sherwood921

I've had SRO to at least 6 or 7 times (split between the Bulls and Hawks) and have never seen anything like that. Me neither. On the one of the receipts it says: Section - STAND3 Row - SR5 Seats - 25 - 28 and another: Section - STAND2 Row - SR1 Seats - 13-14 I'm guessing this is just for their purposes...but still different than what I've seen in the past.

I was able to get: Round 1 - 2 SRO to Game 1 Round 2 - 2 SRO to Game 5 Round 2 - 4 SRO to Game 7 Anyone know the difference between STAND2 vs. STAND3? It looks like there are different tiers perhaps? I've never seen anything like this enforced though.

Headed to the game tonight - here's hoping Huet gets a roaring applause seen as our best bet is having him confident the rest of the year. Of course, I'm sure he'll be boo'd.

Would have loved to see home-towner Demitra score on home-towner Luongo there to force OT and destroy that place. Would be interesting to see the reception he'd have gotten after the Olympics.

Anyone know if there's an audio only feed for the USA hockey game at 2pm? If not, what's my best option to follow the game while at work?

With regards to our defense playing amazing...I think the biggest factor in play here is our offensive pressure. Teams are having a hard time getting the puck out of their zone, and when they do, we have been able to shove it right back in. Not to take anything away from our defensive play, but the best way to play defense is to keep the puck 200 feet down the ice for as long as you can. The time of possession in that Rangers game had to be overwhelmingly in our favor. Also - Sharp needs to start putting some pucks in the net. I love the guy, but he's really snakebitten right now. Hitting the goalie in the chest way too often.

San Jose looking like a one line team. Shut down Thornton, Marleau, and Heatley and there's not too much behind them. Granted, they are playing poorly and we look like an All-star team, but they just don't look like I was expecting. Kane, Toews, and Hossa have some kinda talent. We are in for something special. This team has some real depth as well.

The point is that the Cubs want to be able to take advantage of a fantasic advertising placement. While they don't own the property, they are within their rights (I believe) to build on their own property. This essentially blocks the Horseshoe signage (not a Cubs sponsor) and replaces it visually with signage of their choosing (a Cubs sponsor).

Bud was a sponsor when that signage was up. The Cubs were cool with it because it enhanced their relationship with one of their sponsors. Horseshoe Casino isn't a sponsor - so they're not benefitting at all.

It's clearly gotten to a point where the Flames and their fans absolutely hate playing Chicago. It's beyond wanting revenge, they just don't want to keep getting pounded. I love it.

Really big loss. Bolland seems to be one of our smartest and best 2-way players. I supported his big payday, but now I don't like all that money going to a 23 year old who is already having back surgery. I believe he comes off the cap though, so hopefully we can pick up a number 2 center at some point, otherwise I could see them shifting Sharp back there, which hurts. That Madden signing is getting better by the day. Good deal of criticism can and should be directed at the Hawks for the handling of both Hossa and Bolland injuries. Hopefully this is the end of the injury bug, because the circus trip is going to be a doozy. I hate that darn trip.

What do you think of that Ladd hit? He technically didn't leave his feet until contact, but it still was quite the high hit. If the tables are turned, I'm probably mad about it.

As a side note - what is the best way to get to the UC for games from the Loop? The Pink Line isn't the best walk from Ashland.

I disagree about the booing, and it's not just because we have the right. Which we do. But the fans need to show their displeasure to bring more pressure to bear on the organization to get rid of that spaghetti-spined frog and bring in a goaltender worthy of this team. I'm pretty sure the organization knows the fans can't stand him at this point. The media putting Niemi on the front page certainly stirs the pot as well. All I'm saying is, if we're stuck with him...I'd rather shut my trap and hope the guy can turn it around. I'd gain more satisfaction from that than I would booing and him continuing to stink.

Really hoping Huet turns it around. It'll be tough to pick up a goaltender and/or eat his contract. It seems so mental with him. I know we have the right to boo him, but that really isn't going to help anything. He has zero confidence, but unfortunately we may be stuck with him. Booing him is certainly understandable and he's got me swearing up a storm when watching on TV sometimes, but it isn't likely to change anything. Cue the "fans have a right to boo" debate. I've also got to wonder if the fact that he isn't getting tested often has caused him to be lackluster at keeping sharp. Some of these goals look kind of like he isn't even paying attention.

Bowden just mentioned something I wanted to mention. They Hawks are not taking the stupid/lazy penalties like they have been for many of the past years. You've got to wonder how much of that is the immediate accountability Q put on guys like Kane last year when he sat them in close games due to offensive zone lazy hooks and trips. Staying out of the box has obviously really helped. Wonder if teams are going to start trying to mix things up a bit more to slow the game down.

I didn't realize that we only allowed 13 shots. Huet did make some very solid saves. Give him credit tonight. This team is on pace to set some kind of record in terms of SOG differential. It's got to be about 2-1 right now. Complain about their defensive lapses/goaltending as much as you want, but teams can't score when the Hawks are dominating in the offensive zone like they have been. They are utilizing their defensemen and the trailer on rushes extremely well right now. It's a treat to watch. Can't wait to add Hossa to the mix.

The Blackhawks today traded D Aaron Johnson to Calgary for LW Kyle Greentree. http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/news/story?id=4541002 This likely frees up a little cap room and gives Calgary a depth defenseman. Greentree is interesting...he put up a lot of points in the AHL. Hopefully he's more Kris Versteeg than Brandon Bochenski. For those who remember Johnson's agent is Walsh, the same as Havlat's. He already made a comment on Twitter about AJ seeing this coming.

He had a great view while having his head down motioning to Wolfe. But the point is that the 5 yard flag wouldnt have given the Bears a first down and they would have punted anyway. Wouldn't the snap to Maynard draw the same penalty? Maybe he thought Maynard was too far away to hear/see the signal. He's lucky Wolfe caught the ball. I think he's hoping to catch GB off guard with a "free play." If Wolfe were to get by the one tackler, he would have picked up the first down. I don't think he was snapping early for the penalty, he was shooting for a chance to get the first down on a free play. However, in that situation, you better be extremely sure he's still on the field. I understand the thinking, and in a different circumstance, I like it. But that wasn't the right time, and his call was about 3 seconds too late. Terrible.

I don't know, this doesn't seem so much the Hawks' fault. I don't know the specifics, but it sounds as if they are getting toward the very boundaries of the rules, and the NHL and other teams don't like it. It's a shady contract. But it's probably only a problem if they actually discussed the retirement issue, which I would hope they wouldn't be stupid enough to do. Does anyone know the verbage of the CBA? I feel like we just are taking advantage of the same loophole that other teams have taken advantage of. No one seemed to get mad when Det did it?

trib says "few months" Just read 4 months somewhere. Gotta think media is gonna pile on this. I'm ok if we knew this. Still a good deal, but why not have surgery after the cup ends? Hawks management getting a big black eye this offseason all around this summer, justified or not.

Not sure on my feelings here. It just seems like weird timing. It has been pretty well covered that McDonough and Tallon were not seeing eye to eye on many things (Huet, Campbell being two biggies). Havlat was tweeting again today about how Dale was like a father to him and that this is just the tip of the iceberg, etc. If true, it would seem like Dale wanted to bring back Havlat, but Tallon (or Stan, Scotty, or Rocky, who really knows who has been calling the shots) wanted Hossa. That said - I'm on the Hossa side of the argument there. Could they have kept Dale around as a figurehead for negotiations? It's pretty widely known that Dale is a true "players' GM" just like Dusty was a "players' manager." Regarding the RFA's - I still really don't think it was as big of a deal as the media made it out to me. Maybe Barker got a little extra and Versteeg probably got about a million a year extra. It should not have happened, and it hurts the cap, but we don't actually know who is at fault. Tallon took the heat, but I've been reading that McDonough had a hand in it. Hell, it could have been Stan's fault as he was the capologist (which worries me since our biggest problem seems to be cap management...hopefully Dale just wasn't listening?) I like that Dale is still with the Hawks. He's been around the organization forever and put everything he had into improving the franchise. His biggest strength has always been in scouting, so hopefully he can continue to add that to the mix. Moving forward with Stan it appears we are looking at a strategist, but that might not be a terrible thing. The pieces are already here. He does not need to go out and make a big splash or trade. He needs to find a way to get under the cap in the future. We only need to shed a little salary this season (I'd prefer not to use the cushion), but his big task will be next summer. I would love to see Campbell moved, but it is highly unlikely. Who knows what will happen. It makes it tougher to pair him with Versteeg now that Versteeg is no longer a bargain. I know Scotty hates Campbell and you've got to think Stan is well aware. I'd much rather lose Campbell, Versteeg, or Buff, than Sharp. The only thing I really know is that this team is on the verge. For a team so young and close I would have liked for a much less eventful offseason. Hopefully Toews will be able to keep everyone focused and ignoring the circus that has been going on with Walsh, Havlat, Tallon, RFAs, etc. There is going to be a heck of a lot of pressure on this organization going forward. *Edit - now I'm confused after watching the press conference. McD said they did not do a great job at communicating, but then said Dale kept him in the loop. He admitted that he should have kept better tabs. Followed that up saying that this wouldn't have happened without the RFA situation, and that it's ultimately his responsibility. That all makes no sense. We didn't communicate well enough. He told me what was up, I should have asked more. It wasn't just his fault, but if it didn't happen he'd still have a job. Huh?

It's Bolland that's irking me, I guess. He's not a bad No. 2, per se, but he's not exactly elite at that position either. He's not a crazy producer...but he's a fantastic two way center. Remember, he played against top lines the majority of the season, that was a major role. I assume Madden will help shoulder the defensive load which may allow some more offense out of Bolland as well. He put up very good numbers in juniors I believe also.

Madden is a perfect fit. Won the selke once and finished 2nd twice. Two cups and is one of the best PKers in the league. We now have a bevy of forwards and can actually afford to deal one or more of our extra wingers (buff, ladd, versteeg, Brouwer, eager) for a solid defenseman. This team is loaded. Campbell, Seabrook, Keith, Barker, Hjarlmarsson, Sopel and others. We don't need another D-man. I wouldn't mind an upgrade at center, but realistically, we are pretty much set here. We'll trade for draft picks, if anything, to save cap space. Sopel is a 7th d-man at best. I'm expecting him gone anyway. There's also a chance Barker is gone as well for cap reasons similar to Versteeg. A stay at home defenseman to play with Campbell would be nice to have.

Madden is a perfect fit. Won the selke once and finished 2nd twice. Two cups and is one of the best PKers in the league. We now have a bevy of forwards and can actually afford to deal one or more of our extra wingers (buff, ladd, versteeg, Brouwer, eager) for a solid defenseman. This team is loaded.