Today's News Clips March 8, 2017
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Today’s News Clips March 8, 2017 Chicago Tribune Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane lines creating nightmare matchups for opponents Chris Hine March 7, 2017 There's a reason Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville prefers to keep Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane on different lines. In an ideal scenario, Toews' and Kane's lines would produce goals on a nightly basis, making it next to impossible for a coach to defend both with his top defensive options. Quenneville wants to make opponents pick their poison, and of late he has been able to ask: Hemlock or arsenic? Both Toews and Kane are scoring like the players who signed $10.5 million-per-year extensions in 2014. Toews was the NHL's No. 1 star for February and has eight goals and 12 assists in his last 13 games. Kane has 14 goals in his last 13 games. For much of last season, Kane and linemates Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov drew the bulk of defensive attention, and opponents could get by easing off Toews' line. That's not the case recently. "There's no doubt for a long time this year and last year, (the Kane line has) been that line that other teams really had to worry about," Toews said. "It's always good to have different lines pick up the slack offensively, and it definitely makes teams think twice about who they're going to go after and try to shut down. It eases the pressure on everybody else too." Before, an opponent might have been able to get away with deploying its top defensive pairing and top checking line against Kane and his linemates. Now if a coach does that, Toews and linemates Richard Panik and Nick Schmaltz are likely to make him pay, as they have for most of the last month. "That's always been one of our strengths is having two lines where your opponents are not quite sure which line they want to check or which is the most dangerous," Quenneville said. "That depth is very important, whether it's in big games or as you go deeper in (playoff) series. There's always going to be something concerning for your opponents when you have a one-two tandem." Toews said it seems through the course of a game his line sees both the top defensive pair and the top checking line. That's due in part to the evolution of Schmaltz, who has played like a different player since rejoining the Hawks from Rockford for a second time in January. Before missing the last two games because of an illness, Schmaltz had three goals and nine assists in his last nine games. "If we have all four lines going and every line is a threat to score, that's really tough for teams to match up against," Schmaltz said. "I know a lot of the attention is on Panarin, Anisimov and Kane, which it should be. Those guys are one of the best lines in the league, and we're just trying to take a little bit of pressure off them and get some secondary scoring." But Toews' line isn't just secondary scoring. It's a primary option for Quenneville and has created a lot of tough decisions for opponents. Chicago Sun-Times Staying out of the box has been key to Blackhawks’ success Mark Lazerus March 7, 2017 Sometimes the only thing to do as a defenseman when a guy like Connor McDavid is flying full speed in your direction is to put your stick on him. Hook him. Slash him. Trip him. Give him the old can-opener move. Just stop him somehow. “You watch old clips of Brian Leetch, and he’d make a great play by putting his stick in between the guy’s stick and his arm, or putting his stick between a guy’s legs,” defenseman Duncan Keith said. “But that would be a penalty now, where before, that’s what they taught. You’re not really allowed to use your stick the way you used to be able to use your stick to prevent goals and to defend. Now you’ve got to be able to skate and use your speed.” And few teams do that as well as the Hawks. For all the keys to their success over the years — top-end talent up front, well-structured team defense, excellent goaltending, and all sorts of intangibles — a very important one goes largely unnoticed: They stay out of the penalty box. With 196 penalties in 65 games, the Hawks are 29th out of 30 teams. In fact, they’ve been 27th, 28th or 29th in the league in penalties for eight consecutive years, dating back to the 2009-10 season, when they won their first Stanley Cup of the modern era. In a league in which goals are at a premium, limiting opposing power plays is crucial. “The coaches emphasize it,” defensive forward Dennis Rasmussen said. “We try to work with our sticks on the ice and not take stupid penalties. We work with our sticks instead of just using our bodies. You’ve still got to use your body to separate guys from the puck sometimes, but we’re pretty smart about it.” It goes beyond just being smart, though. For years, the Hawks have been one of the top puck-possession teams in the league, and if you have the puck, you’re usually not clutching, grabbing, hooking, tripping or retaliating. And beyond that, the Hawks simply aren’t a very physical team. They’re built on skill, not brawn, so there are fewer opportunities to take penalties such as interference and boarding. Hits isn’t a terribly reliable stat, varying from arena to arena, but the Hawks are officially dead last in the category, with 928 of them — less than half what the league-leading Los Angeles Kings have. Brian Campbell said the Hawks would like to ratchet up the physical play with the playoffs drawing near, but it’ll never be a focal point. “It hasn’t really been our identity to just run through teams,” Jonathan Toews said. “Other teams have tried to run through us, and it doesn’t necessarily always work. We focus on having the puck and playing with the puck, and then you don’t have to worry about hitting guys or taking stick penalties or trying not to get caught cheating.” Defensively, the Hawks focus on taking away shooting lanes, and blocking shots. Top defensemen such as Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson and newly reacquired Johnny Oduya manage to maintain a tight gap between themselves and the puck- handler by body-positioning, smart stick-work and elite skating. The less they have to put their stick on an opponent’s body, the less time their team will spend short-handed. And as the Hawks have shown over the years, that’s a good way to ensure long-term success. “We’re a disciplined team and the coaches stress that,” Keith said. “It’s no secret you don’t want to be on the penalty- kill all day long. It’s just not a recipe for success.” Chicago Sun-Times Artemi Panarin apologizes for ‘insensitive’ comment in 2012 clip Mark Lazerus March 7, 2017 Artemi Panarin apologized for saying he would never “have sex with a black woman” during an interview with a Russian television station in 2012. The segment, unearthed by the blog Faxes From Uncle Dale, has since been removed from YouTube. During the nearly 15-minute interview, Panarin and teammate Yaroslav Tulyakov answered a lengthy list of “getting to know you” questions. Asked, “What can you not do?”, Panarin replied in Russian, “Have sex with a black woman.” “In 2012, I was a guest on a Russian TV show and made insensitive comments that I deeply regret,” Panarin said in a statement released by the Blackhawks. “I understand my comments are offensive and I apologize for my hurtful words.” Panarin was 20 or 21 when the interview was conducted, and based on the tone of the interview, the comment seemed to be a poor attempt at a joke. “On Sunday, we were made aware of the video from Artemi’s appearance on a Russian TV show in 2012,” the Blackhawks said in a statement. “We immediately addressed the matter with him. His comments in the video in no way represent the values of our organization. He has apologized and understands the offensive nature of his words.” Panarin won the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie last season, and recently signed a two-year, $12-million contract extension. Daily Herald Amonte will not participate in One More Shift John Dietz March 7, 2017 Sources have confirmed to the Daily Herald that Tony Amonte will not participate in the One More Shift promotion. Amonte was scheduled to skate out during a game in February but things fell through with the former Hawk, who played in Chicago from 1993-2002. Attempts to contact Amonte were unsuccessful. The next One More Shift participant, according to sources, will be goalie Ed Belfour. The scheduled date for Belfour's shift is March 23 against Dallas, the team he won a Stanley Cup with in 1999. Belfour's 201 victories rank fourth in Blackhawks history. He played in Chicago from 1988-97. Belfour retired in 2007. The first three One More Shift participants were Denis Savard, Steve Larmer and Jeremy Roenick. Daily Herald Answering some key Blackhawks questions for the stretch run John Dietz March 7, 2017 With the Blackhawks enjoying a four-day break in the schedule, let's answer a few questions that may be on your mind.