blackhawks
Favored Blackhawks ready to begin another Stanley Cup run
Patrick Kane is 24 years old. Only 24. Stop for a moment and consider that. A veteran entering his seventh season with his name hammered into the side of the Stanley Cup twice, he’s pretty much just a kid. Just getting started. It was back …Read More
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5 keys to the Blackhawks’ season
Five keys to the season 1. Turn on the power The last three teams to win the Stanley Cup did it with a lousy power play, but imagine how dominant the Hawks could be if they had a functional one. With so much top-shelf talent, …Read More
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NHL Award Predictions: It’s smart to choose Crosby to win Hart
1. Hart Trophy (MVP) — Sidney Crosby, Penguins If last season showed anything, it’s that Jonathan Toews might never win a Hart Trophy. He was the best player on a historically great team and is the total package — offense, defense, special teams, intangibles — …Read More
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NHL realignment and rules changes
1. Realignment Hawks fans might not be happy to lose the Red Wings (and Blue Jackets) to the Eastern Conference and get the Jets in return, but it certainly made the path back to the Stanley Cup Final a little easier. Expect the Blues — …Read More
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Lazerus’ Stanley Cup prediction: Blues over Red Wings
Mark LAZERUS’ PREDICTION Stanley Cup Final: Blues over Red Wings. By any objective measure, the Hawks are the clear favorites to win the Stanley Cup. They have a deep and talented offense, the best defense in the league, a Cup-winning goalie and strong veteran leadership. …Read More
2013-14 NHL breakdown by division
Pacific Division Favorite: Los Angeles Kings. The Kings will go as far as goalie Jonathan Quick takes them. Quick also likely will be the U.S. goalie in the Olympics, which means he’ll have a heavy workload all season. But the Kings’ physical nature and Quick’s …Read More
Examining the few who are new to Blackhawks
Three years ago, the Blackhawks opened their Stanley Cup defense with a roster that was half full of new names. This year, the Hawks return mostly intact. But with the final cuts now in the books — Brandon Pirri and Jeremy Morin were sent to …Read More
Marian Hossa’s back is back in business
Marian Hossa took a few purposeful strides down the ice, reined in a cross-ice pass from Michal Handzus and slipped a slick little shot past Nikolai Khabibulin. Hossa hadn’t practiced in nearly two weeks. Yet he hadn’t missed a beat. “[Handzus] and I were talking …Read More
Steady center Michal Handzus finds himself back on second line
When Michal Handzus signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the Blackhawks this summer, he harbored no illusions that he was going to continue to play every day, let alone in a top-six role. Handzus had a memorable and surprising run as the Hawks’ second-line …Read More
Kostka, Stanton — friends and rivals — battle for Blackhawks’ last defenseman spot
When he’s out on the ice, Michael Kostka isn’t wondering if one bad pass, one wrong stride or one lost opponent is going to be the one that costs him a spot in the NHL this season. He’s not constantly looking over his shoulder to …Read More
Blackhawks’ power play needs more shots
Yes. Naturally. Duh. Of course, the Blackhawks would like to improve their power-play percentage.
Nordstrom has made ‘big jump,’ improving odds of making Hawks
Unheralded Joakim Nordstrom could be on the verge of making the Blackhawks’ opening-night roster. “He’s had a good camp,” coach Joel Quenneville said. “I like his speed. For a young guy, he’s got good instincts on both sides of the puck. He’s really progressed from …Read More
Pressure’s on Bryan Bickell, the Blackhawks’ $16 million man
It wasn’t the biggest fish Blackhawks winger Bryan Bickell had caught, but as he learned last spring, it’s all about timing. And that 5-pound largemouth bass was just about perfect for Bickell’s boating companion late last month: the Stanley Cup. ‘‘Put a bigger fish in …Read More
Brandon Pirri has one week to impress the Hawks
PITTSBURGH — Brandon Pirri believes his time is now — that he’s NHL-ready, that he can be the Blackhawks’ answer at second-line center, that his record in Rockford speaks for itself. So he’s not worried that the lower-body injury that kept him out of the …Read More
Bickell scores first power-play goal of preseason in 3-2 shootout loss
PITTSBURGH — In an actual hockey game, the Blackhawks’ rookies and roster hopefuls had a lot more to play for than the Penguins’ stars, and it showed. In a shootout, though, pure talent usually wins. James Neal and Sidney Crosby scored in the shootout to …Read More
Blackhawks’ Brandon Saad back at wing vs. Wings
DETROIT — Brandon Saad has all the tools to play center in the NHL. He’s a big body, he’s strong on the puck, he’s savvy beyond his years and he’s defensively sound. At just 20 years old, and with a long-standing hole in the middle …Read More
