It's playoff time BABY! AWW YEAH!

Well looky here......Hawks are in the playoffs!!  OH YEAH!  Talk about a miracle!  Minnesota Wild upset the Dallas Stars with a 4-3 win.  Yes Minny.....we do thank you!  If it wasn’t for you guys.....the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions wouldn’t have a chance to defend the Cup. 

We all know that in the post-season....it’s a whole another level.  Teams you think will move onto the next round don’t and teams you think wont do.  Happens everytime...that’s what I love most about it!  So let us look back at the 2010-2011 season for the Hawks briefly and then it’s onto are rivals in the first round.....Vancouver Canucks. 

Hawks ended the season with a 44-29-9 record with 97 points.  They were 13^th overall, 8^th in their conference, and 3^rd in their division.  It is interesting to know that in the Northwest Division, if it wasn’t for the Canucks.....no team in that division would have made the post-season.

Top leaders in each category for the Hawks

Points- 76 Toews

Goals-34 Sharp

Assists- 46 Kane

+/-  +28 Campbell   -13 Kopecky

PIM-72 Scott although Kopecky had the most minors at 30 (Tomas stay out of the box!)

S%-14.7 Bolland but he only played 61 compared to Brouwer 13.9 with 79 games

Total on ice-26:53 Keith

FO%- 56.7 Toews overall 8^th in the league with taking a total 1653 faceoffs 2^nd most in the league.....GO TAZER!

Hits-262 Brouwer

Blocked shots-166 Hjalmarsson

Givaways-83 Keith

Takeaways-93 Toews

So here’s a few awards that go out to the Hawks

MVP-Corey Crawford (should get a Calder nomination)

Best forward-Patrick Sharp (would have gotten a lot more goals if he wasn’t hurt....hmmm.....sounds familiar from a few seasons ago!)

Best defenseman-Brian Campbell (Been the most consistent and has the highest plus rating)

Best newbie-Nick Leddy (didn’t get to start the season with the Hawks, but pretty impressive for a rookie....although there are a few things you do need to work on but it’s your 1^st season so you get more lee-way)

Best veteran-Marty Turco (your leadership is amazing...the fact that Crawford took your spot and you have so much class that you took Crawford under your wing...couldn’t think of a better one for him!)

Now it’s time to add in our first round opponent.....the Vancouver Canucks.   The 1^st and 2^nd game is in Vancouver on Wednesday (13th) and Friday (15th).  3^rd and 4^th game will be in Chicago on Sunday (17^th) and Tuesday (19^th).  Guess whos going to the game on Sunday.....AWW YEAH!!!  My brother has hooked me up.....once again....an early birthday present.  This is the 3^rd post-season in a row that i’ve gone to vs. the Canucks.  CAN’T WAIT!  Should be VERY EXCITING! 

The Hawks were 2-2 vs. the Canucks this season.  We can’t really factor in the season (10-11') because Crawford only played one out of the four games.  In the game that he did play,  Hawks won 7-1 in Vancouver.  In the second period Toews and Brouwer scored 2:26 apart early in the 2^nd.  Seabrook and Sharp scored 1:47 apart late in the 2^nd to have Luongo pulled.  The other three games Turco played.  The Hawks went 2-1 (SO), 3-0 Canucks, and 4-3 Canucks. 

In the four games, Hawks averaged 3 goals per game while allowing 2.25 goals to be scored.  The special teams...Hawks were horrible....only scored once out of 20 times having a man-advantage.  When they were a man or two short, Canucks scored 5 times out of 16 chances....giving them a 31.25%. 

When you compare the two teams overall in the season.....Canucks pretty much dominate in each category.  They have the league leaders in points, assists, and wins with the Sedin twins dominating in the offensive play.  The Canucks did win the Presidents Trophy to have the most points in the league.  Im hoping they get the Presidents Trophy curse which a perfect example would be since the lockout (04-05’), 3 out of the 5 teams have been knocked out in the 1^st round, one lost in the 3^rd round and only one won the Cup.  The past two season 09’and 10’ they have lost in the 1^st round....lets hope the tradition keeps up....LOL! 

This is the 3^rd time that the Hawks face the Canucks in the post-season.  The past two (09’ and 10’) playoffs, the Hawks have come back from 1-0 deficits both times to win in six games. In both years they came back to win Game 6, including a 7-5 triumph in '09 and a 4-3 (OT) victory in '10.  Awww, the memories!

Anyways, playoffs will be starting soon and every team has a clean slate. Now it doesn’t matter what happen in the season....all that counts is each series.   The question is how far will the Hawks go.  Well if they play like they did on Friday vs. Wings....they will win the series.  If they play like they did on Sunday vs. Wings.....don’t see the Hawks lasting that long in the playoffs but who knows.....all i know is that IM EXCITED for the playoffs to start.  GO HAWKS! 

The last 12 games

Hey there Hawks fan....what’s been going on.  Hawks haven’t been doing really well lately.  In the last 12 games, they are 5-5-2.  They have gained 12 points out of the 24 they could have gotten.  They are standing in 8^th place in their conference, 3^rd in their division, and only 4 points away from catching up to 4^th place which would give them home-ice advantage for the playoffs.

Here are your leaders for each category

Points- Toews 75

Assists- Toews 44

Goals- Sharp 34

+/-  +26 Campbell -11 Kopecky

PIM- 72 Scott (he’s only played 40 games so far)

Shooting percentage-14.2% Bickell (actually Bolland but he won’t be back)

TOI-26:56 Keith

Blocked Shots-155 Hjalmarsson

Hits-261 Brouwer

Giveaways-79 Keith

Takeaways-90 Toews

Report Card

Power Play-In the past 12 games, Hawks have scored 9 goals while having the man-advantage which gives them a 23.08%

Grade-A

Penalty Kill-Hawks have allowed 5 goals in 32 opportunities of being short-handed giving them a 84.37%

Grade-C

Goaltending-I think the Hawks need Crawford to rest.  He looks burnt out. 

Grade C-

Offense-The Hawks have averaged 2.33 goals per game in the last 12.

Grade-C

Defense- In the last 12 games the Hawks have allowed 2.66 goals per game.

Grade-D

Overall-C-

Game Recaps

Hawks vs. Panthers (3/8/11)

Panthers win 3-2

Corey Crawford was pulled after the first period allowing 3 goals in 8 shots.  Marty Turco only had to make 7 saves for the next two periods.  Hossa and Kane both score in the 2^nd period to make it 3-2 but Vokoun made 37 saves for the game making him the number one star for the game.  The Panthers ended the Hawks 8-game winning streak.

Hawks vs. Lightning (3/9/11)

Lightning win 4-3 SO

Once again Corey Crawford gave up 3 goals on 11 shots on goal.  The first shot on goal in the 2^nd was scored by Purcell to have Tampa lead 3-1.  The Hawks scored goals from Sharp and Toews to tie the game 3-3 with 16:30 left in regulation.  The game goes into overtime and Martin St. Louis scored the only goal in the shootout to win the game.   

Hawks vs. Capitals (3/13/11)

Capitals win 4-3 (OT)

Gordon and Arnott both scored for the Caps on special teams for the 1^st period.  Toews scored 38.5 seconds left in the game to force an OT.  Knuble scored the GWG with only 1:09 left.  They outshot the Hawks 42-30 and pretty much dominated the game with every category including hits 31-23.  Hossa was the only Hawks with a +1 for the game.

Hawks vs. Sharks (3/14/11)

Hawks win 6-3

Hossa scored two power play goals in less than 3 minutes in the 2^nd to build the momentum of a powerful 5-goal period for the Hawks.  Kane and Toews both had an assist and goal in the period too!  Niemi was pulled at 7:25 of the 2^nd period after allowing four goals on 18 shots.  Niittymaki replaced him and stopped 14 of 16 shots. 

Brent Seabrook had 1A, 4 hits, 6 blocked shots, and +2 for the game.

Hawks vs. Stars (3/17/1)

Stars win 5-0

Corey Crawford got pulled after allowing 3 goals on 10 shots with 2 goals being scored in 2 ½ minutes in the 2^nd.  Turco replaced him and made 15 saves.  Lehtonen made 23 saves for his 16th NHL shutout.  Segal vs. Dowell....Dowell gets the nod with Segal getting cut in the face.  Not a single player on the Hawks was in the plus category. 

Hawks vs. Yotes (3/20/11)

Hawks win 2-1

Hawks vs. Panthers (3/23/11)

Hawks win 4-0

Hawks vs. Ducks (3/26/11)

Ducks win 2-1

Hawks vs. Red Wings (3/28/11)

Hawks win 3-2 OT

Hawks vs. Bruins (3/29/11)

Bruins win 3-0

Hawks vs. Blue Jackets (4/1/11)

Hawks win 4-3 SO

Hawks vs. Lightning (4/3/11)

Lightning win 2-0

Interesting notes

-Leddy scores his first goal since Feb 1^st vs. Caps (3/13/11)

-1^st time the Hawks lost to Tampa Bay Lightning since Dec 2005.

-The Hawks went 110 minutes between penalties ....longest stretch since 1979

-Hawks have given up 3 short handed goals this season so far

-Jonathan Toes is having a career high in point this season with 75 so far

-Kane gets his 100^th goal of his career vs. the Sharks (3/14/11)

-5 goals in a period is the most this season vs. Sharks (3/14/11)

-Sharp tied (6^th) a team record with four assists in one period. The last Blackhawks player to do it was Jim Pappin in 1973

Overall, the Hawks are REALLY struggling.  They look like they are out of gas every game for at least the past 3.  They need a vacation but it doesn’t help that they have 4 games left in 6 days.  It’s basically going to go to the wire.  I predict the Hawks will end up either 6^th or 7^th.  The game tomorrow will be ruff if Carey Price is in net.  He’s been great for the Habs.  Hopefully Sharpie is back soon and give the team some sort of momentum and energy that they are missing.  GO HAWKS!

Chicago Wolves practice pics on 3/29/11

Brent Seabrook Hawk Ford signing

Brent Seabrook had a Hawks signing on February 26th from 2-4pm at the Hawk Ford .  Basically he was late....about 30 minutes which is nothing new.  It was freezing outside so I did feel bad for the people that were outside. We got there about 11 am and were already 250th person in line. A lot of people were told to leave after the 400th wristband was passed out.  Cool thing was that Jim Cornelison showed up and sang the national anthem.....now that was AWESOME!  I got Seabs to sign a green puck for my boss.  Here are the pics from the event.  Most of them aren't clear...Sorry!

Jake Dowell visits Meijers in Orland Park

On February 25th, 2011 Jake Dowell visited Meijers in Orland Park to cook Thick N’ Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup, which is a Wisconsin favorite, and signed autographs.  If you don't know Dowell is from WI.  Troy Murray, who is the Hawks radio color analyst, was the host for the event.  He talked to Jake, Maribel, and the fans.  Nice thing about this one was that there weren't too many people there compared to Hjalmarsson....probably cause Patrick Sharp had a signing at the same time.  I got to sit and watch the whole time which was nice.  Here is the recipe:

Thick N’ Hearty Chicken Cheese Soup(Serves 6) recipe provided by Meijer
1 cup carrots, matchstick or shredded- NuVal score 99
¼ cup green onion, sliced- NuVal score 100
3 tbsp. Smart Balance margarine- NuVal score 6
¼ cup Meijer all purpose flour
2 cups Meijer 2% milk- NuVal score 55
1 (10 ¾ oz.) can Meijer fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth
1(12.5 oz.) can Valley Fresh white chicken in water- NuVal score 27
1 cup Meijer shredded sharp cheddar cheese- NuVal score 20
½ tsp. Meijer Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. Meijer ground pepper
    
     1. In a medium saucepan, cook carrots and green onion in hot margarine or butter about 10 minutes or until tender but not browned. Stir in flour. Slowly add milk, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.
     2. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Stir in chicken and cheese. Cook and stir
over low heat until cheese melts. Serve hot.

Nutrition Information (per serving):
238 calories, 12g fat, 4g saturated fat, 51mg
cholesterol, 572mg sodium, 10g carbohydrate, 1g fiber, 22g protein

Serve with: Dole Green Salad and Whole Grain Crackers

Jake Dowell arriving early for the event

Tommy Hawk arriving late for the event

Freakin' confetti

Troy askin' Maribel what she's doing

Overall, I had a GREAT time!!  Meet a lot of cool people at the event...especially everyone sitting around me.....made time go by faster!  Jake ended up getting their a half an hour early but the show started on time.  Jake be lookin' FINE that day!  No lie.  It was cute that this one lady drove from Wisconsin Dells to have his college jersey signed that she had.  Troy asked this one boy who his favorite player was and the boy said....Patrick Kane.....then Troy goes who's your fav player that's here and the boy was too cute.....Tommy Hawk!  :-)  BTW...surprisely Im in a photo gallery for the Orland Park Prairie for this event.  You should check it out....i would provide a link....but it's a bad pic of me.  Had a fun time overall!

Niklas Hjalmarsson Visits Meijers back in Jan

On January 17th, 2011 Hjalmarsson visited the Meijers in Niles to cook Swedish meatballs and sign autographs.  I got there about an hour before he was suppose to get there.  The place was a madhouse!  John Wiedeman, who does play-by-play on the radio, was the host for the event.  He talked to Niklas, the fans, and Maribel.  I couldn't hear much cause we were pretty far away from where they were.   Here's the recipe for what Niklas made:

Niklas Hjalmarsson’s Swedish Meatballs with Cream Sauce Recipe
1 meatball per serving, makes 36 servings; recipe provided by Meijer
1 lb. Meijer ground round beef
1 Meijer egg
1/3 cup Meijer 2% milk
1 tbsp. Meijer dried parsley
¼  cup Meijer Naturals old fashioned oatmeal
½  onion, chopped small
½  tsp. salt
¼  tsp. Meijer ground black pepper
¼  tsp. nutmeg
Sauce
1 (10.75 oz.) can Campbell’s Healthy Request condensed cream of chicken soup
1 (10.75 oz.) can Campbell’s 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 (12 oz.) can Carnation low fat evaporated milk
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley or 1 tsp. dried parsley

1. Mix together beef, eggs, milk, parsley, oatmeal, onion, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  Use a tablespoon to scoop meat and shape into small meatballs. 
2. Bake on tray at 450 degrees for about 15 to 20 minutes. 
3. Remove meatballs from tray and place meatballs in a lightly greased 2-quart (8”x11”) casserole dish.  In a separate medium bowl, combine the soups with the evaporated milk, stirring until smooth.  Pour over the meatballs.
4. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Nutrition Information (per serving):
Calories 50, Fat 2.5g, Saturated fat 1.2g, Cholesterol 15mg, Sodium 159mg, Carbohydrate 2g, Fiber 0g, Protein 3g

Oh btw, he signed my custom-made Hawks fanatic shirt cause he already signed my lampshade.   Kinda sucked not being able to watch him make the Swedish meatballs cause how they set up the line but glad to see him up close and personal.....OH YEAH! 

8 in a row!

Hey there Hawks fans.....well looky here.  Were on a winning streak…..and it’s more than 2 games.  Eight in row….WAY TO GO HAWKS!!!  Bout time!  In the last 6 games, the Hawks are 6-0-0…..getting 12 pts out of 12.  As of right now, Hawks have moved up to 4^th place in their conference and are second in their division.  WOO HOO!!!

                                              

Here are your leaders in each category

Goals-33 Sharp (3^rd in the league)

Assists-38 Toews

Points-65 Toews

+/- +27 Campbell (2^nd in league) -9 Kopecky

Takeaways- 82 Toews (2^nd in the league)

Hits- 218 Brouwer (5^th in the league)

PIM-62 Scott

FO%-57.5% Toews

TOI- 26:40 Keith

Blocked shots-137 Hjalmarsson

S%-16.2% Brouwer

PPG-12 Sharp

Giveaways- 70 Keith

Report Card

Power play- In the last 6 games, Hawks have scored 3 goals in 16 attempts with at least a man-advantage giving them a 18.8%

Grade-B+

Penalty Kill-Last 6 games, Hawks have allowed 3 goals in 18 times of being short handed giving them an 83.3%

Grade –B

Goaltending-Corey Crawford has been doing great in the net.  His GAA is 2.19 which is 3^rd in the league and his SV% is .920

Grade-A

Offense- The Hawks have averaged out 4.5 goals per game in the last 6. 

Grade-A

Defense- Hawks have only given up 2.33 goals per game in the last 6.

Grade-B

Overall-A

The scores and interesting stats of the last 6 games

Hawks vs. Predators (2/24/11)

Hawks win 3-0

Coach Q returns.  Crawford 3^rd shutout of the season.  Sharp’s assist was his 300^th NHL career point.  Hawks had a goal under review and it was washed away.  Glad they were able to still win without that one.  Hawks were outhit  36-16 although they did block 21 compared to 6 for Preds and Preds did giveaway 20.

Hawks vs. Coyotes (2/27/11)

Hawks win 4-3 (SO)

Toews scores twice in regulation and in the shootout.  All Coyotes goals were scored in the 2^nd period with 2 out of the 3 were on the power play.  Bryzgalov stopped 38 shots in regulation compared to 26 for Crawford.  The Coyotes outhit the Hawks 21-14 despite loosing the game. 

Hawks vs. Wild (2/28/11)

Hawks win 4-2

Sharp (1A), Kopecky, and Toews (2A) all score in the 2^nd.  Havlat and Burns score for the Wild in the 3^rd to give them hope but Hossa scores a shortie with less than two minutes to go in the game.  Hawks outshot the Wild 34-26 and gaveaway 12 to Hawks 2.  Scott vs. Staubitz....okay fight but i’d give it to Scott.

Hawks vs. Flames (3/2/11)

Hawks win 6-4

Campoli made his debut as a Blackhawk.  Bolland, Campbell, Frolik, and Hossa all had a multi-point game.  They all had a goal and an assist with Frolik having 2 assists.  Kiprusoff allowed four goals on 19 shots before being replaced by Henrik Karlsson in the 3^rd.  Bourque scored twice and Iginla scored for the Flames in the 3^rd but it wasn’t enough to beat the Hawks. 

Hawks vs. Hurricanes (3/4/11)

Hawks win 5-2

It was 2-1 Hawks after 40 minutes of play.  Johnson, Bolland, and Kane scored in a span of  4:32 early in the 3^rd.  Rookie Justin Peters makes 24 saves for the Hurricanes while Crawford made 18 saves for the game.  Johnson gets his first goal as a Blackhawk.  Bickell gets a multi-point game with a goal and assist.  Hawks were outhit 27-15 but won 71% at the dot.

Hawks vs. Maple Leafs (3/5/11)

Hawks win 5-3

12 players on the Hawks got a least a point for the game.  Reimer was replaced by Jean-Sebastien Giguere to start the third period after allowing five goals on 19 shots for the Leafs.  It was 5-1 Hawks after the 2^nd.  Joey Crabb and Joffrey Lupul scored in the 3^rd but wasn’t enough to put a W on the board for them. 

Interesting notes

-Blackhawks presented the Hockey Hall of Fame with a replica of Jonathan Toews 2010 Stanley Cup ring in Toronto.

-Patrick Kane plays his 300^th NHL game vs. Canes being the 2^nd youngest Blackhawk behind G.Mulvey

- Chris Campoli joins the Chicago Blackhawks with a conditional 7^th round pick from Ottawa Senators for Ryan Potulny/conditional 2^nd round pick on the Trade Deadline Day 2/28/11.

- Jordan Hendry’s left knee has a torn ACL. Gone for 6 months and is a free agent after this season. He was injured during a collision along the boards with Shane Doan of the Coyotes.

-Frolik scores his 1^st goal as a Blackhawk vs. Flames (3/2/11) and it’s his first goal in 33 games

- Ryan Johnson gets his first goal as a Blackhawk (3/4/11)

-Blackhawks to visit White House on March 11^th will see the president for their 2009-10 championship season

-Brent Seabrook gets an extension of a 5yr $28 million with a $5.8 cap hit.

-Nick Boynton was placed on waivers and claimed by the Flyers…peace out!

Funny stuff

According to ESPNChiHawks on Twitter vs. Maple Leafs (3/5/11)…Toews on Kane: “He made me eat my words tonight.  I was giving it to him on the bench for not using me on the 5-on-3.  I thought he had me down low.  He basically told me to shut up and then fed me a nice pass so I had nothing to say to him for rest of the night.”

Patrick Sharp joined "Waddle & Silvy" to discuss the Hawks' resurgence and his propensity for practical jokes….here’s the link: Funny guy Sharp recalls Toews prank

Here’s a look at Sharpie with his photo shoot for the Chicago Magazine

Behind the Scenes with "50 most Beautiful Chicagoans" Cover Boy Patrick Sharp

According to BrianHedger on Twitter (3/2/11) vs. Flames………Sharp on Stalberg: "Maybe a little broken nose or something. Maybe knock a tooth out, cuz he's got a pretty face."

Blackhawks show off their improv skills:

Jake Dowell, Corey Crawford, and Tony Esposito at the Improv at Park West

Overall

Hawks are doing GREAT!  Now we finally see the team that we have been waiting for all season....ABOUT TIME!  The Kane-Toews-Sharp line has been phenomenal.  Over the past 6 games that line combined is .......   Nice to see the depth working as well...we can’t forget about them!  Now you finally see the chemistry and it’s somethin’ special.  Like I told all of you out there....Hawks WILL make the playoffs.....just wait for April and then once again I just might be right :D 

Side notes:

The Seabrook signing...not a fan of it.  Glad for people that love him but let me put it this way....there’s a thing called salary cap.  Right now we have 12 players signed for next season and it’s already at 49 mil.  We still need about 10-11 players to sign for about (say if the cap goes up to 62 mil) 13 mil....that’s going to be hard....so it looks like in the off-season don’t be surprised when you see players traded or not re-signed....it won’t be as bad as the last off-season. 

For all the fans of Antti Niemi....well looks like he won’t be back anytime soon.  Just signed a 4yr deal with the Sharks.  Don’t blame them....he’s finally coming around with his slow start of the season. 

For all the fans of Big Buff fans......here’s an interesting stat...from Oct-Dec 31st he had 15G, 25A.  This year as of right now he has only 4 goals and 5 assists. I know he’s a defenseman now but just sayin.

For all the fans of Verabeauty.....he got traded to the Flyers....weird to see him in that jersey.  Wish him the best!

For all you Hawks fans.......GO HAWKS!  OH YEAH!!!!