The Committed Indian

$3
$3
Where’s That Confounded Bridge?
The Committed
Indian
The REal Fan’s Program
secondcityhockey.com
March 22nd, 2009
committedindian@gmail.com
GEORGE IS GETTING VERY NERVOUS
We are doing are very best to be the
last ones to hit the panic button. After all, you
should feel better after reading this. So we’re
not hitting it yet. But we’re definitely taking
stock of where it is, calculating how long it
will take, figuring out the best route to it, and
stretching to make sure we don’t pull a triceps
or an oblique when we decide that it’s time.
What was so disheartening about
Friday is, there’s so few things to complain
about. The Hawks outworked the Oilers by a
wide margin. They showed incredible heart
by tying the game 4 times! Havlat reverted
to mutant-form. Seabrook was a wrecking
ball. Hjalmarsson was better than he was on
Wednesday, and Barker was in fine form as
well. Even Brian Campbell, wading through
boos everytime he touched the puck, had a
good game.
But this month, every mistake, every
bounce, every break has ended up in the
Hawks’ net. What’s one mistake they’re making? HAVING MATT WALKER IN THE FUCKING
BUILDING! A couple months ago, we lauded
Walker’s play. But we did that in the context
that this was a #6 defenseman who was playing above his head, and the Hawks were on
the House’s money with him. Well, the thing
about #6 d-men is that they occasionally will
play like a #7, or a #8, or a #43 d-man. When
that happens, they have to be removed. Edmonton’s second goal on Friday wouldn’t have
happened if Walker hadn’t stupidly pinched
down with Keith already deep in the offensive
zone leaving Kris Versteeg stranded, without even a volleyball to keep him company.
Edmonton’s fourth goal wouldn’t have happened if Walker wasn’t loitering-with-intentof-idiocy by the faceoff dot while Gagner was
streaking up the middle. Hopefully, Walker’s
benching in the 3rd period on Friday is a portent of things to come.
the opponents are denting twine soon after,
and the Hawks have to build from scratch. At
one point Friday, the Oilers has 4 goals on 16
shots. That’s simply unacceptable.
The Hawks have been defensively
curious lately, but not significantly more
than they were early in the year. But no
one noticed then, because both Huet and
Khabby were bailing them out. This team was
definitely built with strong goaltending as
the foundation; both Huet and Khabby were
Top-10 in SV% and GAA until recently. But
now that rug has been pulled out from under
the Hawks, and they won’t turn it around
until Khabby, or Huet, once again provide the
top-tier goaltending that the Hawks obviously
require.
Still, if the Hawks show as much
determination and spirit as they have the past
two games, they will get out of this, and soon.
Weren’t You Just Here?
We thought Edmonton was the
perfect opponent to break the slide (and we
were partially right. The Hawks were superior
in a lot of areas, except the one that counts).
Unfortunately, today’s opponent -- the Kings
-- are ones we’d least like to see. Not only
have the Hawks struggled with them for two
seasons now, but here’s a team that is going
to do all the things the Hawks hate. Clog the
neutral zone, work their asses off, keep the
game on the boards, finish their checks, and
quick forwards to harass our increasinglyjittery d-men.
This will be the third game in four
days for L.A. On Thursday, they came from
two down with 10 minutes left to win in OT in
Boston. Friday night, they got pecker-slapped
by the resurgent Penguins. For a brief period
in February, the Kings were, shockingly,
putting themselve right in the middle of the
playoff-chase-gangbang. However, taking
only three of the last 10 points, and 7 of the
last 24, has left them seven points adrift of
the 8th seed, and there won’t be any postseason hockey in Southern California this year.
Unfortunately, having not much to
play for doesn’t mean the Kings are going
to just make up the numbers today. Coach
Terry Murray always gets a max effort from
his troops. The Kings also boast perhaps the
most promising blueline anywhere, with Drew
Doughty, Kyle Quincy, and Jack Johnson all
appearing to have very bright futures ahead
of them. Anze Kopitar, Dustin Brown, and
especially Alex Frolov have been about as
pleasant for the Hawks to deal with as herpes.
It’s our forecast that next season, people will
talk about L.A. they way people talked about
the Hawks earlier in the year.
We’re all twitchy. It has not been
a pretty three weeks. It could get very ugly
next week. The Hawks need a win today more
than they’ve needed a win all season. They’re
going to have to play one of their best games
to get it. The Kings are more than capable of
exploiting a mistake or a shaky goalie. If the
Hawks do not come up with two points today,
like most men, we’re going to go searching
for that red button (naughty boys...).-Ozzy
All In All, We Need More Bricks In
The Wall
With all that being said, the fact that
these mistakes and bounces end up in goalsagainst means the callous eye of blame can
only gaze at the visages of Mssrs. Huet and
Khabibulin (my, wasn’t that fucking poetic?).
The Hawks simply have not gotten any big
saves this month when they needed them. To
boot, both goalies have let in soft goals. Sure,
both of them have made big saves, but not
when the Hawks had tied the game, or were
leading. Thus, these saves weren’t preserving momentum, merely putting the Hawks on
more pins and needles. When the Hawks have
taken leads or battled back and are rolling,
Barry Rozner picks the subject for that day’s column
FROM THE EDITOR
As you all probably know by now, I’m not very grown-up.
That would have to be the case for me to start a publication like
this. There have been very few moments when I’ve looked like
anything resembling an adult. As I come to to the business-end of
my first season in this post, I find myself regressing.
Sports have always been far too big a
priority in my life (the Cubs are certainly the
reason I’m terrified of committment). Going to
watch a soccer game at a bar cost me a transfer
of colleges once. I skipped a test in high school,
causing me to flunk that class, because Kerry
Wood was pitching against Tom Glavine in ‘98.
I didn’t leave the house for three days when Jeremy Roenick was traded (though that might have
something to do with having nowhere to go).
These days, as I have more than an
Sam
emotional investment in the Hawks, I’ve become
even more petulant. I nearly picked a fight with
a middle-aged Penguin fan after Malkin had buried the overtime winner. I honestly thought about climbing over a
couple of rows to get after a particularly obnoxious Scum fan during
the Winter Classic (imagine how obnoxious that must be!). Friday
may have taken the cake, though.
I found Friday’s loss truly draining. The Hawks truly left
it all on the ice. Every skater, aside from Matt Walker, was above
criticism. Here was a bunch let down by some bad goaltending, one
clueless defender, and some ridiculously bad bounces. Yet, they
kept plugging away. I just felt awful for them.
Heading out, I saw a group of Oilers fans celebrating in the
concourse. There cannot be a more inoffensive bunch than Oilers
fans. They seem a pleasant, happy, polite, well-informed bunch
who are probably just cold ALL THE TIME.
And yet the thought of physical violence still
crossed my mind. I’m regressing, people.
Mind you, I’ve never carried out any of
these violent thoughts. Maybe that’s what seperates me from the true mouth-breathers. I guess
I should be appreciative of the face that I am unable to grow up. It’s way more fun this way, and
I don’t have to move to some ridiculous place
like Cleveland to satisfy a bitchy wife. And you
lot win out too, because I do this thing, and you
seem to like it. So if you ever see my attempting
Fels
to mature, hand me a beer, hit me on the head,
whatever you think it takes. But still, keep me
from taking these losses too hard. There’s a balance to be found.
-WGN has been running an ad for today’s game that reads as follows: “Sunday: the Hawks try and keep the Kings from getting on
the throne.” That seems awfully rude. In the words of Tommy
Chong, it’s not cool to supress bodily functions, man.
NHL STANDINGS
Eastern Conference
W
L
OTL
PTS
GF
GA
1
Boston
45
17
10
100
239
170
3
Washington
45
23
6
96
238
216
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
New Jersey
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Carolina
NY Rangers
Montreal
Florida
Buffalo
Toronto
Ottawa
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
47
38
39
39
38
36
35
34
30
31
30
23
NY Islanders 24
21
3
22
10
28
7
26
26
27
8
8
9
27
10
30
13
30
30
37
33
40
8
10
6
16
8
97
86
86
85
84
81
80
76
73
72
66
62
56
222
226
232
213
186
214
198
212
219
191
223
189
AWAY
24-6-6
21-11-4
1
Scum
26-9-2
19-14-4
3
Calgary
21-12-3
18-14-5
26-10-1
203
21-10-4
210
22-13-1
219
196
220
203
22-10-4
21-8-6
19-11-6
208
20-13-3
206
20-12-6
257
249
240
182 234
Western Conference
HOME
173
13-13-9
14-19-2
11-15-11
16-14-5
*late game not included
21-11-2
17-12-6
17-15-6
16-16-4
15-19-3
16-16-4
2
4
5
6
7
8
9
14
HAWKS
Columbus
Edmonton
Nashville
St. Louis
11-18-4
12 Dallas
12-18-5
14 Phoenix*
8-26-3
47
Vancouver*
10 Anaheim
16-18-4
L
San Jose
14-17-5
17-17-4
W
11 Minnesota
13 Los Angeles
15 Colorado
TOP 10 LIST
Top 10 Signs It’s Spring
10. We’re down to only wearing four layers
9. Barry Rozner doesn’t come to the UC in a snappy turtleneck,
instead of not coming in an overcoat.
8. Dustin Byfuglien passes on being physical with more of a bounce
in his step
7. Young man Jonathan Toews’ fancy turns to...killing
6. John McDonough walks around UC concourses screaming, “Play
ball!”
5. The Hawks are disappearing
4. Havlat’s beard turns an even more vibrant shade
3. More smokers outside between periods
2. Committed Indian Editors pass out in alleys instead of bathrooms
1. Sean Avery Spring Collection hits department stores
48
41
38
37
38
35
35
33
34
33
33
30
29
31
15
24
23
OTL PTS
9
105
6
88
10
9
22
11
27
9
28
30
30
31
30
31
6
7
9
6
8
8
31
10
39
2
35
7
104
85
85
82
79
77
75
74
74
74
70
65
64
GF
GA
270 212
230 175
233 218
HOME AWAY
26-5-4
22-10-5
23-9-4
18-15-2
18-8-7
19-14-4
29-3-4
18-11-6
213 191 22-11-4 16-12-5
229 190
201 200 23-11-2 15-17-4
207 216 16-12-6 19-15-3
184 199 21-12-3 14-18-4
199 212 19-13-5 14-17-4
197 206 17-16-3 17-15-3
180 178 19-11-6 14-19-2
204 222 19-13-4 14-18-4
186 209 16-14-8 14-17-2
174 218 18-14-3 11-21-4
188 229 18-17-0 13-22-2
PUCK DROP
Kyle Calder-LW, LA Kings: Kyle
Calder was perhaps the last player
to receive the Bill Wirtz Free Agent
Treatment. Calder was an honest,
if not particularly gifted, player in
Chicago. However, he worked and
grinded his way to back-to-back 20goal seasons. After the second of
those, Calder came up for arbitration. Kyle made the unholy misstep
of actually winning his case, which
meant Wirtz promptly demanded
he be shown the door. Calder has
been traded twice from Chicago for useful centers. The
first time was for Michal Handzus, who only managed
eight games before blowing out a knee. Then a year later,
he was involved in a three-way deal that landed the Hawks
Jason Williams. However, things haven’t gotten any better
for Kyle since his stay here. He’s never topped 20 goals
again, and the past two years in L.A. hasn’t even managed
10. Strangely, though, he lights up his former team. In 12
career games against the Hawks, Calder has 14 points (5
goals, 9 assists). Hasn’t anyone told him Old Man Wirtz is
dead, and he should leave us alone?
Panic Attack 37-22-11
Eager’s suspension has spared your ass for three games, motherfucker.
Chris Kuc reported yesterday that Sharp will be back this afternoon. He was practicing with Toews and
Brouwer, which we think means Kane is with Havlat and Bolland. Kane and Havlat have always made an
odd line combo, as both would seem to need the puck. But we’ll wait and see.
#
Pos
Player
Ht
WT
AGE
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PP
SH
GW
S
S%
Salary (Cap Hit)
88
R
Patrick Kane
5' 10"
187
20
68
24
40
64
-5
40
13
0
3
225
10.7
$3,725,000
24
R
The Perfect Beard
6' 2"
217
27
69
22
39
61
21
24
5
0
4
211
10.4
$6,000,000
19
C
Captain Marvel
6' 2"
209
20
70
29
31
60
4
49
12
0
6
172
16.9
$2,800,000
32
L
VerStud
5' 10"
180
22
67
20
29
49
15
55
5
4
2
117
17.1
$491,667
51
D
Brian Campbell
6' 0"
188
29
70
7
39
46
0
20
4
0
1
95
7.4
$7,142,875
36
C
Dave Bolland
6' 0"
188
22
70
17
25
42
19
42
1
2
4
99
17.2
$845,833
16
L
Andrew Ladd
6' 2"
198
23
70
11
28
39
21
26
0
0
1
167
6.6
$1,550,000
25
D
Cam Barker
6' 3"
213
22
57
6
32
38
-7
53
5
0
1
82
7.3
$2,768,587
10
L
The Sharp-Shooter
6' 1"
197
27
54
23
15
38
2
39
8
0
4
163
14.1
$3,900,000
2
D
Duncan Keith
6' 1"
194
25
66
8
30
38
27
40
2
1
1
146
5.5
$1,475,000
22
R
Troy Brouwer
6' 2"
213
23
61
10
16
26
7
50
4
1
0
119
8.4
$675,000
33
R
Dustin Byfuglien
6' 3"
247
23
65
12
13
25
2
73
3
0
3
173
6.9
$3,000,000
7
D
Brent Seabrook
6' 3"
220
23
70
6
14
20
19
55
2
1
0
111
5.4
$3,500,000
46
C
Colin Fraser
6' 1"
188
23
70
5
11
16
2
53
0
0
0
58
8.6
$500,000
26
C
Samuel Pahlsson
6' 0"
204
31
54
5
10
15
-18
32
1
0
1
76
6.6
$301,000
55
L
Ben Eager
6' 2"
220
24
66
10
4
14
3
139
0
0
0
69
14.5
$568,000
8
D
Matt Walker
6' 3"
214
28
58
1
13
14
5
75
0
0
0
78
1.3
$600,000
37
R
Adam Burish
6' 1"
189
26
54
6
3
9
3
71
0
0
2
74
8.1
$712,500
23
D
Aaron Johnson
6' 1"
211
25
29
3
5
8
18
24
0
0
1
20
15
$600,000
5
D
Brent Sopel
6' 1"
211
32
23
1
1
2
-4
8
0
0
1
15
6.7
$2,333,333
4
D
Niklas Hjalmarsson
6' 2"
200
21
9
0
0
0
-1
0
0
0
0
5
0
$643,000
6
D
Jordan Hendry
6' 1"
194
24
8
0
0
0
-1
4
0
0
0
1
0
$625,000
Totals/Averages
6’ 1”
202.5
24.4
226
398
14.5/g
66
9
33.3/g
9.6%
$44,607,000
It’s only been two games, but we love the way Pahlse never seems to panic on the PK. A
few could learn from that.
*injured
#
Goalie
HT
WT
AGE
GPI
Min
GAA
W
L
OT
SO
SA
GA
Sv%
G
A
PIM
Salary
39
Nikolai Khabibulin
6' 1"
209
36
32
1852
2.49
17
7
6
1
950
77
..919
0
2
8
$6,750,000
38
Cristobal Huet
6' 1"
205
33
39
2231
2.5
19
14
4
3
1031
93
0.910
0
0
2
$5,625,000
Totals/Averages
6'1"
207
31.3
2.63
37
22
11
4
29.2/g
184
0.910
0
2
10
$12,375,000
Probable Pairings
Probable Lines
Left Wing
Center
Right Wing
22 Brouwer
19 Toews
10 Sharp
26 Pahlsson
32 Versteeg
24 Havlat
16 Ladd
37 Burish
36 Bolland
46 Fraser
88 Kane
33 Byfuglien
16 years ago, David Stern sent me
to ruin the NHL. I have done everything I can think of to drive the core
fan away, strip hockey of all that’s
great about it, and eliminate any attention by the mainstream media...
2 Keith
51 Campbell
23 Johnson
7 Seabrook
4 Hjalmarsson
25 Barker
TOTAL CAP NUMBER:
$57,283,000
CAP SPACE:
$274,000*
*space also affected by buyouts and injured players
Injury List
Brent Sopel- Out (Talent)
Patrick Sharp- Questionable (Knee)
Cam Barker- Questionable (Lower)
Matt Walker- Questionable (Idiocy)
Ben Eager-Suspended
I am so close to completing the task
Stern charged me with....
hell damn ass kings 30-31-10
Watch this guy today. He always brings it, and will be a very good 3rd liner.
#
Pos
Player
Ht
WT
AGE
GP
G
A
P
+/-
PIM
PP
SH
GW
S
S%
Salary (Cap Hit)
11
C
Anze Kopitar "A"
6' 3"
219
21
71
25
36
61
-17
22
7
1
3
204
12.3
$956,000
24
R
Alexander Frolov
6' 2"
204
26
71
28
27
55
-7
24
11
1
1
162
17.3
$2,900,000
23
R
Dustin Brown "C"
6' 0"
207
24
69
24
29
53
-10
58
7
0
6
272
8.8
$3,175,000
28
C
Jarret Stoll
6' 0"
214
26
71
18
23
41
-6
62
10
0
1
151
11.9
$3,600,000
27
D
Kyle Quincey
6' 2"
207
23
68
4
34
38
-3
59
2
0
2
144
2.8
$514,000
26
C
Michal Handzus
6' 4"
218
31
71
17
21
38
-5
26
7
1
4
126
13.5
$4,000,000
19
L
Kyle Calder
5' 11"
177
30
65
8
16
24
-4
35
2
0
1
82
9.8
$2,700,000
8
D
Drew Doughty
6' 1"
203
19
70
5
19
24
-12
50
2
0
1
116
4.3
$3,475,000
17
R
Wayne Simmonds
6' 2"
181
20
71
6
12
18
-6
62
1
0
1
108
5.6
$822,000
54
R
Teddy Purcell
6' 3"
202
23
30
4
11
15
-4
4
2
0
1
49
8.2
$63,900
9
C
Oscar Moller
5' 11"
180
20
36
7
8
15
-3
14
5
0
0
72
9.7
$786,000
2
D
Matt Greene "A"
6' 4"
234
25
71
1
11
12
-1
109
0
0
0
63
1.6
$1,150,000
6
D
Sean O'Donnell
6' 2"
230
37
71
0
11
11
0
63
0
0
0
29
0
$1,250,000
5
D
Peter Harrold
5' 11"
188
25
62
3
8
11
-14
26
1
0
0
91
3.3
$583,000
14
R
Justin Williams
6' 1"
195
27
33
3
7
10
-10
9
2
0
0
81
3.7
$753,000
7
C
Derek Armstrong
6' 0"
197
35
47
4
3
7
-11
51
1
0
1
33
12.1
$1,500,000
3
D
Jack Johnson
6' 1"
225
22
30
4
3
7
-19
33
3
0
0
36
11.1
$2,150,000
21
D
Denis Gauthier Jr.
6' 2"
220
32
58
2
2
4
-13
74
0
0
0
34
5.9
$1,931,000
15
C
Brad Richardson
5' 11"
184
24
26
0
4
4
-5
11
0
0
0
33
0
$588,000
41
L
Raitis Ivanans
6' 4"
256
30
65
2
0
2
-8
124
0
0
2
21
9.5
$600,000
44
D
Davis Drewiske
6' 1"
210
24
6
0
0
0
1
2
0
0
0
4
0
$104,000
33
C
Kevin Westgarth
6' 4"
241
25
8
0
0
0
1
9
0
0
0
1
0
$206,000
13
R
John Zeiler
6' 0"
204
26
23
0
0
0
-3
37
0
0
0
2
0
$702,000
6’ 1”
209.8
182
252
29.7
8.6%
$41,315,000
Totals/Averages
26
14.3/g
65
4
* injured
#
Goalie
HT
WT
AGE
GPI
Min
GAA
W
L
OT
SO
SA
GA
Sv%
G
A
PIM
Salary
31
Erik Ersberg
6' 0"
168
26
27
1417
2.58
8
10
5
0
613
61
0.9
0
0
2
$700,000
32
Jonathan Quick
6' 1"
216
23
34
1889
2.67
17
13
1
3
896
84
0.906
0
1
0
$488,000
Totals/Averages
6' 0"
192
24
2.83
30
31
10
5
27.6
201
0.987
0
1
2
Probable Pairings
Probable Lines
Left Wing
Center
54 Purcell
11 Kopitar
19 Calder
26 Handzus
24 Frolov
7 Armstrong
28 Stoll
Right Wing
26 Brown
14 Williams
17 Simmonds
41 Ivanans
8 Doughty
6 O’Donnell
2 Greene
5 Harrold
3 Johnson
44 Drewiske
$1,188,000
TOTAL CAP NUMBER:
$43,918,000
CAP SPACE:
$12,782,000
*space also affected by buyouts and injured players
27 Quincey
...IS THIS THE YEAR?
Injury List
Denis Gauthier- Out (Upper Body)
Doughty was everywhere in the Kings’ win against Boston. He tied the game in
the last minute, and then started the rush and assisted the goal that won it in OT.
Frolov has 8 goals and 19 points in 21 career games against the Hawks.
From The Secret Files
It’s Obvious to everyone that Matt Walker must have pictures of
Coach Q doing something improper. That’s the only way to explain
his continued ice-time. We present these pictures from our secret
files hoping to reverse the trap Q finds himself in.
Say Q, isn’t that Matt flirting with your Look Coach, that’s Mr. Walker dealing
wife? Look at her big smile!
crack to that baby!
Q, that’s Matt who just crashed his car Mr. Quenneville, Walker is hanging out
through your living room!
with terrorists. And he’s happy to do
so!
The
Fight
Card
HAWKS vs. KINGS
Fight Stats provided by Hockeyfights.com
GAME
FIGHT
TIME
3-1-09
Eager vs.
Greene
1st.
11:36
11-29-08
Fraser vs.
Simmonds
1st.
18:05
11-29-08
Walker vs.
Ivanans
1st.
1:58
2-23-08
Seabrook v.
Brown
2nd.
3:57
Bloody
Nose
Black
Eye
Bruised
Ego
√
√
Just
Dancing
Analysis
Eager lands some shots early before a
quick take down, so we’ll give it to him
on points, cuz we’re good like that.
A spirited if not eventful bout. Fraser
lands some nice shots early, Simmonds
some late, and Dan Bernstein uses this
as evidence that hockey players and fans
are racist.
√ √
√
A day after taking on Parros, Walker
encounters SoCal’s other slob, and lands
some solid rights. Walks in a decision.
Brown charges from San Diego to hit
Toews, and Seabrook responds with
some nice rights before a quick takedown.
What To Watch For: These two have only gotten through one game in the past two years without a kerfluffle, so those of you waiting
for a passionate discussion are very likely to get one. The Kings play a physical brand of hockey, and always finish their checks, which
tends to piss the Hawks off. European mongaloid Ivanans is your most likely, though with Eager suspended and Walker likely tied to a
radiator, the Hawks don’t have a dance partner for him. Matt Greene is also a prickly fellow, with nine bouts this year.
Power Play
Team
Opp
PPG
PP%
Team OPP
WSH
300
73
24.3
VAN
DET
SJS
BOS
PHI
CHI
BUF
ANA
STL
NJD
ATL
LAK
TOR
MIN
OTT
318
317
277
275
314
319
268
306
264
310
326
296
283
300
84
74
61
26.4
23.3
22
CGY
TBL
NYI
59
21.4
67
21
EDM
20.6
COL
66
21
CAR
MTL
56
20.9
54
20.4
DAL
19.9
PHX
63
63
65
58
55
58
20.3
PIT
FLA
19.6
NYR
19.3
CBJ
19.4
NSH
312
302
306
285
340
323
310
322
287
318
271
296
300
282
295
PPG
PP%
57
18.9
60
57
50
59
56
53
54
47
49
41
44
44
41
37
Team
TS
NYR
292
18.6
CGY
318
17.4
SJS
19.2
17.5
17.3
17.1
16.8
16.4
15.4
15.1
14.9
MIN
NSH
PHI
FLA
LAK
BUF
STL
NYI
BOS
14.7
MTL
12.5
CBJ
14.5
PIT
253
310
275
349
280
307
299
318
312
267
330
306
300
Penalty Kill
PPGA PK%
37
87.3
51
84
34
Team
NJD
282
CHI
294
86.6
OTT
50
83.9
ANA
59
83.1
WSH
82.7
DAL
45
48
53
52
56
55
48
83.6
82.9
82.6
82.4
82.4
82
VAN
CAR
COL
TBL
DET
PHX
60
81.8
EDM
55
81.7
ATL
56
81.7
TS
TOR
300
339
323
354
275
284
279
349
290
251
296
277
313
PPGA PK%
53
81.2
56
81
57
81
66
80.5
71
79.9
64
57
59
58
73
64
56
69
67
76
80.2
79.3
79.2
79.2
79.1
77.9
77.7
76.7
75.8
75.7
Spotlight
Anze Kopitar
This will be the fourth time over the past calendar year that we here at Indian Offices have seen the Kings live, and in the previous three encounters with them, by far the most noticeable player on the ice was the Kings’ #11. This guy’s is the definition of smooth. There’s isn’t a defenseman on the Hawks that he hasn’t made look silly at some point. Once again, here’s a player that probably deserves
a bigger audience than he’ll get in Southern California. However, the Kings are firmly poised to be a force in the next few years, with
Brown, Doughty, Quincey, Johnson, and Quick if he can maintain the form he’s shown the second half of this season. But leading this
charge will be Kopitar. In fact, the Kings may be poised to make their mark in the L.A. sports scene, as Kobe’s knees should shatter in the
next couple of years from carrying his ego, and Manny Ramirez very well may end up in a rubber room soon. There isn’t much on the ice
Kopitar can’t do. Slick hands, good vision, killer shot, he’s got it all. Kopitar has always had the skills, but this season has become a team leader. He’s used to the spotlight, having the eyes of an entire nation on him for most of his career. After all, how many Slovenians are in the NHL? One we can count. Though Dustin Brown was
given the “C” this season -- and Kopitar an “A” -- Kings fans will tell you they won’t be shocked if those roles switch in the next season or
two. It’s Kopitar who’s been the vocal leader in the dressing room, and he’s been the one to face the press after losses. Kopitar’s numbers
are down a tad from last season, but that’s due to his new-found responsibility in his own end. Not that he’s been a great defensive center,
but he’s actually bothering with it this season under Terry Murray. The Kings were quick to lock up Kopitar last season, and though $6.8
million might sound high, don’t be surprised if this guy makes it look like a bargain in the next few years. The Committed Indian is printed by Royal Omega Graphics- Elk Grove, IL
847-952-8000
kagroyalo@aol.com
KNOW THY ENEMY
Unfortunately, we couldn’t locate Matt from from Life In Hockeywood (www.
lifeinhockeywood.com) to fill us in on the Southland Hockey Club. Luckily, the
Kings were just here, and not that much has changed, so we’ll just run the Q&A
we did with him last time.
Q: You guys made a pretty decent run at the playoffs, when you were picked
to be bringing up the rear. How has this happened?
A: After last season, the Kings could really go nowhere but up. The Kings have
been stockpiling talent in the minors, and continue to do so. It’s Dean Lombardi’s belief that you must rebuild a franchise from the inside out, and he’s doing
this. That kind of tinkering takes time. Some fan estimates give Dean a 5-year
window that the Kings will seriously contend for the Cup. Depending on who
you talk to, this is either Year Two or Three. Seeing that he came in 2006 and it’s
2009... you do the math.
The fact of the matter is: they are ahead of the curve. These players
are hungry now, and want to win now. You get enough young, hungry talent
together and sooner or later, you’re gonna get a team that wants to compete, odds
be damned. That is what the Kings are this season. It’s quite refreshing to see.
Getting Drew Doughty has made a huge difference. Potential can only get you so
far in the NHL. If you have what it takes, you’ll produce on the ice. It happened
with Kopitar a few seasons back out of camp, and it’s happened again. You listen
to some fans, and they’ll say Doughty is the second coming of Christ. But realistically, he has got the skills to become an All-Star defenseman for years to come.
And I firmly believe he should win the Calder Trophy this season. I believe in it
so much that I wrote a blog about it... (blatant blog pimping!!!) http://lifeinhockeywood.com/2009/01/04/calder2.aspx
Getting Quincey has been a godsend as well. Thanks Detroit.
Obviously, Marc Crawford didn’t have Quincey and Doughty to play with,
but what has Terry Murray done differently this season?
Coach Murray really has focused of the defensive aspect of the Kings. This team
is built around young talent, many of which haven’t been taught in intricancies
of playing defense at the NHL level. They have always been able to score, last
season they were ranked middle of the league in goals. This season, their scoring
is down, but their two-way game has picked up.
Case in point: Anze Kopitar. The Slovenian player’s points have
dropped considerably, but he’s chipping in other ways that you don’t see on the
stat sheet, which, unfortunately too many fans worry about. He’s become pretty
good defensively, and as soon as his on-ice conditioning improves, he’ll return
to form. It’s a hard thing to teach these young players better habits. It’s slow, but
they are responding.
We saw enough of Jonathan Quick in L.A. Is he the longtime answer in
goal? Is Ersberg? Or is there another possibility?
God, this is a toughie. How many teams can you say would be better with a better goaltender? The Kings have had crap, honestly, the last few years. Then this
year, the herd was still being culled when Johnny Quick was brought up. And
he’s played remarkable. As far as I’m concerned, the job is Quick’s until some-
one else makes a case. I like Iceberg as well, but Quick is that much better.
Next season, we should see a more determined Jonathan Bernier out of training camp, and challenge Quick for that starter’s spot. This which will make the
team that much better. Believe me, as a Kings fan, we’ve been waiting a long
time to have this kind of problem. There’s nothing wrong with having too many
goaltenders, right?
Jack Johnson has had his struggles this season, along with injuries. What’s
the forecast for his career?
The hype is he’s going to be the next Ray Bourque. The reality is, and I’m just
spitballing here, is that JMFJ will not sign a long-term deal with the Kings. He
played at Michigan, he bleeds red and white and his heart is in Detroit. I’m sure
he’d love to play for them some day. So, while he’ll be a gamer in L.A. and give
his all, his stint in L.A. may already be predetermined. Personally, I’m hoping he
and Doughty hit it off and become the wickedest blueline ever. But I think he’ll
give Detroit a hometown discount and sign there. I really do.
We have loved Dustin Brown for years, though good lord has he been a pain
in our ass at times. Only now is he just getting the pub he deserves. You guys
watch him every night, is he that ace?
Dustin Brown is the real deal. But, he was given a lot of responsibility this
season, handed the reins as the youngest captain in franchise history. He’s now
going to need to bring the same intensity in the locker room as he does on the ice.
That could prove to be exhausting. Dustin, as is the case with many players, is far
different off the ice than on. He’s quite reserved in person, very polite. But you
get him on the ice, and he hits everything in the different jersey. It’s going to take
a season or two for him to really grab this team and make it his own.
But he might not even get that. Kopitar has shown signs of becoming a solid captain as well, in this his first season as an alternate. He often is the
last to leave the ice and really fills that cheerleader role a great captain can do. If
Kopitar winds up taking the C from Brown, the last thing you’ll see is Dustin get
pissed. In a way, he can now focus on what he does best: play vicious hockey on
the ice. And I think that might suit him more.
The editor of this worthless rag spent last season in Los Angeles, and was
surprised as how knowledgeable and passionate Kings fans are, while being
equally sickened by the idiocy found in Anaheim. What’s it like living in the
same town (sort of) with those tools?
When those dreaded Ducks hoisted the Cup, the pain was excruiating. All those
years of making fun of them was known shot back by those hardcore fans. Good
thing there wasn’t too many of them. Anaheim has a huge bandwagon fanbase,
so it still was fun making fun of these fans in their crispy-ironed jerseys. Plus, the
new jerseys look like a giant Spork! They just can’t look cool either way.
I wrote a blog about those kind of Ducks fans (more blatant blog pimping!!!)
http://lifeinhockeywood.com/2007/06/06/how-to-deal-with-those-kind-of-ducksfans.aspx. It sums up just how stupid these fans really are. There are some real
knowledgable Ducks fans, but they are few and far between . It does kill me to
see that Stanley Cup banner up there in their rafters. It should kill every hockey
fan. But they got one before the Kings, and that’s what matters.
Hawks-kings: the Last 4
March 1st, 2009: Kings 2, Hawks 4
Jan. 29th, 2009: Hawks 2, Kings 5
Toews, Keith, and Buff all score in the 1st, and
Hawks pretty much hold on from there. Niemi
get his first career win. This was about as good as
March has been so far.
This will be a continuing theme: Hawks don’t bother with an effort against a team they feel is beneath
them, and it’s too late when they get it going. We
hear Randy Newman too many times.
Nov. 29th, 2008: Hawks 2, Kings 5
Feb. 23rd, 2008: Hawks 6, Kings 5 (OT)
See Jan. 29th.
Same pattern in reverse. Hawks jump out to 5-1
lead after two, go into pathetic shell and cough it up
in last minute. Sharp saves some blushes by winning it in OT, but this was still a stupid occasion.
Hockey Sabermetrics
CHICAGO
Every game, we provide you with the Behind The Net numbers. These are at even strength, 5-on-5. Key: QUALCOMP- A measure of the quality of competition each player faces on the ice. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for opponents on the ice against player. QUALTEAM- A measure of the quality of teammates each player plays with. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for teammates on ice
with player. TOI/60- Time on ice, per 60 minutes, that player spends on ice at full-strength. GFON/60, GAON/60- Goals for and against team per 60 min. player is on ice +/-ON/60- Team’s Plus/
minus, per 60 minutes, while player is on ice. +/-OFF/60- Plus/minus of team while player is off ice, per 60 minutes. RATING- +/-ON/60 subtracted by +/-OFF/60.
NAME
QUALCOMP
QUALTEAM
TOI/60
GFON/60
GAON/60
+-ON/60
GFOFF/60
GAOFF/60
+-OFF/60
RATING
Aaron Johnson
-0.03
-0.19
11.74
3.88
1.23
2.64
2.15
N. Hjalmarsson
0
-0.12
11.81
0.63
0.63
0
2.06
2.02
0.13
2.52
4.12
-2.06
2.06
Andrew Ladd
0.1
0.16
12.86
3.52
2.23
1.29
Duncan Keith
0.08
0.11
18.47
3.15
2.15
1
2.33
2.12
0.21
1.07
2.54
2.27
0.27
0.72
Dave Bolland
0.1
0.25
12.66
3.3
2.34
Martin Havlat
0.06
0.15
13.46
3.41
2.49
0.96
2.42
2.08
0.35
0.62
0.92
2.38
2.02
0.36
0.56
Adam Burish
-0.07
-0.11
7.12
2.55
Troy Brouwer
0.01
-0.17
11.62
2.41
1.59
0.95
2.67
2.25
0.42
0.53
1.64
0.77
2.71
2.24
0.47
0.3
Brent Seabrook
0.08
0.24
16.53
2.63
2
0.63
2.69
2.23
0.45
0.18
Matt Walker
-0.03
-0.12
13.89
2.73
2.12
0.61
2.49
2.03
0.46
0.14
Kris Versteeg
0.02
-0.18
12.15
2.69
2.17
0.52
2.69
2.23
0.47
0.06
Ben Eager
-0.11
-0.14
8.23
2.47
1.91
0.56
2.76
2.14
0.62
-0.06
Colin Fraser
-0.11
-0.15
7.78
2.35
1.9
0.45
2.73
2.2
0.53
-0.09
Jonathan Toews
0.02
-0.08
13.27
2.75
2.36
0.39
2.63
2.06
0.57
-0.18
Patrick Kane
0.03
-0.12
13.86
2.52
2.33
0.19
2.58
2.13
0.45
-0.26
Dustin Byfuglien
-0.02
-0.05
11.89
1.97
1.66
0.32
3
2.4
0.59
-0.28
Brian Campbell
-0.03
-0.06
17.26
2.72
2.57
0.15
2.63
1.89
0.74
-0.59
Patrick Sharp
-0.01
-0.03
13.25
2.52
2.26
0.25
2.9
1.83
1.07
-0.82
Jordan Hendry
-0.1
-0.37
8.45
1.77
2.66
-0.89
2.92
2.92
0
-0.89
Cam Barker
-0.04
-0.11
13.2
2.03
2.6
-0.57
2.84
1.92
0.93
-1.49
Samuel Pahlsson
0.05
-0.96
12.21
1.64
2.73
-1.09
2.8
1.95
0.85
-1.95
Corsi Rating
Shots attempted for a team vs. how many are attempted against while a given player is on the ice,
per 60 min.
NAME
CORSI
Jonathan Toews
16.6
Martin Havlat
16.1
Troy Brouwer
14.3
Andrew Ladd
13.9
Brian Campbell
13.8
Patrick Kane
13.4
Brent Seabrook
12.2
Patrick Sharp
11.9
Duncan Keith
11.7
Kris Versteeg
11.7
Dustin Byfuglien
11.4
Cam Barker
11.2
Dave Bolland
10.5
Adam Burish
10
Matt Walker
8.7
Aaron Johnson
8.1
Ben Eager
8.1
Colin Fraser
4.4
N. Hjalmarsson
-5.1
Jordan Hendry
-9.8
Penalties Drawn
vs. Taken
NAME
PDRAW/60
PTAKE/60
Adam Burish
1.8
1
Colin Fraser
1.6
0.6
Patrick Kane
1.6
1
Dave Bolland
1.4
0.8
Kris Versteeg
1.4
0.7
Patrick Sharp
1.4
0.9
Ben Eager
1.2
2.5
Jonathan Toews
1.2
0.9
Dustin Byfuglien
1.2
1.2
Andrew Ladd
1.1
0.7
Martin Havlat
1
0.6
Troy Brouwer
1
0.9
Jordan Hendry
0.9
0.9
Brian Campbell
0.5
0.4
Samuel Pahlsson
0.5
1.2
Aaron Johnson
0.4
1.9
Brent Seabrook
0.3
0.9
Matt Walker
0.3
0.6
Duncan Keith
0.1
0.7
Cam Barker
0.1
0.6
Power Play Ratings
Penalty Kill Ratings
This is a measure of a team’s goals-for This measures how many goals a team
per 60 minutes of player being on the gives up per 60 minutes the player is on
the ice on the PK.
ice on the power play.
Player
GFON/60
Player
GA/60
Cam Barker
11.37
Troy Brouwer
Troy Brouwer
9.22
Aaron Johnson
5.4
Patrick Kane
8.66
Adam Burish
5.48
Patrick Sharp
8.61
Duncan Keith
5.81
Jonathan Toews
8.27
Brent Seabrook
5.99
Brian Campbell
7.64
Andrew Ladd
6.44
Dustin Byfuglien
6.44
Colin Fraser
6.54
Duncan Keith
6.06
Kris Versteeg
6.71
Martin Havlat
6.02
Matt Walker
7.08
Brent Seabrook
6.01
Samuel Pahlsson
7.11
Kris Versteeg
5.44
Cam Barker
7.67
Player
3.94
Dave Bolland
8.03
N. Hjalmarsson
20.53
Face-offs
Face-Offs Taken
FO%
Jonathan Toews
1115
55.2
Samuel Pahlsson
1087
53.5
Colin Fraser
710
48.0
1035
44.5
Rank: 25th
48.0
Dave Bolland
Total
Hockey Sabermetrics
LOS ANGELES
Every game, we provide you with the Behind The Net numbers. These are at even strength, 5-on-5. Key: QUALCOMP- A measure of the quality of competition each player faces on the ice. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for opponents on the ice against player. QUALTEAM- A measure of the quality of teammates each player plays with. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for teammates on ice
with player. TOI/60- Time on ice, per 60 minutes, that player spends on ice at full-strength. GFON/60, GAON/60- Goals for and against team per 60 min. player is on ice +/-ON/60- Team’s Plus/
minus, per 60 minutes, while player is on ice. +/-OFF/60- Plus/minus of team while player is off ice, per 60 minutes. RATING- +/-ON/60 subtracted by +/-OFF/60.
NAME
QUALCOMP
QUALTEAM
TOI/60
GFON/60
GAON/60
+-ON/60
GFOFF/60
GAOFF/60
+-OFF/60
RATING
David Drewiske
-0.03
0.09
30.71
1.75
0.88
0.88
1.63
3.26
-1.63
2.5
Kevin Westgarth
-0.08
-0.39
39.45
1.46
0
1.46
2.85
3.23
-0.38
1.84
Sean O'Donnell
0.04
-0.04
28.57
1.99
1.99
0
1.98
2.87
-0.89
0.89
Matt Greene
0.01
-0.01
28.13
1.93
2.04
-0.1
2.01
2.85
-0.84
0.74
Kyle Quincey
-0.03
0.03
29.14
2.42
2.59
-0.17
1.79
2.51
-0.73
0.55
Kyle Calder
-0.03
0.06
32.84
1.99
2.15
-0.16
1.91
2.56
-0.65
0.49
Wayne Simmonds
0.03
0.02
32.19
1.32
1.67
-0.35
2.23
2.89
-0.66
0.31
Michal Handzus
0.02
0.02
32.63
1.88
2.24
-0.36
2.02
2.67
-0.65
0.29
Jarret Stoll
-0.02
0.06
33.26
2.29
2.68
-0.38
1.88
2.52
-0.64
0.25
Ted Purcell
-0.05
-0.04
34.78
2.15
2.93
-0.78
1.49
2.41
-0.92
0.14
Oscar Moller
-0.05
-0.06
33.97
1.94
2.1
-0.16
2.31
2.6
-0.29
0.13
Dustin Brown
0
0.06
30.74
2.82
3.33
-0.51
1.7
2.29
-0.59
0.08
Anze Kopitar
0.02
0.11
30
2.66
3.31
-0.65
1.66
2.2
-0.54
-0.11
Alex Frolov
0.03
0.08
31.02
2.23
2.99
-0.76
1.88
2.37
-0.49
-0.27
Drew Doughty
0.03
0.11
28.08
2.05
2.79
-0.74
1.98
2.38
-0.4
-0.34
Justin Williams
0.03
0.02
33.9
1.49
2.38
-0.89
1.98
2.41
-0.43
-0.46
Peter Harrold
-0.06
-0.26
33.86
1.13
2.16
-1.03
2.09
2.6
-0.51
-0.52
Denis Gauthier
-0.12
-0.27
32.84
1.72
2.9
-1.18
2.11
2.49
-0.38
-0.8
Raitis ivanans
-0.09
-0.28
37.93
0.44
1.62
-1.18
2.21
2.53
-0.32
-0.86
Derek Armstrong
-0.09
-0.23
36.21
1.12
2.88
-1.76
2.33
3
-0.67
-1.09
John Zeiler
0.03
-0.08
30.42
1.5
3.74
-2.24
1.97
3.1
-1.13
-1.12
Jack Johnson
-0.19
-0.44
38.78
0.41
1.65
-1.24
2.35
2.42
-0.07
-1.17
Corsi Rating
This measures how many shots are attempted for a
team vs. how many are attempted against while a
given player is on the ice, per 60 min.
NAME
CORSI
Penalties Drawn
vs. Taken
NAME
PDRAW/60
PTAKE/60
Anze Kopitar
11.5
Dustin Brown
3.7
0.8
Kyle Quincey
10.9
John Zeiler
2.1
2.1
Justin Williams
10
Oscar Moller
1.5
0.6
Kyle Calder
8.8
Anze Kopitar
1.4
0.3
Oscar Moller
7.1
Kyle Calder
1.2
0.9
7
Justin Williams
1.2
0.1
Dustin Brown
6.4
Raitis ivanans
1.2
3.5
Ted Purcell
6.3
Michal Handzus
1
0.6
Alex Frolov
3.6
Derek Armstrong
1
1.6
Jarret Stoll
3.3
Jarret Stoll
0.8
1.9
Peter Harrold
3.1
Ted Purcell
0.8
0.4
Matt Greene
2.4
Alex Frolov
0.8
0.6
Wayne Simmonds
0.7
0.8
Peter Harrold
0.7
0.9
Denis Gauthier
0.5
1.7
David Drewiske
Drew Doughty
1
Wayne Simmonds
0.1
Derek Armstrong
0
Sean O'Donnell
-0.5
Matt Greene
0.4
1.5
Denis Gauthier
-1.8
Drew Doughty
0.4
1
Michal Handzus
-6.3
Jack Johnson
0.3
1.1
Raitis ivanans
-9.3
Kyle Quincey
0.2
1.2
Jack Johnson
-10.8
Sean O'Donnell
0.1
0.5
Power Play Ratings
This is a measure of a team’s goals for
per 60 minutes of player being on the
ice on the power play.
Player
GFON/60
Michal Handzus
9.82
Kyle Quincey
9.66
Alex Frolov
9.04
Jarret Stoll
8.61
Ted Purcell
8.53
Dustin Brown
5.39
Justin Williams
5.39
Peter Harrold
5.31
Drew Doughty
4.26
Anze Kopitar
4.15
Player
Penalty Kill Ratings
This measures how many goals a
team gives up per 60 minutes the
player is on the ice on the PK.
Player
GAON/60
David Drewiske
2.27
Dustin Brown
4.61
Drew Doughty
4.89
Sean O'Donnell
5.27
Matt Greene
5.33
Jack Johnson
5.46
Denis Gauthier
5.85
Anze Kopitar
6.13
Kyle Quincey
6.53
Michal Handzus
6.6
Face-offs
Face-Offs Taken
FO%
1001
57.2
Michal Handzus
1137
54.4
Anze Kopitar
1777
50.0
209
47.8
Rank: 3rd
52.4
Jarret Stoll
Derek Armstrong
Total:
0
Jarret Stoll
Referee Stats For The Hawks
Referees
1st NHL
Game
Hawks Games
Hawks PP’s
Hawks
PK’s
Pens/Game
Hawks PP/Game
Hawks PK/
Game
W
L
OTL
2 Fraser, Kerry
1980
3
14
17
10.3
4.7
5.7
3
0
0
3 Leggo, Mike
1997
5
19
22
8.2
3.8
4.4
4
0
1
4 McCauley, Wes
2003
5
11
14
5.0
2.2
2.8
2
2
0
5 Rooney, Chris
2000
1
4
1
5.0
4.0
1.0
1
0
0
6 Marouelli, Dan
1984
3
14
11
8.3
4.7
3.7
1
2
0
7 McCreary, Bill
1984
4
17
15
8.0
4.3
3.8
2
3
0
8 Jackson, Dave
1990
6
28
24
8.7
4.7
4.0
4
1
1
10 Devorski, Paul
1989
3
12
16
9.3
4
5.3
1
2
0
11 Sutherland, Kelly
2000
2
11
14
12.5
5.5
7
0
2
0
12 Koharski, Don
1981
4
19
20
9.8
4.8
5.0
3
0
1
13 O’Halloran, Dan
1995
5
26
20
9.2
5.2
4
2
2
1
14 LaRue, Dennis
1991
6
28
24
8.6
4.3
4
4
1
1
15 Auger, Stephane
2000
4
17
13
7.5
4.3
3.3
3
0
1
16 Shick, Rob
1986
1
2
2
4.0
2.0
2.0
0
0
1
18 Kimmerly, Greg
1996
5
26
25
10.2
5.2
5.0
3
2
0
20 Peel, Tim
1999
4
19
19
9.5
4.7
4.7
2
2
0
21 VanMassenhoven, Don
1993
4
17
10
6.7
4.2
2.5
2
0
2
23 Watson, Brad
1996
3
13
6
6.3
4.3
2
1
1
1
25 Joannette, Marc
1999
2
13
5
9.0
6.5
2.5
1
0
1
26 Martell, Rob
1996
1
3
1
4.0
3.0
1.0
1
0
0
27 Furlatt, Eric
2001
6
27
26
8.8
4.5
4.3
2
3
1
28 Lee, Chris
2001
2
11
10
10.5
5.5
5
1
1
0
29 Walsh, Ian
2000
1
1
3
4.0
1.0
3.0
0
1
0
30 Hasenfratz, Mike
2000
3
22
13
11.7
7.3
4.3
0
1
2
32 Kowal, Tom
2000
4
13
10
5.8
3.3
2.5
4
0
0
33 Pollock, Kevin
2000
4
14
15
7.2
3.5
3.7
1
1
2
34 Meier, Brad
1999
4
14
20
8.5
3.5
5.0
3
1
0
35 Warren, Dean
1999
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
36 Morton, Dean
2000
2
16
10
13.0
8.0
5.0
0
1
1
38 St Laurent, Francois
2006
2
14
15
14.5
7.0
7.5
1
0
1
39 Dwyer, Gord
2003
5
30
24
10.8
6
4.8
3
0
2
40 Kozari, Steve
2006
5
30
23
10.6
6
4.6
2
2
1
42 O’Rourke, Dan
1999
2
11
13
12.0
5.5
6.5
1
0
1
43 Pochmara, Brian
2006
3
12
14
8.6
4
4.6
2
1
0
45 St. Pierre, Justin
2003
6
29
26
9.2
4.8
4.3
3
1
2
Points
Goals
1
2
3
GAA
Player
Team
G
A. Ovechkin
WAS
50
1
Evgeni Malkin
PIT
104
1
PHI
39
3
S. Crosby
PIT
94
3
Zach Parise
Jeff Carter
NJ
4
I. Kovalchuk
ATL
24
J. Toews
CHI
5
NHL LEADERS
P. Marleau
SJ
41
37
37
29
Player
2
4
5
36
A. Ovechkin
Pavel Datsyuk
Zach Parise
Patrick Kane
Team
WAS
DET
NJ
CHI
P
94
88
87
64
Player
2
4
5
13
SV%
Player
Team SV%
Team
GAA
Tim Thomas
BOS
2.13
1
Tim Thomas
BOS
.930
Pekka Rinne
NSH
2.26
3
Craig Anderson
FLA
.923
Steve Mason
Jonas Hiller
CBJ
ANA
Roberto Luongo VAN
N. Khabibulin
CHI
2.23
2.31
2.37
2.49
2
4
5
9
T. Vokoun
Pekka Rinne
Yann Danis
N. Khabibulin
FLA
NSH
NYI
CHI
.926
.922
.921
.919
The Fifth Feather
The Soupy Effect
When the Blackhawks signed Brian Campbell to an eightyear, $56 million contract on July 1st, fans from all over rejoiced.
For arguably the first time in franchise history, the Hawks signed a
free agent in the prime of his career rather than someone entering his
twilight (see Gilmour, Doug; Clark, Wendel; Orr, Bobby; Nicholls,
Bernie; Coffey, Paul; Housley, Phil; seriously, if you want us to keep
going, we’ll be here all day). Following last season’s breakout campaign, the Hawks had their sights set on making a public relations
splash in the free agent pool.
After perhaps a year of scouting, the Hawks identified
Campbell as the best available player in the lot and paid him like
it. The Hawks even made sure no team outbid them for his services
instead of putting up a sympathy bid that had no chance of being
accepted (see Roenick, Jeremy; Tkachuk, Keith; Amonte, Tony; ok,
that’s enough, we’re breaking out into hives again!). With Campbell
came the promise of someone who could quarterback the power play,
lead the defense in scoring, and rush the puck up with his explosive
speed. While past seasons saw the Blackhawks’ power play run
the halfback triple option just to gain entry into the offensive zone,
Campbell’s arrival instantly meant the young Hawk stars could shine,
as Campbell could single-handedly do the job for the Hawks power
play.
But, what no one should have expected was a shut-down
defensive player. If you did, you
obviously didn’t see much of the NHL
playoffs last year.
So now, just five months into
an eight-year deal, Blackhawk fans
are suddenly OUTRAGED that Brian
Campbell is a shaky defensive player.
What part of his career +2 +/- rating made you believe he was Niklas
Lidstrom? To paraphrase the NFL’s Denny Green, “He is who we
thought he was.” If Campbell had only two goals and five assists this
year, then by all means, the signing could be viewed as a disaster.
But, so far, he has seven goals with 39 assists, good for fifth on the
team in scoring and eighth among all NHL defensemen; the Hawks
power play unit has been in the top-ten the entire year; and his speed
routinely forces teams to give up their blue line. And, if you really
want to get into specific stats, check out his CORSI rating, as his is
only one of the best on the team.
If Brian Campbell were a movie character, he would be
Rain Man. He does some things that make him look like an absolute
genius. The first 93 times he did a spin-o-rama, there was a buzz
in the crowd, and his speed, at times, can be breathtaking. Then,
other times, he can look like a 51 year-old autistic man – specifically
anytime he’s in the defensive zone. Again, this shouldn’t come as a
surprise to anyone. He was acquired with the warning label: Do not
leave alone unsupervised.
So, where does all the hatred stem from?
aligned, and for once, everything seemed right in the universe. Now,
they’re either vomiting or contemplating suicide with message board
acquaintances. But, why?
On the whole, he’s scoring for the Hawks and quarterbacking a power play unit ranked in the NHL’s top-ten nearly all season.
After 69 games, the Hawk power play ranked sixth in the NHL; last
year, it finished sixth from the bottom. Yes, his defensive play, at
times, can be downright offensive, but that is as advertised. It certainly doesn’t help that his defensive partner, Matt Walker, is, at best,
a fringe-NHL player. We’re reminded of it on a nightly basis when
Pat Foley says, “Amazing, this is Matt Walker’s 43rd straight game
– a guy who was on the scrap heap in the off-season.” Memo to Pat:
we realize you’ve been calling AHL games the last few years, but
there’s a reason Walker’s agent was handing his resume around the
league over the summer and why Walker started the year in Rockford: *whispers* He’s not very good at hockey.
Though, admittedly, Matt Walker has surpassed even the
wildest of preseason expectations with his play this season, he is
not the ideal defensive partner for Campbell. Yes, he’s a stay-athome defenseman, but that’s out of necessity; he can’t go anywhere
else. Walker is not nearly talented enough to help Campbell after a
mistake or, alternatively, Campbell is trying to compensate for the
fact that his partner isn’t very good and, thus, makes his own mental
mistakes.
Alas, we still have seven years
left on Brian Campbell’s contract.
Due to the size of the deal and the
current economic difficulties, there’s
approximately a 99.2% chance he’ll be
here for at least the next four or five,
so you might as well accept him for what he is and hope Coach Joel
Quenneville uses “Soupy” appropriately. If you can’t stand the way
he plays now, you’re going to drown in a puddle of misery come
2013 – and that’s if you didn’t jump off your parents’ roof with SavvysMyDaddy18 after Campbell’s performance against the Islanders
last weekend.
But, before you take the plunge, realize it could be worse:
you could be wading in the six-year, $39 million cesspool that is
the New York Rangers-Wade Redden pact inked this past summer.
Worse yet, imagine the public outcry had the ‘Hawks let the summer
go by without adding a key free agent signing to the mix. Your nausea, heartburn, upset stomach and diarrhea would have been hastened
by nine months.
Ultimately, it may best for your health and the health of
your families if you just enjoy the fact that the Blackhawks finally
have an offensive presence on the blue line and a solid power play
quarterback.
Those are two things you haven’t been able to say since
Doug Wilson’s beautiful Saget-like perm graced the cigarette smog
that was the Chicago Stadium air space.
No doubt, the majority comes from the enormous contract
he was handed. Is that really his fault, though? Did he hold a gun
to the collective head of Hawk management and demand the obscene contract? No, the Hawks paid handsomely for him and when
they did, the fan base celebrated. Bells rang, doves flew, the stars
Happy now? Yeah, didn’t think so.
The Fifth Feather is an excellent Hawks blog, run by Bob and John,
who use logic and sense to analyze the Hawks. So really, where do
they get off?
The Making of The
Chicago Blackhawks
YEAR
2008-2009
DRAFT
2007-2008
Patrick Kane (1st round)
2006-2007
Jonathan Toews (1st round)
2005-2006
Niklas Hjalmarsson (4th round)
2004-2005
Cam Barker (1st round)
Dave Bolland (2nd round)
Troy Brouwer (7th round)
2003-2004
2002-2003
Brent Seabrook (1st round)
Dustin Byfuglien (8th round)
Duncan Keith (2nd round)
Adam Burish (9th round)
GM HISTORY
Dale Tallon (2005-Present)
Bob Pulford (Too Fucking Long)
Mike Smith (2001-2004)
Bob Murray (1999-2000)
TRADE
info in part provided by hockeyreference.com
Samuel Pahlsson (COL 7th round 1996) and
Logan Stephenson (PHX 2nd round 2004) from
ANA for James Wisniewski (CHI 5th round
2002) and Petri Kontiola (CHI 7th round 2004)
FREE AGENT
Brian Campbell (BUF 6th
round 1997
Cristobal Huet (LA 7th round
2001)
Matt Walker (STL 3rd round
1998)
Aaron Johnson (CLB 3rd round
2001)
Ben Eager (PHO 1st round 2002) from PHI for Brent Sopel (VAN 6th round
Jim Vandermeer (FA PHI 2000)
1995)
Craig Adams (HAR 9th round 1996) from CAR
for future considerations.
Andrew Ladd (CAR 1st round 2004) from
CAR for Tuomo Ruutu (CHI 1st round 2001)
Martin Havlat (OTT 1st round 1999) from
OTT and Bryan Smolinski (BOS 1st round
1990) for Tom Preissing (FA SJ 2003), Josh
Hennessy (SJ 2nd round 2003) and Michael
Barinka (CHI 2nd round 2003)
Kris Versteeg (BOS 5th round 2004) from BOS
for Brandon Bochenski (OTT 7th round 2001)
Patrick Sharp (PHI 3rd round 2001) from PHI
for Matt Ellison (CHI 4th round 2002) and CHI
3rd round pick 2006
Nikolai Khabibulin (WIN 9th
round 1992)
Colin Fraser (PHI 3rd round 2003), Jim Vandermeer (PHI FA 2000) and 2004 2nd round
pick from PHI for Alex Zhamnov and 2004 4th
round pick (WIN 4th round 1990)
COACHES
Head Coach-Joel Quenneville
Assistant Coach-John Torchetti
Assistant Coach-Mike Haviland
Assistant Coach- Marc Bergevin
Goaltending Coach-Stephane Waite
The Making of The Los
Angeles Kings
info in part provided by hockeyreference.com
YEAR
DRAFT
2008-2009
Drew Doughty (1st round)
2007-2008
Oscar Moller (2nd round)
Wayne Simmonds (2nd
round)
2006-2007
2005-2006
2003-2004
2002-2003
2000-2001
TRADE
Justin Williams (PHI 1st round 2000) from CAR for
Patrick O’Sullivan (MIN 2nd round 2003) and 2009 2nd
round pick
Brad Richardson (COL 5th round 2003) from COL for
2008 2nd round pick
Jarrett Stoll (EDM 2nd round 2002) and Matt Greene
(EDM 2nd round 2002) from EDM for Lubomir Visnovsky (LA 4th round 2000)
Denis Gauthier (CAL 1st round 1995) and 2010 2nd
round choice from PHI for Patrik Hersley (LA 5th round
2005) and Ned Lukacevic (LA 4th round 2004)
Sean O’Donnell (BUF 6th round 1991) from ANA for
conditional 2009 pick
Kyle Quincey (DET 4th
round 2003) off waivers
from DET
Jack Johnson (CAR 1st round 2005) and Oleg Tverdovsky (ANA 1st round 1994) from CAR for Eric Belanger
(LA 4th round 1996) and Tim Gleason (OTT 1st round
2001)
Raitis Ivanans (Undrafted
FA)
Teddy Purcell (Undrafted
FA)
John Zeiler (PHX 5th
round 2002)
Kevin Westgarth (Undrafted FA)
Anze Kopitar (1st round)
Jonathan Quick (3rd round)
Dustin Brown (1st round)
Alexander Frolov (1st
round)
GM HISTORY
2007-Present: Dean Lombardi
1998-2007: Dave Taylor
FREE AGENT
Davis Drewiske (Undrafted
FA)
Kyle Calder (CHI 5th
round 1997)
Michal Handzus (STL 4th
round 1995)
Tom Preissing (SJ Undrafted FA 2003)
Erik Ersberg (Undrafted
FA)
Peter Harrold (Undrafted
FA)
Derek Armstrong (NYI 6th round 1992) from NYR for
2003 6th round pick
COACHES
Head Coach-Terry Murray
Assistant Coach- Mark Hardy
Assistant Coach- Jamie Kompon
Goaltending Coach- Bill Ranford
The Hawks Record When...
Playing at home............
18-8-7
Playing on road...........
19-14-4
Scoring first..........
25-5-4
Opponent scores first........
12-17-7
Shoot the puck bimbo scores......
5-1-1
Shoot the puck bimbo doesn’t score......
13-6-6
Shoot the puck bimbo blows editors of Commited Indian..... 0-0-0
ANYONE blows editors of Committed Indian .................
0-1-0
Playing on a Monday..............
2-2-1
Playing on a Tuesday................
6-3-0
Playing on a Wednesday...........
8-1-3
Playing on a Thursday..............
2-3-0
Playing on a Friday................
4-4-4
Playing on a Saturday.............
7-5-3
Playing on a Sunday................
8-4-0
Savard changes lines during game...
1-2-1
Coach Q keeps lines as they are..... 36-20-10
Are out-muscled by opponent....
10-17-4
Outshoot opponent.......
26-13-6
Are outshot by opponent....
11-9-5
Havlat shies from contact.........
16-6-6
Patrick Kane scores............... 11-7-3
Jonathan Toews scores.......... 12-3-6
Martin Havlat scores............. 13-4-1
Patrick Sharp scores............ 15-3-2
Dustin Byfuglien scores......... 7-2-1
Dustin Byfuglien turns down a hit......
30-18-9
Andrew Ladd scores............. 10-0-1
Dave Bolland scores.........
11-1-4
Adam Burish scores.......
3-2-1, and totally ruins that joke
51 Phantom scores.......
3-2-1
Duncan Keith scores........
5-3-0
Brent Seabrook scores......
4-1-1
VerStud scores....
11-7-1
Troy Brouwer scores....
8-0-0
Scoring a Power Play goal....... 27-10-9
Not scoring a Power Play goal...
10-11-2
Allowing a Power Play goal......
15-16-10
Not Allowing a Power Play goal.......
22-6-1
Scoring a short-handed goal...........
6-2-0
Allowing a short-handed goal.........
Taking 30 or more shots......... Taking less than 30 shots..... Allowing 30 shots or more......
Allowing 30 shots or less......... 100 Level doesn’t cheer for anthem. 1st of a back-to-back......
2nd of a back-to-back..... Opponent played night before....
Taking more than 5 penalties.....
Taking 5 or less penalties....
Seabrook gets a flat-footed penalty....
Burish takes a penalty.......
Keith takes a penalty......... Sharp takes a penalty....... Toews takes a penalty.....
Havlat takes a penalty....
Sopel takes a penalty...... Sopel looks 6 steps slow......
51 Phantom blows a coverage......
Toews is trying too hard......
At least 1 fight in 300 Level...
No fights in 300 Level..... Playing Eastern Conference.....
Playing Western Conference..... Playing Central Division...... Playing Northwest Division....
Playing Pacific Division Playing Atlantic Division Playing NASCAR Division Playing Northeast Division
Playing in October.... Playing in November....
Playing in December......
Playing in January.....
Playing in February.....
Playing in March......
Playing in April......
UC plays really stupid goal song.....
Huet’s five-hole open like Lindsay Lohan’s.....
2-4-1
28-16-8
9-6-3
17-8-6
20-14-5
18-7-7
4-5-3
7-5-1
8-5-2
16-15-5
21-7-6
8-5-6
7-5-2
11-3-2
10-2-2
9-5-3
6-3-1
3-2-1
7-5-5
26-18-9
3-7-3
3-3-4
15-5-3
8-6-3
29-17-8
4-7-6
12-6-1
13-4-1
1-3-2
4-1-0
3-1-1
4-3-3
6-3-3
10-1-1
7-6-1
7-4-1
3-5-2
0-0-0
18-5-7
3-11-4
Getting obliterated on face-offs.......
13-10-4
Are even close on face-offs.....
24-12-7
Eddie O tells crew to “stop it right here!”....
32-18-11
Eddie O tells us D have the forwards and forwards have the D
during 4-on-4........
32-17-11
Pat Foley screws up a name......
35-18-11
Ice Crew wear skirts.......
7-1-3
Ice Crew wear pants.......
3-1-0
Ice Crew wear shorts....
8-6-4
Member of Ice Crew hilariously falls on her shapely ass.... 0-1-0
Leading after 2 periods......
29-2-3
Losing after 2 periods...... 2-15-4
Tied after 2 periods......... 6-5-4
In overtime.......... 4-5
In shootout.......
3-6
Cam Barker plays....... 30-18-8
Cam Barker is in Rockford due to GM incompetence.....
6-2-3
Lacking a #2 center........ 37-22-9
In 1-goal games.....
9-7-11
In 2-goal games...... 12-7-0
In 3-goal games....... 7-5-0
In 4+ goal games...... 8-3-0
Scoring 3+ goals..... 34-6-7
Scoring less than 3 goals...... 3-14-4
PA plays Ministry....... 0-0-0
PA plays Modern Cock-Rock.....
18-8-7
PA plays Stranglehold....... 5-2-4
PA plays P.J. Harvey........ 0-0-0
Fraser fights...... 7-3-1
Burish fights....... 5-2-0
Seabrook fights.....
0-0-0
Barker fights......... 0-0-2
Buff fights......... 1-1-2
Sharp fights........ 1-0-0
Eager fights..........
10-3-1
On Comcast...... 28-12-8
On WGN....... 9-7-3
On Vs........
0-2-0
On NBC....
0-1-0
Judd Sirott hates Adam Creighton
37-22-11
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