That' a preseason game in Pittsburgh I think.
- AL SEC0RD

Ah, that makes sense. Thought I was losing my mind.

Crawford is 51-31 (not counting shootouts) as an NHL goalie....he's 20 games ABOVE .500. THAT'S what i'm talking about. Crow is clearly having a confidence crisis and who wouldn't with the way our disgraceful d has played this year, but i still think he's a good fit at least for the next few years of his contract.
- philco28

Crawford has played in 103 NHl games and has 52 wins. So he has about a 500% winning percentage, and he has played for one of the top teams in the league during this time. You may not count OT and shootout loses, which might not be his fault but it is still a loss. In todays NHL goalies are accountable for shootout loses. So like I said before he is an average at best goalie.

Now that they've decided on the Big House for the Winter Classic, all they need is a CBA to make it happen.

115,000 people, 2 best hockey cities around....
- StLBravesFan

Montreal and Minneapolis might have something to say about that :-P

the captain leads by example on the ice not in flowery locker room speeches
- molly2522

Thank you Molly...the average fan thinks that captains make guys walk on egg shells, or do rah rah...

Setting the example he does is the most critical element.

Most of us have been out with a buddy that talks a lot or gets fired up, or come across this guy at a bar. With age and wisdom, you learn that it is not the guy chirping, but the quiet guy that you should fear/respect.

A room full of those guys is more powerful than some high school rah rah..

Crawford has played in 103 NHl games and has 52 wins. So he has about a 500% winning percentage, and he has played for one of the top teams in the league during this time. You may not count OT and shootout loses, which might not be his fault but it is still a loss. In todays NHL goalies are accountable for shootout loses. So like I said before he is an average at best goalie.
- bhawks86

I think it's unfair to say that Crawford has played behind one of the top teams in the league. While I agree that when at his best, he is not a top 10, or maybe even a top 15 goalie, the team Niemi and Huet played behind was FAR superior. The Hawks in front of Craw have been just above average as a whole. Maybe in the top half of the league, but nothing more.

This is true.

So , what are the Hawks going to do this year ? Crawford has not been good enough , Emery is not the answer and the Defense has been pretty bad , let alone pushovers , Al , is there help on the way ?
- mrpaulish

The easy answer is Crawford has to improve and Q. has to get a set lineup and system of play down...Then Bowman strikes oil and gets two players that can contribute...

How many days until Christmas?

Montreal and Minneapolis might have something to say about that :-P
- andru2797

They will sell 60000 tickets in the Toronto area alone for that game because the Leafs are in it. How many do you think they would sell in Minneapolis if the Wild were playing in the game? - 10000 absolute max is my guess. And Montreal would never match Toronto's number.

Thank you Molly...the average fan thinks that captains make guys walk on egg shells, or do rah rah...

Setting the example he does is the most critical element.

Most of us have been out with a buddy that talks a lot or gets fired up, or come across this guy at a bar. With age and wisdom, you learn that it is not the guy chirping, but the quiet guy that you should fear/respect.

A room full of those guys is more powerful than some high school rah rah..
- TrueGrit

I wonder if his intensity rubs some guys the wrong way--if, in fact, that's not their personality/demeanor/temperament. I also think Toews say more with his mouth than maybe we think--especially when things are going badly. Something is not right--his intensity and Hossa's intensity (in both cases, more so than during the losing streak) don't seem to rub off on all the rest. At this level, guys are pretty established in what got them to the NHL--they aren't all Jonathan Toews.

They will sell 60000 tickets in the Toronto area alone for that game because the Leafs are in it. How many do you think they would sell in Minneapolis if the Wild were playing in the game? - 10000 absolute max is my guess. And Montreal would never match Toronto's number.
- RickJ

Minneapolis might be the best hockey town in the world no one knows about. Fans there are not only passionate about NHL hockey, but College hockey, high school hockey...they love the game and would easily sell out 60,000 tickets.

And to suggest that Montreal isn't just as passionate about the Habs as Toronto is about the Leafs is wrong. There aren't many cities in the world, let alone the NHL that loves it's team more than Montreal loves the Habs.

Minneapolis might be the best hockey town in the world no one knows about. Fans there are not only passionate about NHL hockey, but College hockey, high school hockey...they love the game and would easily sell out 60,000 tickets.

And to suggest that Montreal isn't just as passionate about the Habs as Toronto is about the Leafs is wrong. There aren't many cities in the world, let alone the NHL that loves it's team more than Montreal loves the Habs.
- andru2797

Montreal is a better hockey city than Toronto IMO.

At least in Montreal the lower bowl is full of actual fans.. Not just suits who can never get back to their seats in time for the period to start.

When I was a teenager, we lived in CFB Petawawa and CFB Borden so we went to a few Leaf games. I've never felt the electricity like going to a game in Montreal. It's just different there. The whole city seems buzzed on game days.. In Toronto, it just seems like another day.

The easy answer is Crawford has to improve and Q. has to get a set lineup and system of play down...Then Bowman strikes oil and gets two players that can contribute...

How many days until Christmas?
- Al[/quote]


Boy Al, don't ask for to much now!! Are you feeling lucky??

in my opinion we had our version of nash in the form of buff

i wish he could have stayed with toews and kane for many years. noone finished checks the way buff did by laying the guy out
- molly2522[pronger]

its continues to become more appearant to me that stan did not do a good job reducing salary after the cup and even this year

most people miss ladd but i think buff brings more to the table

i wish a cap savy guy would do an analysis on the cup team as it related to the cap and come up their vrsion for reducing salary ie review stans moves

The short answer I believe was to trade Campbell the summer after the Cup. Unfortunately, there weren't any teams desperate to reach the salary floor then, and you would likely have to give a team a high pick and/or good prospect to take his contract, and that's IF someone would be willing.

A big part of the equation would also be what kind of contracts Buff and Ladd would have gotten, likely depending on their subsequent seasons, to stay in Chicago. If both have career years in Chitown, I'm not sure that either would be able to be retained and at that point, you still lose them and possibly keep Niemi and Versteeg.

Montreal is a better hockey city than Toronto IMO.

At least in Montreal the lower bowl is full of actual fans.. Not just suits who can never get back to their seats in time for the period to start.

When I was a teenager, we lived in CFB Petawawa and CFB Borden so we went to a few Leaf games. I've never felt the electricity like going to a game in Montreal. It's just different there. The whole city seems buzzed on game days.. In Toronto, it just seems like another day.
- pri$ey

I never go to a Leaf game in Toronto because the place is quiet, boring and generally full of suits and the tickets are double the price of everywhere else.

However, this is all about the money Pri$ey. The Toronto crowd will inject multiple millions into the greedy little paws of Gary Bettman and the NHL owners. And its also his way of paying back Mike Ilitch for being a great NHL owner.

It works like this - the NHL buys the game from the Red Wings (pays them what would be their normal gate revenue from a home game plus concessions), absorbs the cost of rink construction and rental of the stadium and then keeps all of the profits over and above that. So who better to have in the game than the Maple Leafs and the local Red Wing team who will be supported by Michiganders and a whole bunch of fans from Windsor and area.

The NHL wants to make huge money off of this, probably to get back some of that cash they are flushing down the toilet in Phoenix and New Jersey. Bettman doesn't give a damn about hockey orgasms amongst 'real' fans in Montreal or Minneapolis, he cares about revenue and profit generation.

Minneapolis might be the best hockey town in the world no one knows about. Fans there are not only passionate about NHL hockey, but College hockey, high school hockey...they love the game and would easily sell out 60,000 tickets.

And to suggest that Montreal isn't just as passionate about the Habs as Toronto is about the Leafs is wrong. There aren't many cities in the world, let alone the NHL that loves it's team more than Montreal loves the Habs.
- andru2797

I'm so surprised that Minneapolis has hockey, thank goodness you have informed me. And you will never have proof they would buy up 60000 tickets because they will never get a chance. At least I will have proof of my statement about Toronto doing it.

Minneapolis might be the best hockey town in the world no one knows about. Fans there are not only passionate about NHL hockey, but College hockey, high school hockey...they love the game and would easily sell out 60,000 tickets.

And to suggest that Montreal isn't just as passionate about the Habs as Toronto is about the Leafs is wrong. There aren't many cities in the world, let alone the NHL that loves it's team more than Montreal loves the Habs.
- andru2797

Wouldn't be surprised if Hawks and Wild are next...

I never go to a Leaf game in Toronto because the place is quiet, boring and generally full of suits and the tickets are double the price of everywhere else.

However, this is all about the money Pri$ey. The Toronto crowd will inject multiple millions into the greedy little paws of Gary Bettman and the NHL owners. And its also his way of paying back Mike Ilitch for being a great NHL owner.

It works like this - the NHL buys the game from the Red Wings (pays them what would be their normal gate revenue from a home game plus concessions), absorbs the cost of rink construction and rental of the stadium and then keeps all of the profits over and above that. So who better to have in the game than the Maple Leafs and the local Red Wing team who will be supported by Michiganders and a whole bunch of fans from Windsor and area.

The NHL wants to make huge money off of this, probably to get back some of that cash they are flushing down the toilet in Phoenix and New Jersey. Bettman doesn't give a damn about hockey orgasms amongst 'real' fans in Montreal or Minneapolis, he cares about revenue and profit generation.
- RickJ

This is turning into something it was never meant to be...my statement was merely that Montreal and Minneapolis were just as good "hockey cities" as Detroit and Toronto. No more, no less.

I'm so surprised that Minneapolis has hockey, thank goodness you have informed me. And you will never have proof they would buy up 60000 tickets because they will never get a chance. At least I will have proof of my statement about Toronto doing it.
- RickJ

And I'm the one with the "tone" problem...please.

Wouldn't be surprised if Hawks and Wild are next...
- Al

I never said the Wild would get a chance. There's just not much TV money in it. But it doesn't mean that the people in Minnesota wouldn't easily fill a stadium to watch it.

Hey JJ...in case you didn't catch my response on the other board...I just wanted to be clear.

I wanted to clarify something JJ...and I really hope you read this. I've never had a problem saying you "may" end up being right. I've even said as much several times. I've openly admitted how while I disagree with you, it's not because I don't enjoy reading.

The reason we debate is because we have a difference of opinion. Now if you constantly present the same arguments for certain players and not others who offer the same performance, you can understand how I could perceive that as being biased (case in point, Crawford and Emery letting in soft goals).

You may be right by season's end and this team may end up worse off than last year's. But you also have to admit that the chances that this team, with a tweak or two, could turn things around and play up to their potential and have a long playoff run.

The point I've always tried to make is that an NHL season is a marathon not a sprint, and to panic and overreact on any game, winning streak, or losing streak is nonsensical. That's why I've always preached patience. Especially when it comes to trades.

It takes a long time to identify real weaknesses in a team. You need a big enough sample size to get a real gauge of what your team needs are.

If you take the time to look past the 6 game losing streak, this is the same team that has had several winning runs this season as well. They're still the same team that has ample firepower, a lacklustre pp, a terrible PK, average goaltending and a defense that's a little on the small side, but moves the puck very well.

This is still a team that needs a top 4 defenseman, a good 3rd line PK forward and ideally, a 2nd line C.

Most teams are 2-3 players away from being the clear favorite though, and there's no sense in paying too much for any of those things when the league is so wide open.

In addition, deadline deals of impact players almost never result in a team winning a Stanley Cup anyway. The reality is that this team is down in the dumps right now, and they are playing worse than they are. They are not a top team, but they have as good a chance as anyone in the spring with this roster.

All I've ever said is to try and look at the season as a whole, once it's over, to get a real assessment of where this team stacks up.

The last thing I ask everyone is to form your own opinions. Everyone has jumped down my throat and called me a "polyanna" because I disagree that the sky is falling. Am I not allowed?
- andru2797

Although you have several valid points on the hawks regarding the season as a whole,players,roster moves and coaching. I don't think this team is a playoff team. If they do make it, it will be one and done. There is to many glaring holes on this roster and just to much to fix on or before the deadline. At least not without sacrificing the future. The lack of trades only proves that the asking price for an average to above average player is to high.

With one of the worst GA,PK and a below average PP in the league it's not going to take you anywhere in the playoffs. I won't even get into the defense. Deadline trades dont often if ever make a significant difference.

The biggest and best way to turn this train reck around is by a coaching change.(IMO). I think Q has run his course with this team. He clearly can not get this team up for important or statement games. Special teams coach should never coach in the NHL again. When you continually try the back door play and every team knows it, and then adapts to it and you do nothing to change it game in and game out something is wrong. The hawks have had the most success on the PK by pressuring the puck. When their passive on the PK the opposing team usually sets up thier PP and controls the play for extended periods of time resulting in a goal.

So with that being said to say or think this team can go deep in the playoffs I have to respectfully disagree. I don't even mention the average (at best) goaltending.

[url]

The cup team was built through the draft and trade. The organization developed these players, some were late round draft picks. If not for the mismanagement of the cap we would still have most of that team in place. Bowman was there from the begining, he knows the formula to build a perenial contender. He also knows the mistakes that were made, mistakes he won't make again. It is no secret the Bowmans want to emulate the Detroit model of consistency. That model is first and foremost coaching the RedWing system. Second, signing a strong core long term. Third, drafting and developing players to become RedWings. I believe Bowman has the last two pieces in place but I just don't see a Blackhawks system. At least not one that works.

The cup team was built through the draft and trade. The organization developed these players, some were late round draft picks. If not for the mismanagement of the cap we would still have most of that team in place. Bowman was there from the begining, he knows the formula to build a perenial contender. He also knows the mistakes that were made, mistakes he won't make again. It is no secret the Bowmans want to emulate the Detroit model of consistency. That model is first and foremost coaching the RedWing system. Second, signing a strong core long term. Third, drafting and developing players to become RedWings. I believe Bowman has the last two pieces in place but I just don't see a Blackhawks system.
- hawksbuzz

Free Agency , HOSSA , best player on the Cup team

Free Agency , HOSSA , best player on the Cup team
- mrpaulish

Toews Conn Smythe- Kane second in points, cup winner-Sharp third in scoring- Keith, or Niemi could have won the Conn Smyth-Buff just a monster-Versteeg, Ladd and Bolland shut down every top line they faced-Seabrook was awesome-Bolland, Eager, Burish, Hammer were outstanding. Hossa was average.

Look at the players we had to give up because of mismanagement, Buff, Versteeg, Ladd, Niemi, Brouwer, Burish, Eager, Fraser. These players were all developed by the Hawks and were traded away for picks and prospects. Back to square one!! The real crime here is that they were traded away before they hit their prime. So do we trade away our prospects without ever knowing if this batch could be the missing parts to a Cup Team?

This is turning into something it was never meant to be...my statement was merely that Montreal and Minneapolis were just as good "hockey cities" as Detroit and Toronto. No more, no less.
- andru2797

By your measurement and mine,there are plenty of good hockey cities inside and outside of the NHL. But Gary Bettman measures good by most $ and Minny and Montreal don't make his short list, sorry.

Hey if personal attacks on message board users long after a subject is dead and gone make u feel better, please don't stop on my account. I, unlike others don't worry too much about what others say about me on the internet. Knock yourself out
- andru2797

Hey! you made the first personal attack... stop being an ass on here and try to be nice... instead of shooting everyone and there thoughts down.

Thanks for reading

The End!