Central Division Preview: Chicago
This is how big a rivarly the Wings-Hawks once was
Being a resident of the windy city for the past 12 (!) years I’ve attempted to follow the Blackhawks whenever Comcast Sports Net decides to broadcast the random road game. The decision seems to depend on whether there isn’t something available to televise that would draw a larger audience - like the Independent Women’s Football League or the American Basketball Association. If not then the Blackhawks will get some airtime.
All joking aside, Chicago was once a great hockey town and the Blackhawks had a great rivalry with the Red Wings. I liked players like Tony Amonte, Steve Sullivan, Michael Nylander, and of course Bob Probert. Dougie Gilmore was fading at that point and was traded, and Eric Daze was a tantalizing prospect who registered a couple 30 goal seasons but never quite developed into the player the franshise anticipated. Theo Fleury’s dustup in a Columbus strip club might be the most amount of media attention the club has generated during my time in Chicago.
Getting back to the Red Wings-Blackhawk rivalry, much like the White Sox and Tigers until very recently - but in reverse - there hasn’t been much of a rivalry. The Wings were always competing for the Cup and the Hawks were always in line for some totally sweet draft picks. Prior to last season the White Sox were the team that was competing for the playoff spot year in and year out, while the Tigers were doing their best to not set the record for the most losses in baseball history. Those totally sweet draft picks have helped turn the Tigers into a regular contender for the division Wild Card. Will the same thing happen to the Blackhawks, which will in turn rekindle the rivalry with the Wings?
Chris over at The Third Man In has the first part of his preview up for this year’s Blackhawks squad. In this first installment Chris give a run down on the veterans. I’ll highlight the three players in particular who I think are going to play a big role if the Hawks are going to make the playoffs this year.
Martin Havlat (RW) – (56gp, 25g, 32a, 57pts, +15, 28pim) What Hawks fans learned a year ago was Havlat’s a dynamic forward when he has someone to get him the puck while his moving into open space with speed. There are only a few players in this league who can go end to end with the puck and create scoring chances and no one can do that consistently at this level anymore. Counting on Havlat to be healthy the entire year is foolish, but the Hawks need him to play in at least 70 games to have a better chance at contending for a playoff spot.
Yanic Perreault ( C ) – (66gp, 21g, 17a, 38pts, -1, 34pim) The undisputed king of the face-off wars was the Hawks first pickup in free agency this past July 1st. He’ll likely be used as the fourth forward on the power play. His presence on the penalty kill is a must due to his face-off prowess; however his defensive skills are at times questionable. Passing through Chicago on a one-year deal, the Hawks hope he’ll continue to be the 20 goal scorer skating mostly with the third line, getting additional shifts due to his key face-off responsibilities. This may surprise you, but Perreault’s played in 806 NHL games to Robert Lang’s 799 and Perreault has 238 goals compared to Lang’s 213.
Brent Seabrook – (81gp, 4g, 20a, 24pts, -6, 104pim) “Mr. Lead with the Right” seems to be on the cusp of a breakthrough season on the blue line. It could be this season or next, or it may take another three seasons for the Richmond, B.C. native to begin to reach his full potential. His competitive spirit has been the 22-year old blueliner’s most obvious jewel, but it’s his defensive awareness and positioning which continue to improve with each passing game. Big kid who boasts a heavy shot from the point and could contribute as many as ten goals this season. Future captain material. Considering the teams he’s played on in his first two NHL seasons this is pretty darn impressive; Seabrook is just a minus-1 in 150 games played with the Hawks.
I agree with Chris’ assessment of Tuomo Ruutu, who is a crowd favorite and loves to bang but hasn’t lived up to expectations. The Blackhawks are going to have to make a tough decision as Ruutu approaches becoming a restricted free agent next summer. If he comes through and has a great season he’s probably going to want a pretty nice raise from his $1.875 million salary. But that would probably be a good problem for Chicago to have.
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[…] But for now the focus is on re-establishing their work ethic and being harder to play against. Oh, and play lots of golf. Rested and ready to…hit the links Photo: David Guralnick - Detroit News Following Chris’ coverage of the Blackhawks, the Columbus Blue Jackets bloggers are up next in our tour of the Central Division. So they will have their takes on Ken Hitchcock’s team on Monday. We also have another St. Louis blogger on board for the Division preview! Colleen - otherwise known as The Hockey Chick - will join Bethany in covering the Blue Notes. You can see the full Central Division Preview schedule here. Central Division Preview cripplefight 2007 Michigan Football Red Wings […]