on the marketing end to help stay relevant and grow their fan base which in the end helps the team financially. Which in the end helps the team stay competitive.
- UnnamedSource

I have no particular opinion one way or the other regarding McDonough, he is a marketing man and seems to be good at it. No trouble with Tallon going either. But I am waiting for Bowman to achieve something on his own. The cup team was largely Tallon's, and the Cap nightmare was real.

I actually thought Bickell was pretty good tonight. Probably had 4 solid hits. Good forecheck. Actually saw him going into the corners which is rare for Bickell.

Now let's trade him fast!!!!
- coldsteelonice

He was good tonight...and I still can't wait for him to move on. One good game so far but the 3 month slumber is soon to follow.

Q is incompetent. He must go.
- Ogilthorpe2

I think it may be time for Q to move on, perhaps at the end of the season. Management likely has a better feel for what's happening behind the scenes. If they see a coaching change as a necessary, positive step, I have little doubt they would make a change.

Wirtz and company know that winning in vital to keeping attendance high. I just hope they make the right moves, and regarding that I'm not completely confident yet.

The lovable loser stuff doesn't work here anymore and never worked for the Hawks. Didn't work for the Cubs last year either.

To think you can load up and win a Cup at any time because they caught lightning in a bottle once is silly. Too many variables and it probably will never happen the same way in our lifetime.

I have been watching closely for awhile...This season was so injury free for the first four months it was unreal....Next year the team could be 10 wins better on paper and could have 350 man games lost....And clusters of injuries to the best players at once.

You play the hand that is in front of you cuz no one can control the future.
- Al

I don't disagree, but with the arrogance exuded by their president in the past I wouldn't put that thought process past them.

JJ,

I find the criticism of your "negative" posts hilarious. For goodness sake, what is there to be positive about at this point in the season?

The point total means little when the play is this bad. If the trend since the new year continues the Hawks will be desperate trying to stay in the top 8.

It's assumed the Hawks make the playoffs, but I am not convinced. The schedule is hell, and I'm not only thinking of the next 7 consecutive road games.

30 games remain and I wouldn't be shocked if the Hawks only grab 15 points.
- ArlingtonRob

Thankful for: Hawks still in playoff contention, have shown they can beat the likes of Detroit, San Jose, Vancouver and any other team in the NHL, are available to watch on TV for enjoyment or insanity, have a group of very talented young players that should be around the next 5-10 years and keep the team relevant

Stalberg had an awesome game and Kane looked very active... Lots of takeaways for him

Rough patch. Bad game. Looked the same as they did against the Oilers only the Flames had issues actually hitting the net.

They need to figure out a combo for the bottom two lines. Those are the opposite of good right now and seem to be getting victimized the most.

I can't stand watching this team any more. All the problems we have been talking about for 65 games are STILL problems. Stan, Q and the plaayers themselves have done nothing to fix them. Too much fukcing stick checking. The D seems to always be out of position. Line juggling never results in the right line combos. Special teams are an unmitigated disaster (Kitch). Too much John Scott. And they are soft soft soft.

What good is all our top talent if we can't support them with physical role players who can play? We try to out-skate and out-finesse everyone and that just doesn't make for solid hockey. It results in track meets that wear guys out and as things get faster later in games, they seem to take penalties and make mental errors. Their "system" ( :lol breaks down all the time and no one can slow the game down by hitting and wearing their opponents down physically. The Hawks skate fast, get pounded and wear out. Their opponents have to just skate fast and be positionally sound and take the body when it comes and they win.

If Sharp was 6'3 220 and was on pace for 200 hits along with his scoring, maybe we could add a Moen and an Allen and be ok. But our core is soft. Keith is lost. Is our D punch drunk from getting hit all the time? Or is Keith just bad? He's not....so WTF?

I have a hard time not putting a ton of blame on Q. It has to be his message to stick check on D and not get out of position to hit. The rest is on SB for not bringing in more physical players. And someone's head must roll as of yesterday for 2 years of poopty special teams....ahem, Kitchen, ahem! The ship is taking on water and someone has to step up or go down with the ship. No room for Italian style captaincy here.

this team has the familiar stench of playoff bust all over it....IF they can even get in

Mega trade that won't happen:
Sharp, Frolik, Morin, Lalonde and a 3rd
For
Morrow, Ott, Grossman and a 5th
Resign Grossman.

Trade Montador, Bickell, Pirri, and a 5th
For
Allen and LaRose

Brunette, Smith and Stanton and a pick
For
Clarkson


Stalberg-Toews-Kane
Morrow-Kruger-Hossa
LaRose-Bolland-Clarkson
Mayers-Ott-Shaw
Hayes, Morrison

Keith-Grossman
Seabrook-Hjalmarsson
Allen-Leddy
O'Donnell

Desparate times call for desparate measures.

"I think anyone that says they are close to a trade is full of it at this point," Bowman said. -Stan Bowman

For a guy that is usually pretty reserved, that's a telling statement IMO

Still a lot of standing Around. On the forecheck before the penalty Hosea is standing there putting no pressure on their d when they had the puck in their zone.
- golfbard

The heart is willing but that's where playing a tough game and losing the night before doesn't leave much gas in the tank.

.....after studying body language in a psych class I can tell you for certain that coach Q is not happy with the team he has. When asked in the post game he says he is but, he is shaking his head no. Very telling....

Reality......the Hawks are not firing coach Q now or in the event they lose six games. He will not be fired during the off season. Coach Q is the hawks coach for the foreseeable future so for the people calling for his job......please stop. SB is also not going anywhere either for the foreseeable future so again......please stop. Will they fire an assistant coach in the off season, probably. Firing coach Q sends the wrong message to a team that seems to have trouble motivating themselves. The days of a pro coach being the rah rah type are long gone. Players make to much money and tune it out. It's a fact. No head coach is going to call his players out during a press conference. It is the kiss of death for any pro coach in any pro sport. Those clamoring for a Ditkaesq post game rant from coach Q will be waiting a long long time. Those claiming he was jovial in the press conference after the Oilers game are simply foolish. It could be that he is just trying to be calm with 7 games left on the road trip with a team that is lost. A coach that goes into a crazy rant shows his team he is rattled which then brings the team down even further.

The hawks do have to make some obvious decisions though....sure this team is a playoff team but SB has to determine whether or not it's a team that will go deep into the play offs with a few minor moves or is it time to rid themselves of some dead weight (Bickell, Frolik) and prepare to make some major moves in the off season (Kane, Crawford). Again as I've stated before SB will not make an earth shattering move during the season. It's just not his style. With all the expiring contracts the Hawks will be in position to make a major move or two with free agency.....depending on the new CBA of course. However, what does he do with Kane and Crawford?. Is Crawford a flash in the pan or will he rebound from his slump to be a dominant goaltender. Do the Hawks keep betting on Kane knowing he is only 23....4 years away from his prime. Crawfords contract is not an untradeable one.....but one thing to consider. Does Crawfords confidence become shaken if he has a better defense in front of him? I believe the answer is no. It will be an interesting April for sure.
- UnnamedSource

Hammer hits nail on the head! Coach Q definitely is not happy with the composition of his team because he sees exactly what most of us fans see or should see and admit to - they aren't good enough to be a top team in the league despite the media driven fanfare and expectations.

Reasons why:

1) they are small and severely lack sufficient physicality to compete night to night with good teams like St.Louis, Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, SJ, Vancouver or NYR.

2) He has been saddled with a mix of old and well past expiry date players (O'Donnell, Brunette, Morrison); the totally useless (Scott, Lepisto, Bickell and apparently Frolik) and the pretty good but not quite ready for prime time (Kruger, Shaw. Leddy, Pirri, Hayes). That's 50% of the roster.

3) Apart from Toews, Seabrook and Shaw (initially), he has no pit bulls. His team plays a soft game, never initiates any nastiness and willingly takes punishment but never dishes any out.

Criticize Q's incessant line juggling for sure, but the reality is that this just isn't a very good hockey team. It needs help behind the blueline, more size up front and a better 2 way game from forwards who just love to fly the zone looking for the stretch pass but have absolutely no clue how to play in their own end without the puck (except Toews, Hossa and Bolland).

I'd add to that the miserable seasons 3 key guys are having - Keith, Crawford and Kane.

Is Q without blame - definitely not. The PP and PK are miserable either because of the strategy or the execution, but it still falls on the coaching staff.

What I fear more is that the Hawks have a General Manager who is in way over his head competing with shrewd hockey men like Ken Holland, Doug Armstrong, Mike Gillis, Brian Burke, Poile etc. With Bowman, I sense an overevaluation of his own player talent and a fear of making a bold move because he could be wrong. Add to that, I have never liked having a bean counter run any business where foresight judging talent was integral. They are better adding up columns of numbers.

Hammer hits nail on the head! Coach Q definitely is not happy with the composition of his team because he sees exactly what most of us fans see or should see and admit to - they aren't good enough to be a top team in the league despite the media driven fanfare and expectations.

Reasons why:

1) they are small and severely lack sufficient physicality to compete night to night with good teams like St.Louis, Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, SJ, Vancouver or NYR.

2) He has been saddled with a mix of old and well past expiry date players (O'Donnell, Brunette, Morrison); the totally useless (Scott, Lepisto, Bickell and apparently Frolik) and the pretty good but not quite ready for prime time (Kruger, Shaw. Leddy, Pirri, Hayes). That's 50% of the roster.

3) Apart from Toews, Seabrook and Shaw (initially), he has no pit bulls. His team plays a soft game, never initiates any nastiness and willingly takes punishment but never dishes any out.

Criticize Q's incessant line juggling for sure, but the reality is that this just isn't a very good hockey team. It needs help behind the blueline, more size up front and a better 2 way game from forwards who just love to fly the zone looking for the stretch pass but have absolutely no clue how to play in their own end without the puck (except Toews, Hossa and Bolland).

I'd add to that the miserable seasons 3 key guys are having - Keith, Crawford and Kane.

Is Q without blame - definitely not. The PP and PK are miserable either because of the strategy or the execution, but it still falls on the coaching staff.

What I fear more is that the Hawks have a General Manager who is in way over his head competing with shrewd hockey men like Ken Holland, Doug Armstrong, Mike Gillis, Brian Burke, Poile etc. With Bowman, I sense an overevaluation of his own player talent and a fear of making a bold move because he could be wrong. Add to that, I have never liked having a bean counter run any business where foresight judging talent was integral. They are better adding up columns of numbers.
- RickJ

Over the last few days, Q has done nothing but praise his players and saying trades aren't needed..

Also states that he likes John Scott's defensive play.

I stick by my opinion that if Bowman did make a bold move and overpaid right now 90% of Hawk fans would blame him for overpaying..

Finicky bunch we are..

I also do not understand the ill feelings towards McDonough. I know a few of you will never forgive him for firing Tallon even though I believe Tallon fired himself. Does he have an ego? Probably, but what person in his position doesn't? He helped make the hawks relevant again which puts more butts in the seats, which helps sell more merchandise, which helps the bottom line, which helps Rocky become more comfortable paying the contracts of huet and olesz while they do nothing. The commercials that everyone seems to hate help the team and just because a player may star in a commercial doesn't mean he is untouchable......see Brian Campbell. The hawks are doing what they need to do on the marketing end to help stay relevant and grow their fan base which in the end helps the team financially. Which in the end helps the team stay competitive.
- UnnamedSource

McDonough is turning this franchise into the lovable loser cubs. Company atmosphere stems from the top and rolls down. He was given the key to the franchise and his fingerprints are all over the organization.

Over the last few days, Q has done nothing but praise his players and saying trades aren't needed..

Also states that he likes John Scott's defensive play.

I stick by my opinion that if Bowman did make a bold move and overpaid right now 90% of Hawk fans would blame him for overpaying..

Finicky bunch we are..
- pri$ey

Don't expect a coach to lambaste individual players in the media. Actions are stronger than words - see Sami Lepisto and Michael Frolik.

How do you judge overpayment? To get something good you have to give something good. I'm not suggesting trade for the sake of making a trade. But it's obvious the composition of this team isn't working or near good enough.

Hammer hits nail on the head! Coach Q definitely is not happy with the composition of his team because he sees exactly what most of us fans see or should see and admit to - they aren't good enough to be a top team in the league despite the media driven fanfare and expectations.

Reasons why:

1) they are small and severely lack sufficient physicality to compete night to night with good teams like St.Louis, Detroit, Boston, Pittsburgh, SJ, Vancouver or NYR.

2) He has been saddled with a mix of old and well past expiry date players (O'Donnell, Brunette, Morrison); the totally useless (Scott, Lepisto, Bickell and apparently Frolik) and the pretty good but not quite ready for prime time (Kruger, Shaw. Leddy, Pirri, Hayes). That's 50% of the roster.

3) Apart from Toews, Seabrook and Shaw (initially), he has no pit bulls. His team plays a soft game, never initiates any nastiness and willingly takes punishment but never dishes any out.

Criticize Q's incessant line juggling for sure, but the reality is that this just isn't a very good hockey team. It needs help behind the blueline, more size up front and a better 2 way game from forwards who just love to fly the zone looking for the stretch pass but have absolutely no clue how to play in their own end without the puck (except Toews, Hossa and Bolland).
I'd add to that the miserable seasons 3 key guys are having - Keith, Crawford and Kane.

Is Q without blame - definitely not. The PP and PK are miserable either because of the strategy or the execution, but it still falls on the coaching staff.

What I fear more is that the Hawks have a General Manager who is in way over his head competing with shrewd hockey men like Ken Holland, Doug Armstrong, Mike Gillis, Brian Burke, Poile etc. With Bowman, I sense an overevaluation of his own player talent and a fear of making a bold move because he could be wrong. Add to that, I have never liked having a bean counter run any business where foresight judging talent was integral. They are better adding up columns of numbers.
- RickJ

Sorry don't buy it. This is the cap era, in order to have a strong core you have half the team of second tier players. They need to know their roles and need to be taught a system and put in a position to succeed. Fans keep calling for an upgrade to our role players but that is just not a reality in todays game. You will never see the team that won the cup again, it's just not finacially possible. Success in the new NHL comes with drafting well, developing your prospects and coaching. In my opinion Coaching is a major issue on this team. I would quit my job if every day I didn't know what the boss wanted me to do, if I was doing it right, or he was just going to tell me he didn't need me today.