SCP '09 ROUND 3, WEST CONFERENCE FINAL: DETROIT RED WINGS VS. CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Maybe you and your guys give it up when you're down by two.

The Blackhawk Tribe sure doesn't.

Getting a bit testy there DTR? Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm?

Testy? Ha ha...are you ready for a war?

The Blackhawks are always ready.

davetherave wrote:Testy? Ha ha...are you ready for a war?

The Blackhawks are always ready.

I hope the Blackhawks' PR department is cutting you a cheque for all this promo.

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Testy? Ha ha...are you ready for a war?

The Blackhawks are always ready.

:##:

I hope the Blackhawks' PR department is cutting you a cheque for all this promo.

Yo, cynical brother Shabbs...laugh away.

Laughter is good for you when your team is playing golf.

As for me...

It's called passion, my brother.

Passion for hockey, passion for the team you have pledged your loyalty to.

And passion for your team is the Power of Hockey.

Dig it.

davetherave wrote:Yo, cynical brother Shabbs...laugh away.

Laughter is good for you when your team is playing golf.

As for me...

It's called passion, my brother.

Passion for hockey, passion for the team you have pledged your loyalty to.

And passion for your team is the Power of Hockey.

Dig it.

Cynical?



You questioning my passion? I wouldn't if I were you...

:KJK:

shabbs wrote:

davetherave wrote:Yo, cynical brother Shabbs...laugh away.

Laughter is good for you when your team is playing golf.

As for me...

It's called passion, my brother.

Passion for hockey, passion for the team you have pledged your loyalty to.

And passion for your team is the Power of Hockey.

Dig it.

Cynical?



You questioning my passion? I wouldn't if I were you...

:KJK:

Hmmmm...a little testy there, brother Shabbs? That's the spirit, me boyo. That's passion.

Anyway, as you are cheering for the Blackhawks...no worries, mate. All good.

davetherave wrote:Hmmmm...a little testy there, brother Shabbs? That's the spirit, me boyo. That's passion.

Anyway, as you are cheering for the Blackhawks...no worries, mate. All good.

Heh heh.

Rooting != cheering.

Hawks aren't dead yet
After improved effort, home ice could get Toews & Co. right back in it

Chicago Sun Times, May 20, 2009/HERB GOULD hgould@suntimes.com

I've always been a fan of the little girl from Kansas and her flawed friends. And so, it seems, have the Hawks.

''We've been great at home all year, and our fans have been great in supporting us,'' Adam Burish said. ''That's something we can get energy from, knowing that we're going back home to a building where we've been pretty good. It's more than possible to even this thing up at home.''

The skeptics are going to say Detroit is too good, that the Red Wings proved that by taking the Hawks' best shot Tuesday and still prevailing 3-2 in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead.

I understand that thinking. But I also have seen too many series like this in which a team has lost two on the road and gone home and won a pair to even it up.

The key will be for the Hawks to grow up, rather than get frustrated. The encouraging part is that they're saying the right things about knowing that.

Don't write them off.

''It's easy to get down on yourself and look at things in a negative light,'' said captain Jonathan Toews, who scored the Hawks' two goals. ''But we're going to stick together and stay upbeat. Tomorrow's another day. We're going to go back to work and not let this one sink in too much and disappoint us and depress us too much.

''It would have been great going home with a split. We have our work cut out for us now. But no pressure. We just have to go out there and battle and play loose and keep improving, keep bringing our game up a notch every game.''

It's easy to write off the Hawks now, especially with the way the Wings methodically won the first two games. But it's still a little piece of frozen rubber flying around like one of Harry Potter's Golden Snitches, with the difference between joy and failure measured in inches. I want to see more before administering the last rites to the Hawks' overachieving season.

If they muster a little more energy, there's no reason they can't go home and win a pair from the Red Wings.

But you don't have to be a wizard to know why the Hawks are leaving Joe Louis Arena down 2-0.

Everything they did, Detroit did better. Never mind that Joe Louis Arena has more in common with a bus station at midnight than the United Center when it comes to being an intimidating venue.

The Red Wings were the better team Sunday, and they were the better team again Tuesday, even if the Hawks closed the gap a bit.

The Hawks' chief tormentor once again was Dan Cleary, who limped out of Chicago 10 years after the Hawks made him the 13th pick of the 1997 draft. After knocking around with Edmonton and Phoenix, Cleary signed with Detroit as a free agent in October 2005.

'Pretty underrated player'

What was lacking back then? Maturity, experience and a commitment to two-way hockey by the former junior scoring star.

But in these first two games, he has shown heart, brains and courage. And he's a big reason why the Wings are soaring against the Hawks.

After scoring two goals Sunday, Cleary gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with his third score in two games.

''He's a pretty underrated player,'' Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. ''He's really developed here. He's a threat with that line on the ice every time. They work well together. It's a challenge playing against those guys.''

The Hawks know they have their backs against the wall. But they're not giving up yet, said Brian Campbell, who lost the puck on the winning goal.

''We were definitely looking for a split,'' Campbell said. ''But we gained a lot of confidence [from Game 2]. We'll be ready. This series is a long way from over.''

Publicly, at least, Detroit coach Mike Babc0ck did not disagree.

''This team is going to be very difficult to put away,'' he said. ''They're disciplined, they're smart and their goalie's playing well.''

And they're going home -- where they expect their luck to change.

davetherave wrote:And they're going home -- where they expect their luck to change.

I realise it's a phrase, but they'd better do more than just expect their luck to change.

From Sarah Kwak at Sports Illustrated 'Inside the NHL' yesterday, May 20:

And finally, a parting thought on last night's Blackhawks-Red Wings game: Though Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews may be inseparable in a sentence, they don't belong on the same line -- at least not against the Red Wings.

Head coach Joel Quenneville made the adjustment of separating the two late in Game 1, moving big-bodied Dustin Byfuglien up to play with Toews and Troy Brouwer with Kane playing with Kris Versteeg and Sami Pahlsson.

The matchups worked out better for Chicago, and the benefit of last change when they return to the United Center will certainly help them get back into the series.

Interesting, the panel was discussing that on TSN or SportsNet and they were of the opposite opinion. They said a team in the playoffs needs two strong lines, which means Kane has to be a top-six, not playing 3rd line minutes with checkers.

davetherave wrote:Hawks aren't dead yet
After improved effort, home ice could get Toews & Co. right back in it

Chicago Sun Times, May 20, 2009/HERB GOULD hgould@suntimes.com

I've always been a fan of the little girl from Kansas and her flawed friends. And so, it seems, have the Hawks.

''We've been great at home all year, and our fans have been great in supporting us,'' Adam Burish said. ''That's something we can get energy from, knowing that we're going back home to a building where we've been pretty good. It's more than possible to even this thing up at home.''

The skeptics are going to say Detroit is too good, that the Red Wings proved that by taking the Hawks' best shot Tuesday and still prevailing 3-2 in overtime to take a 2-0 series lead.

I understand that thinking. But I also have seen too many series like this in which a team has lost two on the road and gone home and won a pair to even it up.

The key will be for the Hawks to grow up, rather than get frustrated. The encouraging part is that they're saying the right things about knowing that.

Don't write them off.

''It's easy to get down on yourself and look at things in a negative light,'' said captain Jonathan Toews, who scored the Hawks' two goals. ''But we're going to stick together and stay upbeat. Tomorrow's another day. We're going to go back to work and not let this one sink in too much and disappoint us and depress us too much.

''It would have been great going home with a split. We have our work cut out for us now. But no pressure. We just have to go out there and battle and play loose and keep improving, keep bringing our game up a notch every game.''

It's easy to write off the Hawks now, especially with the way the Wings methodically won the first two games. But it's still a little piece of frozen rubber flying around like one of Harry Potter's Golden Snitches, with the difference between joy and failure measured in inches. I want to see more before administering the last rites to the Hawks' overachieving season.

If they muster a little more energy, there's no reason they can't go home and win a pair from the Red Wings.

But you don't have to be a wizard to know why the Hawks are leaving Joe Louis Arena down 2-0.

Everything they did, Detroit did better. Never mind that Joe Louis Arena has more in common with a bus station at midnight than the United Center when it comes to being an intimidating venue.

The Red Wings were the better team Sunday, and they were the better team again Tuesday, even if the Hawks closed the gap a bit.

The Hawks' chief tormentor once again was Dan Cleary, who limped out of Chicago 10 years after the Hawks made him the 13th pick of the 1997 draft. After knocking around with Edmonton and Phoenix, Cleary signed with Detroit as a free agent in October 2005.

'Pretty underrated player'

What was lacking back then? Maturity, experience and a commitment to two-way hockey by the former junior scoring star.

But in these first two games, he has shown heart, brains and courage. And he's a big reason why the Wings are soaring against the Hawks.

After scoring two goals Sunday, Cleary gave Detroit a 2-1 lead with his third score in two games.

''He's a pretty underrated player,'' Hawks defenseman Duncan Keith said. ''He's really developed here. He's a threat with that line on the ice every time. They work well together. It's a challenge playing against those guys.''

The Hawks know they have their backs against the wall. But they're not giving up yet, said Brian Campbell, who lost the puck on the winning goal.

''We were definitely looking for a split,'' Campbell said. ''But we gained a lot of confidence [from Game 2]. We'll be ready. This series is a long way from over.''

Publicly, at least, Detroit coach Mike Babc0ck did not disagree.

''This team is going to be very difficult to put away,'' he said. ''They're disciplined, they're smart and their goalie's playing well.''

And they're going home -- where they expect their luck to change.

They'll need a little help from the Hockey gods with the Odds stacked against them as I'm sure you've heard that the team that goes up 2 games to none in the conference finals wins it over 90 percent of the time.

It's not yet relevant, but I would like to see the stats for teams that go down 0-2 on the road and then win game 3 at home. Let's face it, they lost 5-2, then lost in OT, and are now coming home. There's every reason to believe that they can turn their fortunes and win at least game 1.

Look, I'm not turning into a Hawks fan (hold off on that jersey, Dave) but I do hope that, if they do win tomorrow, that someone posts the stats.

We know it already happened once this year with Washington going down 0-2, and that was at home. 91% still leaves room for 1 team out of 11 coming back to win. And if you know how statistics work, you'll realize that just because Washington has already done it, it doesn't at all lower the odds for Chicago.

Inside Shots/Blackhawks Team Report

Yahoo! Sports, May 21, 2009

The Blackhawks are getting better but clearly haven’t been as good as the Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference finals so far.

Detroit won both games on its home ice, and now the Hawks will try to do the same. Game 3 is Friday at the United Center and Game 4 is Sunday.

The Hawks need good performances by budding superstars Jonathan Toews(notes) and Patrick Kane(notes) to compete against the Wings. That didn’t happen in Game 1, when Kane didn’t even get a shot on goal, but both were more noticeable in Game 2.

If they can keep improving and Nikolai Khabibulin(notes) holds up in goal, the Hawks might still make a run at the Wings. At least they believe they can do it.

RED WINGS 3, BLACKHAWKS 2 (OT): Mikael Samuelsson(notes) intercepted a Brian Campbell(notes) pass, then scored off the ensuing breakaway to give Detroit the victory. The Hawks tied the game late in the third period on a tip-in by Jonathan Toews, his second goal of the night.

Notes, Quotes

• The Red Wings have one glaring weakness—penalty-killing. Jonathan Toews’ first-period power play goal marked the 11th straight playoff game in which the Wings allowed at least one goal when the opponent had the man advantage.

• Detroit coach Mike Wang believes Toews, despite being just 21, is an ideal captain. “Toews is the type of guy you need to lead your franchise,” said Wang. “You need a great human being who is a workaholic to set the tone. When your key guy does everything right, everyone else does. I joke that if everyone was like (Detroit captain) Nik Lidstrom—the kind of professional who does everything right without being told—there would be no coaches. There’d be nothing left for us to do.”

• How did the Hawks blot out the memory of their dismal play in Game 1? “We went back to the hotel and loosened up,” said forward Patrick Sharp(notes). “We had a good night together. We relaxed, watched TV, played video games and had fun.”

• Game 1 earned a 2.0 overnight metered market rating, making it the most watched broadcast of an NHL game on NBC, excluding the Winter Classic and Stanley Cup finals, since the league and network resumed their partnership in 2005-06. That was a 33 percent increase over the comparable conference final of last year, Dallas at Detroit.

• Joel Quenneville made Wang an assistant coach for Canada’s World Championship team five year ago in part because Wang asked for the job. “I used to watch (Quenneville’s) teams when I was in the minors, and I was a big fan of the way St. Louis played,” said Wang. “We went to the World Championships, he got sick and I filled in. Every since we’ve had good dialogue.”

• Maybe Henrik Zetterberg’s(notes) comment about Patrick Kane’s play in Game 1 was meant as a compliment. “I don’t think he played as bad as everyone says. I thought he was dangerous a few times,” Zetterberg told the Detroit News. Kane went without a shot on goal for the first time in the playoffs, and he was shot-less only three times in the regular season—once against Detroit. Kane got his first shot on goal of this series early in the first period Tuesday.

Quote To Note: “He’s a dangerous player. Kaner finds his way through (tough situations). He progresses where he winds up on the scoresheet and is a threat. He’s a tough guy to contain over time. Top players eventually get chances to break through. We expect him to get better as we go along. He’ll be fine. He’s a great pro and getting better every day. He really improved his game in the playoffs.”—Hawks coach Joel Quenneville, assessing the play of second-year winger Patrick Kane.

Predictions, Dave, we want predictions. You obviously have a plethora of links and have by now worn out the CTL, C and V keys on your keyboard (assuming you're a keyboard shortcut junkie and not a mouse-man). What I want now is to hear what you have to say. Who will win tonight, er, tomorrow (I've got the other thread in another tab and will get there ASAP)? What will be the deciding factors? Who will be the hero and who will wear the horns?

The view from Chicago today:

Thin ice doesn't worry Hawks

NHL: Blackhawks focus on Game 3, not ready to panic

Chris Kuc On the Blackhawks/Chicago Tribune, May 21, 2009

The Blackhawks are in a tough spot and they know it.

Trailing the Detroit Red Wings 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals, the Hawks face the prospect of having to win four out of the next five games against the defending Stanley Cup champions to continue their impressive postseason run.

It's a difficult position but not an impossible one, and the Hawks will cling to that notion until the last Zamboni chases them off the ice. That could come as early as Sunday afternoon if the Wings manage to win the next two games at the United Center, beginning with Game 3 on Friday night.

But neither team is thinking sweep quite yet. Not with the Hawks having put together a solid effort in their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 2 on Tuesday night and with a return to their home ice, where they are 5-1 this postseason.

"Each and every guy still should feel pretty good about where we're at," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Wednesday. "We know we're playing the best. We've got to be better, that's all.

"We still should be excited about playing our next game, knowing that we're close to getting where we want to go. If we get that result, we'll feel good about where we're at in the series."

If the situation were reversed, the Wings could turn to just about anyone in the dressing room to ask advice on what to do next. On Detroit's current roster, 21 players have won a total of 40 Stanley Cup rings. Among the Hawks, only three players have sipped from the Cup: Andrew Ladd, Nikolai Khabibulin and Sammy Pahlsson.

It's Ladd who can give his teammates a unique perspective. The winger was on the 2006 Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, a team that lost the first two games of its Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Montreal Canadiens -- at home. Carolina roared back to win the next four en route to capturing its first NHL championship.

"I just think you don't want to panic," Ladd said. "Every team that goes through runs, they have a little adversity they have to face. All you can do is focus on Game 3. That's the message we're going to try to get across ... the importance of that game. It's still a seven-game series and you have to win four games. There's still a long way to go."

It won't be that long if the Hawks don't turn around their fortunes against a Wings team that has now defeated them in six of eight contests this season. Falling Tuesday night in a game during which the Hawks outplayed the Wings for long stretches -- and were one shot away from coming home with the series tied 1-1 -- was a big blow but not a crushing one.

"I think we've got a pretty good pulse of our team," Quenneville said. "The beat of our team has been pretty consistent throughout the playoffs. We've had some highs and some lows. I think we can build on the positives of how we played [Tuesday], knowing that we did improve, and we're looking for that type of game from ourselves.

"I think if we can look to just improve off of those levels, knowing we're at home [and] taking advantage of the enthusiasm in the building, we can get ourselves back into it."

Pahlsson, who won a Cup with the Anaheim Ducks in 2007, said the Hawks have their backs to the wall, but they're maintaining a positive attitude.

"We have a good feeling on the team," the veteran center said. "We know we still have a chance even though we're down 2-0. We have a little bit of a hill to climb, but it's not over yet. I think we all know that."

ckuc@tribune.com

wprager wrote:Predictions, Dave, we want predictions. You obviously have a plethora of links and have by now worn out the CTL, C and V keys on your keyboard (assuming you're a keyboard shortcut junkie and not a mouse-man). What I want now is to hear what you have to say. Who will win tonight, er, tomorrow (I've got the other thread in another tab and will get there ASAP)? What will be the deciding factors? Who will be the hero and who will wear the horns?

Looks like Dave ignored your request. :??:

wprager wrote:Predictions, Dave, we want predictions. You obviously have a plethora of links and have by now worn out the CTL, C and V keys on your keyboard (assuming you're a keyboard shortcut junkie and not a mouse-man). What I want now is to hear what you have to say. Who will win tonight, er, tomorrow (I've got the other thread in another tab and will get there ASAP)? What will be the deciding factors? Who will be the hero and who will wear the horns?

Too funny.

:^^^^:

Red Wings legend Gordie Howe recalls Hawks rivalry

By David Haugh, Chicago Tribune, May 22, 2009

Life has been difficult for Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe, since he lost Mrs. Hockey, his wife of 55 years, Colleen, two months ago.

Colleen Howe passed away March 6 after a lengthy battle with Pick's Disease, a rare form of dementia first diagnosed in 2002. She was the NHL's first female agent who played an integral role in the legendary career of her husband, Gordie, who played longer than any player in league history until retiring in 1980 at the age of 52.

Still grieving, the 81-year-old Howe considered by many as the greatest hockey player ever no longer speaks in public or grants interviews in person at his home in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., according to son, Marty.

Howe's only published comments since his wife's death came a month later after an appearance at a charity hockey tournament when he responded to a question from the National Post about whether Colleen Howe belonged in the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

"Hell, yes," Howe said. "More than a lot of people we know."

These days, arthritis in Howe's shoulders and wrists has kept him off the golf course. That means more time for Howe to fish, his other favorite pastime away from the ice. Howe also still loves his Red Wings, with whom he spent 25 seasons (1946-71) ruling Hockeytown USA. Every now and then, as Howe did last week, he will attend a Wings game and afterward stop by the office of a coach he admires, Mike Wang. His son, Mark, is the Red Wings' Director of Pro Scouting.

Before Friday's Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals at the United Center between Howe's Red Wings and the Blackhawks, a rivalry Howe helped define during the his quarter-century in Detroit, No. 9 graciously agreed to answer questions via e-mail.

Q. What are your favorite memories of the Red Wings-Blackhawks rivalry?

A. I really enjoyed playing against my friends, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita. Mr. [James] Norris had ownership in both Chicago and Detroit so it was strange to compete against your own owner, when you think about it.

Q. How does the Red Wings-Blackhawks rivalry compare to others in hockey and other sports?

A. Back in the Original Six days, we played each other about 14 times in the regular season alone so virtually every opponent was a heated rivalry. It certainly helps too when you have two teams who are competitive against one another and have a chance at the Stanley Cup.

Q. Who was the toughest Blackhawks player you remember either playing against or fighting?

A. The Blackhawks, like all the teams back in our era, had many tough players. One that comes to mind is my close friend, Bill Gadsby [former Blackhawks captain who played in Chicago from 1946-57 and later coached Howe with the Red Wings from 1968-70]. Of course, Ted Lindsay played there too for a few years [1957-60] and was always a force on the ice.

Q. How much NHL hockey do you watch today and who are your favorite players?

A. I don't watch much hockey today other than when my son, Mark, comes to town. He is currently the Director of Pro Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings so I go down to Joe Louis Arena with him on occasion. I'm still a Wings fan but just don't watch a whole lot of games anymore. I'm trying to watch as many Wings playoff games as I can though and would love to see the boys go all the way again.

Q. What do you think is the secret has been to the Red Wings success and consistency?

A. They have tremendous ownership with Mike and Marian Ilitch and great management by [Red Wings general manager and executive vice-president] Kenny Holland and his staff. They also have a great locker-room with strong leadership and lots of talent. A close locker-room will go a long way in developing team chemistry.

Q. What makes Detroit such a great hockey city?

A. The fans have shown tremendous support over the years in the city of Detroit. I think the close proximity to Windsor helps, too, as there are a fair number of Canadian fans who attend the games.

Q. How fondly do you recall skating with an 18-year-old Wayne Gretzky and how much do you value your relationship with him? [In the 1979 All-Star game of the now-defunct World Hockey Association, Gretzky skated on a line with Howe and his son, Mark during a three-game series against a Russian team.]

A. Wayne was like a sponge. He absorbed all the information and was a true student of the game. Wayne has always been a class-act and great ambassador of the game.

Q. How are you feeling overall and is there anything you want to say to fans of yours in the hockey community?

A. I'd just like to say a sincere thank-you to everyone for your support over the years. The fans are what make this the greatest game in the world. I was very fortunate to play 32 years of professional hockey, including international competition. Along the way, I've met many wonderful people worldwide and I continue to do so today. It was an honor to play in front of so many different fans over my years of hockey and I'm grateful for it.

dhaugh@tribune.com