Ugh…Seriously, not now Kaner. Pat Kane allegedly choked girl at Madison party

(Deadspin)–On Monday we showed you photos of a soused Patrick Kane in Madison, Wis., and then we asked you if you knew moreabout what happened while Kane was there. We had heard some bad stories—that Kane supposedly choked a woman, that Kane supposedly said anti-Semitic things—and we wanted to know if other people had, too. But what, after all, is boozy truth? The chronologies in our Kane tale do not perfectly cohere, nor do the narratives of the events. But you ignore them at your own peril. Did Kane choke a girl? Is he an anti-Semite? Who knows? Dive in.

Kane came in at around 9:30 pm and he could barely stand. He got kicked out about 2 hours later for being blackout drunk and generally being the biggest asshole in the bar

 Kaner was pulling down girls sun glasses and then going “ehhh, not good enough ” just straight being a douche right to  their faces. Pretty strong move if you can pull it off.

Later in the day around 5:30 pm he got in a confrontation with a group of guys over a some supposed anti-Semitic comments he made towards one of the other guys. I was working at the door and they were talking to each other in front of me and across the street.

After the police intervened, they were very serious about wanting to arrest Kaner. Fortunately for him, the other party in the quarrel was being equally as abusive to the cops. It turned into much more of a “everyone just get out of here” thing instead of anything more substantial. I promise you one thing, Patrick did have tears in his eyes. I wouldn’t equate it to a full out sob, but it was absolutely in the whimper/misty category. I have attached a picture of him sulking. He quickly disappeared.

Ugh…probably the last thing on Earth the Blackhawks needed right now.  Look it, I LOVE Patrick Kane.  I have always defended his on ice game and have defended his pension for partying.  When the pictures of Kane partying and being hammered at Miflin I didn’t even blink.  The kid is 23 years-old and should be allowed to party like everyone else.  He has been in the NHL since he was 18 and didn’t have the college experience.  So if he wants to go up to Madison in the offseason and party his balls off, I think that is totally fine.  When it was time to work Kane always seemed ready to work.  I think almost every young player in the NHL parties like that.  My only issue with Kane’s partying is that he always seemed to get caught and I can’t figure out why that is.

This latest incident is something completely different.  Getting kicked out of bars, being an asshole, starting fights by yelling antisemitic slurs, and the worst of them…allegedly choking a girl.  Completely inexcusable.  I pray that this isn’t true and that it’s an exaggeration, but there are several witnesses telling the same story.  If it is true, whether charges are filed or not…the Blackhawks need to explore the trade market for Kane.  Which pains me to say because I believe he hasn’t even yet scratched the surface of his full potential.

The Blackhawks whole organization is a mess right now and certainly didn’t need another fire to put out.  If Patrick Kane is guilty of these alleged incidents then he MUST be traded, but who do you trust to make a move that will alter the direction of the franchise?  What value does he even have at this point?  He is coming off of his worst season as a pro offensively and doesn’t appear to have matured at all off of this ice.  Not a good time to be a Blackhawks’ fan.  The team has never been further from a Stanley Cup in the Rocky Wirtz era.

 

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I think Sami Lepisto may have blocked a shot or two…

 

Love it.  Thatta baby Sami!!! This picture kinda sums up playoff hockey.  Guys literally sacrificing their bodies to block shots.  I like Sami Lepisto.  Good skater and puck mover.  Played well when given a chance.  I would definitely re-sign him if his price tag is about the same.  Real solid 6th or 7th defenseman.

 

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This Marian Hossa thing just keeps getting crazier

(Chicago Tribune)–A man from Burr Ridge is accused of sending threatening emails to the president and owner of the Chicago Blackhawks and the former general manager of the Chicago Cubs, accusing them of “stealing his ideas” to win championships, police said.  Emanuel Kuvakos, 56, was arrested Tuesday night and charged with three counts of misdemeanor harassment by electronic means, police said.  Kuvakos sent “a number’’ of emails to Blackhawks CEO John McDonough and to Jim Hendry, the former general manager of the Chicago Cubs, that accused them of “stealing his ideas to win championships,’’ according to a police report. On Saturday, he sent them another email stating that he would keep the Blackhawks from winning the Stanley Cup, police said.  While being interviewed by authorities, he claimed he also sent a message to Rocky Wirtz, the Blackhawks owner, saying that if he ever saw Wirtz, he would beat him, according to the police report. Kuvakos, whose nickname is “Mike,” said during a telephone interview with the Chicago Tribune that he has been a freelance sportswriter for 30 years, and claimed he is a sports psychologist and “savant” who works for the Blackhawks, White Sox and the Cubs. Kuvakos denied the messages he sent accused officials of stealing his championship-winning ideas and claimed the police arrested him because of what “he knows’’ about the Blackhawks.”Police wouldn’t be responding if I wasn’t as important as I’m telling you,’’ he said. Shortly before hanging up on a reporter, he said he was becoming suspicious and asked if the interview was “set up” by the Chicago Police.

Son of a bitch!!! This thing is bigger than I thought.  I can’t even really begin to grasp a conspiracy this enormous.  All along this guy Emanuel “Mike” Kuvakos was giving the Blackhawks the secrets to winning the Stanley Cup.  Just told Rocky Wirtz to kill his old man. Told Tallon to  draft Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Keith, Byfuglien, Bolland, and Burish. Told him sign Brian Campbell, Hossa, and Niemi. Told him to trade for Versteeg and Ladd.  I mean that’s effing gold strategies for winning the Cup.  It worked.  Then the Blackhawks thought people would get wise if they were dominant for too long so they fired Dale Tallon and broke up the team.  They blamed it on the Salary Cap, but really it was to clean up all the loose ends of a massive conspiracy.  Somewhere along the way the Blackhawks made the mistake of pissing off “Mike”.  Maybe they didn’t give him a Stanley Cup ring. Maybe they fired him, who knows?  Whatever it was, it was bad enough to turn him against his hometown team.  This year he is sitting back watching the Blackhawks start moving towards another Stanley Cup run using the plan he created, but didn’t get any sort of compensation or even a thank you.  This bro flat-out tells the Hawks that he is going to prevent them from winning the Cup…then bang…Shaw gets a ridiculous suspension and Torres knocks out Hossa.  Did Kuvakos tell Gary Bettman all of the Blackhawks secrets?  Did Bettman order the kill shot on Hossa?  I mean I am sure Betman would be furious if he found out the Blackhawks were stealing secret strategies guaranteeing them a Stanley Cup.  So he sent his best assassine on the league owned Phoenix Coyotes to murder one of the Blackhawks superstars.  Stop the Hawks. Save the Coyotes. Torres is Oswald, Shanahan is Jack Ruby, Hossa is JFK, Kuvakos is Ferrie, I am Costner, and Bettman is the man behind it all pulling the strings.

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Blackhawks vs Canucks: Let’s Get Fired The EFF UP!!!

Tonight’s game versus the Canucks is biggest game of the year.  It’s time for the Blackhawks to finally put a stake in the ground and announce to the rest of the league that they are Stanley Cup contenders.  The Blackhawks have been the streakiest team in the league.  This current win streak feels different though.  Crawford is playing well.  Oduya has helped stabilize the back-end.  Kane, Sharp, and Hossa are doing their thing.  I have this sick feeling that the Blackhawks have finally turned the corner.  And they are doing all of this without their captain and best player.  Tonight is the night.  Beating Columbus, Dallas, and Washington is nice, but in order for the Blackhawks to be taken seriously again they need to start beating the top teams.  As gutless and pathetic as the Canucks are, they are still the defending Western Conference champions.

Furthermore…I want BLOOD.  If you look around the league, all the best teams are tough.  The Blues, the Rangers, the Bruins, and the Penguins all have considerable grit.  The Blackhawks have shown more of that lately.  Shaw, Bollig, and Hayes have added a physicality that the team lacked last season.  What made the Blackhawks dynasty team so great was that they could do everything.  They could skate, score, hit, defend, and fight when needed.  Nobody could punk them out of a win.  We already know the Blackhawks can skate and score.  Tonight I want to see a playoff atmosphere where they push the Canucks around.  To win 16 playoff games, you need to win every way possible.  LETS GO HAWKS

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Carcillo re-signs and gets a raise…wait, what?!?!

(ESPN)–The Chicago Blackhawks agreed to a two-year contract extension with forward Daniel Carcillo, who underwent knee surgery in January. “I’m excited,” Carcillo said Monday. “It was obviously my goal to have a great year here. That really didn’t pan out with the injury. It was kind of out my control. I’m the happiest guy in Chicago to hear I’m coming back for another two years.” The average salary of the contract is $825,000 per season, a source told ESPN.com’s Pierre LeBrun. The Blackhawks didn’t announce the financial terms of the deal. The Blackhawks acquired Carcillo to add toughness this season, but the results were mixed. He was suspended twice, including once for the hit he made while injuring his knee on Jan. 2. He also was suspended for an incident in last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. “He has a purpose behind the way he plays and he had a tough couple of suspensions he can learn from as well, but at the end of the day he gives us a lot of depth in an area we can use,” Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said.

 

I don’t even know what to say anymore.  Just when you think Stan Bowman can’t be any worse as a GM, he goes and pulls a stunt like this.  This contract extension makes zero sense.  Carcillo plays a role that every team needs, but he doesn’t play it well in my opinion.  He too often crosses the line.  He takes bad penalties, gets suspended, and doesn’t bring a lot to the table other than his grit.  Carcillo played got some top 6 minutes in his 28 games with the Blackhawks early this season.  Playing alongside some of the best players in the world Carbomb only managed 11 points in 28 games.  He doesn’t kill penalties, he doesn’t skate particularly well, and he plays reckless.  Last season, the market for Carcillo was minimal.  The Blackhawks signed the unrestricted free agent winger to a 1 year $775k deal.  Fast forward 9 months and Stan has decided that after multiple suspensions and a torn ACL Carcillo’s value has somehow gone up by $50k per season.  How does that make sense?  Carcillo would be lucky to get $600k on the open market given his play this season coupled with his serious knee injury.  The Blackhawks don’t have infinite cash to throw around.  We live in the salary cap era where every extra dollar counts.  When Stan replaced Dale Tallon we were told that he was an “expert cap manager”.  Well I haven’t seen one transaction to prove it.  It’s time to fire Stan.  The team is getting worse and he is locking the Blackhawks into bad deal and pissing away assets left and right.  It’s like he is trying to torture Blackhawks fans.  Just messing with our minds as he and his old man are still secretly on the Red Wings payroll.  Seems pretty far-fetched until you realize his true identity.

 

I’m on to you Ben, you diabolic dick.  Go back to the island and get the hell away from my team!!!!

 

PS: #FireStan

 

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Analysis of the Blackhawks trade for Johnny Oduya

Tonight will be the first time newly acquired Blackhawks defenseman Johnny Oduya takes the ice.  Stan Bowman traded a 2nd and a 3rd round pick in the 2013 draft for Oduya.  Oduya is a decent player who should help the Blackhawks make the playoffs.  He moves the puck well, skates pretty well, and can kill penalties probably more effectively than the Nick Leddy, Lepisto, O’Donnell, etc.  Having said that…this was a public relations trade by Stan Bowman.  Make no mistake about it.

Johnny Oduya is not a star player.  He is not a piece that will fix all of the Blackhawks defensive woes. He is a third pair defenseman with 13 points and is a -9.  If everything comes together down the stretch for the Blackhawks, maybe Oduya’s presence is enough to get the Blackhawks out of the first round…maybe.

Stan Bowman traded All-Star defenseman Brian Campbell away for basically nothing last summer and spent cap space on a collection of journmey men and underachievers who have been largely disappointments. At the time Bowman assured Blackhawks fans that the extra salary cap relief would be spent at the deadline.  With the Blackhawks mired in yet another losing streak, ranking as one of the NHL’s worst defensive teams, and also struggling on special teams Stan Bowman made a desperate, short-sighted, public relations driven deal.  Giving up two high draft picks for a rental 3rd pair defenseman is poor management.  It’s just the latest mistake in what has been a downward spiral since Bowman took over 31 months ago.

Early round draft picks in 2013 are extremely valuable commodities.  It’s value is something the Blackhawks should know very well.  Duncan Keith…2nd round pick. Dave Bolland…2nd round pick.  Patrick Sharp…3rd round pick. Corey Crawford…2nd round pick. And that’s just some of the current roster.  Brandon Pirri, Jeremy Morin, and Brandon Saad, who are regarded as some of the Blackhawks’ best prospects, were also second round picks.

Stan Bowman threw away great assets for 18 games of an average defenseman.  That’s deplorable management.  Stan Bowman took over in July 2009, watched a team his predecessor assembled win the Stanley Cup, and has since made the team worse with every transaction.  Obviously the salary cap limitations forced the Blackhawks to break-up their 2009-10 championship roster, but blaming the current state of the Blackhawks on the salary cap is a poor excuse.  Stan Bowman has had his finger prints all over this team for 2 full off-seasons and has failed to deliver a winner.  Another seemingly inevitable early playoff exit should have Stan Bowman’s seat feeling pretty hot despite his recent contract extension.

 

Revisiting the Brian Campbell Trade

The Blackhawks have lost 9 straight games and instead of looking like a Stanley Cup contender most Hawks fans are just hoping that the team rallies in time to make the playoffs.  The most glaring weakness for the Blackhawks has been their defense and special teams.  On draft day many applauded Stan Bowman for trading away defenseman Bryan Campbell and his $7.14 million cap hit.  While Campbell certainly isn’t worth the contract he received, the trade weakened the Blackhawks extremely and wasn’t at all necessary.

In May I said in this space “I love Bryan Campbell. He skates with a fluidity and elegance that is unmatched in the NHL.  From a pure entertainment value there is nobody on the Blackhawks that I would rather watch.  He makes everything look so easy and he probably makes one “wow” play a game.  However, as much as I love Brian Campbell, even I recognize that he isn’t worth the 7 million a year he is currently making…”. Bryan Campbell was coming off a fantastic season and was arguably the Blackhawks best defenseman in 2010-11.  He scored 27 points in 65 games, played 23 minutes a night, and was an astounding +28 on the year.  The Blackhawks as a team were 12th in the NHL in goals against.  While the Blackhawks struggled throughout the year with their Stanley Cup hangover and salary cap forced roster changes, Bryan Campbell was a rock.  If you look at last year’s roster and this year’s roster you’ll realize that the roster is essentially the same with the exception of Brian Campbell being gone.

The Blackhawks acquired Rusty Olesz in the Blackhawks trade, but the motivation was to clear cap space so GM Stan Bowman could spend it on Frolik($2.33m), Brunette($2m), Carcillo($775k), O’Donnell($850k), Montador($2.75m), and Lepisto($750k).  While Campbell definitely isn’t worth the $7.14m(how many players are?), he would have absolutely provided more value than $9,458,333 million the six players listed above are providing for the Blackhawks.  Below is what the Blackhawks’ cap situation would have looked like had they not made the Campbell trade and instead went with their youth.

The total cap space of $2,526,996 is actually inaccurate.  The Blackhawks would in reality have $4,526,996 because Patrick Sharp’s cap hit is only $3.9m for 2011-12 and doesn’t go up to the $5.9m picture above until next season.  If the Blackhawks had Bryan Campbell and $4.5m the rest of the NHL would be envious.  Instead, the Blackhawks are an also-ran in 2011. Trading Bryan Campbell and replacing him with a bunch of band-aids suggests that Stan Bowman has difficulty evaluating talent on his roster, in his system, or in general.  Campbell is the type of player who makes the entire team better.  His skating and instincts cover up mistakes of young players, his offensive skill could have anchored the second power-play unit(currently ranked 17th in the NHL), and his passing could have sparked the Blackhawks transition game.  Bryan Campbell far exceeds the sum of the parts with which Stan Bowman tried to replace him.  It appears that the old adage is proving to be true: Sometimes the best trades are the ones you don’t make.

 

Hey Stan Bowman, WTF!?!?!

 

I know people will probably be salty about this blog, but I think it’s time to start looking at Stan Bowman’s body of work.  Bowman was recently extended through the end of the 2016 season, but I am not sure he has earned it.  Stan Bowman has done some things very well and made some shrewd moves so far in his tenure, but he has failed to surround his top talent with a supporting cast capable of winning the Stanley Cup or even the Central Division.  A team led by Toews, Kane, Sharp, Hossa, Keith and Seabrook should not be backing into the playoffs following their Cup run, and certainly shouldn’t be in fourth place in the Central after the All-Star break.  The window for winning is short in the salary cap era, and in my opinion Stan Bowman did not deserve that extension.

I do want to acknowledge certain elements of Stan’s job in which I feel he has performed very well.  Firstly, the Blackhawks have completely rebuilt their prospect pool, and did so in a very short order.  The Blackhawks system is ranked in the top 5 by just about every scouting service and Stan deserves plenty of credit for that.  Some may point to the fact that much of the scouting staff was built by former GM Dale Tallon, but Bowman has been with the organization since 2001 and certainly played a huge role in the overall direction and development of the club.  Stan has also been able to lock up the six core players listed above while still having plenty of wiggle room under the salary cap.  However, it’s Bowman’s use of that wiggle room that has provided the problems for the Blackhawks.

Let’s start by taking a look at the moves Stan made last summer

• Andrew Brunette: 1 year $2m– This acquisition was a head scratcher from the minute it was announced.  The Hawks have built themselves as a team that skates tremendously well and possesses the puck.  Brunette flat-out can’t skate.  It’s not like Brunette suddenly aged either.  He’s never been able to skate.  He does well along the boards and has pretty good hands in front of the net, but overall he was never a fit for the Hawks style of play. Brunette has 9 goals, 10 assists, and is a minus-10 in 53 games.  9 goals is pathetic considering the amount of powerplay and top 6 ice-time he got early in the season. This was a complete miss by Stan.
• Michael Frolik: 3 years $2.333m–Ouch.  This signing is probably the most glaring mistake.  Frolik strung together a few nice games against Vancouver and cashed in big time.  Stan obviously put too much weight on three playoff games.  Instead he should have looked at Frolik’s body of work.  During his 28 games with Hawks last season Frolik scored a whopping 3 goals.  THREE.  He is on pace to net 8 goals this season.  Frolik was a restricted free agent and the Hawks would have received some form of draft pick compensation had Stan elected to let him walk.  Big mistake.
• Viktor Stalberg: 2 years $875k– This was a very nice signing by Stan.  Stalberg is having the best season of his career.  His game is really rounding nicely into form and he should finish the season with over 25 goals.  Stalberg has played on all four lines this year and has been effective on all.  25 goals from a guy making $875k is a steal.  Stalberg is finally using his speed.  He reminds me of “Nuke” LaLoosh from Bull Durham. Don’t think…just skate.  Anyways…great bargain re-sign by Stan here.
• Dan Carcillo: 1 year $775k– Carcillo was a disaster even before he got hurt.  He had a reputation coming in of a guy that too often plays over the edge and he certainly lived up to that.  The Blackhawks were desperate for some grit, but went looking in the wrong direction.  Thankfully the Hawks can put Carcillo on long-term Injury reserve so his $775k doesn’t count against the salary cap.
• Jamal Mayers: 1 year $550k– Mayers has been everything you could want in a fourth line player.  He had provided leadership and toughness.  Mayers kills penalties and has even chipped in a handful of points.  Good value out of this signing.
• Steve Montador: 4 years $2.75m– I am on record as a being a Montador guy.  He has some offensive ability and is always willing to stand up for a teammate.  However, a $2.75m cap hit for a guy always projected to be in your 3rd pair is a steep price.  Giving that much money to a 32 year-old Montador seems like a reach so imagine how it will look when a 36 year-old Montador is pulling down that much cash against the cap.
• Sean O’Donnell: 1 year $850k– O’Donnell is another veteran well passed his prime that Stan brought in this summer to be a depth player.  O’Donnell, much like Brunette, simply can’t skate well enough to be a consistent factor for this team.  He still thinks the game at an exceptional level which makes up for his physical short comings.  He is a fine as your 7th or 8th defenseman, but O’Donnell has averaged 15 minutes in the 37 games he has dressed.  Which is both too much and too little at the same time.
• Sami Lepisto: 1 year 750k– I mean…who even knows? Lepisto has only dressed 11 games for the Hawks this season.  If the Hawks felt comfortable with Lepisto they’d throw him out there more than they have.  Instead it seems the Hawks have looked for answers from everywhere else.  O’Donnell and John Scott have played more games that Lepisto and now the Hawks have recalled rookie Dylan Olsen from Rockford rather than turn to Lepisto as a replacement for the injured Montador.  Another $750k in wasted funds against the cap.
• Corey Crawford: 3 years 2.67m–  It’s hard for me to fault Stan Bowman for this one.  Crawford put up exceptional numbers last season and played very capably against Vancouver in the playoffs.  I have always questioned Crawford’s ability.  To me he doesn’t seem like a great athlete.  He lacks explosion moving side to side and his rebound control isn’t great.  Crawford will always be a guy that needs to have his angles and his mechanics on lock down because he can’t rely on athleticism to make up for errors.  His weaknesses this year have been exposed for many reasons.  Obviously the Hawks team defense hasn’t helped him, and it seems as though he is lacking confidence.  That split second when Crawford questions himself has led to too many goals this season.  While there were other goaltending options out there this summer, it’s tough to blame all of this on Stan.  Perhaps he should have been more aggressive in seeking a capable back-up
• Ray Emery: 1 year $600k– This deal only looks bad because of how poorly Crawford has played.  Perhaps if the Hawks had pursued a Brian Elliot or a Mike Smith they wouldn’t be in the position they currently find themselves.

 

The Brendan Morrison trade was kind of the straw that broke camel’s back for me when it comes to Stan Bowman’s extension.  The Blackhawks only gave up Brian Connelly.  Was Connelly ever going to play for the Hawks? Probably not.  He is an under-sized puck moving defenseman.  The Blackhawks have plenty of those guys on the varsity already.  However, that doesn’t mean the Connelly can never be an NHL defenseman.  He still has value and Stan basically gave him away for an aging center who wasn’t producing.  Connelly was an asset that perhaps could have been used in a package to bring in a piece that actually helps the Blackhawks. Whereas Morrison has already been relegated to the end of the bench/press box.  Bowman wasted an asset for guy who can’t play and carries at $1.25m cap hit.

If you count Crawford, the Blackhawks have $12,124,996 in payroll this season that is essentially dead weight.  The Hawks are in fourth place in the Central, still don’t have a legit number 2 center, still can’t find a consistent goalie, and are still thin outside of their top 6 players.  Top teams like Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Boston have been able to win the Cup, manage the cap, and stay extremely competitive.  Those teams have built deeper teams and spent more wisely than the Hawks and the only person to blame here is Stan.  Hindsight is 20/20, but there were other options to fill out this roster.  Jose Theodore, Mike Smith, Brian Elliot were all relatively cheap options for goalie. Mike Rupp for grit.  Among others.

I think it’s time for the Hawks to cut bait and go young.  Put Brunette, Frolik, and Lepisto on waivers and bring up the young guys. My team would be…

Morin-Toews-Kane

Sharp-Kruger-Hossa

Stalberg-Bolland-Shaw

Hayes-Pirri-Mayers

Taxi squad Fs= Smith and Bickell

Keith-Hjalmarsson

Seabrook-Leddy

Montador-Olsen

Taxi sqaud Ds= O’Donnell and Scott

 

This team isn’t winning the Cup with the dead weight they are carrying.  Might as well roll with the young guys and find out what you have.  The young guys can’t get experience until somebody gives it to them.

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Check out Corey Crawford’s new mask

 

 

I think this mask change tells the whole story.  Corey has been in a dark place this season and is now embracing it with a darker mask.  He played better last night against Vancouver.  Hopefully he has found his game.

 

 

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Real talk time: Is Steve Montador the worst fighter in NHL history?

 

Ok, let me preface this whole thing with the fact that I love Steve Montador.  He always is willing to stand up for a teammate or scrap when the team needs a jolt of energy.  I think he will end up being a real nice piece as the Blackhawks 6th defenseman for the next several years(Now if they can just find a definitive 3rd and 5th defenseman the Hawks will have something cooking).  Having said that…I think last night proves that Montador is the worst fighter in the NHL.  He pretty much got destroyed by Brandon Yip last night.  BRANDON YIP!!! The Boston University wuss with three career fights.  Montador made Yip look like Jackie Chan.  You gotta give Monty credit though.  It doesn’t matter how many times Montador gets his teeth knocked in, he will continue to throw bombs against the toughest guys in the league.  Cam Janssen, Shawn Thornton, Jared Boll, Brad Winchester, Steve Ott, BJ Crombeen, Tim Jackman, Jamal Mayers, Ben Eager, Chris Neil…Monty has taken beating from them all.  Here’s the important thing to remember about hockey fights though…who wins seldom matters…you just need to respect the hell out of a guy who answers the bell.

 

 

PS: Unrelated, but how badly does everyone wish Stan Bowman signed Mike Rupp to be another tough guy instead of Dan Carcillo?  I fell in love with Rupp during HBO’s 24/7 show.  3 years at 1.5 million per season is a little steep, but character guys like that don’t grow on trees.  The Hawks with Mayers, Shaw, Montador, and Rupp would have been one of the toughest in the league. And I don’t care what anybody says, you need to have guys that fight to win the Cup.  Two best teams in the NHL right now are the Rangers and the Bruins…no coincidence that they are ranked first and second respectively in fighting majors this season.

 

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