What's up Blackhawks and HockeyBuzz community?
My name is Justin Lowe and I am honoured to be the new Blackhawks writer here at HB.
First off, yes, I understand I have yuuuuuge shoes to fill with John Jaeckel (or "JJ" as we all know him by) moving on.
Over John's 8 ½ years here at HockeyBuzz, I got to know him well. I don't think I missed one of his blogs and I am forever grateful for the super educated and passionate Blackhawks fan base he helped grow over his time.
Not only did I love the level of commitment that JJ put into his writing but I respect him as a human being. I wish him all the best in his new adventure and hope he stops by often.
Now, how did I land the coveted spot as a Blackhawks writer here? Who am I?
Over the past 5+ years, I have been writing for various sites across the World Wide Web as a contributor to Blackhawks and NHL content. More recently, I have taken some time off to work on a passion project of mine.
By day, I work in the hockey mecca (or so they think) of Toronto. I have been involved in the sports marketing industry for over 10 years now.
I also am a consultant for multiple hockey-related startup companies.
So, I have my hand in a lot of different realms of the hockey world and I'm super excited to add HockeyBuzz to the list.
My vision is to build off the compelling content provided by JJ and Al in the past. I will support the impressive ecosystem of fans that live on the message boards. If a troll pops up in hopes to disrupt the said ecosystem, we'll shoo them away.
My promise to you is that I will be consistent, relevant and responsive. I want to foster a positive environment and welcome fans of all levels to have a voice here.
I'm looking to have that voice (your voice) go beyond the message boards. I will be integrating opinions, questions, and themes into the body of these blogs as much as possible. You are the ones that make this website tick, so it's only fair in my opinion.
I know it won't be all sunshine and rainbows, and the odd friendly disagreement will arise, but that's sports. Especially in the new-age world of following along with your favourite team, it's blogs like this that allow amazing fans like yourself to share your opinion.
I not only want to continue the momentum here for Blackhawks and hockey fans alike, but I want to grow it.
I've been creating an in-depth roadmap that I am really excited to share with you all in the coming months.
I will have everything from in-depth player breakdowns using analytics (don't worry, I won't get too nerdy on you), former Blackhawks player features, standard previews/recaps, prospect coverage and a couple surprises you're going to (hopefully) really enjoy.
I will also be posting rumours (yes, I have sources as well) as I hear them. These will only be communicated based on trusted information.
I will offer all I have to keep this an entertaining ride.
I had the pleasure of meeting some of you on Twitter and here on the HockeyBuzz message boards during the game last night.
It's nice to have this blog come out after a 3-0 win for the Good Guys.
We can dissect the game in more detail on the boards, but quick observations from my end include:
Great = Corey Crawford.
Good = more balance across the new lines which were highlighted by extended offensive zone pressure and Alex Debrincat having a solid game. Other worthy performances were Kane, Anisimov, Keith, Toews, Rutta (played admirably for his first game on his off-side), Cody Franson's point shot and one solid hit by Connor Murphy.
Bad = … everything else from Murphy was shaky. The United Center ice as the puck bounced around like a tennis ball, which created a lot of quick developing chances. Finally, even though they scored with the man advantage, that Power Play left a lot to be desired still.
It wasn't pretty, but they pulled out a win against a much improved Flyers team. The Hawks now sit with a 6-5-2 record and get back on to a winning streak of one game.
What did you guys and gals think of the game? Who stood out for you in a good or bad way?
This will be the first of many blogs and as I find my way to connect with you and add value (and procrastination) to your Blackhawks content needs, please feel free to offer as much feedback as possible. Whether it's in the comment section or by messaging me directly, my door is always open.
Thanks for your support and welcoming me into your lives.
Let's have some fun out there.
JL
Chicago Blackhawks Blogger • 
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