The Committed Indian the Real Fan’S Program Secondcityhockey.Com January 4Th, 2009 [email protected] BACK to the FRONT
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$3 Our Nasty Reputation Takes Us Everywhere $3 The Committed Indian The REal Fan’s Program secondcityhockey.com January 4th, 2009 [email protected] BACK TO THE FRONT... Huzzah! We can get back to hockey tactic the Hawks will see plenty of. you really have to wonder if he can handle this now. Though we enjoyed the experience Flame-Broiled Goodness load any more. Check out his goals-against immensely -- despite the result -- it is more In Gary Bettman’s kindergarten-like average the past four seasons, including this than a relief to get back to just being fans of point-distribution system -- everyone gets to one: 2.07, 2.46, 2.69, 2.84. See a pattern? another hockey team again, and not part of have at least one -- a two-game losing streak See if it appears in his SV % over that time too: some movement that’ll save Chicago’s budget generally means you’re going to get passed. .923, .917, .906, .901. But Keenan has his crisis and put Blago in jail, or whatever it was That’s just what happened, as the Flames sit ways. So did Stalin. they packaged that thing as. third in the conference and atop the North- Paging Dr. Bolland What have we learned since Christ- west Division. The Flames are as hot as the The Flames aren’t as Iginla-centric as mas? Well, the Hawks appear to be in a class Hawks were, having won seven of eight, and they used to be, especially since they moved of their own. Generally, that refers to a team losing in overtime in the other one (you may Langkow down to the 2nd line with the mutant that’s above every competitor, but not in this recall Captain Marvel going around a certain that’s parading around as Rene Bourque. But case. The Hawks are clearly a step below San unnamed defenseman in that one. Rhymes in two games against the Flames, the Bolland- Jose and Scum, but also appear to be clearly with Peon Baneuf). line has kept Iggy in their pocket, and doing better than everyone else (though tonight’s This isn’t quite the normal squad so again tonight will go a long way to secur- oppenent Calgary has more points, but in we associate with the Southern Alberta Boys. ing victory. Though Bertuzzi won yesterday’s three more games). It’s like the Hawks aren’t They’re 20th in goals-against, but 7th in game against Nashville in the dying seconds, hipster enough to hang out in Logan Square, goals-for. But they’re still 26th in penalties, we’ll take our chances. but not yuppie enough to hang out in Lincoln so at least somethings never change. If Mike You know the drill against Calgary. Park or Bucktown. So they’ll just have to make Keenan ever ran a disciplined team, it would They’re big, they’re nasty, and have more skill do in Lincoln Square...or something. Ok, that probably be in that sport Homer Simpson than one might imagine. We were scared the metaphor fell apart, but you get the idea. wanted to event, where people throw ducks at Hawks would suffer a letdown after the Clas- So Now You Know, Who balloons and nothing is the way it seems. sic, but considering how the two games this Gets Mystified As always, Iron Mike is running his week went, we fully expect the Hawks to come If there’s one silver lining to the goalie into the ground, and then straight to out with a snarl we haven’t seen in a while. past two games, at least the Hawks now have hell. Mikka Kiprusoff has all 23 of the Flames’ They damn well better. This Flames team is some idea what playoff hockey sort of looks wins, and has started 36 of the Flames’ no joke, and a three-game losing streak will like. They should also be somewhat flattered 38 games. He’s also changing the oil on bring acid flashbacks of previous January that Scum felt they needed to bring out the Keenan’s car, and redoing the roof on his collapses. But we don’t see that happening heavy artillery against them. But that’s about house. Kipper is on the wrong side of 30, and tonight. -Rahm Emanuel it. As for the Classic itself, we couldn’t help but think of Hull-Mikita Night against San Jose from last season. An immense occasion, the young Hawks come out eating lightning and crapping thunder against an experienced, elite team. They take the lead, and are all over the place for a period. But they can’t keep that level of energy going (who could?), the more veteran team waits them out and slowly starts to assert themselves against a spent Hawk team. By the time they can reload, it’s too late. That’s one point of view. Hopefully, come the spring, the Hawks will learn to bal- ance their exuberance throughout a game. Or just start snorting half of Colombia. Whatever works. As for the nuts-and-bolts of it, Nicklas Lindstrom was quoted as saying that after the 1st, the Wings concentrated on making sure their breakout pass went to the redline instead of blue, thus nullifying the Hawks forecheck. Thankfully, only Scum come equipped with enough puck-moving d-men to pull this off, so we won’t see it too often. Lindstrom also said that Scum really concentrated on keeping the Hawks’ d-men pinned back from joining the rush, eliminat- ing options for our skilled forwards. This is a Now what, John? MUSINGS FROM THE EDITOR - Many have already said it, but I thought the Classic was a wonder- uncomfortable. I don’t doubt there are some people who watch ful experience, despite the result. But one thought I didn’t think hockey, and not basketball, due to racist sentiments. But I have to would cross my mind during it was this: I hope the new owners believe they are the underwhelming majority. At least I hope it is. of the Cubs find a way to “accidentally” blow that place up. This There are two key points that I think go against any argu- comes from a die-hard Cub fan, too. I’ve always ment of racism. One is I don’t think Hawks fans are thought Wrigley held the Cubs back, due to sellouts objecting to coverage of basketball in general, but to regardless of performance. Maybe it’s a sign I’m the basketball the Bulls play. Not only are they bad, getting old, and I do love watching a game there. but they’re selfish, whiny, uncaring, and don’t put But you know what? I don’t want to wait 20 min- forth even a decent effort half the time. Contrast that utes for the bathroom. I’d like to be able to move with the Hawks who are affable, care about the fans, in the aisles. I don’t want to stare at a post. Obvi- and leave everything on the ice. They warran more ously, this will never happen. But Wrigley is due a coverage simply because of that. I can’t imagine that major renovation soon. At least we got to see what a has anything to with the color of the players’ skin. Jumbotron would look like in something other than Secondly, go to an NBA game some time. Well, our dreams. actually, don’t. It’s like being in a 20,000 seat Chuck- - There’s something that’s been invading Sam Fels E-Cheese in Deerfield for three hours. I’ve been to my mind like a barbarian horde recently. I’ve seen DMVs that were more pleasant. But anyway, take it discussed a couple different places, and I wonder where the truth a look at the makeup of the crowd of a Bulls game sometime. It’s lies exactly. I hear Hawks fans calling radio stations and read their almost as lilly-white as a Hawks crowd. You’ll find that in most letters in papers complaining that the Hawks aren’t getting enough NBA arenas, I think. coverage. Sometimes people link it to over-coverage of the Bulls. I shouldn’t get so upset when a member of the mainstream Whenever that happens, someone’s bound to claim racism. Dan media tries to paint me as a hockey fan, and my bretheren, as Bernstein on The Afternoon Show on The Score was the latest I mouth-breathing cavemen. But it’s getting old, and I wish it would heard do this (why do I always end up bitching about Bernsy in stop. That’s ok, when the Hawks are the only one standing in April, this? He and I are friends, too). This makes me hemorrhoids- they’ll have to put up with us. NHL STANDINGS *not including late game Eastern Conference Western Conference W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY 1 Boston 29 6 4 62 143 88 14-2-1 15-4-3 1 San Jose* 28 4 5 61 128 87 18-0-2 10-4-3 2 Washington 26 11 3 55 133 116 17-1-1 9-10-2 2 Scum 26 7 5 57 141 111 13-3-2 13-4-3 3 Philadelphia* 21 10 7 49 131 118 12-4-3 9-6-4 3 Calgary 23 11 4 50 118 112 13-4-3 10-7-1 4 NY Rangers 23 14 3 49 108 109 13-7-2 10-7-1 4 HAWKS 20 8 7 47 127 94 11-2-4 9-6-3 5 Montreal 21 10 6 48 109 95 11-4-4 10-6-2 5 Vancouver 21 15 4 46 115 105 11-6-1 10-9-3 6 New Jersey 22 12 3 47 113 95 12-7-1 10-5-2 6 Phoenix 19 15 5 43 102 110 13-5-2 6-10-3 7 Carolina 20 15 5 45 105 116 11-9-1 9-6-4 7 Anaheim 19 15 5 43 111 112 10-8-3 9-7-2 8 Buffalo 19 15 5 43 113 111 10-9-2 9-6-3 8 Columbus 18 17 4 40 104 109 11-6-1 7-11-3 9 Pittsburgh 19 16 4 42 121 120 8-9-2 11-7-2 9 Minnesota 18 16 3 39 94 87 11-7-3 7-9-0 10 Florida 17 16 5 39 99 105 8-5-3 9-11-2 10 Colorado 19 18 1 39 104 113 11-7-0 8-11-1 11 Toronto 16 17 6 38 119 138 8-7-4 8-10-2 11 Edmonton* 17 16 3 37 101 111 6-6-3 11-10-0 12 Ottawa 13 18 5 31 84 103 9-6-3 4-12-2 12 Dallas* 16 15 5 37 107 123 9-6-3 7-9-2 13 Atlanta 13 21 5 31 114 142 7-11-2 6-10-3 13 Nashville 17 18 3 37 93 112 10-6-1 7-12-2 14 Tampa Bay 10 18 10 30 91 120 4-7-7 6-11-3 14 L.A.