Tommy_Like_Wingy

Is anybody else having trouble being positive when there's these ad banners all over this site advertising Hossa's Blackhawks t-shirt?

I thought I heard he had surgery yesterday (Friday) and will be out for at least 4 months. So...late November?

Are you kidding? Ask any Hawks fan what they'd prefer...the Blackhawks now or the Blackhawks when Bill Wirtz was still running the show. I'm sure most of them welcome this circus over what they're used to. Anyway, in the long run this is probably the smartest move but it'll be interesting to say the least. I think what scares me the most is that Hossa lead our team in scoring with this injury. What's he going to be like when he's at 100%?

You're absolutely right. But they seem bent on keeping these guys and doing whatever it takes to do so. They're claiming all three are part of their core so I wouldn't be surprised if they do some major house cleaning and lose most of their depth in order to sign them all and then start rebuilding around them. It sounds nuts but I'm sure Chicago wants to keep their marketing gems.

Slim to none. I honestly think they'll probably find a way to sign all 3 but will lose some of their depth. Those guys will all be RFAs and with everybody else suffering from the cap (albeit not as much) nobody will pony up anything insane for them. They'll most likely all get signed some time this year anyway. I'm sure Bowman already has the plan in motion to keep all three. If not then I don't know why the hell they're paying him.

Well the rules kind of contradict themselves. It seems like the rule you posted clearly states the puck has to make constant forward progress, but then what about toe drags and other instances where the puck gets moved back while the player still moves forward? It's confusing at best.

25.2 Procedure - The Referee shall ask to have announced over the public address system the name of the player designated by him or selected by the team entitled to take the shot (as appropriate). He shall then place the puck on the center face-off spot and the player taking the shot will, on the instruction of the Referee (by blowing his whistle), play the puck from there and shall attempt to score on the goalkeeper. The puck must be kept in motion towards the opponent’s goal line and once it is shot, the play shall be considered complete. No goal can be scored on a rebound of any kind (an exception being the puck off the goal post or crossbar, then the goalkeeper and then directly into the goal), and any time the puck crosses the goal line or comes to a complete stop, the shot shall be considered complete. The lacrosse-like move whereby the puck is picked up on the blade of the stick and “whipped†into the net shall be permitted provided the puck is not raised above the height of the shoulders at any time and when released, is not carried higher than the crossbar. See also 80.1. The spin-o-rama type move where the player completes a 360° turn as he approaches the goal, shall be permitted as this involves continuous motion. Only a player designated as a goalkeeper or alternate goalkeeper may defend against the penalty shot. The goalkeeper must remain in his crease until the player taking the penalty shot has touched the puck. If at the time a penalty shot is awarded, the goalkeeper of the penalized team has been removed from the ice to substitute another player, the goalkeeper shall be permitted to return to the ice before the penalty shot is taken. The team against whom the penalty shot has been assessed may replace their goalkeeper to defend against the penalty shot, however, the substitute goalkeeper is required to remain in the game until the next stoppage of play. While the penalty shot is being taken, players of both sides shall withdraw to the sides of the rink and in front of their own player’s bench. __________________________________________________ So in your section of the rules it's the puck that needs to constantly be moving forward but the part I highlighted permits the spin-o-rama move because the player is still in continuous forward motion. So it's still a bit confusing. Either way it says the spin move is permitted so the goal should be, and was, allowed.

I thought as long as the player still had forward momentum they were a-okay.

Doubtful, Kane already plays RW on the 1st line. I'm assuming Hossa will literally be plugged into Havlat's spot which was RW on the 2nd line with Bolland and Ladd or whoever else crazy Q sticks with him. Regardless, I'd still rather see Z glued to Toews.

I'd rather have Z on Toews. He worries me more than Hossa.

Let's hope you're right. If the Hawks are indeed worse this year than last year then it makes me wonder why there's so many threads about them on the general discussion board.

There's a lot of idiotic talk on here about how Chicago is doomed this season because of their management changes and loss of Bulin but that's just wishful thinking by those of us who are worried about the Hawks next season. The fact of the matter is, we found out in Game 5 that Huet can hold his own when he's #1 and we also saw some great showings by the Hawks without Havlat (unless you count Game 4 which was a disgrace to hockey). So even if Hossa does disappear in the playoffs they obviously have the depth to carry on. If they lose Sharp though, that team will crumble. Mark my words, if they trade Sharp away they can kiss the WCF goodbye and I don't see them with another 100+ point season. Sharp is easily the most underrated player they have. If they lost him it would make me feel a lot better about playing Chicago this year.

Given what I see around Detroit these days I'm surprised our logo hasn't evolved into being a 24-inch chrome spinner wheel with a wing.

It's obvious you know none of the details regarding the Havlat signing and the reasons why they ended up with Hossa. It was more or less Havlat's fault (or I should say his agent's) since he was being offered a long term agreement all year and held out (assuming for more money). It backed Tallon into a corner because if they waited too long then Havlat might have walked anyway and then they'd be stuck with nobody to fill his slot. They went hard after Hossa for a sure bet and it seems to have paid off. They got an arguably better player for less of a cap hit. How exactly did Chicago screw up? It's a business and the players understand that. Havlat/Walsh screwed themselves over while Chicago was playing it safe. He had his window and didn't take it, most likely so he could use other team's offers to leverage his value. It happens but I doubt he'll be too missed after seeing Hossa putting on the indian head next year. And you're already talking like sending Campbell to the AHL is a done deal when you don't even know if they're even considering it. Looking at the Hawks back end I doubt it, they need all the help they can get since Keith and Seabrook can't do everything themselves. Tallon and Bowman seem to have a plan set in motion and it revolves around their core which is 19, 88, 7, and 2. Expect those guys to be in Chicago for a while. I think they could get rid of a few contracts like Byfuglien and possibly even Versteeg or Sharp to lighten the load. It'd be a bit of a blow to their offense without Sharp though. That guy is a class act and easily the most underrated on that team. Versteeg is kind of meh. Watching him against us in Game 4 made me lose a good chunk of respect for him. Great talent, terrible attitude. Chicago is far from f*cked and will more than likely be our biggest competition in the West, let alone the division.

So let me get this straight. You're saying that Zett has more heart because he's playing even though we don't know if he could possibly be hurt (yet he shows no real signs of injury) but Toews is a cry baby because he's proven to have played through an illness and win? You have the most retarded logic if that was a serious post.

Agreed. We match up well against teams that are more offensively centric. I think what worries me most though is that we seemed to really be dragging more often than I would've liked to see during the last series. I don't know if we were tired or just holding back but that will not fly well against Chicago. Those guys will skate circles around us if we don't match their speed. Not to mention I was just reading about all of the comebacks they've had over the past couple series. We can't afford to let up at all. I'm nervous thinking about tomorrow...

Voicing an honest opinion is one thing but after watching some highlights over on the Hawks website I wouldn't say they'll be a cakewalk. I'm confident in the Wings but some of their guys, especially Kane, made Luongo...look...silly... I don't remember the last time I've seen Luongo let in so many. He literally stole games from St. Louis and you can talk all you want about having a "bad series" but I don't know. I've never personally seen a game where Luongo got thrashed that badly. I think we are the better team and match up very well against them and have guys that can shut down anybody they've got on the ice but it seems like that's the mentality Calgary and Vancouver had too. I don't know, I just don't have a good feeling about this series. Tomorrow will tell a lot.

I admit Toews scares me. Kane, Havlat, Sharp, etc. are all threats that need to be watched but if I had to pick a guy on the other team who scares me the most it's Toews.