Chicago Blackhawks Weekly Update for April 7: The r

Crazy how much change can change in a few years, isn’t it?

That was the general thought that ran through my mind as I sat in the 300 Level at the United Center last Thursday when the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Seattle Krakena game that left plenty of time for daydreaming because of how gloomy the product was on the ice that night.

It was my first personal Hawks game since the start of the pandemic and I spent so much time that night talking about how different everything is now. That 19-20 Hawks team had Corey Crawford in the net. Brandon Saad was still there. So was Duncan Keith. Adam Boqvist hadn’t been traded yet and so was Lucas Carlsson, who affords the ? Florida Panthers† More than that, though, all the changes were behind the scenes, especially as a result of the horrific missteps of the Blackhawks organization all those years ago.

While there were still some staples, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Jim Cornelison on the national anthem, Gene Honda on the PA, who was two years away from UC, served an unmistakable reminder that the Cup era is long gone. , made worse by the fact that Marian Hossa is in the press box in plain clothes and the news that his number 81 was retiring that night.

I know this isn’t exactly earth-shattering news, that the Blackhawks glory days of the 2010s are far behind us. But I left UC that night with a sense that the Blackhawks aren’t leaning so much on those memories anymore, that the team is really looking for a new direction for the 2020s. Whether or not that venture proves fruitful is something we’ll be looking for. scream about the next eight years.

The lack of buzz in the building during gameplay was also a stark reminder of how different things are now. Much of that can probably be attributed to that night’s miserable performance against a freaking expansion team. But there were times when it felt like the fans in the seats were mostly indifferent to the action on the ice and who can blame them? The most inspired sounds that came out of the crowd that night were booing at the end of each period.

It felt so strange to be in that lifeless building when that same location almost always buzzes with energy for so many nights in a past that shouldn’t feel as old as it sometimes does. Maybe it was just a bad game on a bad night. Maybe it was a sign of things to come. Maybe it isn’t. I don’t know. But it felt a lot more like 2002 than 2022 that night.

Except for the age on my driver’s license.

The week that was

Really a mishmash of results from the last small run. A few outbursts against clearly superior teams. Some terrible attempts against fellow soil eaters. And then the gong show on Sunday evening. They are nothing, if not inconsistent.

Thursday March 31: Panthers 4, Blackhawks 0

Friday April 1: Lightning 5, Blackhawks 2

Sunday, April 3: Coyotes 3, Blackhawks 2

Thursday, April 7: Kraken 2, Blackhawks 0

Sunday April 10: Stars 6, Blackhawks 4

Where Idols Once Were

I haven’t seen the source for the decision anywhere, but full credit to whoever it was who suggested bringing Dale Tallon back for a night as a color analyst alongside Pat Foley for Sunday’s game against the Stars.

Tallons name has been embedded in arguments for the past decade because of the never-ending debate over who deserves credit for the founding of the Blackhawks dynasty. It’s exhausting at this point, an argument that never gets anywhere, because those of us who have sided in that debate are now so entrenched in their positions that they won’t budge and those of us who want to explore the nuance in the middle shouted up by the voices on the other side of the topic still talking about hockey here, folks.

But before all that, Tallon was a Blackhawks player and Blackhawks broadcaster and was adored by legions of fans for his time spent in each role. Sunday’s broadcast showed a few clips from the Foley/Tallon era with one obvious omission and gave those of us who grew up with that duo a chance to lean into that nostalgia one more time. We got Tallon’s unfiltered opinion on several current Blackhawks and even a rant about the one on duty in the last minute of the game, just for the good time.

The most interesting part came when Foley shared the story from the 2010 Stanley Cup celebration in a Philadelphia locker room, including an all-player phone call to Tallon, who was unceremoniously demoted from his GM role in 2009 before moving to Florida in May 2010. It was an indication of the much-loved figure Tallon had in every role he had with the Blackhawksjust ask Martin Havlat† And for one night it was great to have that trip down memory lane.

As in the first part of this article, bringing Tallon back for one night during the last week of Foley’s over 40 years on the job was yet another reminder that this team is now going elsewhere.

Hopefully it’s as fun as where it’s been.

Jersey City

Since this entire post seems to be full of nods to the past, let’s run through another hot nostalgia topic: retired numbers.

Hossas No. 81 is going to the UC Rafters next season and will definitely be joined by Nos. 2, 19 and 88 in the future. But who else should get this treatment?

For my money, every player who was in all three Cups deserves it, so add the numbers 4, 7 and 10. Do a joint ceremony with Chris Chelios as Seabrook’s numbers increase, if you like.

The only other player I’m advocating for and I can’t deny a heavy personal bias, here’s Corey Crawford’s No.50, if only to finally give Crawford the level of treatment he deserved in a career where he became such a criminal underestimated.

Oh, and get No. 28 there too.

The week that will be

Only 10 games to go, folks. We can get through this.

Tuesday 12 April against Los Angeles Kings

Thursday 14 April by San Jose Sharks

Saturday April 16 at Nashville Predators

Kitty chases Fiddy

Don’t think they would make it.

Last week: 5 games, 1 goal

Season Totals: 72 games, 39 goals

Current pace: (39 goals / 72 games played) * 82 games = 44.42 goals