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Quenneville/ "Worst call.."

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Even though we are fans of two rival teams, I'd like to think that we share common ground in wanting to feel that the team that ousts you from the playoffs (if it happens) truly was the better team and outplayed your for the better part of the series. While the Wings certainly have been the more mistake free team, they really haven't done anything that has made me feel the Blackhawks are overmatched in any one particular area aside from one: coaching.

Q has put tremendous pressure on his goalies for almost the entire season by not integrating a more aggressive forechecking scheme to prevent opponents from easily gaining the offenisve zone. The Hawks were absolutely murdered in game 1 becaue of this futile strategy as your team was able to skate, pass, and shoot at will and with little opposition. Finally the Hawks implemented a more aggressive forecheck at the blue line in game to and did a much better job of stifling your offensive rush. What took most knowledgeable fans ONE game (during the regular season) to figure out, took 6-7 (including the playoffs) for our "seasoned" head coach. Then throw in the fact that our PK STILL compacts aroudn the net, backs off the puck, thus allowing you to move the puck around at will all but further illustrates the cluelessness that is Q. It's hard enough to stop you guys using sound strategy, but its nearly impossible when giving up great shots from virtually all angles. The only way I can explain how you haven't had MORE success on the PP during this series is shear luck. It's certainly not from having the likes of Matt Walker seeing significant PK minutes.

That brings me to another point of emphasis. The bulk of the individual mistakes are coming from the veterans rather than the rookies. Campbell gift-wrapped a 3 on 1 to conclude game 3, and his lack of defensive contain (in chasing a puck in the O zone down behind the goal) resulted in the first goal of today's game. He also (inexcusably) lets Franzen get off the shot which resulted in the second goal when he could have easily pokechecked it away. Campbell routinely shows a lack of hockey awareness that is scary to watch. Then Q compounds it by continuing to trot Matt ******* Walker out onto the ice at EVERY opportunity. He might be (if he's not he's close) the worst player in the NHL and by far the biggest liability the Hawks have on the ice. If he isn't flailing on a clearing attempt, he's setting screens on our own goalies, or falling down while trying to hit someone instead of playing the puck. Any coach that becomes infatuated with Walker should be fired immediately as he brings nothign to the table; he can't skate, hit, get a shot on goal, or do anything constructive on the ice. While I'm at it the veteran "presence" of Pahlsson has been laughable at best. He's great at looking clueless in the penalty box after getting called for one of several needless penalties.

The point of this post wasn't to make excuses or to deny credit to the Wings as they have shown they will make the Hawks beat them rather than beat themselves. I've been pretty dismayed at how neither team has looked all that impressive, and that the interaal mistakes have been the biggest factor durign each teams losses. Although the Hawks are a young team that should have several good years ahead of them, retaining Q would be a HUGE mistake in the continuation of this team's progress. If we had a coach who was more adept at using the talent on the blue line in a more aggressive oriented strategy, I feel the Hawks may have had a legitimate chance this series. Unfortunately though, Q doesn't stress defensive discipline and trots out Matt Walker despite the fact he has Aaron Johnson, a much better player, stting on the bench. As a fan it's a pretty touch pill to swallow.

With that said, I hope you guys get healthy and kick the s*** out of the Penguins. IMO the key will be denying the blue line much like you have against us for the bulk of the series. But if you gusy sit back and let them dictate movement in their offensive zone (especially on the PP as we have) you may find yourself in trouble. Luckily for you guys you have a top notch coach who understands the importance of defensive strategy and responsibility.

One more thing, I'm kind of curious if you think Tallon will go under fire due to the performance (or lack thereof) of Huet, Campbell, and Pahlsson. Considering the success the team has had I think not, but I personally hope he gets the proper scrutiny for these moves. Just thinking about the years and $$$$ left on his contract makes me sick>

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Interesting thoughts. I was thrilled when the Hawks hired Q at the beginning of the season, and this is exactly why.

He's gotten a lot of love from the media this season for the job he's done with this young Hawks squad, and rightly so. He's always been a decent regular season coach. But he's never been a good playoff coach. And you can't say he hasn't had talent; he had guys like Pronger, MacInnis, and Brett Hull for a few years in St. Louis; he had Hejduk, Sakic and Forsberg (briefly) in Colorado; and he's got a darn talented team in Chicago too.

But his teams never seem to have that steady, even-keeled system or mental presence in the playoffs. He'll often win a round or two, but his teams inevitably make fundamental mistakes at crucial times and get taken apart by better-coached teams with a more cohesive and consistent system.

This isn't to say he'll never win a Cup; heck, with that talent he has, if they keep him around, he'll probably win one in spite of himself eventually. It's happened before (See Also: Crawford, Mark).

Still, there's a reason the Wings have owned Quenneville over the years. It's no fluke. This series isn't quite over yet, but it's sure looking like deja-vu all over again.

Edited by Shockwave180

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One more thing, I'm kind of curious if you think Tallon will go under fire due to the performance (or lack thereof) of Huet, Campbell, and Pahlsson. Considering the success the team has had I think not, but I personally hope he gets the proper scrutiny for these moves. Just thinking about the years and $$$$ left on his contract makes me sick>

I think pahlsson has been good, he improved the pk, faceoffs, etc. he didnt come in with expectations of making the hawks that much better.

Huet came with high expectations and hasnt really lived up to them, but i dont think you can blame tallon.

I think he should be for campbell. Campbell seemed to be the hawks "coming out" party, he wanted to show the hawks were serious this year. I didnt think Campbell was all that good to begin with, but got lots of notoriety as a puck moving dman when the sharks picked him up. it shocks be that he was given such a huge contract. Compare Campbells and Kronwalls numbers, then salary. personally, i would much rather have kronwall.

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One more thing, I'm kind of curious if you think Tallon will go under fire due to the performance (or lack thereof) of Huet, Campbell, and Pahlsson. Considering the success the team has had I think not, but I personally hope he gets the proper scrutiny for these moves. Just thinking about the years and $$$$ left on his contract makes me sick>

Not at all. Even if the Hawks lose the next game they will have gone farther than people felt they should have this year, and the GM isn't going to be fired when the general feeling will probably be that they're just a hair shy of the Cup Finals.

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I've been watching Q for years. In St Louis, and here in Denver where I live. He is an OK coach for a young up and coming team, BUT he is brutal in games that really matter - regular season and POs.

If you took two equal teams and placed Q and Babcock out there, I'd bet on Babs every time, and he's no Bowman either.

He lost control of his team today. Lidstrom AND Datsyuk out, plus Draper. That's a gift he cannot overlook, yet he managed to outcoach himself. <_<

Hopefully the Hawks will dump his butt in a year or two (sooner rather than later) if they have any aspirations of going to the finals.

But, as a Wings fan, please keep him as long as you'd like. :)

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Great thoughts.

My opinion: I look at Chicago's total GA for the regular season, and I think "Wow". While the playoffs are a totally different animal, I expected a little better defense and fewer turnovers, as well.

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What missed penalty was he complaining about exactly at the end of the 2nd period?

"The worse call in the history of sports".

Really?

He was talking about the penalty to Walker after the first had ended, that he served at the start of the second and Flip scored on. To be honest I didn't see what happened either. There were so many scrums I can't remember if a Hawks player instigated that scrum or what.

Edited by Heroes of Hockeytown

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What missed penalty was he complaining about exactly at the end of the 2nd period?

"The worse call in the history of sports".

Really?

Worst call in the history of sports?????? WTF has he been smoking? It almost sounds like he blamed the loss on that call! OH YEAH, worst call, where was he during game 3.... nuff said!

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Quenneville hasn't disappointed me at all in this series. He's behaved exactly as I expected, unable to coach a spirited, fiesty young team to a win -- even when it appears to be giftwrapped, with 4-5 key players missing on the opposing team. To throw him a bone, the Wings are so incredibly deep (and depth wins Cups), all it took was the first goal to propel the big Red Wing machine to a Hawk-plucking.

The only reason they won game 3 was the ridiculous call on Kronner, which cost us a key player in OT.

All of this, with arguably THE greatest coach ever in the NHL standing an arm's length away and available for advice all season? That's the epitome of ineptitude. Wonder if Q will be looking for a job over the summer?

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Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville laments 'worst call in the history of sports'

by Ansar Khan

Sunday May 24, 2009, 7:37 PM

Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville expect to hear from the NHL following some of comments about the officiating following today's game.

Quenneville was particularly irate about Matt Walker's roughing penalty at the end of the first period. Valtteri Filppula capitalized on the power play at 1:13 of the second to make it 3-0 for Detroit.

"I think we witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports at the end of the (first) period,'' Quenneville said. "A nothing play and they scored. It's 3-0. They ruined a good hockey game and absolutely destroyed what was going on, on the ice.

"That call. I've never seen anything like it."

"I couldn't find the penalty. You could argue along the way, but they ruined the whole game. That's basically the gist of what I'm trying to say."

http://www.mlive.com/redwings/index.ssf/20...of_stanley.html

:lol: I didn't see the call so I don't know. Worst in history of sports? hahaha.

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lol i just made the same thread

haha. I saw it live. It was pretty hilarious. He acted amicable in the beginning and then said "Worst call in history of sports." HAHAHA! Maybe the fact that it was Quenneville and the Wings beat his teams all the time made it funnier. Didn't see the call though. :lol:

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