Blackhawk Patrick Sharp's knee injury a new test for healthy team

Its going to be a test for the Hawks. But like Adams said, better now then 6 weeks from now. Kaner just needs to really step up. If they play Nimeni or however u spell his name I will be a bit upset, since when Crawford was up he wasn't even on the ice for a game. Why not give Crawford more chances to shine?

It's the long haul, that "Q" is shaping the team for. If he didn't expect to be without key personnel, at key points in the season, he wouldn't be coaching at a high level in the NHL.
Now, without blowing the whole wad, it's time for some other guys to step up to the crease and stuff a few home.(I started listing guys that will fill that role, but, there are too many and I would be bound to leave one or two off. The "kids" have become sensitive to anything I say here anymore. ;-))

There is one little bit of advice, that this novice fan would forward to "Q", that at this point of the season, it wouldn't hurt to pull the controls off the kids for a couple of shifts each. Let them roam and play fast and free. See what happens. Make it fun (like it isn't already).
On the other hand, novices aren't coaching in the NHL for a reason. ;-)

Kids are such fun.

"They're OUR kids, Damnit!"

Evan wrote:

If they play Nimeni or however u spell his name I will be a bit upset, since when Crawford was up he wasn't even on the ice for a game. Why not give Crawford more chances to shine?

I believe Niemi is ahead of Crawford on the depth chart and is projected to be Huets backup next season. No knock on Corey, but Niemi has outperformed him since the day he got here. I don't think the Hawks were very impressed with Crawford's play in last years AHL playoffs. Niemi looked real good in the pre-season and I read somewhere that the other NHL team that was hot to sign him was Detroit. With their history of picking gems out of the European leagues, thats good enough for me.

Niemi is rated much higher than Crawford. I would love to see him between the pipes getting a win. Sure other players have to step it up, but they should be doing that anyways. We are getting in the final stretch and they are playing in the Wild West. The Western conference has every team fighting for a playoff spot. The Hawks need to get points in every game. Last night every team that played in the west got at least 1 point.

Tim - Hockey Rules wrote:

Niemi is rated much higher than Crawford. I would love to see him between the pipes getting a win. Sure other players have to step it up, but they should be doing that anyways. We are getting in the final stretch and they are playing in the Wild West. The Western conference has every team fighting for a playoff spot. The Hawks need to get points in every game. Last night every team that played in the west got at least 1 point.

Hey Tim, how did skating go for you Friday? It's been a looooong time since I skated and I was a shadow of my former self, which was no great shakes to begin with. It was a great time though. My seat looked alot closer from the ice than the ice does from my seat.
What was your feeling about the "wave" Saturday night? I almost puked when I saw it starting up.

Gut check time boys. Cristobal Huet is now the man. As he plays, so go the Blackhawks.

BFM wrote:

<quoted text> What was your feeling about the "wave" Saturday night? I almost puked when I saw it starting up.

UGH! What an embarrassment that wave was.

You got that right Chico17...

Section 313 wrote:

<quoted text>
UGH! What an embarrassment that wave was.

I agree with you & BFM, I sit in Sec 315 and told who ever got up to do the wave "sit the phock down". There were too many non hockey fans at the game Saturday.
Save that crap for college sports.

As for the Hawks its time for these boys to get on a roll again. Kane, Buf and some others need to step up.

Chico17 wrote:

Gut check time boys. Cristobal Huet is now the man. As he plays, so go the Blackhawks.

Not quite sure how I feel about that. Khabi has been such a big part of our success this season. Not to get ahead of myself, but I worry about next season with "the man from France" as the #1. I guess we're getting a little preview this week. I just can't trust him yet. There's no doubt in my mind that Khabi intends to be the man by the end of the year and showcase himself in the playoffs. He's mentally tougher and, barring extended time off due to injuries, will outshine Huet the rest of the year. Unless they trade him first.
Man, this is going to be a fun 3 months coming up!

Please, NO Wave!

BFM wrote:

<quoted text> Hey Tim, how did skating go for you Friday? It's been a looooong time since I skated and I was a shadow of my former self, which was no great shakes to begin with. It was a great time though. My seat looked alot closer from the ice than the ice does from my seat.
What was your feeling about the "wave" Saturday night? I almost puked when I saw it starting up.

BFM sorry I was in some meetings today. I loved it going out on the ice. I was with the first group and they blasted the horn when we were going out. Let me tell you it scared the crap out of a few people, and mde me jump too. I was thinking of how it would be to come out of the locker room and go out on the ice, when the lights are dimmed, the music blasting and fans screaming. I don't know how they do it cause it was intense listening to that horn go off entering the ice. Looking up to the seats was awesome, and yes my section looked much closer than looking down. The ice surface was not as good as I thought it would have been but I would have not missed that for anything. Then the tour of the locker room was awesome. That indian head in the rug must have cost them a small fortune, but it is beautiful. I thought the whole night was great, and I had a chance to get a picture with McDonough and talk to him, he is such a class act.

For the Dallas game I took my 2 kids to the game and we had to sit in section 312. Other than a few ignorant Dallas fans, the wave irked me. Booing gave the people watching on TV the wrong impression, and I could only imagine what the players thought. There is no "wave" in hockey period. The people that started it were drunk.

Back to the skating, it was fun to be out there, eventhough I haven't skated this year. But there were people that hadn't skated in 20 - 30 years and it was so cool to see the old school skates some people had. And the guy from CSN interviewed me while we were standing in line for the locker room tour. Did you grab anything to eat?? Dollar nacho's, drinks, hot dogs, ect can't beat that at all.

Idk why it says I'm from Clinton whatever in MI I'm from Arlington Heights. Anyway, I just like Corey guess I don't know a lot about the other guy. As for Khavi keep him, he has a good team in front of him now and hes not getting peppered with 40 shots a night. I say keep him and trade Huet in the off-season. Though I know that won't happen.

I am soooo jealous of you guys!!!

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!

Evan wrote:

Idk why it says I'm from Clinton whatever in MI I'm from Arlington Heights.

Yeah I'm down in Indianapolis and it says I'm back in Chicago (I wish).

It's probably the internet hub you're traveling through.

Tim, thanks for some insightful use of a foot of post. When I do it, it's because of passion, and as the "ball and chain" says, "just can't say what you want and shut up, no, blah, blah, blah on and on".

I can't imagine being on THE ice and seeing the Indianhead carpet in the lockerroom. Thanks for the detail.

I should rattle on as to why I can't shut up when talking about another Hawk game, but, that would discourage newbies from going beyond this point! ;-)

"TOK, D!"