"Stopped you again old man!" (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas. I’m sorry for my absence over the past few days. My wireless went down and getting technical support over the holidays is about as likely as John Scott getting a goal.

Anyways, I have a lot to cover today so let’s get to the game shall we?

… [visit site to read more]

Kings 2 Blackhawks 0: Quick Shuts Down the Hawks - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

"Sorry Brandon. I was going to pass to you and then I remembered that I'm Patrick Sharp" (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

Not a whole lot to say about this one. It wasn’t the most exciting game to watch and there was the feeling that it was just a matter of time until the Hawks blew by the Canadiens, even after their powerplay goal. They owned the puck all night and dominated in almost every area.

In the end it was one of those games where the Hawks didn’t have to exert a whole lot of effort to win. That’s not to say the Hawks didn’t work hard, they certainly did but this was one of those games where the Hawks’ superior talent and depth really allowed them to prevail.  And sometimes that’s ok. Its spares everyone the exhaustion.

A win over the Canadiens doesn’t mean much these days, but at least the Hawks did it in convincing fashion. They’ll certainly take it going into the Christmas break and I think we all will to.

… [visit site to read more]

Canadiens 1 Blackhawks 5: Hawks Get A Victory for Christmas - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

"You're pushing me around now but wait until the third period..." (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

You can’t only show up for the last 20 minutes and expect to win a hockey game. The Hawks have pulled it off a couple of times this year. They’ve gotten away with 20-minute efforts. But eventually it will bite you in the ass like it did last night.

Games like last night’s are especially frustrating. It was a perfect example of the Hawks’ bipolarity: a team that can get dominated and then turn around and dominate. While it wasn’t the worst start we’ve been from the Hawks, it was far from their best. In two periods there wasn’t really any intensity or offensive zone pressure. They lost a lot of battles left and right and it seemed the Penguins had more jump in their game.

Even worse, the Hawks were unable to make the necessary adjustments early in the game to counter what the Penguins were throwing at them. They had absolutely no answer for the hard Penguins’ forecheck and were unable to close gaps in their defensive coverage that were being exploited by stretch passes. This resulted in a lot of opportunities for the Penguins. These issues weren’t resolved until the final frame.

… [visit site to read more]

Blackhawks 2 Penguins 3: Late to the Party - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

The Blackhawks keep on rollin' (Photo by Bill Smith/NHLI via Getty Images)

My apologies, this should have been up yesterday but I’ve been having trouble with my wireless the past week or so. Anyways I’ll keep it brief, I know this is very late and I’m sure everyone is extremely busy around this time of year. Its hard to believe Christmas is just a few days away.

Anyways let’s get to it.

… [visit site to read more]

Flames 2 Blackhawks 4: Hawks Deliver Quennville His 600th Win - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Ray Emery has seized the starting job and isn't giving it up (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Another season, another goalie problem.

Goalie controversies are becoming something of a defining characteristic of the Chicago Blackhawks organization. There have been two in the last two seasons alone: Niemi overtaking Huet in the 2009-10 season and then Crawford unseating Turco last season. Because of this, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that there is some talk of a goalie controversy on the Hawks this season.

But can the Hawks’ goalie situation truly be classified as a “controversy”?

… [visit site to read more]

Hawk Thought: Do the Hawks Have a Goalie Controversy? - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

"How are we so damn good?" (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Solid goaltending, great defense and balanced scoring were how the Hawks beat the Ducks last night. And that’s how it should be every night. This was the complete effort I’ve been waiting to see, a game where everyone contributed and the team as a whole played terrific. We hadn’t seen one in a long time.

The Hawks pretty much dominated the game from start to finish and didn’t give the Ducks much of anything to work with. Whatever powerplay’s they gave them they killed off, whatever shots the Ducks mustered Emery steered aside and Hiller really didn’t give his team a chance.

What’s special is not the victory but how the victory was achevied. It wasn’t accomplished by outscoring the opposition (which has been the trend this year) or relying on top-end talent but it was a victory by commitee, with everyone taking part, doing their jobs and outworking the opposition.

Let’s no get too excited. It is the Anaheim Ducks, who are currently second last in the league. But a win like this should really give the entire team some momentum going forward.

… [visit site to read more]

Ducks 1 Hawks 4: Fantastic Team Effort Takes Down Ducks - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Between the second and third period, Quennville  must have decided, perhaps with input from his crew, that we needed a bigger boat. His starting forward line was Kane, Toews and Sharp as it so often is when we’re struggling. It was a great move.  Right off the bat, this line was a thermostat that set the temperature for the rest of the game impacted the outcome.

… [visit site to read more]

Sharp Does it Again - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Ben Smith was demoted to the Rockford Icehogs this morning. This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Since being called up on November 17th, Smith was a healthy scratch 4 times and had only 1 goal in the 7 games he did play in. Last night against the Sharks he played less than 6 minutes. That kind of ice-time is a good indicator that Quenneville didn’t like what he was seeing from Smith. Management probably wasn’t happy either.

Smith didn’t make much of an impact at all during his brief stint in Chicago. Consequently, his stock with the Hawks’ brass has probably taken a hit, as has his reputation with fans would imagine.

But honestly, I think expectations for Smith were a tad bit high, considering the type of player he is. You could say Smith was doomed to fail to live up to the hype that was placed on him.

… [visit site to read more]

Ben Smith Sent to Rockford: Were We Expecting Too Much? - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Every now and then I’ll be posting updates on some of the more notable Hawks prospects in the AHL, CHL and NCAA. For more updates on AHL prospects, I recommend you check out The Third Man In, which provides great coverage of the Rockford Icehogs.

… [visit site to read more]

Blackhawks Prospect Update - Blackhawk Up - Blackhawk Up - A Chicago Blackhawks Blog

Uncle Cooper, how do you think Commissioner Bettman came up with the breakdown for the latest conference re-alignment and what will it mean for the Blackhawks? TIA. – BF

… [visit site to read more]