Painkillers in NFL (2) Nate Jackson

More than 1,000 former NFL players are addicted to painkillers. Many are without health insurance, or any semblance of a support system. In this VICE Sports Sitdown, former NFL tight end and writer Nate Jackson talks about hitting the streets for more painkillers to be able to keep playing and how the current concussion lawsuits pay less to retired players who are also dealing with substance abuse issues now.

Painkillers in NFL (1) Marcellus Wiley

More than 1,000 former NFL players are addicted to painkillers. Many are without health insurance, or any semblance of a support system. In this VICE Sports Sitdown, NFL veteran and ESPN commentator Marcellus Wiley discusses his use of toradol and the renal failure that he suffered as a result.

David Rundblad is a very interesting case

David Rundblad

In a survey on the Google+ Chicago Blackhawks community, Franklin asked:

Who should be the Hawks 6th D for the playoffs? 

Well 5 out of the 6 are basically locks we have two options:

1) Rozsival: The turnover master and a really slow skater to boot. Although not many positives experience is one of them.

2) Rundblad: All offense (even that is questionable) with no defense. Like this guy is lost in our own zone. Again not a lot to look forward to while he is on the ice but at least he is quick.

Keith-Seabrook
Oduya-Hjalmarsson
Timonen-????

I commented:

Quenneville will probably keep both options open. He has a penchant, though, for choosing the veteran and sticking with him, no matter what. In any event, Rundblad is a very interesting case. Here are the latest plus/minus figures, including those from the Sabres game:

Toews +31
Hjalmarsson +26
Hossa +17
Rundblad +16
Versteeg +13
Keith +13
… Rozsival 0

While Rundblad can be a defensive liability, the Hawks are much more like to score than be scored on, when he's on the ice. I mean, Rundblad's +16 rivals the +17 of one of the game's best two-way hockey players. Of course, we cannot put too much stock on just one or two statistics, but compared to Rozsival, who served the Canucks some "pizza," something special is more likely to happen when Rundblad is on the ice.

So my vote is obvious :)

Oh, one more thing: I know Quenneville has paired Rundblad with Keith before, but while he has re-established the Hjalmarsson-Oduya pair, he should also think about pairing Rundblad with Hjalmarsson. No. 4, of course, is the defenseman's defenseman, though happily he's been scoring of late. Hjalmarsson is one of the underrated stars in the NHL!
 

Juju for at least 3 goals a game!

In their Stanley Cup run, it's unusual for the Hawks to have such difficulty scoring. So when their normally stellar team defense + goaltending give up 3 or more goals a game, more likely than not, they lose. In fact their record is 7-20-4. Last night's 4-3 comeback win (against the Jets) was just one of those 7 wins. However, when the Hawks do score 3 or more goals, their record is a positively amazing 32-2-1.

So what's our goal, Hawks fans? Make sure the best of our juju produces at least 3 goals a game (lol)! That's the magic number heading into the playoffs.
 

Jonathan Toews and Blackhawks Golden Age (2)

Jonathan Toews

I think that for Brent Seabrook, it's not about giving Jonathan Toews some love. It's that the Captain does so many great things, and hockey players and fans already know this as a matter of fact. What's more, he shows up on the stats sheet in a big way, year after year. So all of us are truly privileged to live a golden age of Blackhawks hockey, and Toews is golden in his own right!
 

Scott Darling lays out all of his 6' 6"!

If you're going for a wicked poke check, and totally miss, at least you can count on all 6 feet, 6 inches of you to stop one of the most dangerous goal scorers. Congrats to the Chicago native for his first NHL shutout! 
 

Brad Richards scores uncontested GWG!

The Rangers played such a tight-checking game that the Toews line barely had room to breathe, let alone maneuver the puck. So it's hard to understand how their team defense broke down so badly on Richards' goal. Not only did they try to cover a pass up the middle that never came, but also they forgot to cover Rundblad who had pinched in and licked his chops on a wide open shooting lane. Congrats to the former Ranger for his game-winner!