***OFFICIAL CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS PLAYOFF THREAD*** (1 Viewer)

[otello]

there you go.

 

[Limp Ditka]

Official estimate: 2 million people

 

[ditka311]

Kane looked a little there.

 

[Aaron Rudnicki]

Kane looked a little there.

from the coverage I watched, he seemed to be one of the only guys drinking. he was drinking champagne on the bus and then pounded some beers before leaving with the Cup.Buffalo-style.

 

[Hawks64]

OK, this rules

I'm all good with Eddie O, but how isn't Pat Foley doing this?

I heard he had an interview after the win and was so emotional he had a hard time speaking. Maybe that's why? Maybe he wanted Eddie to do it?

 

[Green94]

The best signing the Hawks had was re-signing Pat Foley. He is the BEST announcer in Chicago bar none.

Awesome to see him hanging out on stage yesterday and the ovation he got was well deserved and one of the loudest I heard all day.

 

[urbanhack]

Kane looked a little there.

Our company had a party at one of the roof tops for Cubs/Sox game Friday. In the middle of the game you could see all the people from the adjacent roof tops running over towards our building pointing and taking pictures. Word finally spread that Kane was in our roof top building. next think you know people are running around and going crazy. he walks up to the top the bleachers next to our party and sits down. It was ####### nuts. Here he is right next to me.After the game, he was walking on Sheffield behind the park getting absolutely mobbed by fans. Next thing you know, he's in a pedicap with his buddy and two hot chicks. Dude was ####### hammered and living like a king.

 

[glvsav37]

Kane looked a little there.

Here he is right next to me.

you got a nice rack! the red headband is bit much though.

 

[Commit To The Indian]

 

[Commit To The Indian]

 

[Hawks64]

Really not surprising with how the Hawks started. Really getting outplayed so far.

 

[Commit To The Indian]

Really not surprising with how the Hawks started. Really getting outplayed so far.

 

[Hawks64]

Really Really ugly play by the Hawks so far.

 

[Limp Ditka]

Seems to be typical Dunk this year.

 

[Hawks64]

Seems to be typical Dunk this year.

Campbell really didn't help with the drop pass into 3 Canucks. I thought the Hawks matched up well but man they are stinking the joint up tonight.

 

[chet]

Seems to be typical Dunk this year.

Campbell really didn't help with the drop pass into 3 Canucks. I thought the Hawks matched up well but man they are stinking the joint up tonight.

 

[Raider Nation]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year.

Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

 

[Limp Ditka]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They got salary capped...turnover of 9 players from last year

 

[Hawks64]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

 

[mad sweeney]

I dunno if the subtitle reflects the end of the game tonight as I am still in the 2nd period on the DVR, but I would like to make a request not to update subtitles on the night of games for the DVR crowd so as not accidentally see a spoiler on the front page for a thread that we wouldn't actually open while the outcome is still in digital doubt. Thanks!

 

[optionmaven]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

 

[Commit To The Indian]

 

[Hawks64]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

 

[Commit To The Indian]

 

[Hawks64]

Need a full 60 minutes tonight.

 

[Hawks64]

Not liking the Hawks start so far. Nucks really physical again, Hawks just taking it.

 

[Commit To The Indian]

 

[Hawks64]

That was an AMAZING save.

 

[mr roboto]

Minnesota boy living in Chicagoland. My team (stars) left me as a kid.

GO HAWKS!!!

 

[mr roboto]

Really, after the PP????

 

[Commit To The Indian]

The Hawks need to decline the Vancouver penalties.

 

[Hawks64]

 

[optionmaven]

Not liking the Hawks start so far. Nucks really physical again, Hawks just taking it.

I thought they would come out strong after those fights to end the 1st game.

 

[Hawks64]

Not liking the Hawks start so far. Nucks really physical again, Hawks just taking it.

I thought they would come out strong after those fights to end the 1st game.

This team is so out of sync right now it's sickening.

 

[mr roboto]

HFS that was close...

 

[Hawks64]

:X

 

[Raider Nation]

 

[Green94]

Hawks showing life against Luongo...

 

[Raider Nation]

Helluva effort by the boys. Lot of heart.

 

[Polsonov.]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Would you trade Hossa and Campbell for Versteeg, Ladd, Neimi, and Byfuglien?

 

[crewmember]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Hjalmarsson can go. Campoli is playing more minutes then him anyway. I don't think anyone is going to trade for Hossa. If you look at Hossa's stats, he has performed like he always has at even strength. He doesn't have as many points with us because of injuries and not getting the same amount of time and players on the power play.

 

[Hawks64]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Would you trade Hossa and Campbell for Versteeg, Ladd, Neimi, and Byfuglien?

Not in the least. Ladd is the only guy on that list I would want back. Crawford has been playing just fine, but the Hawks are missing the physical play along the boards that Ladd brings to the table as well as his leadership. Madden is another guy that hurt to lose, another physical player that is a leader in the dressing room.

 

[Hawks64]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Hjalmarsson can go. Campoli is playing more minutes then him anyway. I don't think anyone is going to trade for Hossa. If you look at Hossa's stats, he has performed like he always has at even strength. He doesn't have as many points with us because of injuries and not getting the same amount of time and players on the power play.

I agree Hjalmarsson will probably be gone, but that's only 3.5M. I think we need more space than that. I doubt Hossa will be traded as well, but man he has been disappointing. For what he's being paid I really wasn't expecting a player that dominates for a short periods and then disappears.The one positive is that I think they found a real 2 way player in Ben Smith.

 

[Polsonov.]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Would you trade Hossa and Campbell for Versteeg, Ladd, Neimi, and Byfuglien?

Not in the least. Ladd is the only guy on that list I would want back. Crawford has been playing just fine, but the Hawks are missing the physical play along the boards that Ladd brings to the table as well as his leadership. Madden is another guy that hurt to lose, another physical player that is a leader in the dressing room.

Agree with you about Madden. Ryan Johnson isn't going to fill those shoes.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Would you trade Hossa and Campbell for Versteeg, Ladd, Neimi, and Byfuglien?

Not in the least. Ladd is the only guy on that list I would want back. Crawford has been playing just fine, but the Hawks are missing the physical play along the boards that Ladd brings to the table as well as his leadership. Madden is another guy that hurt to lose, another physical player that is a leader in the dressing room.

I think they missed Byfuglien all year and he's turning into a really, really good player.

 

[Hawks64]

I didn't watch much Western Conference hockey this year. Could one of you fine chaps briefly explain why the Hawks are nowhere near as good as last year?

They lost 10 players due to the salary cap. The biggest being Ladd, Madden, Buff and Niemi. Ladd and Madden was a loss of a lot of grit/physical play along with a ton of leadership. Crawford's play has helped mitigate the loss of Niemi.

The loss of players was/is the biggest factor, but nobody they signed, traded for, or brought in to play was much of a factor. The nucleus is still there, and very young. After we get out of cap hell, we'll make another run. They did themselves no favors though and could easily have been a 3, 4, or 5 seed this yr. Lost alot of games they should have won against weaker foes, and the difference in points between them and Detroit wasn't very much. Instead, they get the best team in the league in the 1st round. I don't think the Hawks are going to go down lightly though.

I don't think they could have brought anyone in with how hard they were against the cap this year. The cap will not be better for a long time because we just keep signing players to long term deals. Seabs new deal starts next year with a ~6M cap hit. Add in the 2-2.5M they will have to pay Crawford and we are right back where we are this year. They are going to have to trade one of these core guys. Would love to see them trade Hossa if they can.ETA Just looked it up, as of right now the Hawks will have 8.3M in space to add 9 skaters (7F 2D)and 2 G. That's going to be just as bad as this year. I can't see how they make any moves without trading one of their "core" players.

Would you trade Hossa and Campbell for Versteeg, Ladd, Neimi, and Byfuglien?

Not in the least. Ladd is the only guy on that list I would want back. Crawford has been playing just fine, but the Hawks are missing the physical play along the boards that Ladd brings to the table as well as his leadership. Madden is another guy that hurt to lose, another physical player that is a leader in the dressing room.

I think they missed Byfuglien all year and he's turning into a really, really good player.

He has turned into a good player, but was mediocre at best during the regular season the previous 2 seasons with the Hawks so I don't think they missed him much this year. He set a lot of expectations with his play in the 09 playoffs and IMO didn't live up to them at all until the Playoffs in 2010. I still think they miss Ladd and Madden the most from a physical board play and leadership stand point. This team with Ladd would be significantly better, and I really thought the Hawks would keep him.The question is what can the Hawks do next year with so little cap space. Bowman will have a lot of work to do.

 

[Doctor Detroit]

He has turned into a good player, but was mediocre at best during the regular season the previous 2 seasons with the Hawks so I don't think they missed him much this year. He set a lot of expectations with his play in the 09 playoffs and IMO didn't live up to them at all until the Playoffs in 2010. I still think they miss Ladd and Madden the most from a physical board play and leadership stand point. This team with Ladd would be significantly better, and I really thought the Hawks would keep him.The question is what can the Hawks do next year with so little cap space. Bowman will have a lot of work to do.

Well I think you knew what you were up against lat year and getting that cup sure is nice. I think the bottom line is if you can keep a core of Toews, Hossa, Keith, Kane and Seabrook then the franchise is in good shape. Doesn't look like you can keep Sharp (right?) but those first three i listed there are the most important. They still aren't done but need to win the next two games.

 

[Hawks64]

He has turned into a good player, but was mediocre at best during the regular season the previous 2 seasons with the Hawks so I don't think they missed him much this year. He set a lot of expectations with his play in the 09 playoffs and IMO didn't live up to them at all until the Playoffs in 2010. I still think they miss Ladd and Madden the most from a physical board play and leadership stand point. This team with Ladd would be significantly better, and I really thought the Hawks would keep him.The question is what can the Hawks do next year with so little cap space. Bowman will have a lot of work to do.

Well I think you knew what you were up against lat year and getting that cup sure is nice. I think the bottom line is if you can keep a core of Toews, Hossa, Keith, Kane and Seabrook then the franchise is in good shape. Doesn't look like you can keep Sharp (right?) but those first three i listed there are the most important. They still aren't done but need to win the next two games.

Absolutely, if they didn't win the cup last year it would have been a revolt this year. Sharp isn't up until the end of next year so they might be able to keep him. I think Kane is right after Toews in your list, sure he isn't a great 2 way player, but point per game players don't grow on trees. And if Keith actually had a good year it could be a totally different situation right now, but he has been pretty mediocre/bad this year.I don't think they have enough left in the tank to make a series out of it, hope they prove me wrong.

 

[Commit To The Indian]

 

[Limp Ditka]

DUNK!