It’s A Great Time To Be A Chicago Blackhawks Fan!

Greetings, Chicago Blackhawks fans!  The last couple of days have been crazy busy for me; so much so that I wasn’t able to write my original post about Corey Crawford.   I should have written it right after the Nashville Predators game this past Tuesday night.  But alas, I had to go into work early the next day, so I did the responsible thing and went to bed.

“I’ll write it when I get home from work tomorrow, before dinner”, I thought.  Well that didn’t happen either.  One thing after another has been the priority instead.

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Now I finally have a chance to sit at my computer and write about the Hawks.  If you’ll bear with me, I’d like to revisit parts of the last two days; especially the parts that relate to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Let’s start with Corey Crawford.  As most of you already know, the Hawks won for the 8^th straight time on Tuesday night, beating the Nashville Predators 3-2.  Brent Seabrook was the third star of the game, with his 7^th goal of the season.  Marian Hossa was named the second star, with 2 assists.  And Andrew Shaw was given the first star for his contribution of 2 goals.

This is all well and good.  All three players are quite deserving.  But I couldn’t help thinking that somebody was being left out.  I wasn’t the only one to think this.

That’s right.  Good old Crow made 41 saves on 43 shots against the Preds!  I actually got tired of Pat Foley saying, “GOOD SAVE BY CRAWFORD!”  According to CSN’s Tracey Myers, Crawford is currently tied for second in the league in victories, with 24.  He is seventh in the league in save percentage, with .927.  And he leads the league in shutouts, with 6.

I guess it’s good when other players are doing things to keep Crow from earning a star.  But I for one think he deserves a little love.  The poor guy never seems to get his due.  Maybe he was awarded the game belt that the players exchange in the locker room after games.  Because I know the players appreciate Crow.  His focus is giving the Hawks a chance to win game after game.

So I went into work Wednesday, and I ran into a co-worker that I hadn’t seen since the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3 this past Sunday.

“When you told me Brandon Mashinter was playing for Bryan Bickell the other day, I was pretty upset” he said.  We had previously discussed that he preferred Bicks over Mashinter.  “But then the dude goes and gets a goal!  I sure didn’t expect that.”

It’s true, Mashinter is a young player who is trying to make the most out of his playing time.  He started out the scoring Sunday night, earning his second goal of the season.  Will he be able to crack a regular spot in the lineup?  Only time will tell.  But it sure is fun to watch and root for the young guys.

At lunch, I sat with another friend.  “Hey, Gail!”  she said. “I fell asleep last night, but I heard Richard Panik finally played.  How did he do?”

Well, Panik didn’t get a whole lot of playing time; but he also wasn’t even expected to play, and had to suit up at the last minute (Artem Anisimov was out due to an illness).   Panik logged 6:56 minutes of ice time, slotting in on the third line with Andrew Desjardins and Phillip Danault.

“I thought he made some really good plays, good hits, he’s got some speed to his game,” said Coach Quenneville.  “I liked a lot of things he did, so that was encouraging.”

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Finally I got home from work and was ready to write my post.  But I saw I had received a phone call that my son’s medical records we had been waiting for were available.  So I got in the car and drove to the clinic.

The two ladies behind the desk quite frankly looked bored and ready to go home.  But their small little office was filled with Chicago Blackhawks paraphernalia.  The back wall sported a large Chicago Blackhawk’s clock.  A hand painted Indian Head adorned the side wall.  The glass separating the counters had a Blackhawks banner taped to it.

“Nice Blackhawks gear,” I mentioned.  They both immediately perked up.

“Did you see the game last night?!” one asked.  “That feisty Andrew Shaw scored 2 goals!”

“Yeah, but it was the birthday boy, Hossa, that set him up with his 2 assists.  And he got 2 goals himself the game before,” countered the other.

“It’s a good time to be a Chicago Blackhawks fan,” I said.

“You aren’t kidding!  And now they signed Joel Quenneville until 2020.  And he tied that guy (Al Arbour) for wins (782, which is second all-time for coaching wins).”

There you have it.  A goaltender that’s standing on his head.  A young player that’s trying to earn his way.  A much anticipated new player (delayed due to visa issues) that is now finally here.  A feisty little guy that’s making it work right now.  A 37-year-old man that’s still got it.  And a coach that’s really good at winning.  These are only a few of the things that have been brought to my attention over the last couple of days.

But perhaps the best thing is bonding with complete strangers that can’t wait to talk about it.

It’s a heck of a time to be a Chicago Blackhawks fan!

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