State of the Blackhawks: A First Quarter Review

The Blackhawks will be a quarter of the way through their season when they skate against the Sharks on Wednesday night. I thought it would be appropriate to mark this occasion with a State of the Blackhawks report.

My two beefs with the Blackhawks early in the season were pretty simple and easy to understand. The first one was that I found it hard to swallow that they couldn’t win in overtimes or shootouts, and the second beef was that they couldn’t find a way to win on the road. These two things are obviously key elements to a successful team, and without success in these two areas, I figured the team to be doomed.

I have never been happier to be proven wrong.

Not only have the Blackhawks won three consecutive games on the road, but they have also won them via shootout, overtime, and even in regulation. They also seem to have finally settled on their primary goaltender in Nikolai Khabibulin.

I fully endorse the decision of Joel Quenneville to start Khabibulin (as if I have any bearing on his decisions) based on his record this season and based on the team’s play in front of him. He has a sparkling mark of 7-1-4 this season, and has earned at least a point in 11 consecutive starts. His only black mark on his resume this season was his opening night loss to the Rangers in Madison Square Garden.

His 2.51 GAA is ranked 11th best in the NHL, and he also has a save percentage of .920, which ranks him 15th in the league. He’s also tied for the league lead for assists by a goalie with Martin Biron.

Overall, the team is off of a solid start, with a record of 10-4-5 this season, good for fourth n the Western Conference. They also have the fourth fewest losses in the league with four regulation defeats this year. They have the third most goals in the NHL, trailing only the Sharks and Red Wings.

They are also 7-1-2 in their last 10 games, with a mark of 6-1-4 at home and 4-3-1 on the road.

These records, statistics, and ranks are all great and pleasant to look at, but when push comes to shove, the record is the important thing, and 25 points through 19 games is certainly enough to get it done in a rough and tumble conference like the West. The Hawks may not have the firepower or depth to hang with the Sharks and Wings in the regular season, but when playoff time comes around, that could be a whole other story.

Another facet of the Blackhawks this season that has been great is the performance of the youngsters on the team. Not only is Patrick Kane ranked fifth in the league in points, but Aaron Johnson, Kris Versteeg, and Duncan Keith are all in the top 10 in the league in plus/minus this year.

Versteeg is also being frequently mentioned in Calder Cup talk, and he currently leads the league in points by a rookie with 20. He is scoring goals, notching assists, and in general helping the Blackhawks in every facet of the offensive game. Paired with Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane certainly helps, but he is more than sharing the load at LW with those guys.

Other lesser known players are also pitching in. Dave Bolland and Andrew Ladd are tied with a plus-6 this season, and Bolland also has nine assists this season. Adam Burish leads the team with 49 penalty minutes, and Ben Eager has six fewer penalty minutes and has done so in four fewer games.

Aaron Johnson has also been a pleasant surprise, with his plus-12 and a 30 percent shot success rate, which trails only Ben Eager on the team.

Another quiet success story this season is Martin Havlat. After struggling for the past few years with the team to simply stay on the ice for prolonged periods, he is having a good start to the season, with 17 points in 19 games, and a plus-5. He is also third on the team in shots with 54, trailing only Patrick Sharp and Patrick Kane.

Speaking of the Patricks, what else can you say about them other than “wow”? They are both playing at an extremely high level.

Kane leads the team in assists, is second with 11 goals, and has already racked up 59 shots. Sharpie is doing similarly well, with 12 goals to lead the team and 26 penalty minutes, which is good for fifth on the team. His 20 points are also tied with Kris Versteeg for second.

The Blackhawks are also reaching out and doing community events as well. Patrick Sharp has been doing a series of autograph signings for Grant’s Appliances, and the Blackhawks ambassadors have been busy as well. Tony Esposito and Bobby Hull are doing autograph signings for their NHL Alumni signature wines next weekend.

Then there is the move that I think has been the best indicator of the Blackhawks success this season: the re-hiring of Pat Foley to do play-by-play. This move was a PR bonanza, as it brought more viewers into the telecasts and brought back old time viewers who remember the good old days from the “Madhouse on Madison”.

This move also coincided with the airing of all 82 games of the season on television for the first time. The addition of WGN has added new audiences who still don’t have cable, and the ratings are showing it. According to data released by Comcast SportsNet, the Blackhawks’ ratings have more than doubled since last season, a notable accomplishment for a sport that has always had a difficult time selling itself on TV.

The product on the ice has certainly had an impact on this, but the impact has been felt even more by the fans in the stands. The Blackhawks are currently No. 1 in the NHL in average attendance, selling more than 20,000 tickets to every game this season. With events like the Pilote/Magnuson retirement and the red carpet opening for the first home game, fans are coming back to the United Center in droves.

The biggest contributor to the success that has fans coming back to TV sets and the United Center has been the change in coaching. Denis Savard was a good fit for the team when they were a younger squad, but his icy relationship with Martin Havlat was having a detrimental impact on the rest of the team.

Joel Quenneville brings a wealth of coaching experience to the team, and the results have not been disappointing. He has coached the team to a record of 9-2-4 since the departure of Savard, and has them looking for their first playoff berth since 2001-2002. Under his tutelage, the team is scoring goals, making plays, and in general looking like a much more well-rounded team since his takeover.

The state of the Blackhawks right now is strong. They are playing a consistent brand of solid hockey night in and night out, and they are showing a lot of poise on their circus trip, which traditionally has been the time of year when they dig themselves a deep hole that they can’t get out of. As the Hawks approach the end of the first quarter of their season, I would like to give out some hardware:

Most Clutch Player

Nikolai Khabibulin is an obvious choice for this award. He has been solid in goal, holding the Boston Bruins to only one goal in their meeting Nov. 12, and not losing a regulation game since the season opener certainly helps his case.

Best Forward

Patrick Kane is currently the points leader on the team, and his team leading four power-play goals are all the reason I need to give him this award. For a team that struggled last year with the extra man, he has been a big part of bringing the unit back to being in the top 10 in the NHL.

Best Defenseman

This award was a complicated one. Do you give it to Brent Seabrook, who is quietly putting together a resume as one of the league’s premier blue liners, or do you give it to Aaron Johnson, who has been a pleasant surprise to perhaps everyone except for himself?

Well, for my money, I think that Duncan Keith and his plus-10 are head and shoulders above the rest. He also has seven assists to lead the defensemen, and he still plays nearly 30 minutes a night.

Biggest Surprise

This award can’t go to anyone but Kris Versteeg. I’ve already spelled his accomplishments this season out, but the one thing I think is most important to his success is his on-ice awareness. His shots are very precise, and his passes remind me of a video game: always right to the tape. I can’t say enough about the skill and ability he has brought to the ice, and I think it has helped immensely toward the team’s good start.

It may seem a little early to give out “awards,” but when a team is performing as well as the Hawks are right now, I think it’s safe to say that the team deserves some sort of recognition. Hopefully they can continue their solid start, and if they keep playing like they have been playing, they could be in for a real special season.