Re: NHL (Blackhawks included) offseason thread

[UMFan83]

I hate ticketmaster....I clicked refresh at 9:59:58, and it loaded ticket selection screen....i clicked 2 best available. Clicked submit at 10:00:04, it said sold out.

 

The guy sitting next to me, casually hit refresh at 10:00:30, looked for 4 tickets best available, and got 4 tickets pulled up, about a minute after I was told they were sold out.

 

Now hes selebrating and I'm pissed off at ticketmaster again. I swear I've never once gotten tickets on Ticketmaster for a high demand event. I'm like 0/15. Including Bears tickts the last 2 seasons, bears playoff tickets in 05 and 06, blackhawks season tickets the last 2 years (at least the games i wanted to go to), and blackhawks playoff tickets the last 2 years. I also pick one game, select 2 tickets best available and click submit with 5 seconds of them going on sale and ive not once pulled up and purchased tickets.

[Flames24Rulz]

Got through the line for it to tell me no groups of 4 left for 10/9. Then I had to start over to search for 2.

 

I've gotten zero singles left as well for the opener.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Time to move on.

[UMFan83]

Oh well, more money for Cubs playoff tickets!

 

Oh wait...

[kujay]

I'm sure I'll be checking TM every day as it gets closer to see if any tickets become available, like when I got the Game 5 Nashville tickets the Thursday before. But still bummed.

[Garwilly]

SROs $160 on stubhub

[Flames24Rulz]

Ha, definitely makes my decision to go back to SIU that weekend that much easier.

[Flames24Rulz]

Just landed two SRO's for Hawks-Flyers. Better than nothing, I guess.

[Garwilly]

Well, my wife will be quite pleased at today's events.

[Flames24Rulz]

Pairs for the Pens game are also all gone.

[Soul]

Well, my wife will be quite pleased at today's events.

 

Hehe, yeah.

[kujay]

We'll just go to a few games here when they come to town, I guess.

[Flames24Rulz]

We'll just go to a few games here when they come to town, I guess.

 

No games on the weekend in STL? That's a bummer.

[kujay]

We'll just go to a few games here when they come to town, I guess.

 

No games on the weekend in STL? That's a bummer.

 

Honestly, it looks like the Blues really wanted to fill in some traditionally low-selling dates with the champs. A Friday night in October (not a sure sellout, but it will be now), a Tuesday night in December and a Monday matinee in February? Weak. I know why they did it (or lobbied for it -- not sure how much power the Blues had over it), but still.

 

To pivot slightly, this is a very important year for the Blues and their fans. The fans steadily came back over the last few years with the promise of a young, energetic group. The teaser of squeaking into the playoffs two years ago only raised expectations, and last year was a reality check. I tell you, the Chicago fans love Rocky. But the Blues fans aren't far behind in the love of Dave Checketts and John Davidson. But if things go south again this year, I think that all ends very, very quickly.

[UMFan83]

Yup....man it sucks to be champs, we have to help all these other stupid teams sell out their games. I guess that's just par for the course when you win the stanley cup. Despite what other (canucks) fans might believe, its not all fun and games as the champs. it's a tough job but some team has to do it.

[Wilson A2000]

Niemi still not signed. Any word on anyone wants him? Edited August 17, 2010 by Wilson A2000

[UMFan83]

I'm reading Red Wing bloggers thoughts of the Blackhawks/Central Division in general...

 

http://www.wingingitinmotown.com/2010/8/16/1625234/red-wings-blogger-roundtable-day-1

 

1. One of the biggest stories so far this off-season has been the shedding of players left and right for the Blackhawks in order to fit under the salary cap. Does the amount of change they've endured (and still have to) take them out of the driver's seat of the division or are the '09-'10 Stanley Cup winners the top of the division until they're unseated?

 

George Malik (Snapshots):The Blackhawks essentially lost their secondary scoring and depth forwards up front, as well as a starting goalie who very well could have been a one-season wonder. They're replacing their secondary scorers with up-and-coming youngsters and their goalie with a motivated veteran who isn't necessarily past his prime, and they kept their top line-and-a-half's worth of forwards and all their puck-moving defensemen. That being said, what they don't have is exactly what the Wings lost due to the salary cap, only a bit more extreme--they have no depth. If injuries strike anywhere, the Hawks' margin for error makes the 2009-2010 Wings team look deep, and while their top line-and-a-half's worth of forwards and top four defenders are elite, if a couple of the Hossas and Hjalmarssons get hurt, especially given their lack of cap space, even after dumping Huet, they're in for a world of hurt.

 

It's gonna be a dogfight given the Hawks' self-confidence more than anything, but the Wings, barring another season's worth of catastrophic injuries, will return to the top of the division because we have three scoring lines with Modano and six defensemen you don't have to worry about thanks to Salei's addition, and there's no way in hell that Osgood could possibly repeat his horrible 09-10 season, so Howard should earn some honest relief.

 

Tyler Deveraux (The Triple Deke): The way things stand right now, we'd have to endure another nightmare regular season to not win the division. Although, as funny as it has been this summer to watch the Hawks shedding cap weight, I don't think they fall any lower than 3rd place. Right now I'm thinking they'll finish 8-10 points behind the Wings for 2nd. It's always hard to guess the psyche of a defending champion, whether they're going to let up or cling to their spot on top of the mountain, but I'm betting it's something closer to the latter.

 

Matt Saler (On the Wings): The Hawks still have a good enough core of players to be competitive, but I don't think first place is a foregone conclusion like it was before too far into last season. A lot depends on the bit players they've brought in, as the top players can't carry them all the way. If the bottom half of their roster can't meet the needs of an NHL team, they're in trouble. If they play competently, I think Chicago's out of the driver's seat, but in the car. Barring another injury-plagued season for the Wings, Chicago should be able to compete for second place in the division.

 

Kyle Kujawa (Babcock's Death Stare): I think they're absolutely out of the running for contenders. I really put them in the mix with Nashville and St. Louis for 2nd in the division -- I really think a healthy Detroit should come out on top. Even more though they're still talented, losing that kind of depth hurts. Detroit essentially lost their entire second line all last season and it showed. You feel secure because you kept your stars, but you don't realize that the players who come out when the stars aren't on the ice just aren't up to snuff. Adding to that, they replaced their goaltending (though I was never sold on Niemi) with the (aging) model of inconsistency. Not to mention the Cup hangover does exist, and it hits young teams worst of all. Honestly, when I see season previews that put them in the midst of the contenders, I just assume they're doing the Hawks a courtesy -- they'll make the playoffs, and depending on how weak the Central is they may even comfortably take the 4th seed, but there's just no way they contend with the top three, which is Detroit, San Jose, and Vancouver in that order.

 

However, I've seen a fair amount of folks just laughing as Chicago guts their roster and I wish they wouldn't -- through their trades for prospects and their own draft picks (most acquired in these roster-gutting trades), they have 17 1st or 2nd rounders who didn't play regularly for them this past season. To put that into perspective, Detroit has nine (though one is Dick Axelsson) and that's an all-time high since I've started following. That's not to say they have 17 home runs, but they draft fairly well and it seems likely to me that in 4-5 years they'll be just as loaded with young talent the way they were the past two seasons, but hopefully (for them, not for Detroit), they'll have learned a little bit about cap responsibility.

 

Kris (Snipe Snipe, Dangle Dangle): First let me take a moment to express my feelings about Chicago's summer: BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! Last season was Chicago's one shot at the Cup. They got the job done, and that's very special for them, but this season is going to look different. Sure, they're returning Kane, Toews, Hossa, and Keith, but the thing about the NHL is that you have to have role players too, and as far as I can tell, most of their bottom lines are going to be made up of guys from the minors that we've never heard of, which is fun for me, but not so much for them. This summer, the Hawks have gotten markedly worse while the Wings have improved. Chicago will still be good, but winning the Central won't be a lock for them. Even last season with the injury plague, the Wings managed to close the gap near the end and make the race for the Central respectable. I won't guarantee a division win for the Wings, but I do like their chances.

 

Chris Hollis: It's hard to see how the Blackhawks will repeat as Central champs after losing so many pieces of their Stanley Cup winning team, but I'm a firm believer that until dethroned, the defending champ is the team to beat the following season. I said the same thing last season about the Red Wings and I'm sticking to my guns again this year. Whether or not I actually believe it this time around is up for debate.

 

Drew (NOHS): You were trying to bait me with this one, weren't you? Alright..I'll bite. The only possible way to get that awful taste of Chicago winning the Stanley Cup out of my mouth was to watch them completely dismantle the team that got them there. Are they out of the driver seat now? Abso-friggin'-lutely. It's been so nice to be able to brush any Cup-braggin' Hawk fan aside by letting them know how completely screwed they are going forward. Core entact? Show me the last team that won the Cup with 6 quality players and a bunch of scrubs. Sure we could have Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Franzen, Rafalski, and Lidstrom...but you take away key depth guys like Cleary, Helm, Hudler, Kronwall and Stuart and replace them with career AHL guys and see what would happen. I don't think ANYONE who isn't the Chicago Tribune is going to tell you that Chicago is still the team to beat in the Central. They are the model of un-sustainable success. And it'll be nice to see them back where they belong - 3rd in the Central.

 

Casey: As mentioned by those above, the Blackhawks have taken incredible cuts to their roster from last year to try and keep things under the cap. I think they're still a very capable and dangerous team but the scoring depth and the chemistry within the roster has dropped off so much I'd find it hard for them to be able to be on the same level that they were last year. They'll still be competitive but I don't think they'll be driving the Central Division this season.

 

Sorry for a bunch of copy paste...I think the responses are very interesting. Obviously there is bias as not only are they competing in the same division but they are also hated rivals who want so badly for the Hawks to fail.

 

I am not sure how on point they are, but they seem to think the Hawks kept their 6 best players and everything else is minor league scrubs. First of all our greatest asset last year was our defense. The Hawks are going to return this year with 5/6 of their top 3 D lines this year, and the player not returning was probably the 5th best defensemen. On offense, the hits are a lot larger, but we are returning our top 2 lines pretty much in entirety, and the 3rd line will have an above average offensive and defensive center, and possibly our top prospect. Where we will fail (besides possible Cup hangover with a young team as pointed out) is the depth of our 3rd and 4th lines, as well as backups to fill in with injuries. I think the Hawks could win the Central but probably won't. But unless Nashville steps it up (which is possible they made decent moves), I can't see the hawks finishing below 2nd.

[Wilson A2000]

"if a couple of the Hossas and Hjalmarssons get hurt, especially given their lack of cap space, even after dumping Huet, they're in for a world of hurt."

 

What team could really overcome 2 of their top 8 players getting hurt? This isn't a problem that is specific to the Hawks.

[Magnetic Curses]

our first pairing is the best pairing in the nhl, and our second pairing is every bit as good as detroit's first.

[Prizefight]

Reading those remind me why Detroit has one of the most obnoxious fan bases in all of sports. We are markedly worse? I'd make a friendly wager right now we finish ahead of SCUM in the division right now.

 

Man, I hate those [expletive].

[Banedon]

It's going to be a popular opinion that the Blackhawks dismantled and won't win the division this year, though. When you go through an offseason like this, people are just going to see a lot of names going away that were ones that got big during the playoffs, when everyone was watching.

[kujay]

They think they are entitled to be atop the division forever and last year was just a blip. I can't believe watching the Hawks win the Cup wouldn't engender even a little humility.

[UMFan83]

They think they are entitled to be atop the division forever and last year was just a blip. I can't believe watching the Hawks win the Cup wouldn't engender even a little humility.

 

Just trying to look at it from the Red Wings perspective, and as one of them mentioned, despite a horrific year for injuries that crippled them for a couple of months, the Wings managed to close a ton of the gap that seperated them and the Hawks when they got healthy in March/April and despite all that happened finished with the 5 seed and got to the 2nd round of the playoffs. And that was a down year for them. So imagine how much better they will be than a weakened Blackhawks team going against probably a much healthier Wings team.

 

I'm not saying I buy all that, it's just the Devil's Advocate viewpoint.

[Magnetic Curses]

They think they are entitled to be atop the division forever and last year was just a blip. I can't believe watching the Hawks win the Cup wouldn't engender even a little humility.

 

Just trying to look at it from the Red Wings perspective, and as one of them mentioned, despite a horrific year for injuries that crippled them for a couple of months, the Wings managed to close a ton of the gap that seperated them and the Hawks when they got healthy in March/April and despite all that happened finished with the 5 seed and got to the 2nd round of the playoffs. And that was a down year for them. So imagine how much better they will be than a weakened Blackhawks team going against probably a much healthier Wings team.

 

I'm not saying I buy all that, it's just the Devil's Advocate viewpoint.

 

a wings team that will be a year older.

[NewUserName]

They think they are entitled to be atop the division forever and last year was just a blip. I can't believe watching the Hawks win the Cup wouldn't engender even a little humility.

 

Just trying to look at it from the Red Wings perspective, and as one of them mentioned, despite a horrific year for injuries that crippled them for a couple of months, the Wings managed to close a ton of the gap that seperated them and the Hawks when they got healthy in March/April and despite all that happened finished with the 5 seed and got to the 2nd round of the playoffs. And that was a down year for them. So imagine how much better they will be than a weakened Blackhawks team going against probably a much healthier Wings team.

 

I'm not saying I buy all that, it's just the Devil's Advocate viewpoint.

 

a wings team that will be a year older.

 

the Wings have been old since 97

[NewUserName]

Reading those remind me why Detroit has one of the most obnoxious fan bases in all of sports. We are markedly worse? I'd make a friendly wager right now we finish ahead of SCUM in the division right now.

 

Man, I hate those [expletive].

 

A couple of national/Canadian writers have pretty much been saying the same things that these Wings bloggers did.