Blackhawks

#101      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Good question. I think yes. I also think that one stupid, childish tirade shouldn’t undo all the good that was done when Rocky took over from his dad. Yes, he will have to rebuild that trust with many, but I think he deserves the chance to try. We need to see if his actions going forward build off his apology.
This. Rocky is a far cry from Dollar Bill. But his tone deaf performance yesterday kind of torpedoed whatever goodwill the Hawks have gleaned from attempting to come clean from the Aldrich debacle. Just pathetic.
 
#102      
Good question. I think yes. I also think that one stupid, childish tirade shouldn’t undo all the good that was done when Rocky took over from his dad. Yes, he will have to rebuild that trust with many, but I think he deserves the chance to try. We need to see if his actions going forward build off his apology.

Both the Blackhawk and Bear franchises are going through a management crisis. Fans are wondering if either franchise knows what they're doing. Might even throw in the North Side ball club also in category.

The Bulls and White Sox are clearly on the upward trend. And they didn't get that way until some of their management people were replaced by others who seem to know what they're doing.

The Blackhawks have legacy stars getting on late into their careers. The Hawks are going to need to rebuild with good young talent which teams like the Red Wings and Kings are doing right now. But the Hawks need to get their front office in order or that's not going to happen.
 
#103      
Generations of the Wirtz family have disrespected Chicago’s love for the game of hockey. This sad quality seems to be passed down from one generation to the next.

Your grandfather’s generation saw how Blackhawks fans were treated in the ‘60s during the great Hull and Mikita days. No home TV. For many years, not even home RADIO was allowed. Might hurt the box office receipts, you know.

The franchise slid into years of emptying seats and lots of losing in years after that. Fans began to stay away, but they still secretly loved the game and the team anyway.

Then a new generation of Wirtz took over and the team began to flourish. Even bagged some Stanley Cups along the way.

But something dark was going on behind the scenes. And it all became public.

And then that new generation of Wirtz was asked how the franchise was responding to that. And that Wirtz began to sound and act just like some of the prior Wirtz’ did.

Chicago will always love the game of hockey. It’s a shame that those who own the team don’t love them back. Or treat them with the respect they deserve.

Wonder if they EVER will?

This is a bit melodramatic for me. At the end of the day, the vast majority of people don't care if the owner is a jerk. If the Hawks are winning, people will show up. When the team stinks, people stop showing up.
 
#104      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
This is a bit melodramatic for me. At the end of the day, the vast majority of people don't care if the owner is a jerk. If the Hawks are winning, people will show up. When the team stinks, people stop showing up.
I have been a Blues fan since 1967 when they got their expansion team and the days of Red Berenson and Glenn Hall......Always waited for the Blues -Blackhawks games at St .Louis with my stash $$ to buy tix to go see those rough and tumble games .......

it seems odd to not see the Blackhawks in the playoffs and the game would be so much better if they could get their s**t together and rise back from the dead .....

The old Black and blue Norris Division was my Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner scenarios every time the Blues played against them and the North Stars and the Red Wings ..........Man , I am so old but my memories are so sweet .....Like honey from a NL , it gets sweeter with time..............

Listening to R.E.M. "" Automatic For The People "" CD and groovin like a banshee....let it rain , let it snow , NL # 3 and slo-mo.....trippin the light fantastic...




pf01.gif
 
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#105      
I have been a Blues fan since 1967 when they got their expansion team and the days of Red Berenson and Glenn Hall......Always waited for the Blues -Blackhawks games at St .Louis...

Back in those days, there was nothing like the excited voices of Dan Kelly and Gus Kyle being blasted all across the cold prairielands of the Midwest and beyond on the big blowtorch AM station.

St. Louis really took to the team and to NHL hockey.

But then in the 1980's, the team had floundered so much that the Blues almost moved to SASKATOON.

And then The Suits stepped in to disallow the move because they didn’t like the look of having the ‘SASKATOON BLUES!’.

OK, we know why St. Louis has a Blues history. But Saskatoon? What’s Blue up there, except for their very cold noses much of the year?

Fortunately, the team was saved for St. Louis so the City didn’t have to lose them like they lost the Browns, NBA Hawks, the ABA team, the Cardinals, and the Rams.

As for late 1960s clueless Blackhawk management, they left Glenn Hall unprotected in the expansion draft and instead kept the younger Denis DeJordy who would soon be gone from the Hawks after that. Hall went on to be star on the Blue Notes.

Yet another ‘brilliant’ move by the same Blackhawk brain-trust that traded away Phil Esposito who became a scoring machine after leaving Chicago. And who let Bobby Hull leave for the WHA because they wouldn't pay him.
 
#106      

pruman91

Paducah, Ky
Back in those days, there was nothing like the excited voices of Dan Kelly and Gus Kyle being blasted all across the cold prairielands of the Midwest and beyond on the big blowtorch AM station.

St. Louis really took to the team and to NHL hockey.

But then in the 1980's, the team had floundered so much that the Blues almost moved to SASKATOON.

And then The Suits stepped in to disallow the move because they didn’t like the look of having the ‘SASKATOON BLUES!’.

OK, we know why St. Louis has a Blues history. But Saskatoon? What’s Blue up there, except for their very cold noses much of the year?

Fortunately, the team was saved for St. Louis so the City didn’t have to lose them like they lost the Browns, NBA Hawks, the ABA team, the Cardinals, and the Rams.

As for late 1960s clueless Blackhawk management, they left Glenn Hall unprotected in the expansion draft and instead kept the younger Denis DeJordy who would soon be gone from the Hawks after that. Hall went on to be star on the Blue Notes.

Yet another ‘brilliant’ move by the same Blackhawk brain-trust that traded away Phil Esposito who became a scoring machine after leaving Chicago. And who let Bobby Hull leave for the WHA because they wouldn't pay him.
I'm so glad Stillman and group stepped up and hopefully we never have to think about losing the Blues ever again....
 
#108      
Another freezing cold Winter night in Chicago.

But the old barn on West Madison Street is packed to the rafters with 16,666 seated fans and an unknown number of Standees putting the old arena well above the Fire Code limit. But nobody complains.

A hazy smoke hangs over the ice. The mighty Stadium organ is belting out old favorites.

And Number 9 with his still-flowing golden locks hits the ice and starts to rev his jets.

At some point during the evening...

The smoke gets heavier. Breathing gets tougher. Even still, Phil Esposito hits Hull with a perfect pass on left wing and Hull slips past his helpless defender.

He shakes free and lets go a wicked wrist shot. The goalie never saw it. The goalie STILL to this day can’t see it.

It hits the back of the net.

Hull and Esposito and Maki embrace in the slot.

The goalie looks lost and confused.

The Stadium organ is rocking. 20,000 people are going nuts.

And then one day... the Golden Jet is sent off to be retired to the Hangar for the second time in his Blackhawk life.

There would be no Blackhawks as we know today without Number 9. And Number 21.

And not even the haze hanging over the ice could stop one from seeing that.
 
#109      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Blackhawks are parting ways with Bobby Hull as a team ambassador.
A poster on the Hawks' board (HF Boards) put it way better than I could: "It only took the organization 20-30 years to tell that racist/Nazi sympathizing/women beating/booze hound to take a hike and to go bleep himself. If they hadn't had the sexual misconduct mess, this might not have happened. Likely done for the PR. Great they finally did it, but it took way longer than it should have."
 
#113      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Hard to say anything except, "time will tell." It's going to be a long road back.

He at least had the good sense to fire Colliton. Here's hoping he also learned to not give out NMCs.
I do like the fact he’s hustled his way from intern up to GM. But might have been better had they gone for fresh eyes from outside the org. Time will tell.
 
#114      

Joel Goodson

respect my decision™
Hard to say anything except, "time will tell." It's going to be a long road back.

He at least had the good sense to fire Colliton. Here's hoping he also learned to not give out NMCs.
Who got an NMC beyond the 3 Cup core?

Obviously, Seabs' last contract was a huge blunder.
 
#115      
Who got an NMC beyond the 3 Cup core?

Obviously, Seabs' last contract was a huge blunder.

Anisimov had one for the Vegas draft. Crawford also, but he wasn't going anywhere anyway.

Of the new contracts, McCabe and Jones have no-trade lists rather than NMCs so perhaps Stan learned the lesson himself.
 
#116      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Who got an NMC beyond the 3 Cup core?

Obviously, Seabs' last contract was a huge blunder.
well, yeah, but that was because they couldn't pay him when he was worth the contract due to the others having their large cap hits. His contract was going to be bad at the end. But, now it's Tampa's concern (I think).
 
#117      

It's doubtful the Hawks can get back to contention for the playoffs sooner than the 25-26 season, given the current state of affairs and contracts. JMO.​

CONTRACT TRACKER​

Updated: Feb. 7, 2022
FORWARDS21-2222-2323-2424-2525-26
Altybarmakian
($817,500 SCH)
RFA
Barratt
($870,000 SCH)
RFA
Borgström
($1M SCH)
RFA
Carpenter
($1M SCH)
UFA
Connolly
($3.5M SCH)
UFA
C. Dach
($870,000 SCH)
RFA
K. Dach
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
DeBrincat
($6.4M SCH)
RFA
Entwistle
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
Gabriel
($750,000 SCH)
UFA
Hagel
($1.5M SCH)
RFA
Hardman
($912,500 SCH)
RFA
R. Johnson
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
T. Johnson
($5M SCH)
UFA
Kane UFA
Khaira
($975,000 SCH)
UFA
Kubalík
($3.7M SCH)
RFA
Kurashev
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
Lafferty
($750,000 SCH)
UFA
Pour
($842,500 SCH)
RFA
Reichel
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
Shaw
($3.9M SCH)
UFA
Slavin
($842,500 SCH)
RFA
Strome
($3M SCH)
RFA
Teply
($825,833 SCH)
RFA
Toews UFA
DEFENSE21-2222-2323-2424-2525-26
Allan
($870,000 SCH)
RFA
Beaudin
(863,333 SCH)
RFA
Crevier
($850,833 SCH)
RFA
de Haan
($4.5M SCH)
UFA
Galvas
($867,500 SCH)
RFA
Gustafsson
($750,000 SCH)
UFA
C. Jones
($850,000 SCH)
RFA
S. Jones
($5.4M SCH)
(2030)
Kalynuk
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
McCabe
($4M SCH)
UFA
Mitchell
($925,000 SCH)
RFA
Murphy (2026)
Phillips
($859,167 SCH)
RFA
Regula
($897,500 SCH)
RFA
Stillman
($1.35M SCH)
RFA
GOALIES21-2222-2323-2424-2525-26
Delia
($1M SCH)
UFA
Fleury
($7M SCH)
UFA
Lankinen
($800,000 SCH)
UFA
Morris
($750,000 SCH)
RFA
Söderblom
($883,750 SCH)
RFA
SCH = Salary Cap Hit
* = Received qualifying offer
+ = Did not receive qualifying offer
 
#119      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Not going outside the organization feels like a weird move to me, I dunno. Fresh eyes seemed like a very appealing prospect here.
I would have preferred the asst. GM from Tampa, actually. But I like Davidson's story of working from intern to GM. Said a lot of good things in the press conference. One thing no one knows is this: Is this Davidson's team to run or will he have to run everything past Wirtz and/or Faulkner/Rocky? If it's the latter, it won't matter who the GM is.

Will be interesting to see how it goes from now until the trade deadline and then in the offseason. Will be interesting to see what kind of team he builds (or is allowed to build).
 
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#124      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
It's disappointing to see a player like Hagel traded, but I agree you have to take that package.

I just hope our new GM sticks to one plan rather than oscillating between re-building and competing like Stan did.
He did say it will take some time, 3-5 years so I think they’ll stick with it.
 
#125      

bdutts

Houston, Texas
Pretty good debut for the two new guys. They both seem to have a playing style similar to Hagel. Will see.