Bleacher Report - Articles by John Dooley

Blackhawks-Wild: Minnesota's End Is Our Beginning

John Dooley — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:11:00 -0500

So, the Bears season has ended. You're angry? We're not. The folks here at GOEL have uploaded podcast No. 2 to review the Bears season, go over the Blackhawks eight game spree, and preview the Big Ten and MVC slate. Enjoy. Below, we have a recap of tonight's HardHawk victory.

I have to admit that I feel some sort of glee regarding the plight of the "State of Hockey." Jacque Lemaire's Trap De Luxe, which has treated him well over the past couple of seasons, is dying faster than a Catholic in the Congo.

Chicago's 4-1 beatdown of the usually physical Minnesota Wild proved once again that the Blackhawks' Achilles heel has reversed to Chicago's greatest strength. The Blackhawks couldn't buy wins in 2007-2008 against teams that ran a physical game. Vancouver, San Jose, and Minnesota consistently posted victories against the Blackhawks.

Yet this team consistently charges the blueline with a full head of steam and challenges every defender to collapse. Once the Hawks gain open ice, they are able to move with the fluidity that would make a 1984 Edmonton Oiler blush.

Dustin Byfuglien was the chief grinder in tonight's match, posting two goals in the first period. Byfuglien's return to his home state saw him consistently moving his feet and creating active plays.

Martin Havlat is another player who continues to impress. His third goal of the evening continued his scoring streak.

Overall, Cristobal Huet made some stellar saves, but was rarely challenged. The play of the Chicago checking line, most noticeably Craig Adams and Ben Eager, kept the puck in the Minnesota zone. It was a constant beatdown of epic proportions.

Tuesday, the Blackhawks are off to Detroit.

Believe it or not, but the Blackhawks could gain first place with back-to-back victories.

Amazing.

Blackhawks-Wild: Your End is Our Beginning

John Dooley — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 18:11:00 -0500

So, the Bears season has ended.

You're angry? We're not.

I have to admit that I feel some sort of glee regarding the plight of the 'State of Hockey'.

Jacque Lemaire's Trap De Luxe, which has treated him well over the past couple seasons, is dying faster than a Catholic in the Congo.

Chicago's 4-1 beatdown of the usually-physical Minnesota Wild proved once again that the Blackhawks' achilles heel has reversed to Chicago's greatest strength. The Blackhawks couldn't buy wins in 2007-2008 against teams that ran a physical game. Vancouver, San Jose, and Minnesota consistently posted victories against Chicago.

Yet, this team consistently charges the blueline with a full head of steam and challenges every defender to collapse. Once the Hawks gain open ice, they are able to move with the fluidity that would make an 1984 Edmonton Oiler blush.

Dustin Byfuglien was the chief grinder in tonight's match posting two goals in the first period. Byfuglien's return to his home state saw him consistently moving his feet and creating active plays.

Martin Havlat is another player who continues to impress. His third goal of the evening continued his scoring streak.

Overall, Cristobal Huet made some stellar saves, but was rarely challenged. The play of the Chicago checking line, most noticeably Craig Adams and Ben Eager, kept the puck in the Minnesota zone. It was a constant beatdown of epic proportions.

Tuesday, the Blackhawks are off to Detroit.

Believe it or not, but the Blackhawks could gain first place with back-to-back victories.

Amazing.

Flyers-Blackhawks: Chicago Dominates 5-1

John Dooley — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:43:00 -0500

It may have been the oddest of nights.

Here I am, shoveling water, ice, and snow in 60-degree weather on December 26th.

The Chicago Blackhawks just hosted 22,000 fans to a dominating performance.

The win was the Blackhawks' eighth consecutive victory.

They manhandled the hottest team in hockey for sixty minutes.

No, it's not the year 2313. We are not experiencing a hyperactive global warming. Nor are we living in an alternative universe.

Yet, it sure does feel like it.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the hottest team in hockey, and they are beating teams in every conceivable way.

Only minutes after an ear-splitting rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the Blackhawks commanded two early goals from Andrew Ladd and Patrick Sharp. Ladd's goal came off of a rebound, while Sharp's goal came off of shoddy Philadelphia defense.

Sharp was allowed to skate right into the front of the net, eight feet out, and flip a wrister past Philadelphia Flyer netminder Biron.

Sharp's goal may have catapulted him into my 'superstar' arena of athletes. In my book, a superstar is somebody who you know is going to perform a feat moments before it happens...and the opposition can do nothing about it.

Sharp skated between the circles, took a look at the net, and BAM! Everybody knew that shot was going in. Patrick Sharp makes those shots. He is quickly morphing into another arena of athlete that we never expected.

After Brad Richards' goal cut Chicago's lead to 2-1, the Blackhawks continued pounding Philadelphia in every area.

Josh Gratton tried to go toe to toe with Craig Adams and took a couple shots to the face. The Flyers managed a meager one shot during the entire second period.

The Blackhawks out-skated, out-hit, out-thought, and out-maneuvered Philadelphia in every phase of the game.

In the third period, the Flyers frustration ran uphill. The Blackhawks punished Philly with three goals in five minutes to dash any hopes of a comeback.

The NHL Network stated after the game that Philadelphia had arrived late in Chicago, and did not have enough time for a morning skate.

Boo hoo.

A morning skate may have made the score 5-2. The Chicago Blackhawks were the better team. Period.

The end of the evening left me with a bad aftertaste of the current Philadelphia Flyer club. Marty Havlat spent time during a five on three getting his head beat in by a meathead on the opposite end of the ice. After this, Philadelphia's Finest, Mike Richards, decided to drop the gloves with Troy Brouwer.

Brouwer, who is nothing more than a scrapper, went toe to toe with the blood and guts of the Flyers franchise. Brouwer had hit Richards fair and square, and Richards reacted with a slash on a Blackhawks player with only 13 points. Classy.

I'm not sure why a player on a team down four goals in the third period would do such a thing. Then to drop gloves? And he keeps his helmet on? What planet is this guy from?

Is that a captain? Is that leadership?

Or is that just typical Philadelphia trash? I'll go with the latter.

Yet, once again, the Blackhawks took one of the NHL's best behind the wood shed.

From this point forward, we'll see how they can build on it.

'Til next time...

Blackhawks-Flyers: Patrick Sharp Leads Chicago to Victory

John Dooley — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 00:43:00 -0500

It may have been the oddest of nights.

Here I am, shoveling water, ice, and snow in 60-degree weather on December 26th.

The Chicago Blackhawks just hosted 22,000 fans, in a dominating performance.

The win was the Blackhawks' eighth consecutive victory.

They manhandled the hottest team in hockey for 60 minutes.

No, it's not the year 2313. We are not experiencing a hyperactive global warming. Nor are we living in an alternative universe.

Yet, it sure does feel like it.

The Chicago Blackhawks are the hottest team in hockey, and they are beating teams in every conceivable way.

Only minutes after an ear-splitting rendition of the Star Spangled Banner, the Blackhawks commanded two early goals from Andrew Ladd and Patrick Sharp.

Ladd's goal came off of a rebound, while Sharp's goal came off of shoddy Philadelphia defense. Sharp was allowed to skate right into the front of the net, eight feet out, and flip a wrister past the Flyers netminder Biron.

Sharp's goal may have catapulted him into my 'superstar' arena of athletes. In my book, a superstar is somebody who you know is going to perform a feat moments before it happens—and the opposition can do nothing about it.

Sharp skated between the circles, took a look at the net, and BAM!

Everybody knew that shot was going in. Patrick Sharp makes those shots. He is quickly morphing into another arena of athlete that we never expected.

After Mike Richards' goal cut Chicago's lead to 2-1, the Blackhawks continued pounding Philadelphia in every area.

Josh Gratton tried to go toe-to-toe with Craig Adams and took a couple shots to the face. The Flyers managed a meager one shot during the entire second period.

The Blackhawks out-skated, out-hit, out-thought, and out-maneuvered Philadelphia in every phase of the game.

In the third period, the Flyers frustration ran uphill. The Blackhawks punished Philly with three goals in five minutes to dash any hopes of a comeback.

The NHL Network stated after the game that Philadelphia had arrived late in Chicago, and did not have enough time for a morning skate.

Boo-hoo.

A morning skate may have made the score 5-2. The Chicago Blackhawks were the better team. Period.

The end of the evening left me with a bad aftertaste of the current Philadelphia Flyer club.

Marty Havlat spent time during a five-on-three getting his head beat in by a meathead on the opposite end of the ice. After this, Philadelphia's finest Mike Richards decided to drop the gloves with Troy Brouwer.

Brouwer, who is nothing more than a scrapper, went toe-to-toe with the blood and guts of the Flyers franchise. Brouwer had hit Richards fair and square, and Richards reacted with a slash on a Blackhawks player with only 13 points. Classy.

I'm not sure why a player on a team down four goals in the third period would do such a thing. Then, to drop gloves? And you keep your helmet on? What planet is this guy from?

Is that a captain? Is that leadership?

Or is that just typical Philadelphia trash? I'll go with the ladder.

Yet, once again, the Blackhawks took one of the NHL's best behind the wood shed.

From this point forward, we'll see how they can build on it.

Til next time.

100 Predictions for 2009

John Dooley — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 22:54:00 -0500

Before Friday night's gigantic tilt against the Philadelphia Flyers, I wanted to make some bold predictions for 2009:

Barry Rozner inherits Bob Friske's roll at the Daily Herald and writes 30 columns a year entailing different aspects of high school sports.
'Bear Weather' kills 732 Chicagoans.
Ron Santo's playing ability during the 1960's will increase to an all-time high. Even though it's not the 1960's...and the people that will be increasing his ability will be 20 year old kids in the bleachers.
Jim Rice will make the Hall of Fame and Andre Dawson won't. You know, because Jim Rice was a better baserunner and defender than Dawson was. Wait, what?
Drunk Chicago Blackhawks fan yells, 'Detroit Sucks!' at Chicago/St. Louis game.
Repeat #5 against every other team that visits the United Center in 2009.
Dan McNeil will continue to rail against the greatest kicker in Chicago Bears history, Robbie Gould.
Dan McNeil gambles and drinks his way into 'being a man'.
Steve Cochrane eats his microphone/listening audience.
Mike Murphy touches more young men. (See previous year's predictions)
Rod Blagojevich is still our governor, and Emil Jones is still a twatbag.
Rob Vallas!
Phil Cavaretta moves inside totem poles outside of Lane Tech High School.
Brent Sopel goes for walk in forest preserve, creeps out everybody that passes him.
Sergei Samsonov does winding puck maneuver; loses puck.
Mike Patrick gets larger, greener, more leprechaunish.
Another Heisman Trophy is awarded to a player not ready for the NFL.
Montreal Canadiens fans reach full 'guy' level. By playoffs, it is full bore 'ghey' level.
George W. Bush re-buys Texas Rangers; wonders what happened to that 'Oddibe McDowell' guy.
War to the east, winds out of the southwest at 20-25 miles per hour.
Milton Bradley sets up 'filming stage' underneath left field bleacher in Wrigley Field to show just how easy a moon landing can be filmed.
St. Louis Cardinal pitcher is killed by a drunk driver.
The drunk driver is Tony La Russa.
Evansville mascot Ace Purple is 'caned' to death outside the Casino Astar.
Aaron Gray pivots, pivots away, fades away, fumbles ball.
Former Chicago Bear defenders continue their expert analysis...on quarterbacking.
Dallas Cowboys lose big game on national TV.
Nora Roberts book left on top of my Blackhawks media guide in my bathroom.
Chuck Goudie, Cook County Commissioner David Orr, square off.
Chicago White Sox fan miscalculates inning by inning posting of scores at Wrigley Field.
Barry Rozner writes column about Latino Cubs player he can't stand.
Lou Piniella says Cubs weren't ready for April.
Ghost of Walter Payton blocks kicks, moves Kevin Payne off roster.
Death of Gary Woods receives half page obituary in Chicago Tribune.
Charlie Weis eats his own arrogance, dies.
Michael Strahan thought gets caught between gap in teeth.
John Feinstein's new book 'No Saturday in Meadowlandville' explores the NFL's disconnection of the Saturday afternoon regular season game that used to occur in Weeks 14 and 15 with games usually taking place at the Meadowlands.
John Feinstein runs out of ideas for books.
John Daly's alcoholic behavior still kind of cute until June 16th.
John Daly dies of alcohol poisoning June 16th.
Congressional panel concludes White Sox fans didn't exist from 1995-1999.
Another Cubs Blog prints graph showing something regarding inconclusive debate.
Chris Berman rumbles, stumbles, bumbles into sexual harassment suit.
Jesus comes back. And this time he means BUSINESS.
Barack Obama commemorative plate sold on e-bay for .99.
Chicago Cubs play record-setting game during Summer Classic at United Center.
Bears finally include a package for Kevin Jones. Unfortunately, the package has a pink slip inside.
Overthrown ball by Kyle Orton makes Bear fans wonder when they'll ever get a receiver who can catch a ball thrown 40 feet over their head.
More rock, less talk.
Free breadsticks still available.
Drunk fight in bleachers between choads spills over into group of baseball watching choads.
Ernie Banks says the 'Cubs will shine in 2009.' See, I got one.
Jim Leo and Pat DeMarco take 30 minutes to walk from hotel to Savvis Center.
Vase thrown at me by pregnant wife.
More INXS songs hid on ipod.
Ben Gordon dribbles 40 feet, stops, shoots, misses.
It definitely becomes Maybelline.
Bill Carmody mistaken for bank manager at Evanston Bank and Trust.
WNBA and Arena Football combine forces to reduce economic risk factors due to recession. The Chicago Sky insist Rush players they have nothing to worry about when it comes to sharing a locker room.
Poor Inuit hunter finds Felix Pie's lost talent; sells it for whale fat.
Pakistan beats India in cricket. Again. I mean, really. Seriously? Again?!
Martin Havlat realizes he's at NHL game, picks up speed.
Hawk Harrelson blames umpire for getting in way of White Sox fan's tackling attempt at visiting team coach.
St. Louis coach Rick Majerus stops under Arch, asks for #1-#9 with a Shamrock Shake.
NHL Network commentator stumbles on sentence; almost shows emotion.
Ryan Theriot hits .223.
Man on corner asks another guy, 'hey, you remember the '85 Bears?'
Area Cub fan concludes Ryne Sandberg would be a great manager, goes back to eating Meatball sandwich.
Bobby Hull's shakes get so bad, normal combination to wife's head misses wildly.
Chris Chelios gets booed for wanting to play for a real franchise 10 years ago.
Large, abnormally tall man is forced to wear #71 for the Bears.
Bill Simmons article on NBA trade deadline read by 17 people.
Kaplan finally realizes the reason he likes college basketball more than the pro game is because he is white.
Buddy Ryan blitzes into nursery home.
White Sox fan incorrectly uses term 'great' to describe Ivan Calderon.
Smaller white player has jerseys sold at Wrigley Field kiosk.
People finally realize Greenday ruined music.
Barry Rozner writes article on John Anderson's success in Atlanta.
The Wrestler is widely viewed as the greatest movie ever.
NFL so great, not a single team could beat any of the top 50 teams of all-time.
Kobe so good, Celtics beat him again.
Andrew Ladd gives 100% effort while cleaning laundry.
Network says Bowl/playoff debate should have playoff to decide who will debate on bowl/playoff issue.
Wendy Nix steadily gets hotter.
Ed Werder would like a day off. Any day now.
Bears fan adds Bernard Berrian to current Bears roster to see if Super Bowl would've occurred with him on whatifsports.com
Hand off to fullback gets one yard.
Martyr blows up middle east cafe, loud chanting at funeral, rocks thrown at police.
Obama to blame for current economic crisis.
First cigarette craving occurs after Alfonso Soriano's first three pitch strikeout of the season.
Person surrounds himself with like-minded people in community environment to make himself feel better about current beliefs.
Investigative report on potholes by Eyewitness News Team.
Two great days of NCAA Tournament basketball.
Pensive feelings toward upcoming baseball season end when first viewing of 'Boys of Zimmer' ends.
Nancy Grance gets condescending with interviewee.
Allison Rosatti fumbles through script with smile.
Cubs go 84-78
Hawks lose in second round of playoffs to San Jose
Mollie gives birth to something
I get puked on for the first time in an endearing manner.

That's all folks.

What's yours?

Blackhawks-Canucks: Blackhawks Dominate in 3-1 Win

John Dooley — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:57:00 -0500

Andrew Ladd is doing it all. We're still searching our archives to see if the man has had a poor shift all season.

Hopeless pucks that seem to waste away along the boards are turned into scoring chances. All of this is possible via the stubbornness of Ladd's play.

Cristobal Huet topped himself tonight as well. Huet stopped 30 of 31 shots, and many were in fantastic fashion. Huet was at his sprawling, spiraling best.

Another team tried to lure the Blackhawks into a physical match, and the Hawks refused.

The current Blackhawks theory is that if you're going to take a run at one of their players, fine. What the Blackhawks will do is respond to your physicality with speed. They will push the puck up and down the ice until your motor is barely working. You can see the defeated looks on opposing teams' faces when the Hawks impose their will.

It happened on a couple occasions tonight. Vancouver took several runs at Blackhawks players. When the puck squirted through, the particular Blackhawks player who took control of the puck made his first thought to go hard toward the net.

The crowd can cheer. The coach can feel good about his team controlling the physicality of play. But the opposing teams will continue to lose...because the Hawks will continue to keep the game moving.

Many people on other sites have shouted for an enforcer on a team with so much young talent. Maybe opposing teams should start thinking of getting talent that matches the Hawks?

Chicago Blackhawks 3, Calgary Flames 2 (OT)

John Dooley — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 23:45:00 -0500

Duncan Keith is a magician.

I won't waste any time trying to compare him to great Blackhawk defenseman of the past.

This is mainly because none of them existed in the same universe that he inhabits.

Many feel that having such a stance on a player this early in his career is premature boasting, but it isn't.

Duncan Keith is the most magical defender we've ever seen on the blueline.

The only man that compares is Chelios in his prime.

Tonight, Duncan Keith followed up a pickpocket swipe of Jerome Iginla on the boards by swiping a Jonothan Toews rebound into the back of the net for a 3-2 win in Calgary.

Khabibulin was wonderful, but Duncan Keith was magic.

The Hawks received their first goal from Davey Bolland when Mikka Kiprussoff overreacted to a whiff on a wrister by Bolland. Bolland regained himself for a second swipe at the puck, and put it past the netminder.

A Patrick Kane powerplay snipe put the Hawks up momentarily until Matt Walker had a brain freeze. Walker's unfortunate dumping attempt caromed off of a Calgary player, and Rene Bourque (who apparently decided to become a hockey player) forced a chance that found David Moss for the tying tally.

Calgary had definitely shaped their gameplan after being humiliated in the first matchup of the season. The Flames decided to dump their position as parking cones for the Blackhawks offense, and actually decided to force the Hawks' hand more often. This pressed the Hawks into more turnovers, and the Hawks never really got into their more favored 'open' style of play.

A couple players outside of Keith and Khabibulin caught my eye: Cam Barker and Jonothan Toews. Barker played a fairly inept game, which got me thinking about Daily Herad writer Tim Sassone's incessant pleadings for Barker to be traded. To this writer, it just seems that Barker isn't always in the game.

For a first round draft pick, who seemingly has all the tools to be a great defenseman (perfect size, great shot, solid ice vision) it seems that Barker should be further down the line in his evolution. We'll see.

As for Toews, he reminded me of what many people say about great players; "That they are great when they are supposed to be." Jonny T certainly didn't do a whole hell of a lot tonight before the over time frame, but the move he made to force a penalty (and give Duncan Keith a chance to collapse on the winner) was one of his best moves of the year.

It's hard to believe, but the Hawks are only five points behind Detroit. Plus, they have a game in hand.

They have two games coming up with Detroit, as well.

A man can dream, right?

It's hard to fathom that only two years ago I was stuck behind a man yelling "Slackhawks" at a game. Good days.

Til Tomorrow,

Edmonton Oilers Sluggish as Chicago Blackhawks Crush Them, 9- 2

John Dooley — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:12:00 -0500

Everybody just loves to talk about Glenn Anderson.

The old Oiler would scoop up all of the remnants of a Kurri, Gretzky, Tikkanen, or a blast from Coffey.

This would occur late in a game; with your lovable team down 6-1 at the Northlands.

Anderson comes sweeping in, burying a goal past some stiff like Sidorkiwiecz or Beaupre.

And there he is.

Waving his arms like a freaking cross traffic cop at Addison and Clark on gameday. Like he just won the flipping Super Bowl.

And you wonder why I enjoyed tonight so much.

There were the Oiler fans giving their team the Bronx Cheer as the Blackhawks ran up and down the ice to a convincing 9-2 win in Edmonton, tonight.

Nobody can run on this team, folks. Not a god damn one.

Craig MacTavish spent most of the pregame talking about tempo. The only tempo the Oil dictated was the flow of cars pouring out of Rexall after only two periods of play.

Nikolai Khabibulin was an absolute star tonight.

Mathieu Garon wore a mask that had Grant Fuhr and Bill Ranford's face painted on each side. Creepy, right?

I'm not a sure a six-armed Fuhr/Ranford/Garon octopi would've stopped the Hawks tonight.

Marty Havlat has somehow mixed Goulet's open ice vision with a teaspoon of Larmer's willingness to chip it in behind the net.

Brian Campbell ripped a shot that would've made poor Paul Coffey blush in embarassment.

Andrew Ladd pushed a puck down the ice so fast, that the rebound off Garon came right back to him...and then he shoveled the puck to an open Fraser for a 2-0 lead.

Then came Campbell's blast.

Then more goals, and more.

Troy Brouwer turned into Frenchy Fuqua and caromed a goal into the net. Many wondered about James Wisniewski after a long stint on the IR.

Three assists.

Why not? Right?

Why not just get three assists after coming off the IR? I mean, you don't have anything else better to do, right?

It all reminds me of looking at the Candyland board game when I was four years old.

Candyland looked like the perfect place to live. Who wouldn't want to live around candy canes and gingerbread houses?

The Northlands Coliseum when it featured Gretzky, Tikkanen, Kurri, Anderson, Coffey...that was Candyland.

Today, it's teams like the Blackhawks getting that ninth goal. All the while pounding their fist, and taking a nice big bite of the gingerbread's head.

Chicago Blackhawks 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 1

John Dooley — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 22:10:00 -0500

If Boris Mironov took horse tranquilizers before facing the 1988 Oilers, I'm not sure that even he would have had such a poor performance as Keith Seabrook did Sunday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

If it was missing outlet passes, stumbling through body checks, or not reading caroms, the culprit was probably Seabrook.

All was forgotten, however, when Brent Seabrook's 200-foot shot sailed between the pipes to secure a 3-1 Blackhawks victory.

The Blackhawks are now 10-1-4 on home ice this season.

More importantly, the Blackhawks have two goalies performing at an extremely high clip. Cristobal Huet was fantastic once again stopping 31 of 32 shots.

This page should also take the time to echo the laurels that have been heaped on Columbus' new goalie, Steve Mason. Mason showed tonight why he's the top young goalie in the game. The Hawks couldn't get him out of position at any point during the first two periods.

What had made things tougher for the Hawks was Fredrik Modin's early first period goal that put the Hawks behind 1-0. The Jacket defense shut down any Hawk attempt to hold any consistency. Ken Hitchcock teams have always had a strong defensive mentality.

It wasn't until Patrick Sharp was able to bank one off of Mason's legs that the Hawks were able to break the ice.

The Hawks took the lead when Blackhawks all-star blueliner Duncan Keith played a fancy game of give-and-go with Marty Havlat that put the Hawks up 2-1. Keith and Havlat are fun to watch in the open ice, and they completely undressed one of the best goalies in the game. (Is Duncan Keith the Blackhawks MVP for 08-09 so far?)

So, here we are. The Blackhawks were outplayed recently by Anaheim and Columbus over the past couple weeks, and came away with wins in both matches.

That's what good teams do.

You know what else the Blackhawks have? They have the fourth least amount of losses in the National Hockey League.

We'll see if they can continue the trend out west.

'Til Later.

Chicago Blackhawks 4, Colorado Avalanche 3

John Dooley — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:30:00 -0500

Do the Blackhawks ever make you feel like you're playing solitaire on a cold, rainy day, wrapped up in a warm blanket, drinking hot tea, and listening to Joni Mitchell's "Blue?"

No?

Me neither.

I would never know how that experience feels.

What I'm saying is that if I ever DID take the time to go through the above experience, I'm sure it would result in the same heartiness and warmth that came from tonight's Chicago Blackhawks victory over the Colorado Avalanche.

What a great job by tonight's fourth line to bust their rears and keep the Hawks in this game. Ben Eager and Craig Adams were fantastic.

Nikolai Khabibulin, returning from a long stint away on injury, was somewhat handcuffed tonight. 18 of 21 isn't great, but he stopped many key chances in the first period. Colorado could have easily been up 4-1 in the second period, but "Nik" made some fabulous stops.

Great job to bench Seabrook for a time by Quenneville, as well. He probably should've taken the time to keep Patrick Kane on the bench, too. Kaner played one of his worst games in the past month.

Obviously, the hero of the night was the great Dustin Byfuglien. I haven't been silent regarding my discontent of No. 33's play, but the truth is that the man plays too out of control to be a regular player.

As the season has progressed, "Big Buff" has definitely calmed. He got in front of the net, where he belongs (but rarely goes), and tallied the two biggest goals of the game. His first goal was not crease-driven, but nonetheless, his physical presence helped eek out a victory.

Now, it's on to Sunday against Columbus before a big road trip.

Til Sunday!

Blackhawks-Senators: Chicago Loses Burish, Still Plays Physical

John Dooley — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:18:00 -0500

With their physicality subdued by the placing of Adam Burish on injured reserve, the Chicago Blackhawks rallied to play one of their more bone-crushing games of the season on Wednesday evening. The slashing play led to a hard fought 2-0 victory, and gave many fans hope that this is one small step for the Blackhawks going forward.

This was not the Blackhawks style of play.

Heck, it wasn't even the Ottawa Senators style of play.

Yet, the game plan by Ottawa seemed to encourage chippier play to get Chicago out of rhythm. It worked only a handful of times, as Chicago controlled the overwhelming majority of play on both sides of the ice.

The Blackhawks scored their only non-empty netter on a power play flutter goal by Patrick Kane.

The rest was scraped up by Cristobal Huet's stellar play and the surprising footwork of Brent Sopel and Matt Walker, two defenseman that have struggled mightily at times this season. Both men came together to play one of their finer games of the year.

One of the more surprising performances came from Pascal Pelletier. The man wearing Roenick's number spent much of the first period around the puck and even forced the Sens into a 'holding the stick' penalty.

Much of the recognition needs to go to Huet, however, who played his final game as a Blackhawk. His frenetic style that was seen regularly in Washington was finally being seen on the rink in Chicago. Ottawa had multiple opportunities throughout the game to come through with a tie, and they just weren't able to.

It was a fantastic crowd tonight, and the Hawks continue to receive big lifts from the UC crowd.

"The Stache" heads to Denver this weekend for a reunion with his old mates on Friday. Time for a beat down.

Til Friday...

Blackhawks-Coyotes: Chicago Manhandles Phoenix

John Dooley — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:40:00 -0500

The Chicago Blackhawks made 25 percent of their shots from the field.

To put that in perspective, the DePaul Blue Demons basketball team made 24 percent of their shots against Northwestern over the weekend.

That is ridiculous.

What's even more ridiculous? That Andrew Ladd finished with four points and a plus-four performance?

Or that Ben Eager had two goals in 11 minutes of ice time?

Or that Wayne Gretzky let Ilya Bryzgalov get his brains beat in?

I'm not sure which is worse.

The third point is just baffling. If anybody knows what it's like to have a goalie be completely befuddled and lost during a game, that person is Gretzky. Gretzky's 1980s Oilers teams regularly embarassed opponents into multiple goalie changes.

At least now he knows how it feels.

Cristobal Huet was challenged only a couple of times tonight. He was 20 of 21, and face little resistance from the Phoenix offense.

Watching Kris Versteeg try to throw down with Kyle Turris was a bit disturbing, however. Hopefully, I'll never see that clash of bantamweights again.

The Blackhawks have the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night. The Blackhawks have left a couple points on the table this season, and need to start going on a tear to get back to where they belong...which is right at fourth place in the Western Conference standings.

Til Wednesday...

Detroit Red Wings 5, Chicago Blackhawks 4 (SO)

John Dooley — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 23:39:00 -0500

Brent Seabrook is a pile of feces.

The Chicago Blackhawks blew a lead to the Detroit Red Wings in the third period for the second time this season as the Wings held on for a shootout victory in Detroit.

Down 2-0 early, Chicago rallied behind some magnificent plays by Jonathan Toews who put together one of the best goals of his young career to tie the game at two.

Unfortunately, Joel Quenneville consistently had the Hawks keep three men back throughout the third period. The call was made for the Blackhawks to not go for the kill. Quenneville made the same wrong decision in Chicago against the Wings earlier in the year.

He has now paid for this bad decision twice.

By getting his team playing out of their natural ways, and sitting back on their heels, the Wings took it to the Hawks throughout the third period on route to a two goal comeback. The 4-2 Blackhawks lead evaporated within minutes because of this shoddy play.

Both goals scored by Detroit in the third period were the result of Chicago's inability to get back quickly on defense. For a team that isn't built with much size on the blue line, it's inexcusable to not get back against one of the top teams in the NHL. Yet, it happened twice, in the same period.

Conklin got hot in the third and the Wings took his hot hand all the way home.

Although we here at the Ghost of Ed Litzenberger are happy with the Hawks getting a point in a tough place to play, we understand that if the Hawks want to reach that upper echelon they need to close out more of these games.

It will be a nice weekend if they can cap it off with a win over Phoenix. We shall see.

Til Tomorrow.

Blackhawks-Ducks: Chicago Steals One from Anaheim

John Dooley — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 23:48:00 -0500

I leaned back in my seat in section 325 with 13 minutes gone by in the third period.

I had already written the article in my head:

"The Chicago Blackhawks cashed in after the first two minutes of the second period to play arguably their worst hockey of the season. Slowed down by Anaheim's size, and by Chicago's own sloppy play, the Ducks coasted to an easy 2-1 victory at the United Center."

I had too many things to talk about. Martin Havlat sleepwalking through roughly the entire game. The Blackhawks settling for shots from the point since they weren't able to work anything behind the net. Dave Bolland's pathetic hooking penalty in his own end in the second perio,d when he had four teammates between the puckhandler and the goal.

Where was I to begin?

I had an insanely drunk woman in front of me who kept talking about how great RIVALRY games are. To top this, she may have been the worst leaner I've sat behind at any sporting event. Or did I mention the fact that she kept pounding my leg whenever she had something to say?

Or should I have begun my article with the fact that my fellow season ticket holder cancelled on me 24 hours before the game, and I couldn't get a soul to come with me to the match?

Needless to say, their were a lot of options.

Yet, as I finished one of my final cigarettes outside the United Center before tonight's game, I just had this odd feeling tonight was going to be special. Too many odd things were occurring to prevent me from going to the game for the night not to be special.

For one, it was Steve Larmer Night.

Larmer was my favorite player to wear the Indian head. The man was a machine, and took quite a pounding around the net over the years. Still, he never missed a game as a Blackhawks player.

Through the the two-minute mark of the second period until six minutes left to go, I had finally concluded where my story would go.

Tonight, the United Center was the most dead I can ever remember. Ever. It was 2005 dead. Hell, it was 2006 dead.

It made me think of how dull the Hawks were in the late '70s—struggling with attendance, mediocre play, and lacking a star player.

Then, it made me think of where the Hawks went after Larmer left—struggling with attendance, mediocre play, and lacking leadership on top.

This was perfect. I would write my story based on the oddity that a man who helped bring Chicago hockey back to relevance in the 1980s and early 90s would watch a re-incarnation of the misery that existed before and after he was a player.

Welcome home, Steve!

Then, with just under six minutes left to go, everything awoke.

There was Kris Versteeg gaining the line, making a move, and dumping it to Keith, who slid it over to Havlat, and somewhere I was running out of commas in my head to decipher what had just happened.

Marty awoke. The son of a gun slept through two periods of hockey, wandered into the soft spot of the ice and finished a beautiful set up from Versteeg and Keith. 2-2.

The drunk woman in front of me went from annoying to jovial. The game went from the worst of the season to the Miracle on Ice. The birds were singing, and my hideous sore throat disappeared.

The United Center which had (and no, I'm not exaggerating) been the quietest it has been in over three years erupted like Bin Laden's head had just arrived on a sizzler.

After this stanza, the United Center media crew caught the Golden Jet Bobby Hull in the skybox. The shot panned away from his face, and gave a ghostly shot of the retired numbers in the rafters.

I can't explain it, but I think Chief Blackhawk arrived to summon the spirit of Hawks past and finagled the deciding tally.

In a play that only works in the computer version of NHL '95, Jonathon Toews hit a deflecting puck that sailed over Anaheim goalie Jonas Hiller (who was brilliant). The computer game version would regularly have pucks carom off the back boards, roll over the goalie, and an opposing player would tap the puck in the net. It was quite frustrating if you were on the losing end.

However, in this case, the Blackhawks were on the winning end when Toews' carom found him back in front of the net for the winning chip-in.

There was simply no reason the Chicago Blackhawks should have won this game. They were outplayed for 32-straight minutes, rarely even getting a solid possession in the opposing zone.

The empty netter by Bolland polished things off, and gave me ample time to run to my car. I beat the outgoing traffic, and headed safely home.

Waiting for me upstairs is my beautiful wife.

I guess you could say it all worked out from this fan's perspective.

My story doesn't just get a new headline because of the Hawks performance, it will get a happy ending based on mine.

Hey-o!

Til Saturday.

THUD. Kings 5, Blackhawks 2

John Dooley — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:52:00 -0500

There isn't much to say about this crappy performance. The Blackhawks lost to one of the worst teams in the NHL by playing one of their worst games of the season.

Check. Worst game of the season.

The Blackhawks' umpteenth "too many men on the ice" penalty led to the game-killing power play goal by Kyle Calder in the third period.

While the Hawks have games in hand on every team in the Western Conference outside of St. Louis, one must note that after such a strong start, the Hawks are only three points in front of LA.

Three points.

The Blackhawks entered California 3-0-0 on their annual circus trip. Three points in three games was not a tall order.

Now, after three games, they come back beaten, bruised, and befuddled.

'Til Wednesday.

Anaheim Ducks 1, Chicago Blackhawks 0: Sluggish Hawks Go Down

John Dooley — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 03:18:00 -0500

We apologize for the delay, but we weren't able to log tonight's outcome on-line as quickly as we would've liked.

The Blackhawks came out sluggish once again, something that has been notified repeatedly by GOEL reader, Brian.

The positive portion of the afternoon affair came from the fine play of Hawks goaltender Cristobal Huet.

The Blackhawks were able to generate scoring chances, but weren't able to get sticks on pucks in front of the net. Marty Havlat created three or four scoring chances that didn't get through. Anaheim collapsed on every opportunity presented, and cleared the puck with quick precision.

The frustration left the Hawks taking more chances from the point in the ladder periods, and the Hawks wound up not receiving a point for the first time on this circus trip.

The Blackhawks can ill afford a let down tomorrow afternoon against the Kings. Two points will be needed against a team that has some fantastic young talent.

Til Tomorrow.

Blackhawks-Sharks: Chicago Hangs Tough, But Falls in San Jose

John Dooley — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 01:13:00 -0500

Brent Seabrook's overtime turnover produced a Joe Thornton goal, leading the San Jose Sharks to a 3-2 overtime win Wednesday night.

Road winners have been scarce in the Shark Tank over the past couple years. Not a single team in the NHL has come away with a regulation win in northern California this season, and tonight would continue the streak.

The Blackhawks were thoroughly dominated in the first 15 minutes of the contest. The Hawks were lucky to only be down 1-0, but once again Nikolai Khabibulin was brilliant. "Nik" stopped 24 of 25 shots before being helped off the ice during a scrum late in the second period. Cristobal Huet proved to be fairly stingy, stopping 13 of 15 shots on the evening.

Chicago outworked San Jose throughout the second period, and tied the game on Jonathan Toews' third tally of the season.

Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov let the first goal trickle by, but had zero chance on the second score of the evening. Nabokov was useless during a two-man advantage early in the third, when Cam Barker found Toews sitting in front of the net for the captain's fourth goal of the season.

The Blackhawks controlled the game until the 13-minute mark of the third period. Thornton found Marleau down low on a pretty sequence that led to the tying mark.

San Jose played a fairly mediocre game over the last 45 minutes and still found a way to win.

Dale Tallon may look like a genius if Khabibulin is out for any period of time. Huet should be getting the bulk of the workload over the weekend while the Hawks finish off the California Republic sequence of the roadtrip.

Hawks defenseman Aaron Johnson also went down in the second period after a gutless hit by Mike Grier, and the timing couldn't have been worse. Wisniewski will be headed back to the team shortly—however, the Blackhawks need to find a way to get the Walker-Sopel combo off the ice for good. A Johnson injury for any period of time puts a hamper on such wishes.

We'll be back Friday afternoon with a recap of the matinee festivities.

Blackhawks-Stars: Versteeg Inspires Hawks to Comfortable Victory

John Dooley — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 23:09:00 -0500

When the weather outside is frightful, the Blackhawks are so delightful.

Forgive me for my giddiness, I just haven't had the chance to watch professional hockey at this level in over 10 years.

The Blackhawks fought off a lackadaisical first period en route to a commanding 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars tonight.

It's a good thing Hockeenight didn't have their podcast with me after tonight's game. It would've been 30 minutes of me yelling Kris Versteeg's name and glorifying his every move.

If it's not the pick pocket move he had the other night against San Jose off Boucher, or the hard charges into the corner he makes to free pucks, or the regular flips of open pucks toward the crossbar, Kris Versteeg is probably doing something else on the ice to help his team win.

Tonight, his goal and two assists were just portions of his overall game. They didn't tally his constant nagging of Dallas defenders. His move to put the Hawks up 4-3 at the end of the second was arguably the best goal of the season.

Another player who might have his stats overshadowed is Martin Havlat. Marty had one stanza during the game where he picked off two consecutive clearing passes, and then made a move toward the net to draw a penalty. He polished off his night with a pretty goal to put the Hawks up 5-3.

Do we have enough time to talk about Ben Eager?

Or the re-awakening of Brian Campbell?

Or the Mustache Man's penchant for sticking his foot up the rears of players who make dumb penalties?

We don't. I know you don't. There's just too much 'wonderful' to go around.

Nik was only 25 of 28 tonight, but half of his saves were top notch.

Their simply wasn't a single element of tonight's game that could be preyed upon, unless you want to go back to the Hawks' penalty kill which has gone back to being somewhat mediocre.

So, we'll end on this note:

Kris Versteeg has seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points through 18 games.

Pardon me while I hug the nearest object in my computer room.

Blackhawks-Coyotes: Chicago Nearly Gives It Away

John Dooley — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 00:28:00 -0500

Patrick Kane's boneheaded penalty during a Chicago power play early in the second period gave the Phoenix Coyotes life they didn't deserve.

Up to that point, the Hawks had dominated Phoenix, en route to building a 2-0 lead. The Hawks had taken control of every aspect of the game. They were very close to ending the night.

Once again, dumb penalties almost did the Hawks in again.

Fortunately, the Blackhawks recorded their second shootout win of the year, 3-2.

Nikolai Khabibulin was brilliant once again, stopping 36 of 38 shots and standing tall during the shootout frame.

Much of the credit defensively goes to another stalwart performance by All-Star defenseman Duncan Keith. The man is just absolutely brilliant. It makes one wonder how a defenseman who is afraid to shoot the puck in key situations gets gobs of money, while the other, who sits back and commands his team to victory, makes much less.

Such is life.

We see it in the workplace everyday. There is the guy in the office who stays late, gets the job done, brings the reports in on time, makes sure every system is running correctly, while the CFO gets up at the board meeting and takes credit for all the company's goings-on.

Kris Versteeg is quickly becoming the hot news of 2008. His goal in the first put the Hawks up 1-0.

Penalties, and hordes of them, brought Phoenix back into the game. Aaron Johnson's pathetic holding-the-skate penalty may have been the king caper of the evening. Shortly thereafter, Shane Doan (and his ghey name) tied the game at two apiece.

This author would also like the "Dustin Byfuglien running the point on the power play" experiment to stop—immediately. Byfuglien's place is in front of the net, and also making sure that pucks deep get freed for skilled players.

It will also be nice when Wisniewski gets back so the Hawks can get rid of the Sopel-Walker circus that invades our living rooms every day. I'm not sure if Matt Walker's legs are made of cement, but they certainly look like it.

All in all, it's two points. It's also two points that I didn't necessarily feel the Blackhawks deserved. Usually that's a sign of a solid hockey club.

Stick it in your mouth, Phoenix.

'Til next time.

Blackhawks-Bruins: Chicago Musters Few Quality Chances in Shootout Loss

John Dooley — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:50:00 -0500

Old-time hockey. Toe Blake.

The Hawks got caught in a dump-and-chase show. Boston, being the bigger of the two squads, came out on top of a shootout victory, 2-1, with a stalwart performance by Tim Thomas.

Nikolai Khabibulin was just as good, but the Hawks were unable to gain many scoring opportunities in the final two periods.

I have to say, that may have been one of the best games I've seen at the United Center.

Both teams competed at an extremely high level, but the Hawks came out short on the physical end and on the scoreboard.

The Bruins did what many teams in the NHL have a very tough time doing—stop Patrick Kane, Kris Versteeg, and others from continuous scoring chances.

Every pass, every shot, and every dump was challenged.

It's tough to comment negatively on anybody's performance considering the absolute domination showed by both goaltenders. It felt like we were watching a game from '95 or '96. Lots of trap, chase, and check.

The pregame ceremony was fantastic. This writer, after watching the ceremony live, is going to have a tough time negating the Blackhawks' decision to honor Magnuson. He was probably one of the most popular Blackhawks over the past 40 years, and the class he spread across the organization was something needed while the franchise was spinning out of control.

Obviously, the biggest question mark of the night was Quenneville's decision to put Dave Bolland in the shootout mix. Davey hasn't scored a tally all year, and to put him into a high stakes game like this...well, it's just odd.

The Blackhawks will need to capitalize on the next couple home games before going on a major tear away from home.

A good night for all, just a poor result.

Who Cares About the Goaltender?

John Dooley — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:33:00 -0500

Cristobal Huet stopped 22-of-23 shots as the Blackhawks continued their season long dominance at home.

Who really cares who starts in net?

When the Blackhawks dominate every part of the game and decimate each team's ability to produce good chances on power plays, does it matter who is in net?

I don't think so.

The Blackhawks made the Calgary Flames look old tonight. Every time the Hawks crossed the line they found ways to get the puck into the hands of players who could score.

That reminds me, thank God Jonathan Toews has a goal. It was too long, and our long national nightmare is over.

Kris Versteeg is ridiculous. Can I say that? The man is ridiculous.

Aaron Johnson?! What the heck!

Am I supposed to even write a game synopsis? Why? Why do I need to waste your time with this?

You, the reader, need to know just two things:

1. The Hawks are really good
2. It doesn't matter who starts in net

There may have been a third point, too. I'm beginning to believe that it might not mean a thing if you can rough up the Blackhawks. The Hawks are just too fast and too smart to be slowed down by gangster tactics. The Flames tried on multiple occasions to slow down the game through thug play.

It didn't work.

The Blackhawks just continued to ransack Miikka Kiprusoff, one of the best goalies in the game, and pound Calgary's slow defenders into submission.

The Blackhawks also killed off eight minutes in penalties during the first period. During those first eight minutes, Calgary barely sniffed a good shot on goal.

Wednesday night the Blackhawks take on the Boston Bruins. We will be retiring the jersey of the greatest defenseman in Chicago Blackhawk history, Pierre Pilote. Then, apparently, we will be retiring Keith Magnuson's name on the same jersey. Not sure why, but hey, at this point, who cares?

I guess that's what you get for being the greatest defenseman in Chicago Blackhawks history. Oh well.

Til Wednesday!

Blackhawks-Flames: Who Cares About the Goaltender?

John Dooley — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 22:33:00 -0500

Cristobal Huet stopped 22 of 23 shots as the Blackhawks continued their season-long dominance at home.

Who really cares who starts in net?

When the Blackhawks dominate every part of the game, and decimate each team's ability to produce good chances on power plays, does it matter who is in net?

I don't think so.

The Blackhawks made the Calgary Flames look old tonight. Every time the Hawks crossed the line, they found ways to get the puck into the hands of players who could score.

Which reminds me—thank God Jonothan Toews has a goal. It was too long, and our long national nightmare is over.

Kris Versteeg is ridiculous. Can I say that? The man is ridiculous.

Aaron Johnson? What the hell!

Am I supposed to even write a game synopsis? Why? Why do I need to waste your time with this?

You, the reader, need to know just two things:

1. The Hawks are damn good.
2. It doesn't matter who starts in net.

There may have been a third point, too. I'm beginning to believe that it might not mean a damn thing if you can rough up the Blackhawks. The Hawks are just too fast and too smart to be slowed down by gangster tactics. The Flames tried on multiple occasions to slow down the game through thug play.

It didn't work.

The Blackhawks just continued to ransack Miikka Kiprusoff, one of the best goalies in the game, and pound Calgary's slow defenders into submission.

The Blackhawks also killed off eight minutes in penalties during the first period. During those first eight minutes, Calgary barely sniffed a good shot on goal.

Wednesday night, the Blackhawks take on the Boston Bruins.They will be retiring the jersey of the greatest defenseman in Chicago Blackhawk history, Pierre Pilote. Then, apparently, we will be retiring Keith Magnuson's name on the same jersey. Not sure why—but hey, at this point, who cares?

I guess that's what you get for being the greatest defenseman in Chicago Blackhawks history. Oh well.

Til Wednesday!

Chicago Blackhawks: One Fan's History

John Dooley — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:24:00 -0500

My first memory of anything sports-related was sitting downstairs on my fifth birthday, playing with my new red fire truck, and watching William Perry spill over the goal line during a Monday Night Football beatdown of Green Bay.

If you grew up in the Chicagoland area in the mid '80s, the Chicago Bears were a way of life. Every Sunday marked church, catechism, the Mike Ditka Show, the NFL Today, and the Bears at noon.

Walter Payton ruled this town long before Michael Jordan arrived. DePaul was actually just as big of a story as Jordan's Bulls, if not more, in the mid-'80s. The Cubs and Sox were looked at as summer0long swooners. The passion of the city had yet not migrated to the national pastime, as it would in the 21st century.

In mid-1980s Chicago it was Harold Washington, Ed Vrdolyak, Council Wars, Mike Ditka, the Chicago Bears, Michael Jordan, Ryne Sandberg, and Jane Byrne—in no particular order. The city thrived on politics, scandal, and flash. Jordan and the Bears provided that flash.

A team that provided much of the February-April rush in the city was the Chicago Blackhawks. Denis Savard, Al Secord, and Doug Wilson provided a nucleus that rallied the Hawks to three final four appearances from 1982 to 1985. After taking home another Norris crown in 1986, the Blackhawks began to fade into the NHL abyss. It started with a lackluster sweep at the hands of the then-lowly Toronto Maple Leafs.

Murray Bannerman was not holding up well. Bob Sauve was not the answer. Depth was a huge problem.

A year-long experiment under the NHL's version of Wade Phillips, Bob Murdoch, did not turn out well either.

By the beginning of the 1988-89 campaign, the Hawks were clearly not just on the outskirts of the NHL in talent, but they were losing a fight to stay in the forefront of Chicago papers.

The hiring of Mike Keenan was meant to bring the Hawks back to the level they had enjoyed earlier in the decade. What transpired was a gut-wrenching 27-41-12 season that featured clubhouse meltdowns, frequent goalie switches by Captain Hook (Keenan), and an embattled fan base that had seen enough.

Going into the final Sunday of the season, the Hawks needed to beat Toronto to qualify for the playoffs in arguably the worst division in hockey. A 4-3 overtime win at the Stadium provided the final tally, and the lifeless Hawks were headed to Detroit.

BEGINNING

My uncle played hockey, loved hockey, watched the Blackhawks incessantly. My father, on the other hand, didn't play the game, nor did he care to introduce the game to me for that matter. He was too interested in baseball, basketball, and football—and rightfully so.

Hockey was a game for rich kids. We didn't have much money. Not for travel, equipment, etc. So, I never really got an introduction to the game.

This isn't to say that my dad didn't love the Blackhawks, because he did. They were just No. 4 on his sports totem pole, and were probably the same for most people in Chicago for that matter.

At five years old, I stopped watching cartoons. I started reading the newspaper sports section. I didn't watch children’s shows, but would watch the NFL Today on Sunday mornings. I was an odd kid.

The Blackhawks were already there, but they didn't make much sense to me. Was I supposed to care about them? I remember getting a yearly SportsVision calendar in the mail informing us of the programming for that year. On the pamphlet were painted pictures of Carlton Fisk, Michael Jordan, and Doug Wilson.

So, they had to be big, right? I mean, they put the picture right next to Jordan and Fisk, right? That's got to mean something.

1989 was a magical year for a nine-year old Chicago sports fan. Absolutely magical. In March, Illinois made a furious run to the Final Four. The Chicago Bulls were up and down like a merry-go-round, and would qualify for the playoffs despite a fifth-place divisional finish.

The Cubs had their mystical season on Addison and Clark, which led to a divisional title. Hell, the Bears started 4-0. Well, let's just say it was great from January-October first, shall we?

In the middle of this was an odd collection of youngsters and castoffs on this Blackhawks team poised to go nowhere. I told myself I would watch it from afar.

The Blackhawks flew past Norris champion Detroit four games to one. When the series ended, I went up to my third-grade teacher Mrs. Arandson. Mrs. Arandson was about 75 years old, and loved Chicago sports. I miss her dearly. I had this exchange with her:

ME: Uh, Mrs. Arandson. Did you see that the Blackhawks beat Detroit 4-1.
MA: Yes. Yes, I did. I didn't know you liked hockey, John.
ME: Well, I kind of do. Do people like the Blackhawks?
MA: Well, of course. I like to watch the Bulls and the Blackhawks. It was quite an upset to beat Detroit. Let's see if they can get St. Louis!

I didn't say anything after that because, well, quite frankly, I was pretty stunned this 75-year-old lady knew that the Hawks had just beaten Detroit and that they played St. Louis next.

This, by the way, is all 100-percent true. That conversation happened. Exact wording.

I had no way to keep up on the Chicago-St. Louis series because my dad worked nights, and my mother ruled the television. My mom had to live with her brother, my uncle, who hijacked the TV throughout the '60s and '70s to watch the Hawks. And HELL NO was she going to let that happen again. I mean, god forbid she missed the new Designing Women.

But, I kept up. Game by game. I relayed the daily updates to Mrs. Arandson, and she would give me details on how the game actually went down.

The Hawks took care of St. Louis four games to two. A 27-41-12 hockey club was on its way to conference finals.

Even as a nine-year old, I knew that the Blackhawks had a very small shot at beating a very talented Calgary Flames team. Yet, I can remember vividly sitting outside of Hawthorn Elementary school after one of my sister's recitals to hear the Hawks stun Calgary in Game Two at the Saddledome. With the Hawks down two games to one, I finally got a hold of an alarm clock radio.

It was about time. Listening to Pat Foley describe the scene in Chicago Stadium before a big playoff game was something I'll always remember. I listened to Game Four intently, only to collapse when Al MacInnis threw one into the back of the net to win the game in overtime.

BEING A 1930s SPORTS FAN

What we were, in fact, were prehistoric sports fans. The majority of us Hawks fans had to spend many nights, putting our ears to the radio listening to a fading signal, hoping the Blackhawks would prevail.

Management never fully let us in. If you wanted Blackhawks home games after 1991, you had to order HawkVision.

It's something that nobody else in our generation has had to deal with—the connection to radio as a primary conductor of team broadcasting. And thank God for Pat Foley during those years.

1992

If 1989 hooked me, 1992 transported me. I went to that place in Hawks heaven where everything goes right, and even Mike Peluso finds the net.

The 11 straight playoff wins seem like an alternate universe now. How could have that even happened?

More importantly, how did they blow a 4-1 lead in Game One of the Finals? Why did Bernie Nicholls take a run at Keith Brown during Game four of the CCF? These things we'll never know.

1995 vs. Red Wings

Greatest series I've ever watched. I know, I'm biased. But I can't remember a five-game set being more exciting in my life. It's a shame that for how well Ed Belfour played, he only managed one win in this series.

WHY WE LEFT

So, why did we leave? There are times in a person's life where he just can't take it anymore. He's not going to spend good money on a bad product. He's not going to support a franchise that doesn't support him. So, while I watched the Hawks from a distance from 1999-2006, I can't say that I really ever cared.

As long as Old Man Wirtz was in charge, as long as the old Blackhawk Machine existed, I was not going to be a part of it.

WHY IT ALWAYS WILL PULL US IN

The following clip is all that I need to know about why the Chicago Blackhawks exist. There is a hope, that someday, somewhere, there will be another moment just like this. A moment where all of the hard work, all of the sacrifice, and all of the blood will be paid off.

A moment like this is only possible in hockey. It grabs you like no other sport. I'm a lifelong lover of football, basketball, and baseball. But a hard fought goal late in a 1-0 game? Nothing can beat. Nothing will beat it.

Play it again. Look at the crowd. Look at the faces. This is only possible through hockey. I thoroughly believe this.

And one day, that conversation I had with Mrs. Arondson, the nights I had pressing my ear to the radio, the days me and the guys would play floor hockey—all of those things will come together. All of that joy will come together.

We'll be champions again.

Blackhawks-Blue Jackets: Chicago Shoots It Out

John Dooley — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 22:28:00 -0400

This was a game the Chicago Blackhawks would have lost in years past.

Tired legs ruled the ice for the men in the Indianhead, yet they were able to hold off a barrage of shots by host Columbus to stake out a 4-3 victory in a shootout Saturday.

Cristobal Huet stopped 48-of-51 shots in the victory.

The game started with much instigation from the Jackets.

Ken Hitchcock's teams are usually a collection of meat-headed yobs, and this Jackets team is no exception.

The Blackhawks were outworked throughout the first 15 minutes of the first period, but got the first goal on a defensive lapse by Columbus with Patrick Sharp finding the soft spot of the zone and rattlling off two shots to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.

Troy Brouwer's boneheaded penalty set up an equalizer to 1-1.

Throughout the second period, the Hawks were being dominated, and Fredrik Norrena's flop from some subtle contact with Hawks forward Kris Versteeg set up a long stanza of Columbus power-play time.

However, it was the Blackhawks who struck next, killing the Columbus power play and converting on their own with a goal by Brent Seabrook. After a turnover that led to a shorthanded goal by Fedor Tyutin—one of Huet's only bad moments of the night—the Hawks came right back with another power-play goal, this time from the stealthy Martin Havlat.

The Hawks, and most notably Seabrook, had a brain cramp that led to Columbus' third goal. With tired legs, in a 4-on-4 situation, Columbus was given far too much room by Chicago and the game was tied again.

The final six minutes of regulation showed Columbus clicking on all cylinders. Yet, time and time again, Huet turned back golden Blue Jacket chances.

As the game progressed into overtime, the Hawks killed their eighth penalty of the evening after a horrendous penalty for having too many men on the ice.

Facing nine penalty kills, a rough game the previous night, and an early morning arrival, the Hawks played with some serious guts tonight.

They finally finished with a shootout win when Huet read every Columbus move.

He was simply brilliant.

WORST PLAYER ON THE ICE FOR HAWKS

I'm gonna have to go with Dustin Byfuglien, who looks like an old man when he skates around the ice. This guy looks completely disinterested in everything that's going on. He's flatfooted and completely clueless with the puck. I'm not sure how close the Hawks are to thinking about benching him. I'd think about it. Pretty hard.

A CLOSE SECOND

Seabrook was the only Hawk finishing the game at a minus-2. He had a wonderful power-play goal, but his consistent lack of surroundings was surprisingly noticeable. His inability to throw the puck down the ice during a line change in overtime is borderline unforgiveable. It nearly cost the Hawks a point in the standings.

UP NEXT

The Blackhawks get Colorado on Monday night at 7:30 pm. It should be a good one, with Quenneville going against his old mates.

Happy All Saints Day! My favorite Saint is Saint Patrick. Who's yours?

Chicago Blackhawks: Barker recalled, Hendry/Hjalmarsson sent down

John Dooley — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:13:00 -0400

Thought you'd be interested in this bit of news from the Daily Herald site, and the best beat reporter covering the 'Hawks, Tim Sassone.

It was announced after practice Sunday, that defensemen Jordan Hendry and Niklas Hjalmarsson were assigned to Rockford and that Cam Barker would be recalled on Monday in time to play in Minnesota.

Dustin Byfuglien also got some practice time on defense Sunday, after being used on the blue line in overtime against Detroit.

Will Byfuglien eventually go back to playing defense? Joel Quenneville won't commit to it, but Byfuglien said Sunday that it was nice to be back in his old position. Hmmm.

Byfuglien, by the way, played his best game of the season against the Red Wings as forward. You actually noticed him throwing his big body around.

The defense definitely is a work in progress with Dale on the search for help, as in more size. I wouldn't rule out getting Kyle McLaren just yet. McLaren is playing in the minors at Worcester after the Sharks waived him and he cleared. Right now the Hawks can't fit his $2.4 million cap hit into their payroll structure.

—Received via e-mail from goel loomer, Brian

Blackhawks-Red Wings: Gone in an Instant

John Dooley — Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:31:00 -0400

The Blackhawks' 4-2 lead evaporated in the same manner many teams watched games slip away against the Soviet Red Army team: Quickly, gracefully, and silently.

In what was one of the better regular-season games the United Center has ever seen, the Chicago Blackhawks fell to the Detroit Red Wings 6-5 in a shootout.

There were so many ups and downs, so many great saves, hard hits, and beautiful moves. If a man must be converted at the Guy La Fleur's Church of Hockey, he has to watch the action this game entailed.

It's tough to remind ourselves that our top line features men of 19, 20, and 22 years of age. It's tough to remind ourselves that our Blackhawks are probably two or three years away from surpassing this particular Detroit squad. It's even more tough to swallow losing a two goal lead, and chalking it up to the fact that maybe you weren't as good as the other squad.

The Hawks are getting to that Wing level. Well, maybe at the rim.

I remember having the same helpless feeling as a kid watching the Bulls play the Pistons in the playoffs from '88-90. That feeling where you know the team you are watching can compete at that level, but just not consistently enough to be the best.

The Hawks haven't shown me many weak links over the past couple of games. Even the weak links I suggest are ones that are somewhat minimal. Dustin Byfuglien may struggle getting a puck in the net, but along the boards he's nearly impossible to strip. For every minus, their seems to be a plus.

It still sucks knowing that you outplayed the best team in hockey for two periods, and you let the game slip away. Yet, as a fan, I need to step back and realize where this team is going.

A good night for the Hawks, and a great night for hockey.

Oilers-Blackhawks: Preview

John Dooley — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:29:00 -0400

OIL AT THE HAWK!

These teams played for the conference title in 1983, 1985, 1990, and 1992; the Oilers winning three of four.

We all know Brian is mourning the loss of Jack Skille for Troy Brouwer. People need to calm down about these minimal moves. Brouwer has a little more size, on a team that is DYING for size. This sounds like a Quenneville request, and it comes none too soon.

Jack Skille is going to play in the NHL. It just might not be with this team.

The Hawks are too small to give Skille the amount of ice time he should be getting at this age. He's not Theo Fleury just yet, but he has improved hands this season, and wonderful feet. Plus, he's got a feisty streak. Once he gels all of this together and relapses at a strip club in Columbus, Ohio, he'll be just like Theo. Just kidding.

Tonight is Breast Cancer Awareness Night. There is a late start at 8 pm, which made me wonder if this was a CBC cast or something of that nature for the folks up north. (Eh?)

Under most circumstances you could count on a late start for a Hawks game to include many ejections, drunks, and fights. But, as we all know, Hawks fans wouldn't be so callous to be rude and crude on a cancer-awareness night.

Then again, after watching two men fight over nachos in 327 last year...anything is possible.