Author Archives: Chris Block

Toews, Quenneville and Blackhawks place high in 2011-12 NHLPA Player’s Opinion Poll

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

By Chris Block

Jonathan Toews, Joel Quenneville and the Chicago Blackhawks organization scored high in this year’s NHLPA Player Poll.

318 players submitted answers to the annual questionnaire, written by the staff of Hockey Night in Canada and the National Hockey League Player’s Association.

Joel Quenneville, who some Blackhawks fans were screaming to have fired as little as eight days ago, saw his league-wide player approval rating in the “Coach players would most like to play for” category increase from 6 percent in the 2010-11 player poll to 11% this season.  Quenneville placed second to Pittsburgh’s Dan Bylsma, who again received 21% of votes cast in the category.

In last year’s poll, 11% of players indicated the Chicago Blackhawks as the team they would most-like to play for, putting the Blackhawks in a tie for second with the Vancouver Canucks.  This time around the Blackhawks received the most votes supplanting the Detroit Red Wings who topped the category a year ago.  14% of players responding indicated the Blackhawks were the team they’d most-like to play on.  Detroit slid into second-place with a slight drop at 13% of the votes.  Boston came in 3rd taking 11% of the votes, also the biggest one-year jump of any NHL team. Read more »

Share

Posted in News and Notes

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

TTMI~Radio, Number 100

Posted on February 15, 2012 by Chris Block| Leave a comment

It took us a lot longer than we had envisioned, but tonight we finally reached our official milestone 100th show.  Listen to us put TheThirdManIn~Radio to bed and hear what’s in store moving forward.

We also discuss the Blackhawks now 9-game losing streak; how much longer it will go on, what and who’s to blame, who could get fired, how bad things really are and what can be done to fix them and ask the question ‘If Jonathan Toews is hurt then why is he playing?’  We reveal a few players who could soon be Blackhawks, what position Stan Bowman is least likely to improve and which prospect potential trading partners are highest on.

We’ll also dish some dirt on our recent trip to Vegas for Super Bowl weekend, history of our show sponsors and why they got their business licenses revoked, puppies and their balls and separation anxiety…. and I think I remember discussing the Rockford IceHogs in there somewhere as well.

And finally, my sincerest gratitude and apologies to all our listeners tonight, this season and throughout since this show began on July 14, 2009…..

Click the player below to listen or Right-Click Here to Download

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

TTMI~Radio feed & archive
SUBSCRIBE to TTMI~Radio/Puck~Chatter on ITUNES

Share

Posted in TTMI~Radio

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Quick strikes the answer for Wolves, Defeat IceHogs 6-2 at the BMO Saturday night to split weekend series – Stanton injured

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Chris Block| 2 Comments

By Chris Block

After an all-around strong performance in a 2-1 win over the Chicago Wolves on Friday night, the Rockford IceHogs couldn’t overcome mistakes against the same team, in the same setting twenty-four hours later.

A juicy rebound goal by Rostislav Olesz and a Shawn Lalonde shot that went off Jimmy Hayes’ pant leg and in was all the IceHogs could muster against Matt Climie on Saturday night before the second-biggest crowd of the season in Rockford’s BMO Harris Bank Center.

That wouldn’t be enough as the Wolves scored goals in bunches to defeat Rockford by a final score of 6-2 in front of a sell-out crowd of 6,164.

Carter Hutton was mercifully pulled from his net by IceHogs coach Ted Dent after the Wolves scored three goals in 2:34 midway through the second period.   Hutton was able to stop 15 of the 20 shots he saw in 28:23 of action but he didn’t have much chance on a few of those goals.

“I apologized to Hutts because our team wasn’t there in front of him,” Dent noted of speaking to Hutton and explaining the switch between the second and third periods.

Alexander Salak came in to relieve Hutton, one night after his victorious 2-1, 27-save return to action after being sidelined ten weeks with an ankle injury.  Salak stopped all 15 shots he faced over 31 minutes in relief of Hutton on Saturday.  Salak was pulled for an extra attacker with three and a half minutes to go when Chicago notched its sixth and final goal of the evening into the vacated Rockford net. Read more »

Share

Posted in Game recap, IceHogs

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

IceHogs takedown Wolves in first of weekend set

Posted on February 11, 2012 by Chris Block| 2 Comments

By Chris Block

Alexander Salak showed no signs of a goaltender who hadn’t played in two months on Friday night as he backstopped the Rockford IceHogs to a 2-1 victory over the visiting Chicago Wolves.

In fact, it was probably the best Salak has played in his 11 starts thus far as an IceHog.

“He was real good,” IceHogs coach Ted Dent said of his goaltender’s 27 save performance.  “So was their guy (Eddie Lack).  It was a low scoring game and real good goaltending both ways.”

The returning Salak, out of action since suffering an ankle injury during the opening seconds of the second period in a game on December 2nd against Lake Erie, looked as sharp and composed as he has to date.  The Wolves came at him hard, as they had in two previous contests back in October (Salak’s first two starts of the season), bumping and crowding the goaltender’s crease often.  Previously, those sorts of actions seemed to nudge Salak off his focus, once even causing Salak to throw his equipment across the ice, but not on Friday evening before a crowd of 4,501 at the BMO Harris Bank Center. Read more »

Share

Posted in Game recap, IceHogs

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , ,

Montador to IR, Blackhawks recall Olsen; IceHogs get Danis-Pepin

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Chris Block| 1 Comment

Today, the Blackhawks placed defenseman Steve Montador (upper body) on the Injured Reserve list.  Montador was injured in Tuesday night’s loss at Colorado.

In his place, the Blackhawks have recalled 21-year old Dylan Olsen from the Rockford IceHogs.

Olsen played in two games for the Blackhawks (January 5 @ Philadelphia, January 6 vs Colorado) last month and posted four shots on goal.  He was held off the scoresheet but also left the Hawks an even plus/minus.

Read our profile on Dylan Olsen published in late December, eight days before his first NHL call up.

In 44 games with the IceHogs this season, Olsen has 4 goals, 3 assists and is a minus-4.  Two of his four goals have come in Rockford’s last four games. Read more »

Share

Posted in News and Notes

Tagged , , ,

IceHogs revert to old ways, 3 games below .500

Posted on February 9, 2012 by Chris Block| 6 Comments

By Chris Block

Wednesday night’s 4-3 loss to the visiting Lake Erie Monsters played out like a tale of two teams for this season’s Rockford IceHogs.

After an opening period which saw the IceHogs pepper Lake Erie’s veteran goaltender, and Chicago area product, Gerald Coleman with 17 shots, but not many second chance opportunities, Rockford went into the first intermission with nothing to show for their efforts.  The IceHogs then came out flat for the second period and quickly found themselves down 2-0 after some unfortunate turnovers.  Despite dominating the first period, Rockford reverted to its October through mid-December form in letting game get away from them on home ice.  By the midway point of the third Rockford was in a 4-1 hole.  But then, the IceHogs of the month of January suddenly reappeared and put up a challenge.  Dylan Olsen unleashed a howitzer of a one-timer to get his team within two goals with less than two minutes to play and a late Lake Erie penalty allowed Rockford to pull within one with 18 seconds to go.

This was the second consecutive game in which Rockford greatly outshot its opponent and lost.  Last Friday in Rosemont, the IceHogs out shot the Wolves 32-18, but lost the contest 4-2.  They were also down three goals with a minute left in that game.

On Wednesday night, Rockford out shot Lake Erie 17-7 in the first period.  None of those chances better than when Rostislav Olesz blew by two defenseman, Cameron Gaunce and Stefan Elliott, then wristed his shot too high over the glove of Coleman, who just got a piece of Olesz’s attempt as well. Read more »

Share

Posted in Game recap, IceHogs

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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”

Click the player below to listen or Right-Click Here to Download

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

TTMI~Radio ~ feed
Subscribe to TTMI~Radio on ITUNES

Share

Posted in TTMI~Radio

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 »

Share

Posted in Blackhawks, Trade

Tagged , , , , , ,

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.

Click the player below to listen or Right-Click Here to Download

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

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

TTMI~Radio ~ feed
Subscribe to TTMI~Radio on ITUNES

Share

Posted in Podcast, TTMI~Radio

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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 »

Share

Posted in Game recap, IceHogs

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,