I remember Orr destroying Magnuson so bad in a fight, Maggie took boxing lessons in the offseason. Din't help him much though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-LAe_KzMeU
- LAHawk

Those were the days. Stuff like that happened every night.

In some other news, there's a report out of San Jose saying that many team members want Evander Kane off the team. Sharks tried to trade him earlier this off season. He carries a 7M cap hit for 4 more years and has a NTC where he can select 3 teams to be traded to. GM Wilson may have to retain salary and just give him away.
- boilermaker100

They may not even have to do anything after the investigation other than terminate his contract.

No one is touching him until the investigation is completed at the earliest. I think the guy is a major dink for a bunch of reasons but what is the point of having a PA if someone doesn't step in and try to get Kane some help. His gambling issues were no secret around the league.


Maybe they did and we don't know about it. Many things get said in a messy divorce that are far from the truth. Its why is it best to let the investigation run its course.

You're saying this because he's no longer a teenager?
- rpeters01

nope...saying this because he will get time skating with best players on this team and in case of Kane, 1 of the best in the league.

Like all prospects he has to progress....asking for 20+ goals isn't unfair IMO. he has shown flashes....hopefully he can put it all together and become a fixture Bowman and the organization can count on AND build around.

100% on DeBrincat and like you I held firm he would be fine. He was getting chances, and just not scoring due to being stoned on ridiculous saves, just missing corners which snow balled into a dent into his confidence. Kid bounced back greatly, and that lesson of that "off year" will likely be a thing he can go back on throughout his career and keep his mind right.

I get that on Dach, and I do as well...exactly why I disagree with Elbows on how many goals this team will score. Think they have the horses IF they stay healthy and that starts with 19 being there and everyone being slotted in the best roles for them to succeed.

Like we discussed a few blogs back, I think it's VERY fair to question the Hawks inability lately to develop 1st round picks. Either they are rushing them up into the show far too early, or the development at other levels isn't adequate, but honestly....if you think about it....the most productive "new players" have been European signings like Suter, Panarin, Kubalik that have progressed. That is THE one thing I believe that is keeping a large target off Bowman's back and his era at the helm for ending.

I know others are butt hurt about trades for this guy, or keeping this guy, but the addition of Fleury, Jones, McCabe IMO...will help stabilize that back end. I dont know if was the players OR the system that JC enacted, but that riddle will quickly be answered this year and JC's future likely depends on how this team does. Fleury will allow some players to take more chances having confidence that he can stop a lot of key momentum changing goals.....much like Crawford and Lehner were able to do....I just think this defense is better overall personnel wise than it has been in year's past.

Now we wait to see if/when Bowman finishes fine tuning this roster.
- SteveRain

Not sure I agree with this. School is still out on Boqvist and Jokiharju. Whether you like them or not Schmaltz and Hartmann picked at the bottom of the 1st round are NHLer's with over 300 games. Danault and Teravainen are top 6 forwards. Debrincat and Saad are steals in the 2nd round, Shaw in the 5th, Kruger in the 5th, Kurashev shows promise as a 4th rounder.

Sure, if your looking at just 1st rounders then Beach at 11 and McNeil at 18 were picks you failed to develop, but you cant blame Beach on Stan.

My first favorite Hawk.
- Ogilthorpe2

Great guy, one of the classiest guys ever.

Back pocket stuff for the "Toews is overrated" crowd

@JFreshHockey
I always used to get annoyed by how hyped Jonathan Toews was back in the day. Maybe I was wrong.

nope...saying this because he will get time skating with best players on this team and in case of Kane, 1 of the best in the league.

Like all prospects he has to progress....asking for 20+ goals isn't unfair IMO. he has shown flashes....hopefully he can put it all together and become a fixture Bowman and the organization can count on AND build around.
- SteveRain

I tend to agree. He needs to show some improvement. It took McKinnon several years to really become a stud but you saw enough from him (not that I am comparing the 2 players).

If Dach is playing top 6 with PP time and stays healthy he needs to put up 40-50 pts.

When Ovechkin breaks Gretzky's record he's in the conversation. Fact he is putting up those goal numbers vs 100000000000000000 better quality goalies and an era where every D man and most forwards are in shooting lanes hell bent on blocking shots is a huge variable nobody seems to want to discuss.

on top of that, Ovechkin hasn't been paired with that many great players like Gretzky had or another dominant player, like Messier who forced opposing teams to choose who to shut down like say Malkin and Crosby. backstrom is good, but hes not in that class. Also he had a PRIME Paul Cofey with him as well.

Lets also remember go back and watch all those 80s goals where you had goalies coming out standing up in their dinky pads and getting exposed......whole different era.

Never saw Orr play, but I get the love affair those who did have for him.....
- SteveRain

Rainer, his skating was so elite that he hardly ever had to skate backwards to defend. He was always in go mode. There have been a lot of great players over the years and we in Chicago have been blessed with our share. But as great as they were they were not the gamechangers that Orr was.

According to me I'd put Mario and then Wayne next.

Back pocket stuff for the "Toews is overrated" crowd

@JFreshHockey
I always used to get annoyed by how hyped Jonathan Toews was back in the day. Maybe I was wrong.


- pdx2ord

I don't know many who were saying that back in 2013..... what are his numbers from 2017-2019?

Not sure I agree with this. School is still out on Boqvist and Jokiharju. Whether you like them or not Schmaltz and Hartmann picked at the bottom of the 1st round are NHLer's with over 300 games. Danault and Teravainen are top 6 forwards. Debrincat and Saad are steals in the 2nd round, Shaw in the 5th, Kruger in the 5th, Kurashev shows promise as a 4th rounder.

Sure, if your looking at just 1st rounders then Beach at 11 and McNeil at 18 were picks you failed to develop, but you cant blame Beach on Stan.
- TheTrob

agree to disagree

Hawks sold on Boqvist while refusing to give up Dach and/or DeBrincat. Tells me they feel his ceiling isn't as high as originally had hoped for. Post trade reviews didn't see many nhl scouts saying they gave up a perennial top pairing D man. Joker was dealt for a change of scenery deal with Nylander coming back.

If you google their 1st round picks and go on wikipedia and start at Toews to present day.....some were given up to keep cup window open (teuvo, pick for Vermette), some were used to dump a contract (Schmaltz), point is....not a lot 1st round picks still on this roster still considered to be building blocks outside of Kane/Toews, and Dach. They had some lower picks from winning, and that's the cost of being good long term, but they also had some guys not pan out the way they had hoped for........you also missed the immortal Cam Barker, who also can't be blamed on Bowman.

Like the Bears, Hawks are very good in the middle/later rounds vs 1st rounds when getting the value.

Rainer, his skating was so elite that he hardly ever had to skate backwards to defend. He was always in go mode. There have been a lot of great players over the years and we in Chicago have been blessed with our share. But as great as they were they were not the gamechangers that Orr was.

According to me I'd put Mario and then Wayne next.
- 6628

His spinorama while at the point when a forward went to check him puts Savard's to shame

Rainer, his skating was so elite that he hardly ever had to skate backwards to defend. He was always in go mode. There have been a lot of great players over the years and we in Chicago have been blessed with our share. But as great as they were they were not the gamechangers that Orr was.

According to me I'd put Mario and then Wayne next.
- 6628

By Orr's own admission he struggled skating backwards. Its why he hardly skated backwards.

Rainer, his skating was so elite that he hardly ever had to skate backwards to defend. He was always in go mode. There have been a lot of great players over the years and we in Chicago have been blessed with our share. But as great as they were they were not the gamechangers that Orr was.

According to me I'd put Mario and then Wayne next.
- 6628

Great to hear from you....hope you are well!

Oh from the videos I have seen there is no doubting his skill, etc. Just blowing through and around guys in the montage paul posted was impressive. Elite skill.


Agreed on Mario.

People talk about how this baseball record will never be broken, but Wayne's single season records will never be sniffed.....again. Once the left wing lock ruined hockey for a period, we will never those numbers again. All lines today have guys who can skate, and play....no more days of rolling out goons and/or protectors who get exposed or goalies in smaller gear.

Read Gretzky's biography back in the day, and to Rick J point....he was heckled non stop as a kid. Called him the "white tornado" because of his white gloves. i cant imagine being an adult and verbally berating a kid no matter the skill. IMO...mario had god given skill that Wayne never had, but Wayne's work ethic in his backyard rink at home.....was unmatched.

nope...saying this because he will get time skating with best players on this team and in case of Kane, 1 of the best in the league.

Like all prospects he has to progress....asking for 20+ goals isn't unfair IMO. he has shown flashes....hopefully he can put it all together and become a fixture Bowman and the organization can count on AND build around.
- SteveRain

He's still a kid, cool your jets. I remember a very smart person told me at work, "I don't care what you throw at it, it still takes 9 months to make a baby." With your logic, throw anybody on a top line and they should improve.

I tend to agree. He needs to show some improvement. It took McKinnon several years to really become a stud but you saw enough from him (not that I am comparing the 2 players).

If Dach is playing top 6 with PP time and stays healthy he needs to put up 40-50 pts.
- bhawks2241

Because we need him too? Nothing changes he's still a kid. A kid who's missed a lot of playing time the last two years.

He's still a kid, cool your jets. I remember a very smart person told me at work, "I don't care what you throw at it, it still takes 9 months to make a baby." With your logic, throw anybody on a top line and they should improve.
- rpeters01

almost all guys do...especially playing Kane.

What are your expectations for Dach this year?

By Orr's own admission he struggled skating backwards. Its why he hardly skated backwards.
- Elbows15

Crazy to think the games best defensemen struggled to skate backwards. as a ref i have to skate backwards alot in the 4 man system, and truth be told i am way more comfortable going backwards than forwards.

almost all guys do...especially playing Kane.

What are your expectations for Dach this year?
- SteveRain

To make progress over last year is all you can ask and it may not come at the beginning. This is a kid who went from Pee-wee to not even one full season at any level albeit he started in the NHL due to stupid rules. I honestly haven't checked but I doubt he's played 82 games.

To make progress over last year is all you can ask and it may not come at the beginning. This is a kid who went from Pee-wee to not even one full season at any level albeit he started in the NHL due to stupid rules. I honestly haven't checked but I doubt he's played 82 games.
- rpeters01

Exactly 82 games.

Exactly 82 games.
- Elbows15

Great, a seasoned vet. Everything last year was a waste.

almost all guys do...especially playing Kane.

What are your expectations for Dach this year?
- SteveRain

15G, 50A, +12

Crazy to think the games best defensemen struggled to skate backwards. as a ref i have to skate backwards alot in the 4 man system, and truth be told i am way more comfortable going backwards than forwards.
- SaskHawkFan

Its scary to think what he would have looked like on 2 good legs.

15G, 50A, +12
- Ogilthorpe2

You mean for Dinky, Strome, Anisimov?

Great, a seasoned vet. Everything last year was a waste.
- rpeters01

Last year was just to get him over the mental hurdle of playing after his injury.

Big guys take more time to develop. We were spoiled with Toews and Kane being a force as rookies. Its the exception and not the rule.

agree to disagree

Hawks sold on Boqvist while refusing to give up Dach and/or DeBrincat. Tells me they feel his ceiling isn't as high as originally had hoped for. Post trade reviews didn't see many nhl scouts saying they gave up a perennial top pairing D man. Joker was dealt for a change of scenery deal with Nylander coming back.

If you google their 1st round picks and go on wikipedia and start at Toews to present day.....some were given up to keep cup window open (teuvo, pick for Vermette), some were used to dump a contract (Schmaltz), point is....not a lot 1st round picks still on this roster still considered to be building blocks outside of Kane/Toews, and Dach. They had some lower picks from winning, and that's the cost of being good long term, but they also had some guys not pan out the way they had hoped for........you also missed the immortal Cam Barker, who also can't be blamed on Bowman.

Like the Bears, Hawks are very good in the middle/later rounds vs 1st rounds when getting the value.
- SteveRain

I only went as far back as Toews/Kane drafts, not before. Way to ugly to look at most of the first rounders before Toews (Skille, Barker, Babchuk, Yakupov,.....)

I agree that they have dumped a bunch of 1st rounders, regardless of whether the reason was to offload salary, keep the window open, etc. my point was more that the picks themselves and the development cant be that bad considering a good percentage of them are regular NHL players, some on top lines.

At a certain point guys just are what they are regardless of draft slot or development. Was Pastarnak at 25th pick a result of Boston development, bad scouting by 24 other teams, late bloomer, A combination of all of the above?

Fans tend to get caught up in the hype machine. Lots of consternation over Jokiharju being traded, but he is showing he is just a guy. Boqvist, who knows. Maybe he lives up to his 8th pick in the draft, maybe not. Was he rushed to the NHL, probably. Maybe it makes a difference, maybe not.

As the number 3 pick you would expect Dach to be a building block, as were Kane and Toews, but the the NHL draft can fall off very quickly and the tiers of talent are sometimes just not there. Plenty of projected NHLers in the 1st round each year, only a handful can really be considered building blocks.