Hawks lose in Calgary, drop 5th straight game

Posted on February 4, 2012 by Brad Vandenberk| 4 Comments

By Brad Vandenberk

After allowing Sam Gagner to tie an Edmonton Oilers point per game record with eight points (4G, 4A) while suffering an 8-4 loss, the Chicago Blackhawks embarked on a three and a half hour bus drive south to play the Calgary Flames.  This would be the third of a nine game road trip for the Hawks.  The message was easy.  Keep the game simple, play defensive hockey and the goals will come.  The Flames were looking to extend their 3 game winning streak at home versus the Hawks.  Coach Q’s boys are scheduled to head back to Chicago after this game and then make their way to Colorado on Tuesday.  They will finish next week in San Jose and Phoenix with another back to back on Friday and Saturday.

Ray Emery got the call in net after coming in for Crawford during the Oilers game, the night previous when Emery allowed 3 goals on 13 shots.  Miikka Kiprusoff was between the pipes for the home town Flames.  Andrew Brunette was injured during the Oilers game and is diagnosed with an upper body injury. Read more »

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How’bout that Sam Gagner? Oilers 8 – Hawks 4

Posted on February 3, 2012 by Brad Gardner| Leave a comment

By Brad Gardner

The Blackhawks returned to the scene of perhaps the lowest point of the season in their 9-2 drubbing at the hands of Edmonton in November. It was another nightmarish game for the ‘Hawks at Rexall Place as the Oilers came very close to appeasing the “We want 10!” chants from the November game, winning by a score of 8-4 behind an eight-point effort from Sam Gagner.

Jamal Mayers got things started 6:29 into the first period. He took a wrist shot a couple strides into the zone and the puck found it’s way past Dubnyk to the short side. The goal was Mayer’s fifth of the season and second in as many games.

Chicago carried the 1-0 lead into the first intermission and then Patrick Sharp extended it further 40 seconds into the second period. Patrick Kane robbed Ryan Smyth of the puck in the neutral zone and carried it into the zone with a 2-on-1 advantage. Kane set up Sharp for the one-timer, which beat Dubnyk between the legs as he slid across the crease.  Read more »

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TTMI~Radio, e.99, One More Shot For The Road

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Chris Block| Leave a comment

It is episode number 99 in the illustrious history of TheThirdManIn~Radio.

As we pack up the animals, the sun tan lotion and our betting sheets and head out to Vegas this week, we pause our drunk-Tweeting for this 60 minute podcast to talk all the latest news involving the Chicago Blackhawks, Rockford IceHogs and the Ultimate Fighting Championship at United Center.

On the show, we discuss how the television rating for an average UFC show on FOX this past Saturday night destroyed this year’s Winter Classic as well as any rating the NHL has done in a regular season over the past 40 years.

Also, we break down the acquisition of Brendan Morrison, how the Blackhawks fared in Vancouver on Tuesday night, the non-call on Viktor Stalberg’s overtime breakaway, Corey Crawford and the return of Patrick Sharp.

We review our UFC picks (ehhh) from this past weekend’s show, Superstar’s mysterious disappearance from Saturday night’s post-show festivities, Block playing hurt, flying all pilled-up, drunk tweeting, men getting buck-naked together in water, what really goes on in Men’s health clubs, our Super Bowl predictions and so much more….

TTMI~Radio, e.99, “The Long Way Home”

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Sedins sneak by Hawks in Overtime, 3-2

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Jon Fromi| 2 Comments

By Jon Fromi

The Chicago Blackhawks definitely showed up at Rogers Arena Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the return of Patrick Sharp and Jonathan Toews to the line up was spoiled with 37 saves by Cory Schneider and an overtime tally by the Sedin twins.

Chicago picked up a point in the first game on the road over the next three weeks, but Vancouver prevailed by a score of 3-2.

The momentum ebbed and flowed throughout the opening period. Vancouver got an early opportunity when David Booth beat Niklas Hjalmarsson for control of a puck. Booth found himself fight in front of Corey Crawford 90 seconds into the game, but his shot was knocked away.

Andrew Shaw drew a clipping penalty from Keith Ballard that the Canucks killed in the fourth minute. Patrick Sharp found Marian Hossa streaking up the ice and it appeared as if he would get a breakaway attempt on Cory Schneider. Alex Burrows make a nice play to thwart Hossa, then helped set up the game’s first goal at the 7:58 mark. Read more »

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Lindbloom: Glum and The Doomed

Posted on January 30, 2012 by Rich Lindbloom| 3 Comments

“We’re doomed.”

“Some people like to go out dancing
And other people’s, they have to work, just watch me now
And there’s even some evil mother’s
Well, they’re gonna tell you everything is just dirt
You know that, women, never really faint
And that villains always blink their eyes
And that children are the only ones who blush
And that life is just to die…” – Lou Reed

By Rich Lindbloom

Sweet Jane, (“whoa –oh-oh,” I heard you out there!), might be at the top of my all-time favorite songs. It is a serendipitous moment indeed when you’re flipping through radio stations and you’re fortunate enough to hear the Rock and Roll Animal sing ‘Standing on a corner…”  If you don’t immediately crank the volume 4 or 5 notches, you clearly inhabit a world that is “just dirt.” The song comes as close to perfection as humanly possible. My favorite part in the song is when the background harmony comes in when they sing “And anyone who ever had a heart…” The song is the Sistine Chapel of music, Kaner’s overtime dagger in the sixth game of the Stanley cup finals. Clearly, it’s the smile on Mona Lisa’s come hither countenance. Read more »

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Blackhawks trade Connelly to Calgary for Morrison

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Chris Block| 4 Comments

By Chris Block

As expected, Stan Bowman pulled the trigger on his first deal well-ahead of the February 27th trade deadline, sending defense prospect Brian Connelly to the Calgary Flames in exchange for veteran center Brendan Morrison.

“He’s a centerman and he’s got a long pedigree of being a good offensive performer,” Stan Bowman said speaking about Morrison on the team’s web site.  “I think having that experience and that ability gives us a lot of options depending on where Joel wants to use him.”

Morrison, 36, has spent the past season and a half with the Flames.  Chicago will be Morrison’s sixth NHL stop in five seasons.  The 5-11 center was drafted out of the University of Michigan by the New Jersey Devils but would move on to spend parts of 8 seasons with the Vancouver Canucks (2000-08).  Morrison was traded in March of 2000 to the Canucks for Alexander Mogilny.

The Blackhawks get a center who can set the table for skilled wingers while being defensively responsible.  While falling down the Flames’ depth chart, Morrison was averaging 13 minutes per night and winning 50.3% of his face offs this season. Read more »

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TTMI~Radio e.98, Notes About Nothing; Corey Crawford, Boycotting hockey players and 4-yr olds speaking in the 3rd person

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Chris Block| 2 Comments

On this week’s edition of TTMI~Radio we discuss everything from pouting superstar hockey players to Saving the Children (and the gays) to 4-year old girls speaking in the third person.

In addition, in no particular order, we discuss…. teaching Marcus Kruger the cycle, United Center official scoring, Kerry Fraser’s book, emails on Bryan Bickell and waivers, Bolland and Pirri comparables, Hating on Twitter, our UFC picks, street clipboard peddlers, changing your Facebook status to something more particular, Vegas and UFC on Fox this Saturday night at the United Center and our pick.

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Show #99 airs live next Wednesday night February 1st at 8pm central.

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Costly turnovers send Hawks to break on losing streak; Predators 3 – Blackhawks 1

Posted on January 24, 2012 by Brad Vandenberk| Leave a comment

By Brad Vandenberk

The Chicago Blackhawks last game before the All Star break took place Tuesday night at the United Center.  They played host to the pesky Nashville Predators who they lost to just three nights ago in Nashville 5-2.  That game saw the Hawks captain leave with a wrist injury.  Jonathan Toews joined his teammates Patrick Sharp and Dan Carcillo on the injury reserve list.  It was also mentioned that Toews would forego the All Star festivities this coming weekend due to the injury.  With Captain Serious watching from the press box Rockford superstar Brandon Pirri was recalled to hopefully ignite the Hawks.

Predators’ goalie Pekka Rinne was looking for his ninth straight win on Tuesday with his second start in as many nights.  The Preds beat Columbus 4-1 on Monday in Nashville.  Although Corey Crawford was pulled during Saturday’s contest, he did get the start for the home team.  Read more »

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Hutton, IceHogs win 4th straight, cap off week that has young team buzzing; Update on Alexander Salak, Pirri talks Blackhawks

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Chris Block| Leave a comment

By Chris Block

Rockford extended its season-long winning streak to four games on Sunday in a 2-1 victory over the Milwaukee Admirals before of a sparse crowd of 3,938 on “Blackhawks Night” at BMO Harris Bank Center.

Carter Hutton was spectacular in goal once again, capping off seven days that will assuredly earn him AHL Player of the Week honors.  Hutton stopped 33 shots against the Admirals in route to a 4-0-0-0 week in which Hutton allowed a total of five goals against.

“We got great goaltending tonight,” said IceHogs head coach Ted Dent. “It’s a nice way to finish off the weekend.”

It was a weekend that saw the IceHogs win three one-goal games, the first two coming in a home-and-home versus interstate rival Chicago Wolves.  Despite an overall record (18-21-1-3) that still seats Rockford 3rd from the bottom team percentage of points wise in the league, the IceHogs have been good in games decided by a goal, 9-6-1-3.

That particular record hasn’t come around until of late for the young IceHogs.  Rockford is 5-1-0-0 in their last six games decided by one goal.  Two of those wins came in overtime.

“Earlier in the year, the one-goal games, the last five minutes of the game you just didn’t have a good feeling on the bench,” Dent said.  “You felt like something bad was going to happen.  And it was.  It was always happening, bad.  Now, I think there is a comfort level that we can defend a lead.” Read more »

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Hutton, Penalty Kill stand tall in 3-2 IceHogs victory

Posted on January 22, 2012 by Chris Block| Leave a comment

By Chris Block

Led by a red-hot Carter Hutton in goal and a stingy penalty kill unit that has now killed off 23 consecutive power plays against, the Rockford IceHogs completed a weekend home-and-home sweep of the Chicago Wolves Saturday with a 3-2 win in Rosemont, Illinois.

In front of 15,920 at Allstate Arena, the largest crowd the IceHogs have played in front of in nearly three years, Rockford accomplished a third period come back for just the third time this season, all three coming in the past fourteen days.  Saturday night’s victory also extended the Wolves losing streak to a season-high four games and brings Rockford’s road record to within one game of .500 at 9-10-1-2.

Carter Hutton stopped 37 shots on Saturday in his fifth consecutive start (4-1-0-0). In those five starts, Hutton boasts a 1.39 GAA and 95.1% save percentage.

Saturday re-matched two teams that had played 24 hours earlier in Rockford.  On Friday night, Rostislav Olesz’s goal midway through the second period stood as the difference in a 3-2 IceHogs’ victory. Read more »

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