What an unbelievable trip — from what I remember, anyway.

I have never seen this many Blackhawks fans in one place other than the United Center. The crowd at the Scottrade Center was overrun with ‘Hawks fans, making the crowd a near 50-50 split for the 2-1 victory against St. Louis. It was surreal.

The beer was flowing, the support was nuts and the day was one big crazy debacle that ended up being one of the most fun times I’ve had. Apologies again to Sam over at Second City Hockey  for apparently poking him in the eye after Jonathan Toews’ goal. Sorry buddy, but those were big beers they were serving — and I had a lot of them.

As for the game, Antti Niemiplayed a hell of a game. Between him and the penalty kill, it was more than enough to come out of Chicago Jr. with a win and send the man with the best pornstar name in the NHL, Barret Jackman, home crying. I hate that piece of shit more than I hate mushrooms, and that’s saying a lot.

Other than Toews’ goal and Patrick Sharp’s doorstep tap-in in the first period, the Blues controlled most of the game. The ‘Hawks easily could have lost their fourth straight. I don’t want to call this win lucky — mainly because I had so much fun rubbing it in the faces of Blues fans before, during and after the game — but it’s close.

Thanks to all the Blackhawks fans who came out and made it such a great experience. If you were there and have a great story to share, put it in the comments. I’d love to hear it. And if you attended with tickets from Second City Hockey, be sure to thank them again.

GO ‘HAWKS!

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Holy living hell. Want to know what I hate more than a meathead who gets their panties in a jumble over the goaltending after every loss? A meathead who gets their panties in a jumble over the goaltending after every loss and gets paid for it.

Steve Rosendouche has struck again, telling us all how last night the St. Louis Blues showed us what the Blackhawks need: A “vicious” defenseman and a goalie. I hate this son of a bitch with a passion.

The Blackhawks did not lose last night because of goaltending. The Blackhawks lost because of the biggest problem that faces this team night in and night out: Its propensity to turnover the puck in its own zone countless times. All three goals came off ‘Hawks turnovers in their own end, leaving Cristobal Huet out to dry. There’s a reason Coach Q is sticking with Huet, and it’s because he’s smarter than Rosendouche and all the other meatheads who seemingly refuse to pay attention.

It’s starting to get out of hand that each loss has another person throwing in the proverbial towel, making ridiculous comments about what the Blackhawks need to improve. Could they use some depth on defense? Sure, I wouldn’t mind snagging a vetern to enhance the defense.

If you think the Blackhawks need an enforcer or another goaltender to win the Stanley Cup, start focusing your attention on baseball season and leave us hockey fans alone. The Blackhawks have to improve their gameplay with the current roster that no addition could help.

The Blackhawks don’t plan on changing their top two defensive pairings, nor do they plan on changing the top three lines (not counting the return of Dave Bolland). Those lines and pairings are where the bulk of the turnovers are taking place, in turn leading to goals. Duncan Keith and Andrew Ladd made brutal turnovers which led to Blues goals last night, and Brent Seabrook decided to screen Huet and deflect a goal past his own netminder. Plus, Keith also made a horrible turnover at the end of the first period which led to a breakaway.

So, your top two defensemen and quality forward made a couple of bonehead plays leading to shots only Lady Luck could save. Do a “vicious” defenseman or another goaltender prevent this from happening? No.

It’s just that it’s easier for Rosendouche and the meatheads to bitch about something that requires no thought. It’s easy to blame goaltending. There’s a guy in front of the net, and his job is to stop shots. If he doesn’t stop EVERY  shot, he’s an asshole. That’s easy.

The Blackhawks have fought the least in the NHL this season. Fighting is part of hockey. The Blackhawks need an enforcer. That’s easy.

It’s much more difficult to realize how bad turnovers lead to missed chances and more quality opportunities for the opposition. Right now, that’s the ‘Hawks biggest problem. It’s not a matter of puck control, it’s a matter of controlling the puck at the RIGHT times.

Last night, the Blackhawks didn’t do that. THAT’S why they lost.

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I’m having more computer problems, meaning it has once again been taken away from me to be worked on. I apologize for the lack of updates.

I’ll be back shortly to talk about how we still have an uncontrollable amount of meatheads regarding the Blackhawks goaltending, why Brent Seabrook is playing as if he’s been wearing slippers and a blindfold on the ice and my Saturday trip to St. Louis with the Second City Hockey boys.

There’s hype, and then there’s the lead-up to this game. It lived up to it and more, seeing as I nearly pissed myself when Troy Brouwer scored in overtime to beat the San Jose Sharks 4-3.

Before I get into the rundown of the game, here’s why the Blackhawks proved they’re the best team in the NHL last night:

The ‘Hawks came in on the tail end of a season-long eight-game road trip after trekking across 2/3 of the continent having to face the NHL’s points leader in its building. They received a thrashing from local media the past two days and were the butt end of jokes all across the Internet because of the limo incident heading into their biggest game of the season to date. Like a tired team, they burst out of the gates fast and lost the momentum as the game went on. They regrouped, made big plays when they needed to, withstood a relentless attack from a great team on the road and overcame everything to win a game many believe to be a preview of the Western Conference Final. Champions do things like that.

The game started much like the Black Wednesday Massacre, with the ‘Hawks jumping out to a quick 3-0 lead on goals from Dustin Byfuglien, Brouwer and Andrew Ladd. I was smiling ear to ear, then calmed myself. I knew it wasn’t going to be a blowout, and the Sharks are too damn good to let a five-game winning streak go down the shitter so easily while letting the ‘Hawks kick their asses twice in their own building.

I hate being right.

Slowly, the Sharks took advantage of the Blackhawks’ tired legs and chipped away. Joe Pavelski closed out the first period with a tap in goal, then added a second-period tally that hit off Marian Hossa’s skate and into the net past Cristobal Huet. The Sharks dominated the second period and carried the momentum into the third until Manny Melhotra redirected the tying goal into the net.

The fatigue led to poor passes and dog shit turnovers, which the ‘Hawks have been struggling with all season. Sometimes they get away with them. The Sharks took advantage.

While the meatheads will find something to bitch about, Huet is the reason tonight’s game went into overtime. The Frenchman made gigantic stops, including a one-on-one showdown with Dany Heatley when Huet shouldered a save off a Heatly slap shot  from about 10 feet away. Each of his three GAA were unstoppable. No one makes those saves unless it’s plain luck.

In overtime Brouwer made a hell of a move to get into a good scoring position, saying in the postgame he took advantage of Huskins overplaying to the outside. Brouwer faked a slap shot, moved into the middle and wristed the winner top cheese past Evgeni Nabakov. Yummy.

Other stuff:

• Brent Seabrook is playing like a steaming pile of cow dung of late. He was left ass over chin on a move by Patrick Marleau, only to be bailed out by Duncan Keith, and looked like he had crisco on his stick most of the night. Wake up, Seabs.

• The ‘Hawks should take the tape of the second period and bury it next to Jimmy Hoffa. That was not the Blackhawks. It was a bunch of tired, lazy jackasses wearing white Indian-head sweaters. Let’s never speak of this again.

• I still believe the Sharks were the better team for most of the game tonight, but the ‘Hawks were better at the RIGHT times. They started the game fast and made their mark, then sustained enough pressure in the third to fight off the attack and give themselves a chance to win it in overtime, which they did.

If an NHL schedule-maker dies within the next couple of days, it was me murdering him for making the Blackhawks fly cross-country to face the Carolina Hurricanes to bring this fartknocker of a road trip to an end.

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Headin’ for a showdown.

The Sharks and Blackhawks have been neck and neck, and now they meet for the final time in the regular season with the ‘Hawks holding a 2-1 advantage.

The ‘Hawks return to the Shark Tank for the first time since the Black Wednesday Massacre, but don’t expect tonight to be anything resembling that game. The winner takes first-place in the West, and both teams are looking to make a statement with this battle.

The Sharks are riding a five-game winning streak and look every bit the contender. Despite a couple minor hiccups this season, San Jose doesn’t look like the playoff flops they’ve been labled. This team is going to make a run, and I’m guessing tonight won’t be the last time the ‘Hawks see the Sharks.

Patrick Marleu leads the NHL in goals with 35, and Dany Heatly is right behind with the 30. Combine that with Joe Thornton’s 67 points and the Sharks currently have the best top line in the world — literally. Throw in Evgeni Nabokov’s .928 save percentage and 30 wins, this team is pretty much ridiculous. The only question mark this team has is whether or not it can sustain the playoff pressure. Seeing as we’re still in the regular season, that doesn’t count. This team is out-of-control good.

Joe Pavelski views this game as a benchmark, despite it being months from the playoffs. A lot can happen between now and then, but both teams seem pretty damn serious about this one. The ‘Hawks and Sharks have made it a two-horse race for the home-ice in the playoffs by pulling away from the rest of the pack.

To be honest, I woke up this morning believing this game is getting a bit too much hype for a late-January contest. But reading quotes from each team, I realized the players are out to earn some bragging rights and make a statement. While I’m not going to start twisting nipples over each goal tonight, I’m pretty excited to see how this one turns out.

The ‘Hawks have some momentum after bitch-slapping Deadmonton this weekend, yet the Sharks come in pretty well rested. I rightly predicted Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane would put up nice numbers against the Oilers. Tonight, I’m looking at Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp for big games. And now anything is possible with Kris Versteeg after breaking his five-game scoreless streak with assist the other night.

Puck drop is 9:30 p.m. CT. Get some, baby.

Check it out:

Get over to Second City Hockey to read Killion’s analysis/ass-raping of Rick Morrisey’s bullshit column  in the Sun-Times today. It’s a great read. It proves just how much the Chicago media — other than the beat writers — know about the Blackhawks: Absolutely fucking nothing.

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John Madden = stud.

If there were any remaining questions whether or not John Madden is a stud muffin — on or off the ice — this picture should provide your answer. He should be allowed to do whatever he wants, when he wants. Wait, he already does whatever he wants. Either way, I love him and you should too.

A few hours before the Blackhawks faced off against Edmonton, pictures were released of a limo party in Vancouver where Madden, Patrick Kane and Kris Versteeg shared drinks with average-at-best-looking chicks. Check out the rest of the pictures and story here at Orland Kurtenblog.

While I’m sure this will get some attention, nothing major is happening here. Three of-age teammates out on the town bonding and having a great time. Granted, Kaner’s pants are undone but hey, a kid’s allowed to have some fun.

As for the game, the Blackhawks did exactly what we all hoped — bounced back with a convincing victory against a sub-par team that looks as if an AHL has a chance to beat it. The 4-2 score was a lot closer than this game ever got.

Jonathan Toews wasted little time in helping the offense make a statement, potting a goal short side under a minute into the game on the ‘Hawks’ first shift.

Troy Bouwer scored the second goal of the game when Kaner did what he usually does — maintain possession, scan the defense and put a picture-perfect pass on the stick of a teammate. For at least the second time this season, Brouwer got caught on camera during his goal celebration saying to Kaner, “Hey, great fucking pass man.” Just beautiful.

Dustin Byfuglien got his 13th of the season on a re-direct off a Duncan Keith shot, one of two Keith assists on the night helping him set a career-high in helpers. That beer and boobies in the limo must have provided some lift because Versteeg ended a five-game scoreless streak with an assist on the goal.

Marian Hossa netted his 14th snatching a rebound in the slot on the power play and blasting it into a wide 4×6 opening.

The Blackhawks did surrender two goals, both of which Cristobal Huet had little chance on. Fernando Pasani tapped in a puck that trickled behind Huet, who may have been able to avoid the situation but made the initial save — the only one a goal is responsible for making. The puck was bouncing around so much off skates and sticks and balls that the camera could barely keep up. I don’t blame Huet for that one.

Ryan Potulny’s third-period goal was a result of Niklas Hjalmarsson’s terrible giveaway behind the net that led to a one-on-one from roughly seven feet out.

The ‘Hawks outshot Edmonton 37-24, and the Oilers’ total is inflated by 11 third-period shots when they were firing way to get back in the game. Oh, and Huet made a ridiculous sprawling save with 10 seconds left and an empty net at the other end. Eat it, meatheads.

Next up is another showdown with the San Jose Sharks in The Tank tomorrow night. Hopefully the ‘Hawks will keep the partying to a minimum between now and then. Or, hopefully they don’t get caught posing for the pictures this time. One day, they may end up like Greg Oden did, here.

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Myself, along with other well-read Blackhawks blogs, get various press releases each week asking us to promote an event or mention a name. Finally, I’ve gotten something more than worth the time to post and I’m hoping some of you can attend. It’s for a great cause and I plan on being there. Cheers to Brian Campbell for putting this together.

Campbell for Kids Promises More Than Just Soup
Brian Campbell’s non-profit organization launches today with announcement of fundraising tournament
 
Chicago, IL — Brian Campbell, Defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks, is asking you to put your money where your heart is as he hosts a Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament, in conjunction with Horseshoe Casino, to raise funds for his foundation, ‘Campbell for Kids.’
 
The Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament will take place on February 10th, 2010 at Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana, Horseshoe Casino’s premier event facility, The Venue, a previous site of the World Series of Poker® Circuit Events.  “The tournament is a way to raise awareness and funds for a great cause and have some fun along the way,” says Campbell.
 
Guests will enjoy a star filled gaming experience with tournament players that include members of the Chicago Blackhawks, Blackhawks Alumni and other celebrities and professional athletes.  Confirmed players include Adam Burish, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Patrick Kane, Brent Seabrook, Blackhawks Ambassadors and Hockey Hall of Famers Tony Esposito and Denis Savard.  “As an added benefit to participants, any player who is responsible for eliminating an athlete or celebrity player from the tournament will literally get the Blackhawk’s jersey off their back,” says Campbell.  The event’s Admission Ticket is priced at $115 and includes drinks and dining, up-close tournament viewing, live casino gaming, entertainment and auctions with one of a kind packages. The Poker Tournament Buy-In is $125. Cash prizes will be awarded to the last standing tournament players.
 
Proceeds from this inaugural event will benefit the Chicagoland Chapter of Autism Speaks which is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders and to funding research into prevention and treatments of Autism.  The event will also benefit Chicago’s Beard School which provides educational programs for children, ages three through nine, who have severe autism and/or emotional disorders.
 
Campbell for Kids, a nonprofit organization, is a foundation established to raise funds for charities that serve children with special needs and learning disabilities throughout Chicago and the state of Illinois. The primary focus in this first year will be aiding services that focus on Autism.  “I wanted to find a way to give back to my community,” says Campbell. “But more importantly, I wanted to focus on organizations that are near and dear to my heart.” Campbell’s interest in helping children sparked during his years in New York playing for the Buffalo Sabres. While in New York, Brian spent time volunteering at the Summit School which provides special education for children and young adults with disabilities.
 
For tickets or more information, please visit www.campbellforkids.org. Event sponsorships and partnerships are also available. Please contact Clare McDermott at clare.mcdermott@allterrain.net for sponsorship opportunities and to learn more about supporting Campbell for Kids.
 
About Brian Campbell
A three-time National Hockey League All-Star, Brian Campbell is currently in his 10th season in the league and second as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks. The 30-year-old paced Chicago blueliners with 45 assists and 52 points – the most by a team defenseman in 13 years – while appearing in all 82 regular-season games in 2008-09. He was voted to the Western Conference’s starting lineup for the 2009 NHL All-Star game before helping the Blackhawks reach the conference finals for the first time in 14 years with 10 points (2G, 8A) in 17 Stanley Cup Playoff tilts.
Through the end of December, Campbell has appeared in over 360 consecutive regular-season games, the second-longest active streak among NHL defensemen. The Strathroy, Ontario, native skated in his 500th NHL regular-season game on Oct. 15, 2009 and has collected more than 200 assists and 250 points during his career with the Buffalo Sabres (1999-2008), San Jose Sharks (2008) and Blackhawks (2008-present). Prior to turning pro, Campbell captured the 1999 Memorial Cup as a member of the Ottawa 67’s (Ontario Hockey League).
 
Campbell for Kids
Brian Campbell, Defenseman for the Chicago Blackhawks, is proud to announce the launch of his foundation, Campbell for Kids, a 501 (c) (3) organization. The mission of the foundation is to raise funds for charities throughout Chicago and Illinois that service children with special needs and learning disabilities with a first-year-focus on Autism.

Rather than beat the living piss out of a horse that’s been dead since Nikolai Khabibulan signed with Edmonton the first day of free agency, I’ll turn my head and let the meatheads sort it out amongst their thick skulls.

Another pressing matter has been the absence of Kris Versteeg over the past five games for an offense that has generated a mere one goal in two of its last three outings. While the Blackhawks still have been pelting opposing goaltenders with shot after shot, Versteeg hasn’t been the one firing of late.

During the roadtrip, Versteeg hasn’t scored a point, and he went the first four games of the trip without a single shot on goal until getting two on Roberto Luongo in the ‘Hawks 5-1 loss to Vancouver. Versteeg has been playing on the checking line with John Madden and Dustin Byfuglien. Save for the occasional Byfuglien spurts and Madden being in the right place at the right time, Versteeg is expected to at least put shots on net to help generate some second chances at the goal.

Whether it’s the pressure to live up to that responsibility getting to him or something else, Versteeg hasn’t done it lately. His propensity to hold onto the puck too long rather than get it deep in the zone has effected not only his, but the Blackhawks’ scoring chances as well.

This is Versteeg’s second five-plus game scoreless streak of the season, and he’s gone scoreless in at least three-game bunches in three other stretches. This for a guy coming off a nine-game scoring streak. At the very least, his consistency hasn’t been something to brag about.

There’s no question Versteeg has some slick puck-handling skills (see: this goal here), but it hasn’t been working for him. Rather than compensate for his slump, Versteeg is attempting to do too much with the puck and ends up getting himself in trouble. That’s not good for anybody.

Hopefully he can snap out of it tonight against Edmonton.

Kesler is just a wee Ladd

I think it’s hilarious Ryan Kesler can even bring himself to talk shit after the ass-beating Andrew Ladd served him Saturday in Vancouver. Not only did Ladd make the bastard bleed with a single left jab to the eye, Kesler wussed out of the fight by lifting Ladd’s leg and taking him down. I wouldn’t go so far to say Kesler is a “coward.” More like pussy. That fits better.

Edmonton is dog shit, Huet gets start

Losing 10 games in a row is difficult to do in any sport. In hockey, it’s just plain ridiculous. You can’t get lucky even once over a week and half worth of games? The Oilers are all sorts of suck right now and are the perfect bounce-back team for the ‘Hawks after losing two out of their last three games.

Dustin Penner seems to be the only one worth a shit with 43 points on the campaign to date. With that being said, I’d like to know how in the hell two centers on two different lines can have -23 ratings. That distinction goes to Patrick O’Sullivan and Shawn Horcoff. I’m assuming Edmonton’s -39 goal differential has something to do with that.

Cristobal Huet will be the ‘Hawks netminder hoping to stop the Oilers from improving on that mark. Huet gets the start after… you know what, screw it. Read about it, yet again, here if you need to. And if you are one of those people who feel the need — for whatever reason — to take sides in a debate over two above-average goalies wearing the same goddamn sweater, then read Mike Kiley’s post from yesterday.

Anyway, I’m predicting a field day for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane tonight — just because I have a feeling. Either way, this is a game the Blackhawks need to and should win without any questions asked.

City Roadwatch at Boundary in Wicker Park

I’ll be the short blonde guy drinking at the Boundary tonight for the Blackhawks City Roadwatch. Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m. and the Boundary is located roughly two blocks from my house, so I’ll just stumble home. If you’d like to join in, or if you plan on being there, let me know! GO ‘HAWKS!

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