$3 Our Song Is Strong, You Don’t Like It, Get Along... $3 The Committed Indian The REal Fan’s Program secondcityhockey.com April 18th, 2010 [email protected] OK, STARTING NOW... Not exactly what we had in mind anything in the 3rd. Again, a lot of credit has waiting-for-Kane-to-hit-his-tape style that there, Hawks. While we couldn’t find too much to be given to the Predators, they simply out- The Shooter tends to fall into when playing to complain about in the first 40 minutes of worked the Hawks. But why did the patience with Crazy 88. If that line is going to work, play, the problem lies in that 40 is less than 60 and intelligence we saw in the first two periods Sharp is going to have to do his share of dirty (thank you, Dr. Science!). However, we feel the simply evaporate? If the Hawks had just re- work. need to point out that it’s a best of seven, not mained calm and put their heads down and did Oh, but Q is going to one-up the a best of one. The Hawks have faced bigger it the dirty way, they very well may have gotten normal pattern and shift around the deckchairs deficits than this - remember they were two back into the game. But that’s the game the on the blue line, too. Marlboro 72 (Keith and minutes away last May from being down 3-1 Preds want to play, and if the Hawks are plan- Seabrook) has been reunited. Buff will skate to the Canucks and headed back to Vancouver. ning on trailing them in the 3rd regularly, this with Hendry, while Hammer and Sopel will be Nothing is fucked here, dude. is going to get icky-pants indeed. paired. This probably means more minutes With all the plaudits being thrown Slot Machine Strikes Again for Sopel - which is a little scary after he and the Predators way (and their play inside their What does that mean for tonight? Hendry got mauled in Game 1. What it does zone after taking the lead was something to Well, unless you’ve been living in a cave or do in the positive is provide a puck-rusher on behold), they still needed a completely fluky are a Palin supporter, you know it means that another pairing besides the top one. Byfuglien bounce and a turnover that made children Coach Q will shuffle his lines. Reports out of as least thinks he’s one, and Hendry was a weep to take the lead. Granted, this is a team practice yesterday have Ladd moving up to capable enough center fielder when he played that is just waiting to pounce on those sorts of play with Hossa and Toews, while Sharp moves a couple games with Campbell this year. mistakes, as they make hardly any. However, to play with Patrick Kane and Dave Bolland. However, changing the lines doesn’t they can’t be perfect forever, either. After his lunacy on his own blue line, Troy change the main problems of Game 1, as com- That’s what’s upsetting about Fri- Brouwer goes to the 3rd line. mentter “Deathmonkey” pointed out on the day. The Hawks coverage in their zone was We’re going to try and have more blog (only in this publication would someone just as good. The Preds only generated one patience with Q’s shuffling than we have in the named “Deathmonkey” be referenced. Some- chance from between the circles in the first past (honest, we are. Really. No, seriously), times our job rules). First, the Hawks were just two periods, and that came off a turnover from even though a jostling after all of one bad pe- outworked, and that has to change no matter Hjalmarsson. Sure, the Preds d-men did a riod smacks of panic. In theory, the thinking who plays with who. Second, they have to masterful job of holding pucks in and sustain- behind this lineup makes sense. Toews and simplify their game and play a dirty, boring, ing pressure. But all that pressure was exerted Hossa probably could do with someone who cut-yourself-to-see-if-you-still-feel kind of from the outside. Antti Niemi only had a just wants to crash the net and provide screens game. We need to see that no matter the line- couple big stops to make. If the Hawks keep for their hellacious shots. We know Sharp and up. You’ll know the Hawks are in for a much up that level, there still shouldn’t be too much Kane have a chemistry that could finally see better night if you see a lot more straight lines to worry about. To boot, the Hawks were Sharp net the goals that his play has deserved. down the ice. If there’s so much weaving murdering the Preds in the faceoff circle, which What we don’t want to see, and we through the neutral zone you get acid-trails, further tilted their possession advantage. haven’t for months, is the Sharp-floating- break out the Pepto. -Tony Soprano Things are more ok than they seem, except for the tiny issue of the playing surface. While it’s hardly the main reason the Hawks lost, if McDonough and Rocky are serious about turning the Hawks into the NHL’s pre- mier franchise, they’ll figure out something with the ice. It’s been dogshit for years now, and for a team that wants to play a smooth, passing style, having to try and do that on a Kwik-E-Mart slushy would be playing right into the mucky, grindy team’s hands, no? But You’ve Come For An Argument Ah, but you want to worry, do you? Well, we can help you with that. There are a couple things that you have to find discourag- ing. First and foremost is how tight the Hawks became after the game was tied and especially when they fell behind. This is the same team (almost to a man) that trailed in every game in the series against Vancouver. They smiled at those deficits like death smiles at us all. What was so much more daunting about being down one goal to the Preds? Secondly, the Hawks couldn’t create But remember, Predators fans insist Nashville doesn’t trap. From The Editor I thought I would be used to this by now. I figured after one play- -It’s amazing what a playoff series can do to your ire toward an off run I could handle the ups and downs and the stress that would come opponent. I haven’t had much contact with Preds fans in the two years I’ve with this one. After all, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Well, that been doing this. Dirk from On The Forecheck has always been thorough lasted all of five minutes, maybe. Sadly, I don’t think there’s anything that and prompt doing the Q&A we run, and we have something of a rapport. can ease the nerves of the playoffs, and I suppose we’d better just get used But reading their blog and comments on a regular basis, I don’t have much to being miserable. of a feel for the supporters in Nashville. I guess that all changed Sunday when we knew we’d drawn them. -One thing I’m not going to get used to is one of the uglier sides We’ve been doing some back and forth contributions between OTF and that the vast attention the Hawks are getting in the Chicago Second City Hockey, and their readers have been showing press brings. With baseball only having just started, and up at our blog and vice versa. It’s hardly the case that a Bulls playoff appearance looking like it won’t last much they’ve been unreasonable or obnoxious. But these days, longer than 20 minutes, all eyes are on the Hawks. With any differing viewpoint from mine, no matter how justi- that, our “star” columnists around town will be chiming fied and proved, sends me into orbit. How dare you think in with their thoughts, if you want to call them that. But the team you love and have watched all year can beat sadly, these days a columnist’s main job description is to my supermen? It’s not even the people so much, it’s the generate conversation and emotion, not to be something in sentiment. This is the best chance at a Cup I’ve ever seen, the neighborhood of intelligent. David Haugh, who only and any allusion to the fact we might not win it makes me recently was thrown into the columnist position and may break up like an 8-year old being sent to his room. I’m need time, was quick to throw Antti Niemi under the bus, sure I’m not the only one. even though no one thinks he’s at fault for Game 1’s loss. But the goalie controversy angries up the blood, so it’s an Sam Fels -I want to thank Fork for his piece about his father on Fri- easy button to push. Veteran air raid siren Rick Morrissey day. When I read stuff like that, I always scoff at people chimes in with how flat the Hawks looked, even though who say sports don’t matter. Fucking eh’ they do. They give us something they dominated the 2nd and were hardly awful in the 1st period.