I know it's been forever since i've been able to catch up on the blog (been a surprisingly busy summer), so this is probably old news now anyway. But I do want to share my thoughts on Antti Niemi leaving, and Marty Turco joining our defending Stanley Cup champs.
I have extremely mixed emotions about it, but when it comes down to it, I think this was a good deal. Niemi played so well, especially in the series against the Sharks, but i think when Turco is behind this stellar defensive core, he's going to do just as well, if not better. I mentioned the Sharks series aside because that series was really all about him stopping pretty much everything he saw, especially in that first game. I'll never forget that performance. I did read an interesting stat about Turco only having a .717 save % in the shootout, so if there is anything to worry about with this deal, it might be that. I liked Dan MacNeil's idea of taking him out with :30 left in OT and putting Corey Crawford in. Hehe. Otherwise i think his veteran presence will be a good thing, and Crawford will be able to learn a thing or two to get better himself.
On the other hand...October 9th will come along, and the Redwings will be in our building. They will sit on the bench during the pre-game activities, and watch in awe as our Stanley Cup championship banner will be raised into the rafters to join its three brothers, and stare directly into the face of its six cousins (heh heh). The crowd will roar and cheer as they remember the emotion that ran through them when they were wondering where the hell the puck was and why Kaner started celebrating...they'll scream and cheer and fill the arena with joy...
...and Marty Turco will be standing in the net.
Just doesn't seem quite right to me.
I know that my reasons for missing Niemi are more sentimental than they are about the numbers, but who can really say that it's not? I'll miss you, Antti, and I'll never forget what you did for this team, and this city.
Here's to hoping Turco has a good year, and that the dismantled Blackhawks can start the season off right.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
The Atlanta Thrashawks?
Well, this certainly has been quite the offseason for our boys, hasn't it?
The Thrashers have become an exaggerated version of the Kansas City Royals, in that the Royals have many old Sox players on their team. The Thrashers have most of the players we did not keep, aside from Versteeg and Burish. But now with that stupid stupid salary cap still looming, and a not very nice move by the Sharks to try and take Hjallmarson away (since they send Nabokov back to Russia...), now we are faced with a pretty interesting and pretty hectic decision.
What will happen to Antti Niemi?
Will we have to send even more players to Atlanta? Will they just become the same Blackhawks team that we were this year (Aside from Goaltending, our top and second defensive pair, and our top line, that is.)? I am intrigued as to what will happen for the rest of the summer, as only time will tell. It just saddens me that our team has exploded into other sections of the NHL after such an amazing Stanley Cup victory run. I understand the business side of it, but I still hate it. And I promise you, I will hate it even more if we don't re-sign Niemi.
In other news, I am going to make it a point to go to Manitoba someday and visit lake Toews....just sayin'...
I really thought it was cool that the lovely town of Winnipeg did so much for the Captain. I'm very sure his day with the cup was a memorable one, indeed.
I wonder if the Blackhawks will win "Best Team" at the ESPY's tonight...I will be watching, to see if the boys are there and also because this is the slowest sports day. But if the ESPY's get to be too much to handle, there's always Game 6 of the aforementioned Stanley Cup finals on CSN...
The Thrashers have become an exaggerated version of the Kansas City Royals, in that the Royals have many old Sox players on their team. The Thrashers have most of the players we did not keep, aside from Versteeg and Burish. But now with that stupid stupid salary cap still looming, and a not very nice move by the Sharks to try and take Hjallmarson away (since they send Nabokov back to Russia...), now we are faced with a pretty interesting and pretty hectic decision.
What will happen to Antti Niemi?
Will we have to send even more players to Atlanta? Will they just become the same Blackhawks team that we were this year (Aside from Goaltending, our top and second defensive pair, and our top line, that is.)? I am intrigued as to what will happen for the rest of the summer, as only time will tell. It just saddens me that our team has exploded into other sections of the NHL after such an amazing Stanley Cup victory run. I understand the business side of it, but I still hate it. And I promise you, I will hate it even more if we don't re-sign Niemi.
In other news, I am going to make it a point to go to Manitoba someday and visit lake Toews....just sayin'...
I really thought it was cool that the lovely town of Winnipeg did so much for the Captain. I'm very sure his day with the cup was a memorable one, indeed.
I wonder if the Blackhawks will win "Best Team" at the ESPY's tonight...I will be watching, to see if the boys are there and also because this is the slowest sports day. But if the ESPY's get to be too much to handle, there's always Game 6 of the aforementioned Stanley Cup finals on CSN...
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Buff is grindy and I hate the Salary cap
I knew it was inevitable for us to have to get rid of people, and alot of people are up in arms about the trade we just made with Atlanta, sending Buff, Eager, and Sopel over there for a couple of picks and prospects and whatnot (i'm not even really sure, I was in the midst of a 2 hour rain delay at the Cell when I heard the news...). Not to mention today's trade of Colin Fraser, which did not cause as much of an uproar.
I don't really blame people for being angry about it, I mean, Buff was a key element to not only beating Vancouver, but San Jose as well. He had a great run in the playoffs and became an instant fan favorite, and then he was gone as soon as we won the championship...
...and ya know? it kinda reminds me of Aaron Rowand a bit now that I think about it. Big Buff could be the new grindiest man in the world at this rate. The reaction from the fans has been almost identical to that of Sox fans when we traded Rowand away. Only difference is, we got Jim Thome in return. that's actually a pretty good deal. This hockey one, not so much. But there's a reason for that.
And that reason is the salary cap. After that weird situation with Dale Tallon last year involving the players who would become free agents, we now find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We signed the core players, Captain, Kaner, and Keith, so we could be secure there. But it was inevitable that we would have to trade people away to make room for that money to resign the others, or just not resign them at all. I have always had mixed reviews about the salary cap in sports. Baseball is the one i think should have one the most, but it's the only one that doesn't. I like the idea of letting the little guy win once in a while, but i am not crazy about the cap in the NHL. I think it just might be a little too strict.
For example: Captain accomplishes something very awesome in winning the Conn Smythe trophy. He gets a bonus on his contract for winning said trophy. Now the team has even less money to work with because it goes towards the cap. So basically, for helping his team win the Stanley Cup, he's screwing his team over. Now where I come from that's just not right. I read in the Tribune that he wanted to differ the money, but the league said no dude. I would be interested to know how he feels about that, given what I know about him and his personality. Maybe i'll get a chance to meet him again and ask him ^_^ (although when I met him the first time I didn't know what to say and i'm sure I sounded dumb...kinda glad my friends weren't there to see that one lol).
Anyway, that's my issue here and that's really all I can say about it. I'll miss these boys, especially big Buff...hopefully he'll still get in Luongo's crease when the Thrashers play Vancouver...
I don't really blame people for being angry about it, I mean, Buff was a key element to not only beating Vancouver, but San Jose as well. He had a great run in the playoffs and became an instant fan favorite, and then he was gone as soon as we won the championship...
...and ya know? it kinda reminds me of Aaron Rowand a bit now that I think about it. Big Buff could be the new grindiest man in the world at this rate. The reaction from the fans has been almost identical to that of Sox fans when we traded Rowand away. Only difference is, we got Jim Thome in return. that's actually a pretty good deal. This hockey one, not so much. But there's a reason for that.
And that reason is the salary cap. After that weird situation with Dale Tallon last year involving the players who would become free agents, we now find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma. We signed the core players, Captain, Kaner, and Keith, so we could be secure there. But it was inevitable that we would have to trade people away to make room for that money to resign the others, or just not resign them at all. I have always had mixed reviews about the salary cap in sports. Baseball is the one i think should have one the most, but it's the only one that doesn't. I like the idea of letting the little guy win once in a while, but i am not crazy about the cap in the NHL. I think it just might be a little too strict.
For example: Captain accomplishes something very awesome in winning the Conn Smythe trophy. He gets a bonus on his contract for winning said trophy. Now the team has even less money to work with because it goes towards the cap. So basically, for helping his team win the Stanley Cup, he's screwing his team over. Now where I come from that's just not right. I read in the Tribune that he wanted to differ the money, but the league said no dude. I would be interested to know how he feels about that, given what I know about him and his personality. Maybe i'll get a chance to meet him again and ask him ^_^ (although when I met him the first time I didn't know what to say and i'm sure I sounded dumb...kinda glad my friends weren't there to see that one lol).
Anyway, that's my issue here and that's really all I can say about it. I'll miss these boys, especially big Buff...hopefully he'll still get in Luongo's crease when the Thrashers play Vancouver...
Monday, June 21, 2010
checklist of awesomeness
Stanley Cup? check.
Olympic Gold Medal? check.
Conn Smythe trophy? check.
being on the cover of a video game? check.
<3 <3 <3 yes.
Olympic Gold Medal? check.
Conn Smythe trophy? check.
being on the cover of a video game? check.
<3 <3 <3 yes.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. VII: The day Chicago forgot about the crosstown game
Yesterday morning was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. We got downtown around 8:30, which i thought would be somewhat early enough, but I was wrong. We got as close as we could to the intersection with the stage, but we were a little bit south of Wacker on Michigan Ave., pretty much right across the street from the Blackhawks store.
People were pretty much squished together as my friends and I tried to make our way up the crowd. It was really hot, so unfortunately some people passed out around us, and others were just feeling really claustrophobic. As for me, I was a little on the warm side, especially because I was wearing the alternate black jersey, but I knew that it would be all worthwhile to get a glimpse of the Captain with the Cup in his hands. And it was.
As the busses approached us, I got up on my friend's shoulders so I could see, and the initial sight of everyone was pretty overwhelming. It was so amazing how many people there really were to come and throw love back at these boys. I waved and yelled and blew kisses to all of them, and got waves back from Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Then, as the final bus approached, I saw Captain and Kaner, with the cup riding alongside. I let out a shriek like none other, like a 12 year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert (perhaps i'm dating myself a bit when I say that...). I thought I was going to die. I yelled to them of my undying love, and waved furiously, and with Kaner's free hand, he pointed right at me. His other hand? occupied by his bottle of champagne. Captain was looking the other way, so alas I did not get a wave back from him. But the acknowledgment from Kaner was still awesome.
The rally was a very amazing and very memorable thing. I think Kaner stole the show with his whole "I'll keep my shirt on this summer" and "I love ya, cab drivers" thing. I also liked Keith's inquiry of whether the fans knew a good dentist, even though I expected him to say something like that. But I think my favorite part, the part that made me laugh for hours afterward, goes a little sometihng like this:
Every time I dive in my pool
It's hard to be humble
while I do a breast stroke through an underground tunnel
and come up on the other side in a Jacuzzi
being greeted by 2 girls who are wearin' my jersey
They give me lots of hugs and kisses and they ask me what my wish is
I say "go and get your friends cuz there's gonna be a party"
And in the end the Stanley Cup is a dream!!! and i'm like YES!!
(Kris Versteeg is a STUD)
The weird thing was, that I don't remember a time ever that the Sox vs Cubs game was such a side note. It really seemed like nobody was talking about it at all. That's really how much of an impact these boys have had on this city. It's really an amazing phenomena when a baseball crazed city like us just kinda keeps such a big rivalry in the back of their mind. I love it.
So all in all, it was a very memorable day, and when I got home last night after thinking about the victory, and the celebration, and how special this team really is, it brought tears to my eyes. One of the most unforgettable chapters in my life has come to an end. Thank you boys, for everything. Now a whole summer without the Captain. How sad...i'll miss you <3
And this year's Cup chronicles are Ovah! I hope they'll be back next year ^_~
People were pretty much squished together as my friends and I tried to make our way up the crowd. It was really hot, so unfortunately some people passed out around us, and others were just feeling really claustrophobic. As for me, I was a little on the warm side, especially because I was wearing the alternate black jersey, but I knew that it would be all worthwhile to get a glimpse of the Captain with the Cup in his hands. And it was.
As the busses approached us, I got up on my friend's shoulders so I could see, and the initial sight of everyone was pretty overwhelming. It was so amazing how many people there really were to come and throw love back at these boys. I waved and yelled and blew kisses to all of them, and got waves back from Adam Burish and Brian Campbell. Then, as the final bus approached, I saw Captain and Kaner, with the cup riding alongside. I let out a shriek like none other, like a 12 year old girl at a Backstreet Boys concert (perhaps i'm dating myself a bit when I say that...). I thought I was going to die. I yelled to them of my undying love, and waved furiously, and with Kaner's free hand, he pointed right at me. His other hand? occupied by his bottle of champagne. Captain was looking the other way, so alas I did not get a wave back from him. But the acknowledgment from Kaner was still awesome.
The rally was a very amazing and very memorable thing. I think Kaner stole the show with his whole "I'll keep my shirt on this summer" and "I love ya, cab drivers" thing. I also liked Keith's inquiry of whether the fans knew a good dentist, even though I expected him to say something like that. But I think my favorite part, the part that made me laugh for hours afterward, goes a little sometihng like this:
Every time I dive in my pool
It's hard to be humble
while I do a breast stroke through an underground tunnel
and come up on the other side in a Jacuzzi
being greeted by 2 girls who are wearin' my jersey
They give me lots of hugs and kisses and they ask me what my wish is
I say "go and get your friends cuz there's gonna be a party"
And in the end the Stanley Cup is a dream!!! and i'm like YES!!
(Kris Versteeg is a STUD)
The weird thing was, that I don't remember a time ever that the Sox vs Cubs game was such a side note. It really seemed like nobody was talking about it at all. That's really how much of an impact these boys have had on this city. It's really an amazing phenomena when a baseball crazed city like us just kinda keeps such a big rivalry in the back of their mind. I love it.
So all in all, it was a very memorable day, and when I got home last night after thinking about the victory, and the celebration, and how special this team really is, it brought tears to my eyes. One of the most unforgettable chapters in my life has come to an end. Thank you boys, for everything. Now a whole summer without the Captain. How sad...i'll miss you <3
And this year's Cup chronicles are Ovah! I hope they'll be back next year ^_~
Thursday, June 10, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. VI: There are no words.
Those commercials really are true, there are no words to describe what i'm feeling or what anyone else is feeling for that matter. But last night was one of the most memorable moments of my life, even giving October 26, 2005 a run for its money...
We were out at a little townie bar on NIU's campus called Lord Stanley's (obviously a very fitting venue), and the crowd there including myself and my friends was, well, indescribable. So much excitement, so much tension, especially when the score kept going back and forth like it had been in every game in the series. That intermission before overtime brought on an extremely anticipatory mood. Everyone was thinking the same thing I was, "This could really happen tonight..." and it did.
Ah, the weirdest goal ever. Most game winning goals are fired in like a laser beam past the unsuspecting goalie. This time, it was kind of just...in the goal...past the unsuspecting Leighton. Part of the crowd started cheering and I was just really confused. I saw Kaner throw his arms up in the air. "Did we just...win?" I thought. And as they showed the replay, the crowd exploded, and I just stood there for a brief moment. I didn't know what to do with myself. After the shock and awe of the unusual situation that had just occured, I screamed my freaking lungs out. To be able to celebrate with my boyfriend, whom i met in 2006 (so we had just missed the Sox World Series victory together) was really a special moment too. We had watched so many games from so many teams in our relationship together, and now we could finally share our first championship together.
And then, as many would expect of me, I teared up just a tiny bit apon seeing the not-so-serious Captain getting interviewed. He had the biggest smile in the world on his face, and I was so happy for him. He and the rest of the team had worked so hard to get here, and it was all worthwhile. And Captain got his well-deserved Conn Smythe trophy, and when he held that cup high in the air and kissed it, it was all over for me. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
I also got a little choked up when i talked to my dad. He taught me how to love these crazy teams of ours in this city, and he had been waiting a long, long time for this. All that time he spent as a kid shooting the puck around in the garage or minding a pretend net as Tony Esposito, all the times the games weren't shown on TV or even sometimes not even on the radio, now things have really turned around.
The celebration has only just begun. Tomorrow morning, myself and the rest of the SAS crew will be over at the rally. We are going to try to get there as early as we can, so I can get the best view of the Captain. ^_~ we will be at the intersection of Michigan and Wacker where the stage will be set up. Look for me, i'll be wearing the black alternate Toews jersey and have my patented Indian feather clip in my hair. ^_^
I still can't describe how i'm feeling, even after it's been almost a whole day. I am just so proud of these boys, and I love them all so much. They really are my heroes. <3 Thank you, Blackhawks.
2010. Stanley. Cup. Champions.
We were out at a little townie bar on NIU's campus called Lord Stanley's (obviously a very fitting venue), and the crowd there including myself and my friends was, well, indescribable. So much excitement, so much tension, especially when the score kept going back and forth like it had been in every game in the series. That intermission before overtime brought on an extremely anticipatory mood. Everyone was thinking the same thing I was, "This could really happen tonight..." and it did.
Ah, the weirdest goal ever. Most game winning goals are fired in like a laser beam past the unsuspecting goalie. This time, it was kind of just...in the goal...past the unsuspecting Leighton. Part of the crowd started cheering and I was just really confused. I saw Kaner throw his arms up in the air. "Did we just...win?" I thought. And as they showed the replay, the crowd exploded, and I just stood there for a brief moment. I didn't know what to do with myself. After the shock and awe of the unusual situation that had just occured, I screamed my freaking lungs out. To be able to celebrate with my boyfriend, whom i met in 2006 (so we had just missed the Sox World Series victory together) was really a special moment too. We had watched so many games from so many teams in our relationship together, and now we could finally share our first championship together.
And then, as many would expect of me, I teared up just a tiny bit apon seeing the not-so-serious Captain getting interviewed. He had the biggest smile in the world on his face, and I was so happy for him. He and the rest of the team had worked so hard to get here, and it was all worthwhile. And Captain got his well-deserved Conn Smythe trophy, and when he held that cup high in the air and kissed it, it was all over for me. I will never forget that moment for the rest of my life.
I also got a little choked up when i talked to my dad. He taught me how to love these crazy teams of ours in this city, and he had been waiting a long, long time for this. All that time he spent as a kid shooting the puck around in the garage or minding a pretend net as Tony Esposito, all the times the games weren't shown on TV or even sometimes not even on the radio, now things have really turned around.
The celebration has only just begun. Tomorrow morning, myself and the rest of the SAS crew will be over at the rally. We are going to try to get there as early as we can, so I can get the best view of the Captain. ^_~ we will be at the intersection of Michigan and Wacker where the stage will be set up. Look for me, i'll be wearing the black alternate Toews jersey and have my patented Indian feather clip in my hair. ^_^
I still can't describe how i'm feeling, even after it's been almost a whole day. I am just so proud of these boys, and I love them all so much. They really are my heroes. <3 Thank you, Blackhawks.
2010. Stanley. Cup. Champions.
Monday, June 7, 2010
The cup chronicles: vol. V: 1 more...
It could be just 60 more minutes of playing time before my Captain has the cup in his hands...and I am officially in fangirl freakout mode.
That game last night was amazing. The Hawks played like the team I know and love, not the team that played in games 3 and 4. Switching up the lines did help (even though Chris D-bag Pronger said it didn't have anything to do with anything, but who cares what he has to say anyways), and even though captain's line was -6 total, I think that putting him with Hossa and Kopecky was a sweet idea, and it seemed to be effective dispite the fact that 2 goals got in while they were out. As usual, Captain had alot of opportunities to score, but Leighton is evil and denied him of the Stanley Cup finals goal you know he wants so very much. Perhaps on Wednesday...
All in all, everyone has stepped up in some way to help out this team, and I really love that about them. Obviously Niemi has done a good enough job for the most part, even though in the finals he hasn't been as stellar per se. I still love the job he's done throughout the postseason, especially after all the pointless goaltending controversy that occurred throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. I also love how Bolland, the big man Buff, and Hossa have been playing. And let's not forget about our lovely defenseman Keith and Seabs. A team where everyone steps up will win a championship, i've seen it happen before...^_~
I hate that there are 2 days till game 6 instead of just 1 like usual. Hopefully tomorrow goes by fast (although I do have to work at the Sox game so that's not gonna happen...). The night before game 5 I had some really messed up dreams, and I couldn't sleep because of the excitement. i feel like that will happen again tomorrow night for sure. Yes the dreams did include Hawks players. That is all I will say about it. The point is, the excitement for the next 2 days is going to be intense, and to pass the time i will play my favorite online game and watch a whole lot of NHL network.
Speaking of watching things, I watched alot of Comcast Sportsnet today. Last night at the game, Dave Kaplan of Chicago Tribune Live ate dinner at the Stadium Club, so i wanted to watch it to see if he mentioned anything about his experience, but alas he did not. I also watched a great show in the morning that pretty much consisted of Sarah Kustok and Chuck Garfien working out for half an hour. if that's not quality television, i don't know what is. Then they replayed yesterday's game, so I of course watched that. Then, on Sportsnite, they had this guy from CSN Philadelphia talkin smack about our city...and would you believe he had the NERVE to say that we "can't even get the RIGHT team in our town to win the world series" as they showed footage from '05??? That pretty much pushed me over the edge. Shawn, you can have your Phillies, and the half of HBJ that likes the Flyers can have that too. But I really really just don't like that city anymore.
Anyway, Wednesday will be awesome and you can bet that i will be watching on the edge of my seat the whole time. Could it be the day that all of us Hawks fans have been waiting for? I just have to try to get through tomorrow first...
That game last night was amazing. The Hawks played like the team I know and love, not the team that played in games 3 and 4. Switching up the lines did help (even though Chris D-bag Pronger said it didn't have anything to do with anything, but who cares what he has to say anyways), and even though captain's line was -6 total, I think that putting him with Hossa and Kopecky was a sweet idea, and it seemed to be effective dispite the fact that 2 goals got in while they were out. As usual, Captain had alot of opportunities to score, but Leighton is evil and denied him of the Stanley Cup finals goal you know he wants so very much. Perhaps on Wednesday...
All in all, everyone has stepped up in some way to help out this team, and I really love that about them. Obviously Niemi has done a good enough job for the most part, even though in the finals he hasn't been as stellar per se. I still love the job he's done throughout the postseason, especially after all the pointless goaltending controversy that occurred throughout the regular season and into the playoffs. I also love how Bolland, the big man Buff, and Hossa have been playing. And let's not forget about our lovely defenseman Keith and Seabs. A team where everyone steps up will win a championship, i've seen it happen before...^_~
I hate that there are 2 days till game 6 instead of just 1 like usual. Hopefully tomorrow goes by fast (although I do have to work at the Sox game so that's not gonna happen...). The night before game 5 I had some really messed up dreams, and I couldn't sleep because of the excitement. i feel like that will happen again tomorrow night for sure. Yes the dreams did include Hawks players. That is all I will say about it. The point is, the excitement for the next 2 days is going to be intense, and to pass the time i will play my favorite online game and watch a whole lot of NHL network.
Speaking of watching things, I watched alot of Comcast Sportsnet today. Last night at the game, Dave Kaplan of Chicago Tribune Live ate dinner at the Stadium Club, so i wanted to watch it to see if he mentioned anything about his experience, but alas he did not. I also watched a great show in the morning that pretty much consisted of Sarah Kustok and Chuck Garfien working out for half an hour. if that's not quality television, i don't know what is. Then they replayed yesterday's game, so I of course watched that. Then, on Sportsnite, they had this guy from CSN Philadelphia talkin smack about our city...and would you believe he had the NERVE to say that we "can't even get the RIGHT team in our town to win the world series" as they showed footage from '05??? That pretty much pushed me over the edge. Shawn, you can have your Phillies, and the half of HBJ that likes the Flyers can have that too. But I really really just don't like that city anymore.
Anyway, Wednesday will be awesome and you can bet that i will be watching on the edge of my seat the whole time. Could it be the day that all of us Hawks fans have been waiting for? I just have to try to get through tomorrow first...
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