{I am a sports fanatic} We Blackhawks fans had to wait 39 years, before our guys could hoist Lord Stanley high above the ice (2010). I was living in Dubai, and it was an Australian friend who said, "Hey Ronnie, congratulations on your Stanley Cup!" "It was a boyhood thrill," I smiled at Lance. ~Ron Villejo | For the Love of Hockey (November 12th 2012)
Home page from Sports Illustrated, immediately after the thrilling Game 6 victory
When Lucic scored, I was, like, 'Oh, man, Game 7.' But that thought lasted only a few seconds.
I don't actually bite my nails, but I had my hands in fists and held them close to my mouth: 'Come on, Hawks, you can do it. Let's go, Hawks, you can do it.'
I repeated this over and over, as the minutes wound down and slipped away, like water you try to cup with your hands.
I was eyeballs glued to the TV the whole game. Three feet away, standing up the whole time.
After that Lucic go-ahead goal, I was watching the play and looking up at the clock. Looking up at the clock, watching the play. Back-and-forth.
Then, of course, it was getting time for Crawford to get to the bench. NBC had a picture-in-picture shot of him.
I had no thought about the Hawks' powerless play, i.e., whether the extra attacker would even make any difference. I had no thought. Period.
Then, it was Kane. Then, it was Keith. Then, it was Toews. Then, it was Bickell.
Stunning. I'm stunned.
My wife is not a sports fan, but she was trying to watch the game, too. I was yelling, I was fist-pumping, I was grunting. Whatever. I'm totally insane.
Eddie O was still trying to do his post-play analysis, I think. But the Hawks were right back at it.
Frolik fires. Kruger retrieves. Oduya shoots. Bolland stuffs it in.
My daughter calls my wife, and she has to scurry out of the room to talk to her. Why?
Because I'm insane [squared]. I'm stunned [cubed].
Hawks win, Hawks win!
Oh, yeah, wait ... 58 seconds, left. The longest minute in any hockey player's or fan's life.
Now, 'Hawks win'?
Hell, yeah, baby.
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
What can we say about this game? How do we come to grips with those 17 seconds, if not for the tectonic notion that space and time can fold like a sheet of paper and alter how quickly we get to places? What shall we speak of, a generation from now, when we relive the waning minutes of the game?
Some may say that sports is just sports. I say there are moments that define who we are, fundamentally, and lift the trajectory of our best efforts. Unlike anything else we know, sports can do that.
I won't say much in this article. I'll let the videos speak for themselves. Please look for my articles on the Stanley Cup post-game celebration, the ensuing days of joy, and the parade and rally in downtown Chicago.
First period
The Bruins came out firing on all cylinders, as expected, and the Hawks, back on their heels, looked to weather the onslaught. They did so, one Bruin goal as the only damage they suffered.
As the 1 - 1 score reflected, it was a tight contest in the period, nip-and-tuck, and then things looked bright for the Bruins. At least until 1:16 left in regulation.
I was eyeballs glued to the TV the whole game. I was eyeballs glued to the TV in the hours after the game. Reveling in the on-ice celebrations and interviews. Having no memories of what just happened, that is, nothing which I could string coherently in my mind.
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
Game 4 was a game that the NHL must've loved, because it was highly entertaining for the fans. Back-and-forth. High-scoring. No-lead-was-safe. Depending on who you were rooting for, you saw the glass as half-full for your team. That is, your team could score at will against one of the best defenses in the league.
I anticipated, however, that both teams would settle into their typical defensive battles and push for those hard-earned offensive chances. Sure enough, it was a low-scoring affair.
Through Game 5, the Bruins out-hit the Hawks (237 - 174), but the volume and the margin were the largest in Game 5 (53 - 22). But is this physical strategy really working for them? On the combined tally of giveaways-takeaways, the Hawks were a strong +12. In effect, while the Bruins were taking the man out, the Hawks were picking their pockets and playing true hockey. Obviously the outcome of Game 5 spoke for itself.
That said, let's hope Toews is good to go for Game 6.
Corey Crawford
Corey Crawford was another big story. He took off-ice shots from the media and fans about giving up not just five goals, but specifically five goals all glove side, in Game 4. There were even ludicrous calls for Ray Emery to net-mind in Game 5. Obviously the Bruins found a chink in the armor, and they kept exploiting it, because the puck kept going in.
"I tried today and he stopped me glove side, so hopefully he's got it all figured out," Patrick Sharp said after Hawks practice Friday morning. "I don't know if that was the gameplan or if that's something they did on purpose and they were successful at it, but I like Corey in there. I've seen goals go in all different ways and I've seen him make saves all different ways. I like his chances against them."
As for Crawford, he's been answering as many questions after a win than he would have after a defeat. So far, he's taking it all in stride.
"Last year they were talking about my blocker," he joked sarcastically. "Both sides are bad I guess."
Crawford's performance in Game 5 spoke for itself, and was testament to how tough, confident and awesome he had become over the past year. But while he was matter-of-factly saving all of those off-ice shots, Joel Quenneville and company were quietly adjusting their defensive play. In Game 5, the Hawks buzzed around neutral ice, mucked up the Bruins' passing lanes, and took the puck away several times. Their stellar team forechecks between the bluelines botched up the Bruins' entry into the Hawks zone on several tries. Giving up just one goal in the Stanley Cup Final was as good as a shutout for Crawford and the team defense in front of him.
Patrick Kane
Patrick Kane is definitely a shooter, and a streaky one at that, it seems, to use basketball parlance. He was held scoreless in Games 1 - 3, but with his double tally in this game, he had scored seven goals in seven games, going back to the Kings series. His goals were not the finesse sort we have come to expect from the Magic Man, but more like the 'dirty one,' the 'greasy one,' the 'ugly one.' These are just common hockey terms, and we know what they mean. The fact is, however, all of Kane's goals are things of beauty.
Zdeno Chara
Zdeno Chara pinched in to the circle, right of Crawford, and blasted a slapshot at point blank. The Bruins showed their patented tenacity and timely passing in the offensive zone, and finally they cashed in.
Toews was on the bench, and it didn't look like he was coming on the ice. So the Hawks played semi-prevent defense the entire period, taking their offensive chances, of course, but more or less protecting their zone. We fans all hoped for an insurance goal, just to give Crawford and our defensive units some breathing room. Nothing doing. After that Chara goal, there was 16:20 of hockey left to play in regulation time. So it felt like forever, until the final horn sounded, and it was definitely a nail-biter of a finish.
Dave Bolland
Kane's second goal in the second period turned out to be more than enough to win the game. But we didn't know that in the flurry of the waning minutes. So Dave Bolland's empty-netter in the last minute of hockey sealed the deal for the Hawks.
And then there was one game left to win.
It is hard to me to convey sufficiently how much of a thrill it is to see the Hawks so close to the Stanley Cup. I will write about this experience in a separate article, but for now the phrase that kept repeating itself for me was: It ain't over til it's over.
The TD Garden will definitely be rocking-loud, as Lord Stanley will roll inside the stadium. We fans are hoping for the Hawks to finish it in Game 6. We don't care if it's on enemy ice, as there will be plenty of opportunity for all of us to celebrate in Chicago.
It ain't over til it's over.
But there are 60 minutes (at least) of tough, tough hockey for the Hawks to play. The Bruins have proven themselves to be a superb team, and they will come out like gangbusters in Game 6. Especially in front of their home crowd.
If the Bruins do in fact put extra-offensive juice in the tank, and consequently get out of their own game, the Hawks may force a break by blocking a shot near the blue line, stealing the puck in neutral ice, or getting an odd-man rush. One way to quiet that crowd are quick one-two goals as ice-breakers.
See everyone in Game 6!
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
Concern and worry filtered through Hawkdom, as the Bruins not only put on a defensive clinic on the biggest stage in hockey, but also completely wrestled away whatever momentum the Hawks had earlier in the series. Up until the Hawks' first goal in Game 4, they played a staggering 129:14 of hockey without lighting up the lamp. To say that they needed to score in the worst possible way was an under-statement.
But who would've thunk this 11-goal fireworks of a game by two of the best defensive teams in the business?
Michal Handzus opened the scoring with a shorthanded goal, but credit Brandon Saad for a terrific defensive play and takeaway just inside the Hawks blueline. He rushed up ice, then slipped the puck to a sweet spot to Tuukka Rask's right, well before the trailing Handzus was even there (yet).
Hawks up 1 - 0.
Andrew Ference dropped to his knees to block a clearing attempt by Saad, and kept the puck in the Hawks zone for the power play. He tried to dump it back in, deep in the zone, which Saad, in turn, blocked. The puck ricocheted, and Rich Peverley was Johnny-on-the-spot for a great look on Corey Crawford.
The Hawks have been awesome at taking advantage of line-change miscues by the other team. But on this play, it was perfectly executed by the Bruins. They pushed the puck deep in their offensive zone, as Zdeno Chara pinched-in to coral an around-the-boards clearing attempt by Patrick Sharp. Chara shot softly on Crawford, no doubt to produce the best possible rebound. That best possible rebound produced, and Milan Lucic punched it home, up close and personal, on Crawford.
In a strange play, Chara's wrister sailed above the net, and took a funny bounce off the boards. The puck popped up, then bounced off the top of the net, and landed fortuitously for the Bruins. Crawford had no idea where the puck was, and found himself retreating back to the pipes. Like Lucic, Bergeron punched home the lucky bounce that their home-ice gifted them with.
Hawks' 2-goal lead, halved once again, up just 4 - 3.
The Hawks' special teams featured prominently in this game. They began the rollercoaster ride with a "shortie," then even their power play got in on the amusement thrill. Their predictable passing is one issue in their powerless play, and it was the same, really, in this case. The difference? Once again, the Hawks were Johnny-on-the-spot for a loose-rebound, punch-in. Patrick Sharp led all skaters with eight shots-on-goal, and his efforts paid dividends for the home team.
Hawks again up 5 - 4.
The Bruins do not score a whole lot of goals, but this point does not belie their tenacity, talent and many nifty plays on the offensive end. In this case, Nathan Horton saw Johnny Boychuk slide laterally along the Hawks blueline, closer to the play. So when he retrieved the puck, it was an instinctively quick, backhand drop-off pass for Boychuk. What Eddie Olczyk didn't cover in his post-play analysis was that it was actually a give-and-go play, as Horton angled toward Crawford. He may have distracted our goaltender just enough to help Boychuk blast the puck to the back of the net.
Game tied, once again, 5 - 5.
Overtime
Hawks fans' experience of this game alternated from fist pumps and yeah, baby, to grrgh and oh, man. Claude Julien looked unfazed in the post-game press conference, as he matter-of-factly noted that if you were a hockey fan, you had to love this game. Damn right. Brent Seabrook cashed-in on a seeing-eye slapshot, blocker side on Rask, from the point, with Toews winning the position battle against Chara right in front. It was Seabrooks' third goal of the playoffs, and his second super-thrilling overtime winner. Hawks win6 - 5!
A pall suddenly fell throughout the TD Garden, and the crowd was deadly silent. As the Bruins morosely filed into the locker room, the Hawks celebrated a whale of a game. Seabrook smiled a big smile of disbelief at his own heroics.
It was clearly a scorer's game, as the home team battled back, time and time again, to tie it up. If the NHL didn't have a sudden-death structure, and operated instead like the MLB, that is, finish out an extra period as baseball would with an extra inning, then undoubtedly the Bruins would've tied it up in that fourth period. Instead, they literally ran out of time.
But despite the Bruin comebacks, the Hawks, who never trailed, where clearly in command of the game from the get-go. Fate meant for them to win it, and they simply had to follow suit.
Marian Hossa is a crucial cog in the Hawks' well-oiled machine, and a last-minute scratch from the lineup surprised even Claude Julien. Unconfirmed reports that he was hit with a puck during warmups were denied by Joel Quenneville. There is a culture of secrecy and annoying caginess among NHL coaches concerning injuries. But while we were dying to know what happened, there was no time for any curiosity, as the puck dropped. Hockey waits for no one.
I quipped that perhaps all the lineup juggling could confuse the Bruins, as long as the Hawks could keep it all straight. Quenneville had already tweaked the lineup with Brandon Bollig out, after playing two games, in favor of Viktor Stalberg. But the only team that was confused and tweaked, then, were the Hawks.
Faceoff Fiasco
The Bruins outdueled the Hawks in the Battle of the Dot, winning 40 out of 56, for a whopping 71%. Patrice Bergeron, in particular, was absolutely beastly, winning 24 out of 28 faceoffs, and that's 86%. By contrast, our Michal Handzus was positively goose-egg, at 0 for 10. On the giveaways and takeaways, the combined tally was a +2 for the Hawks. But this was nowhere nearly enough to offset such embarrassing beatdown on the dot.
The Hawks cannot be the puck-possession team that they're supposed to be, if they don't possess the puck!
Powerless Play
Such a high-powered, talented team like the Hawks, and they're virtually futile with the man-advantage. In our community on Google+, I've argued that the strategy was wrong.
Using basketball terminology, some teams are fast and quick, and they thrive in the transition game with quick baskets. They can literally outrun their opponents, and-or get the defenders on their heels and backpedaling desperately to defend the rush. In game-planning for such teams, the coaching staff works out plays to slow down the pace, and make the fast-and-quick team play a half-court game. This way, the defense can set up. There are teams of course that excel in the half-court game, defensively and offensively, and in general the competitive strategy is to disrupt what might be their precise passing and high percentage shooting from set offenses.
The Hawks are definitely a transition team with their awesome speed, tight fore-checking, and takeaway ability. But the man-advantage opportunity makes them play a half-court game, and it simply isn't their strength. I'll analyze this more, as I'm sure the coaching staff will do as well, after the Stanley Cup Final. For now, let me suggest that there are strategies for avoiding that half-court malaise that renders our big scorers frankly impotent. On several power plays, the Hawks struggled to manufacture even one shot-on-goal.
Scoreless Drought
From Patrick Sharp's tally at the 11:22 mark of the first period of Game 2, through 13:48 of OT in that game (when the Bruins scored the game-winner), and through Game 3, Tuukka Rask and the vaunted Bruins defense shut down our mighty Hawks for a whopping 122:26 of hockey. That's over two games. The Hawks were not shut out once during the regular season or playoffs.
But without enough shots-on-goal (28 - 35) and minimal presence for loose rebounds, what else could the Hawks have expected?
Holstered Guns
Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa were, through Game 3, a combined: one goal, two assists, and -3 on the +/- column. Of course there is quite a lot more to hockey. But numbers do not lie. Were it not for the supporting cast of Brandon Saad, Dave Bolland, Johnny Oduya and Andrew Shaw, all of whom scored in Game 1, the Hawks would be down 3 - 0 in the series. That's not surprising for the likes of Saad et al. to get in on the light-the-lamp action, as they're integral to the Hawks' enviable depth chart.
But our big guns need to play like the big guns that they are.
Bruins tallies
Five pluses
Mental Toughness
The psychology of the sport may get the short shrift to the often mind-boggling physical talent of hockey players, not to mention their macho-fight-through-injuries physicality. From Corey Crawford and Duncan Keith, to Bryan Bickell and Andrew Shaw, and all of the Hawks really, they know to re-tighten the laces on their skates, so to speak, immediately after a goal-against, a turnover, or a big hit. Certainly after a loss. The best of athletes can quickly learn from negative outcomes, and just as quickly dismiss them and move on.
The Hawks are such athletes. It was too late, but at least they showed flashes of their usual selves in the fury of final minute of the game.
Comeback Ability
The Hawks were down 3 - 1 in the Round 2 series with the Wings. In fact, they were down 2 - 1, going into the third period, in the elimination Game 6 at the Joe Louis Arena. Not only did they erupt for three goals in the first 10 minutes of the period, but also they completed the three-step comeback with a thrilling OT victory in Game 7.
More recently, the Hawks were down by two goals, twice, in Game 1 in this tough series with the Bruins: 2 - 0 in the second period, the 3 - 1 in the third period. They tied then game, then the two gladiators pushed everyone involved, including the media and the fans, to an exhausting triple overtime. We know the results of that one already.
Team Speed
It isn't just the flatout skating speed of the likes of Viktor Stalberg and Nick Leddy. It's also their quick sticks and stretch passes, coupled with well-timed forechecking, as a team.
Maybe that triple-overtime, followed by the very next period with a fury of an effort on Rask, wore down the Hawks. Maybe the feeling of taking the Bruins for granted also crept in, going into the second period of Game 2. The latter is such an awesome team, that they probably picked up on either fatigue or complacency in the Hawks, and capitalized on it.
But good thing for the Hawks going into Game 4: no traveling required. So they could rest, and reset their focus and speed.
Garden Opportunity
The Hawks are down just 2 - 1. They hit the road yesterday, Sunday, with the aim of grabbing at least one game at the TD Garden. They very much still have that chance in Game 4 on Wednesday night. Which is now, of course, a crucial must-win game.
Corey Crawford
What else to say about our goaltender? Crawford has virtually matched Rask on goals-against and save percentage, and kept us in the hunt in both Game 2 and Game 3. The Hawks can win when they give up two goals, but definitely not, if they don't score at all.
Thursday, the City with Broad Shoulders basked in the afterglow of Game 1. It may simply be vicarious, but we fans live the mental and physical rigor of playoff hockey, and as exhausted as we were from that two-game Stanley Cup opener, it was all good. I needed three hours of decompression, glued as I was to several post-game interviews, then I slept like a log into the first handful of hours of morning.
Behind-the-scenes stuff for the Hawks players last night: The guys were grateful for the equipment staff and trainers, who helped them recover, replenish and retool in the OT intermissions. I don't remember playing any OT in little league hockey. Obviously we didn't have the luxury that the pros have: Just a head coach, plus one assistant were all we had. We took care of our own gear, and once we were strapped-in and taped-up at the beginning, we stayed that way in between periods. But I can appreciate how good it feels to have some fresh clothes and dry equipment on, before getting back on the ice. The Hawks trainers apparently did a fabulous job, too, in making sure the guys were in top-notch conditioning the whole season. So let's give them an assist on that long-awaited, winning Shawzie goal!
In Chicago, we mostly favor the local coverage by CSN on TV and WGN on the radio. But the video highlights and color commentary from stalwarts in the media business were awesome: NBCSN and ESPN. So have a look-see at championship hockey.
Barry Melrose is the hockey analyst I enjoy most, for his astute, colorful commentary (image credit)
Another sellout madness on Madison Street, as the fans sought another thrilling victory (image credit)
Game 1 was now ancient history, and the question was, What kind of game were we going to witness from these gladiators of the frozen pond?
Answer: The Hawks came out firing on all cylinders, seeming to rain shots on Tuukka Rask from the United Center rafters. The Bruins seemed still-hungover from the protracted, dramatic loss, and Barry Melrose quipped that they must've mistook the game for a later start. Fortunately for them, their netminder did show up to play and knew the NHL schedule like the back of his blocker.
That first period was reminiscent of the first period in Game 1 against the Kings. The Hawks outshot the Bruins (19 - 4), and were like beasts ravaging a lone prey. But then they went dumbfoundingly cold the rest of the match, as they had only 15 more shots-on-goal over two periods, plus 13:48 of OT. They gave away (16) as much as they took away (17), and they lost key battles of the dot (33 - 39).
Maybe the Hawks wore themselves down in that first period flurry. Nick Leddy stated the obvious, after the game, that his team lost track of their game plan. They're an up-tempo, finesse team, which opponents can barely match. But as they slowed down, it favored the Bruins' more methodic, hard-hitting game. So, you may be a deer, or even a gazelle, but if you aren't moving those little hooves, you will get sniped, captured and ravaged. Hence, the hits parade on the Hawks, courtesy of the Bruins (50 - 34).
Rask was more the goalie whom fans watched in their Penguins series, as he kept the deeply-talented, high-octane Hawks offense off the books. Except for one tally by Patrick Sharp, more on him later. Through Game 2, Rask trails Corey Crawford by a mere .01 on goals-against-average (1.75 - 1.74), and leads him by .09 on save percent (94.4% - 93.5%). While the two teams are very different teams, these close figures for their goaltenders are one reason why they're so evenly matched. Specifically, so evenly great.
So time to give some love to the Finnish goaltender, in photos and highlights from the NHL Network.
Tuukka Rask covered the puck with his body, in a controversial no-goal in the first period (image credit)
So, on the one hand, Rask was nothing short of awesome.
On the other hand, the Hawks could've punched through one or two more goals in that blitzkrieg first period, beyond Sharp's tally, and the game would've averted OT and ended in our favor. Actually, in fact, they did punch in one puck, on a shot by Marian Hossa, which replays showed crossed the goal line. But after a lengthy review, it was called off, because the whistle, that no one heard and that Hossa himself did not hear, had been blown already.
The officiating notwithstanding, Sharp and Hossa each had seven shots-on-goal and each scored a goal. But our young stars, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, ended the match with just two shots, and made it difficult for the team to win on just a lone score.
Patrick Kane assisted on the Patrick Sharp goal, but looked to apply magic on the ice (image credit)
Jonathan Toews won the Selke Trophy for best defensive forward, so congratulations to the Captain (image credit)
Meanwhile back to the gold-and-black. After just four shots-on-goal in the first period, the Bruins kept their focus and discipline, and had eight in each of the remaining periods, including the OT frame. Credit Chris Kelly and Daniel Paille for making those shots count.
In particular, the game winner began with a failed clearing attempt by Brandon Bollig. Adam McQuaid kept the puck in our zone, passed to Tyler Seguin, who found Paille by the right circle. It was vintage Hawks containment, passing and firepower. Except it wasn't the Hawks.
The Hawks travel to Boston on Sunday, in what is now a best-of-five Stanley Cup Finals. They held serve against the Wild and Kings, so they were up 2 - 0 in the series before their road trip. As with the Bruins, they lost Game 2 to the Wings, due to lackluster, took-it-for-granted play. They fell into a deep hole at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, but of course the stuff that legends are made of is writ on the ice. The Hawks came back in heart-pounding, soul-thrilling fashion, nailing that series in a Game 7 OT victory.
What more could anyone ask of Corey Crawford? (image credit)
But the Bruins are not the Wings, so the Hawks must grab at least one game at the TD Garden. The most realistic scenario right now, given how evenly matched they are, is a 2 - 2 series, coming out of the Garden. There will be a Game 5 at home, and if this scenario is indeed reality, then it's a best-of-three, with the home-ice advantage on our side.
The crowd had the first period to cheer about, then a third nail-biter OT in a row (image credit)
Turn off the laser show, empty the seats and concession stands, and put the ice to sleep (image credit)
Of course, the Hawks can come back home up 3 - 1, then finish it up in Game 5 and hoist the Cup in one week. It's possible. Why not? We fans can dream, can't we.
Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!
