Apr 1, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya (27) with the puck during the first period against the Minnesota Wild at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports

Since being acquired on the 27th of February, Johnny Oduya has become a good addition in the Chicago Blackhawks defense. He suited up for the final 18 games of the season, and Chicago won 13 of them. When the ‘Hawks are set up in the offensive zone, Oduya is a good fit on the point. Although there was some times when I questioned his defensive positioning, he is overall a very good two-way defenseman. Living in Manitoba, I had alot of Jets fans saying they were happy to get rid of him, until they saw his play in the red white and black.

Oduya was re-signed this offseason to a 3 – year, $10,150,000 contract. While Stan Bowman may have overpaid, (Cap hit all three years is $3,383,333) it would be a good time for Johnny to elevate his game to the next level. If/when Niklas Hjalmarsson leaves the team, Oduya could posibly become a top 4 defenseman. There may not be too many years left for him as a quality player in this league. Oduya will be watched closely this year by management to see if he’s worth the big paycheck he’s getting. He is in good health, and has only missed 1 game in the last 2 seasons.

In 63 games with the Jets last year, he had 2 goals, and 11 assists. In his 18 games with the ‘Hawks, he had 1 goal and 4 assists. This season, he will need to improve his game in all 3 areas of the ice, and be alot stronger on the puck, as a couple turnovers last year really cost the team. I’m putting his over/under at 3 goals, 14 assists. I have high hopes for Oduya, let’s hope he doesn’t dissapoint.

Agree or disagree? Voice your opinion on Twitter (@Blackhawk_Up) or on Facebook (Blackhawk Up)

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

A lot has happened in Hawk nation over the past several weeks (and I imagine there will be quite a bit more coming) and I have some thoughts

Mayers and Oduya extensions

I know I’m late chiming in here, but like everything I need to give my two cents.

While most people were surprised by the Oduya re-signing, quite frankly I was caught off guard by both. As good as Mayers was last year (and I think he did a fantastic job in the role he was expected to fill) I was expecting the Hawks to leave his 4th line spot open for a prospect (possibly Jeremy Morin, Kyle Beach, Rob Flick or someone else) to have an opportunity to crack at the lineup.

So on that I’ll just say I’m not disappointed by the Mayers extension, just surprised. Truthfully, I don’t think it would have mattered one way or the other. If he gets outplayed in training camp, I don’t think the Hawks will hesitate to relegate him to a lesser role.

I was however extremely surprised by the re-signing of Oduya and frustrated at both the length and cap number, for a number of reasons. First off, Johnny Oduya is not a $3 million dollar defenseman. Were he a RFA and forced to go to arbitration, I would expect his cap number to fall somewhere between the $2.5 and $2.75 million range, considerably lower than the number agreed upon by Hawks management for his extension. This number could put unneeded pressure on the Hawks, especially if the cap goes down in the new CBA.

Second, Nick Leddy will require a contract extension next summer, most likely for a similar amount that Oduya just signed for. While he’s had his fair share of struggles so far in his career, Leddy’s skill, youth and potential make him a much more valuable player than Oduya and the Hawks should be prioritizing keeping him around long-term. That could be difficult with so much money already committed to defensemen.

Third, committing to another defenseman for the long-term means less opportunity for some of the Hawks’ talented defensive prospects (such as the recently signed Adam Clendening, as well as others such as Stephen Johns, Justin Holl or Klas Dahlbeck) and takes flexibility away from the Hawks management to make deals.

Now this is all assuming that both Niklas Hjalmarsson and Steve Montador are in Chicago next year (which many are speculating that at least one of them won’t be) If one or both of them goes and the Hawks make some other changes on defense, it will be a different situation. But if both Hjalmarsson and Montador are in the Hawks long-term plans, then the aforementioned problems could come to fruition. We’ll have to see how this all plays out.

Prospect signings

Over the past few weeks the Hawks have been busy locking up some recent draft picks. Among those signed were forwards Rob Flick (4th round 2010) and Joakim Nordstrom (3rd round 2010), defensemen Klas Dahlbeck (3rd round 2011) and Adam Clendening (2nd round 2011) and goalies Mac Carruth (7th round 2010) and Kent Simpson (2nd round 2010)

While none of these players are necessarily considered “top prospects”, the names to watch in training camp in September are Rob Flick, Adam Clendening and Mac Carruth.

Rob Flick is a big, rugged forward who spent the majority of last season with the Rockford IceHogs on an AHL contract. Flick is an effective checker and agitator who can provide energy and will be competing for a 4th line role on the Hawks in camp.

Adam Clendening is coming off a strong sophmore season with Boston University and will likely play on Rockford’s blueline next season. He has a very similar game to Duncan Keith at that age, so its not surprise that the Hawks’ management will be monitoring his development very closely.

Mac Carruth had a very good season with the Portland Winterhawks, carrying them all the way to the WHL Conference Finals. His progress since being drafted has been remarkable and he should definitely be considered the Hawks top goaltending prospect.

Patrick Kane

There’s been a lot of rumblings about Kane’s status as a Blackhawk but right now most of it seems like nothing more than conjecture.One thing is for sure: Patrick Kane is no longer considered “untouchable”.

Sources close to the situation don’t seem to think the Hawks are actively shopping Kane, but they do feel that the Hawks wouldn’t be reluctant to have trade discussions about him. My guess is any offer for Kane would have to be mind-blowing for the Hawks to seriously consider it.

So it looks like we can expect 88 to wear the Indian head sweater next season. But I imagine he’s on very thin ice. Sources have indicated that there are more than a few people in the Hawks organization who flat out want Kane gone. Unless we see more maturity from Kane off the ice, as well as more production on the ice, this summer could be Kane’s last as a Blackhawk.

Ryan Suter a Blackhawk?

There’s been some talks about Ryan Suter signing in Chicago this season (John Jaeckel has done a fabulous job on HockeyBuzz.com of following that situation. If you don’t already read John’s stuff I highly recommend you check out his posts)

There’s more than one way to look at Suter coming to the Hawks. First, should he come? Absolutely. No question the Hawks could use the help on defense that Suter could provide on the second pairing. Heck, any team could. Your blueline can never be too good.

Second, could he come? Possibly. If a couple of shrewd moves are made, including moving Niklas Hjalmarsson and Michael Frolik would open up over $5.8 million and would provide sufficient cap space to sign Suter to a long-term deal, regardless of what happens with the cap under the new CBA.

Lastly, will he come? Probably not. Sources indicate that the Hawks are pretty much staying the course and don’t plan on making any radical changes or commit to any more players long-term. Throw in the fact that Oduya has resigned and it looks like the Hawks are, or are close to, being happy with their defense. That doesn’t mean the team won’t improve, it just means I wouldn’t expect a guy like Suter to land in Chicago. And that’s probably not a terrible thing. If the Blackhawks truly want to upgrade their defense there are cheaper options, such as Matt Carle, Jason Garrison, Dennis Wideman and others, who are reliable top four defenseman.

The draft

The draft is my favorite hockey day of the year. July 1st is okay and the Trade Deadline is just overrated, but the draft is where all the really big action is nowadays, not to mention we get to see where some of the stars of tomorrow will start their careers. Mock drafts are always a blast, as are coming up with fun trade scenarios. Simply put, the draft is a blast and I put a lot of time into getting ready for it.

That’s why over the next few weeks I’m going to be doing some pre-draft previews of players the Hawks should consider taking when they’re called to the podium, as well as throw out some trade scenarios they could make on June 22nd. I’ll also be posting a mock draft a few days before the draft, so check in for that as well.

Thanks for reading!

These first round exits must change fast (Rob Grabowski-USPRESSWIRE)

In the past week the Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed two of last years unrestricted free agents in Jamal Mayers and Johnny Oduya.  While watching National Treasure this past week these signings reminded me of a part of the movie where a cheesy Nick Cage and his dad are talking about status quo and that when something needed to change that the status quo would change too.  Granted it’s a kind of cheesy movie a Amazing Race meets New England, but with the past two signings has anything changed for the Blackhawks that were last scene leaving United Center ice to go home to play golf (or party in Wisconsin) for the summer, after their 2nd consecutive first round defeat?

It’s early in the off season, but the only change so far, has been to the coaching staff where according to 99% percent of precincts reporting say that the Blackhawks and Joel Quenneville fired the wrong assistant coach.  I’m pretty sure that this move will not change the status quo unless the next assistant coach is a wizard with the power play.  Don’t forget that the Hawks were an abysmal 15.2% on the power play which ranked 26th in the NHL this past season.  I know you didn’t forget, but that 2 minute nightmare cannot be forgotten.

The staus quo though must stop in the signing of “Veteran Presence” guys!  That goes for  both offensive and defensive players alike.  In 2010 it worked adding John Madden to a very young team, and so GM Stan Bowman with direction from Coach Q has seemed to fall in love with this recipe, which has brought little success the past two seasons.  Andrew Brunette, John Scott and Sean O’Donnell’s are no longer needed on this roster.  The Hawks have two directions to go when it comes to the off season, but either way the 2012 opening night roster needs to be filled with talent that has speed, control the puck, contribute on special teams, and finish.  I was surprised that Mayers was re-signed not because of his production but because his age will be 38, but he should continue to fill the role he carved out last season.  Oduya was good in the regular season and hopefully that is the player we are getting for the next 3 seasons, but that is where the re-signings needs to end for next year.

One way the status quo can change is bring in the youth!  A Bowman philosophy has been to fill up the cupboard with talent and that’s exactly what he’s been doing.  2012 needs to be the season that the roster begins to show youth again, like it did in 2010 when the Hawks hoisted the Cup.  It started last season with appearances and production from Andrew Shaw, Jimmy Hayes, Dylan Olsen and brief appearance from Brandon Saad.  There is only one way to get NHL experience and that is to play on the biggest stage!  It’s time for the young core to become the leaders of the team and let GM and coach worry about getting the most talent on the ice at all times, than worry about some over the hill guy to be fill up roster space to be a presence!

Rick Scuteri-USPRESSIRE

This is ALL the veteran presence that is needed for the foreseeable future!  He may only be 24 but he’s been a captain, Conn Smyth winner, Stanley Cup Champion, and Olympic Champion and could have been MVP if a concussion hadn’t sidelined him the last 22 games of the season.  Jonathan Toews has all the accolades that any 30 something guy could have if not more.  He’s the face of the franchise, the Captain, and the leader of the team, so there should be no worries about bringing up the farm and letting them produce like they have at the minor league levels.

The second way to change the status quo is to make a big move especially at the draft.  I’m not a GM, or pretend to be one (sometimes) or did I stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, but it seems like the Hawks and Bowman now are afraid of the salary cap threshold instead of trying to get every last penny spent, which may be a backlash of the salary cap hell that he inherited.  Now’s a chance to make a move, the Hawks have picks, space and organizational depth to make a move before our hated rivals do.  The Detroit Red Wings just lost Nicklas Lindstrom to retirement, so you know they will be spending money this off season, don’t let our rivals win in the off season sweepstakes too!

This is the biggest off season for Bowman yet.  Will he make changes, or will he settle for the status quo of 88-105 point season and early playoff disappointment or will he make a significant shift in theory and make the status quo shift in our favor and the Hawks find the treasure… The Stanley Cup again!

Let’s Go HAWKS!!!!

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Blackhawks are not waiting until July to do their free agent shopping.  They resigned Jamal Mayers, last week, to a one year deal and now they have given defenseman Johnny Oduya a three year contract extension.  It was no secret that both Stan Bowman and Joel Quenneville were fans of Oduya.  He is a puck moving defenseman who fits in with exactly what Q wants to do on the ice.  This is a pretty good signing for the Hawks.  Oduya solidified the Hawks blue line and was able to eat up meaningful minutes.  Having him here for a full season should take away some ice time from Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith which is a good thing.  Also, Nick Leddy played his best hockey of the season when he was paired with Oduya.

Oduya’s new deal is for 3 years with a $3.375 million cap hit per season.  There was some outrage in the Twitterverse over the amount of money given to Oduya.  I think this is a fair price considering the kind of money that has been thrown at defensemen in the last couple years.  Anytime you feel upset about $3.375 million for Oduya just remember Jay Bouwmeester is making $6.8 million and James Wisniewski is getting paid $5.5 million. There, don’t you feel better?

Oduya’s salary does raise questions on what the Blackhawks are going to do with their defense next year.  It is safe to say Oduya and Leddy will be the second pair, behind Seabrook and Keith.  That leaves the 3rd pairing for Steve Montador and Niklas Hjalmarsson.   The problem is Montador is set to make $2.75 million and Hjalmarsson is owed $3.5 million.  That is an awful lot of money to have invested in your 5th and 6th defensemen.

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Is Montador’s concussion issues worse than the Blackhawks letting on?  Do the Hawks want to trade Montador or Hjalmarsson, or both?  These are all valid questions.  Hjalmarsson’s name has been part of trade rumors for awhile, and I don’t think its a secret the Blackhawks would like to move his salary.  Hjalmarsson has not lived up to his $3.5 million salary and he might be due for a change of scenery.  If the Hawks wanted to move one of the two, Hjalmarsson would be the easier to trade.  He is younger, still has some upside and one of my least favorite words in sports, “potential.”  If the Hawks can move one or both of these defensemen that will free up some more cap space to go after a big name free agent.  But, with a rather weak free agent market I am not expecting much action out of the Hawks front office come July.  It will interesting to see, on draft night, if the Blackhawks start moving some pieces around.

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

Jerome Miron-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG    GWG   SOG   S%

18     1    4    5     3        0          0          0             0         30     3.3         Regular Season

6       0    3    3     1        0          0          0             0           9      0.0         Playoffs

Contract Status: Unrestricted free agent

A lot of people were upset that the only player Stan Bowman acquired at the trade deadline was Johnny Oduya.  In hindsight, Oduya might have been the best deadline move that was made.  Johnny made a very positive impact on the Blackhawks.  He was a -3 after his first period with the Hawks but everything got better after the bumpy start.  Oduya sured up the 2nd defensive pairing and was able to take some of the burden off of  Brent Seabrook  and Duncan Keith when it came to ice time.  Nick Leddy played some of his best hockey of the season while being paired with Oduya.  If you eyeball his playoff numbers you would have to say he played pretty good.  Well, sometimes the numbers can be deceiving.  Oduya did not have a good series against the Coyotes.  He was not nearly as sure with the puck as he was down the stretch.  He made too many turnovers and was out of position too many times.  But, with that being said, I think Oduya played himself into a new contract with the Blackhawks.  Stan Bowman mentioned Oduya more than once in his state of the team address and never once mentioned Niklas Hjalmarrson.  It will be interesting to see what plays out over the summer.  My guess is Oduya is here in October and Hjalmarrson is not.

2011-2012 Final Grade: B

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   GWG   SOG   S% 

82    3   34 37  -12    10         0          0            0          94     3.2       Regular Season

6       1    2    3      1        0          0         0            0            9      11.1     Playoffs

Contract Status: Signed through 2012-2013 ($1.1 million cap hit)

We all know Nick Leddy is not going to win a Norris Trophy.  His defensive skills need  improvement, but lets remember he should have just finished his junior year as a Golden Gopher.  He has had to learn the pro style game at the highest level and I think he has held his own pretty good.  His 34 assists was 5th best on the team and only Duncan Keith had more in the defensive group.  Nick Leddy is at his best when he is involved in the offense.  I think he needs to be used more on the power play come next season.  He has great vision and passing skills in the offensive end.  His -12 was the worse among all defensemen.  For whatever reason, the pairing of Leddy and Niklas Hjalmarsson never worked.  Leddy played much better when he spent some time paired with Brent Seabrook and settled in nicely with Johnny Oduya.  His biggest downfall is his size.  Let Leddy spent the summer with me and I will put him on a cheeseburger and Budweiser diet.  He will be bigger in no time!  Despite his lack of size, to his credit, he never backed away from contact.  Leddy and Patrick Kane were the only two Blackhawks to play in all 82 games, so durability is not an issue.  Leddy has room for improvement but I think he will develop into a solid player.

2011-2012 Final Grade: C

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

GP   G   A   P   +/-   PIM   PPG   SHG   GWG   SOG   S%

52     5    9   14    4      45         2          0            1          57     8.8     Regular Season

Contract Status: signed through 2014-15 ($2.75 million cap hit per year)

Steve Montador was a victim of his own contract.  A lot of lofty expectations came with his big 4 year contract, expectations he did not live up to in year one.  He spent most of the season having to cover for Sean O’Donnell and John Scott, which will make anyone look worse than they are.  We were told that Montador can contribute on the offensive side and we saw brief flashes of that.  His 8.8 shooting percentage was best among defenseman, but his 57 shots ranked 6th on the blue line.  Coach Q even used Montador as a forward on the power play, and it worked for a short time as he scored 2 power play goals.  That was one more than Duncan Keith who is supposed to be a threat on the PP.  Montador was not afraid to get physical and would drop the gloves if need be.  A concussion caused him to missed 24 out of the last 25 games and the entire playoff run.  Montador’s role may expand next year depending on if Stan Bowman trades Niklas Hjalmarsson and resigns Johnny Oduya.  Montador is a solid 5th defenseman but he is getting paid like a 2nd pairing one.  He will need to bring a bit more to the table next season.

2011-2012 Final Grade: C

Handshakes weren't suppose to happen until Wednesday Night!! (Rob Grabowski-USPRESSWIRE)

If you have grown up a Chicago sports fan your whole life you understand disappointment to the highest extremes.  From Winning Ugly Sox getting swept by the Orioles, to the Cubs getting swept in San Diego after being up 2-0 and the ball going through Leon Durham’s leg, to Doug Flutie QB the Bears offense instead of an injured Jim McMahon to a playoff loss with the best defense ever, to Pippen sitting on the bench with a migraine, to the Jeremy Roenick’s Hawks getting swept by the Penguins, to the biggest disappointment of all the 2003 Moises Alou hissy fit in left field being only 5 outs from the World Series.  THIS series wasn’t one of those disappointments…It was seriously FRUSTRATING to watch!!! The Chicago Blackhawks out shot the Phoenix Coyotes 253-176 but on the big scoreboard lost 17 goals to 12 goals and lost the series four games to two. In most games the Hawks controlled and won most periods, but they were never in control of this series!

What Went Right

Jonathon Toews- The Captain returned after missing 22 games from a concussion, and scored on his first shot of the series, he also made a great play to win the faceoff, win the puck, beat Mike Smith, and win game 5 in overtime.  He should have set up the go ahead goal that could have opened up the flood gates if anyone but Brendan Morrison was on the receiving end of a great pass in Game 6. Toews ended the series with 2 goals and 2 assists.

Backbone of the Team- The Blackhawks with the heart of a champion scored 3 game tying goals in the final 1:30 in 3 games to force 3 of the 5 overtimes.  These games were not for the faint of heart, but the heart of a winner came through in the end to extend the games that most teams would have lost in regulation.

Michael Frolik- After being a healthy scratch in Games 1 and 2, Frolik was inserted in the lineup after the Andrew Shaw suspension.  He was clearly the best forward on the ice for the last 4 games of the series.  He tallied a point in 3 of the 4 games he played in including 2 goals.

Bryan Bickell- Where was this type of play during the regular season?? This guy couldn’t hit a fly during the season, but he turned it on big time come the playoffs. He led the entire NHL in hits through game 6 and scored the OT winner in Game 2.  Bickell played like a huge turd for 71 games then a stud during the playoffs..imagine what he could do for an entire season with that kind of focus and intensity!!

Brent Seabrook and Duncan Keith- They both logged 30 minutes a game and were very aggressive on the offensive end while taking care of their own blue line.  Seabrook had his hand in both tying goals in the final seconds of Games 1 and 2.

What Went Wrong

Marian Hossa- After a disappearing act in Game 1, and not being able to capitalize on 6 shots in Game 2, Hossa was eliminated by Raffi Torres early in Game 3.  This was the TURNING point of the series.  Not having Hossa out their forced Coach Q hand to play a rookie in Brandon Saad and veteran Brendan Morrison.  Saad was ok, and Morrison after a lucky deflection goal was pretty crappy including a golden chance to give the Hawks the lead in Game 6 when he decided to bury the puck into Mike Smith’s pads instead of the back of the net.

The Power Play- for a team that was able to get 253 shots on goal, they were atrocious on the power play only getting one lone power play goal by Bryan Bickell in game 2.  There were two main reasons for losing the series.. this is 1a.  A team with this much offensive firepower not only couldn’t score, but half the time they couldn’t get the puck in the offensive zone.. Inexcusable!! The Hawks miss and need a big talented body up front especially in special teams situations.

Johnny Oduya- After being the only trade addition which was mocked on trade deadline day, but later applauded for balancing out the defense.. Johnny played his 6 worst games in a Blackhawks jersey! Stan Bowman will have a tough decision on Oduya, which player did we get and what can we expect in the future.

Corey Crawford IN OT-  Corey Crawford was good not great during regulation of the first 5 games of the series. He was especially big in the 3rd period of the 3 comeback games to force overtime.  He had almost no chance in the Game 1 overtime winner while being screened by two of his own players.  The two goals that will haunt Crawford for a long time will be the 2 OT goals at home that have to go down as two of the softest goals of all time!  After being borderline spectacular to get to OT, to let those two goals in, was a microcosm of his inconsistent season.  After this season its hard to believe that Crawford has the ability to lead a team to a Stanley Cup

Mike Smith happened- Mike Smith was in the zone entering the playoffs, and even getting run by Andrew Shaw couldn’t knock him off his game. He was sensational throughout the series and without getting too much interference in front of him was able to handle the barrage of shots the Hawks endlessly fired at him.

Coaching decision- How Sean OLD FART O’Donnell ever played in this series is inexcusable!! If you’re playing a 40 year old Nicklas Lindstrom is one thing, but playing an old barely average defense man just to have experience out there is not the best coaching move. His ill advised pinch in Game 4 was a deciding factor.  Brandon Bollig is a boxer not a hockey player and although he got a goal in Game 2 also was a surprising start instead of the likes of Frolik and Jimmy Hayes.  In the playoffs the most talented lineup should be on the bench for all the games not goony guys.

Home Ice Disadvantage- The Madhouse on Madision is the best home ice advantage in the NHL. Going 0-3 at home during the series or any series should never ever happen!!

What Now?

Stan Bowman has lots of off season work to do and has a State of the Union press conference tomorrow.  He has had 2 season since winning the Cup to remold a salary cap strapped Stanley Cup Championship team into his team.  The Hawks went 6-1 in Series leading to the 2010 Stanley Cup, but now are 0-2 in the last two playoff seasons.  A great off season is needed by the GM so that the talents of Toews and Kane are not wasted!!! 2013 Stanley Cup Preparations begin now and we must dominate this off season!!!

Let’s Go Hawks!!!

You can follow me on Twitter @OakForest72 and our site @Blackhawk_up

Thanks for the reading this season!  Please continue to read our articles throughout the postseason and Off season!

Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

8PM United Center Chicago, IL

TV: Comcast Sports Net Chicago

Radio: 560 AM WIND

Tonight marks the return of Mike Smith’s Jack Lemmon to his Walter Matthau, Andrew Shaw.  For you kids out there, that’s an acting joke.  Shaw will return to the lineup for the Blackhawks and should add some energy and grit to the team.  I am just worried that he is going to be too amped up tonight.  He will be an easy target from some the Yotes’ savvy veterans like Shane Doan.  Shaw can not do the Hawks any good sitting in the penalty box.  Hopefully he uses all his pent up energy on putting a goal or two past Smith.   Fellow rookie Brandon Saad will sit to make room for Shaw’s return.  That means both Jimmy Hayes and Brendan Morrison will remain on the 4th line.  It will be interesting to see where Shaw goes.  Does he go on the 4th line and Viktor Stalberg moves up?  Does he go back on his 3rd line and Michael Frolik goes elsewhere?  Q has some decisions to make and some interesting combos to chose from.  Sami Lepisto will be the 6th defenseman tonight.  It looks like the curse of Niklas Hjalmarrson is alive and well as he has made Johnny Oduya bad at hockey.  I would like to see Oduya paired up again with Nick Leddy. They were very good together.  Marian Hossa was at the UC today visiting his teammates but did not participate in practice.  If he is watching from a box tonight they need to put him up on the scoreboard to get the crowd foaming at the mouth.  Not much to say, you will not see anything different from Phoenix.  The Hawks better not pull a Canuck and lose all 3 home playoff games.  The Hawks need to do exactly what the Coyotes have been doing and that is capitalizing on on mistakes.  That means actually scoring on a power play.  Should be another fun and tense game at the UC.  Here’s to saving the handshakes until Wednesday night.

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

The asylum is being run by the inmates.  Thanks to Brendan Shanahan and some of the worse officiating I’ve ever seen, the NHL is out of control.  These players have no respect for the game, and even worse, no respect for each other.  What Raffi Torres did last night was inexcusable and disgusting.  An example needs to made out of him.  He is a skid mark on the underwear of life who doesn’t deserve to privilege of playing in the NHL.  That’s right, playing professional hockey is a privilege not a right.  Some people need to lose that privilege and it starts with Torres.  Watching Marian Hossa lie motionless on the ice made me want to throw up and really made the outcome of the game not matter as much as it did before.  Thank God he was able to leave the hospital on his own power.  The fact that no penalty was called and the Coyotes got a power play out of that mess is a disgrace.  The referees need to be held just as accountable as the players.  The first week of the playoffs has been hard to watch, even for a die hard fan like myself.  If Shanahan really wants to protect the players’ safety then he needs to resign effective immediately because he is a failure.  I am expecting him to completely drop the ball on Torres’ “punishment.”  On to the actual game:

• It was a shame that Corey Crawford lost the game on such a weak goal.  Patrick Kane got too cute and instead of shooting the puck went the other way.  And then Niklas Hjalmarrson does what he does best, or worst, and gave the puck away deep in his own zone.  It was a tough way to lose when Crow was on top of his game again.

• Nick Leddy had a rough game despite having an assist on the first goal.  He was completely pushed around on the Yotes’ first goal.  Leddy will get better at this as he puts on weight. Just let the kid spend the summer with me.  I will put him on a cheeseburger and Budweiser diet that may make him a diabetic but at least he will be bigger!

• Who is this guy wearing Johnny Oduya’s uniform?  It certainly isn’t the guy that played so good the final 6 weeks of the regular season.

• Brent Seabrook is all that is man.  He blocked a shot in OT that would have made me cry like a schoolgirl who lost her puppy.  He stayed out on the ice and finished an extended shift.  He has been the best player for the Hawks in this series so far.

• Now that Hossa and Andrew Shaw are going to be out Brandon Bollig needs to sit.  You can not waste on roster spot on a guy who is only going to play 5 minutes a game, you are already shorthanded enough.  The Hawks looked absolutely gassed last night because they were playing with only 10 forwards for the majority of the game.  For Game 4 I would dress Jimmy Hayes and give Brandon Saad a look.

• Mike Smith is a douche.  Way to be a tough guy giving shots to Patrick Sharp.  Corey Crawford gets a giant stick tap for letting Smith know exactly where he can go.

• We had to spend all day Tuesday listening to Dave Tippett and Shane Doan talk about head shots and how they don’t appreciate them.  Oh really Doan?  Let’s ask Jaime Benn about Doan’s hits to the head.  And if Tippett was really against head shots why didn’t he man up and bench Torres for the rest of the game?  A couple of hypocrites!

My Blackhawks Player of the Game

Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE

You had to feel happy for Michael Frolik when he finally scored last night.  He was the best forward of the game.  He was all over the place on both sides of the ice all night.  I have been calling for Frolik to be in the lineup since before Game 1.  He was very good against Vancouver last season and can be very effective from here on out.

My Turd of the Game

Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

Many of you are probably asking yourselves “who the hell is that guy?” That is Tyson Nash who, until last night, I had no idea who he was.  On the Phoenix radio broadcast he called Torres’ hit a hockey play and “as about as clean as you can get.”  Are you kidding me?  This is coming from a guy who amassed 673 penalty minutes in 374 career games.  I’m sure those penalties were all on clean “hockey plays.”  I guess you can say whatever you want on a radio broadcast that no one is listening to.  Have fun in the unemployment line once the Yotes leave your dumb ass behind when they head for Quebec.