The Blackhawks are going in a new direction

[zack54attack]

Figured I'd share this from one of our Blackhawks writers:

A New Direction for the Chicago Blackhawks - CHICITYSPORTS - Chicago Sports Blog - News - Forum - Rumors - Fans

This is a new age of Chicago Blackhawks hockey. But how confident should we be?

www.chicitysports.com

 

[hawkinmontreal]

No really, what gave you that idea. Didn’t need an article to explain that, the writing has been on the wall for years.

 

[MassHavoc]

Figured I'd share this from one of our Blackhawks writers:

A New Direction for the Chicago Blackhawks - CHICITYSPORTS - Chicago Sports Blog - News - Forum - Rumors - Fans

This is a new age of Chicago Blackhawks hockey. But how confident should we be?

www.chicitysports.com

I'm going to need a better source than that hack website, their mods are the worst too, can't trust anything there...

 

[MassHavoc]

I'm more disgusted they have been going through all this business as usual without a non "interim" president. Should have had a new one hired a while ago, and he should have fired Stan day one.

 

[Vanken]

Going in a new direction, or just being more transparent about it? You decide.

Podcasts

Podcasts

podcast.sportsnet.ca

 

[LordKOTL]

Being the cynical bastard I am...they aren't going in a new direction--they're continuing their trajectory since 2015: Down.

 

[MassHavoc]

Being the cynical bastard I am...they aren't going in a new direction--they're continuing their trajectory since 2015: Down.

I think Stan is finally getitng the opportunity to build a team from the ground up with out a core built on someone elses work and draft picks and he's drawing the line in the sand to make it know that this is fully going to be his team, his players and his decisions going forward. Unfortunately for him, it's not a video game and takes a lot more than pushing paper around and looking at balance sheets.

 

[KBIB]

The Hawks problem is and always will be that there's three players, Toews, Keith, and Seabrook, who command more respect in the locker room then the coach.

I'm leaving Kane out since he's always the first guy reported to be communicating with every new player.

But if Toews doesn't like something, you really don't think that has more clout in the locker room then anything JC says? The guys the captain of three cup winners, I'm sure the young guys weigh his opinion over anything JC or Blowman have to chime.

Part of me thinks Blowman wants Toews, Keith and Seabs to ask for trades. When they drafted Reichel, they had a Zoom set up for Dach instead of one of the franchise icons who happens to be the captain. That says alot right there.

 

[KBIB]

And for the record, I think Dach will become a great player, but I highly doubt he comes close to what Toews was in his prime.

Toews was relentless in his own zone against the other teams top players. He and Bergeron are the reasons why the two way center has become vouge. The miles added up on Toews and he's about 60% of what he was and declining, but at least I can say I saw one of the greats in his prime, and like it or not, Toews is one of the best to ever play the game. His light dimmed quick, but at its brightest he was a treat.

 

[ruprecht]

And for the record, I think Dach will become a great player, but I highly doubt he comes close to what Toews was in his prime.

Toews was relentless in his own zone against the other teams top players. He and Bergeron are the reasons why the two way center has become vouge. The miles added up on Toews and he's about 60% of what he was and declining, but at least I can say I saw one of the greats in his prime, and like it or not, Toews is one of the best to ever play the game. His light dimmed quick, but at its brightest he was a treat.

Hard to replace a Hall of Famer, but I see greatness in Dach. Gonna be fun when that dude fills out

 

[RacerX]

And for the record, I think Dach will become a great player, but I highly doubt he comes close to what Toews was in his prime.

Toews was relentless in his own zone against the other teams top players. He and Bergeron are the reasons why the two way center has become vouge. The miles added up on Toews and he's about 60% of what he was and declining, but at least I can say I saw one of the greats in his prime, and like it or not, Toews is one of the best to ever play the game. His light dimmed quick, but at its brightest he was a treat.

Do you believe fans outside Chicago consider Toews “one of the best to ever play the game”?

I think he is likely viewed with great admiration and as a superstar, but to qualify for your characterization one has to be the best player of a generation, or at least over the course of several years. JT in my opinion is close, but by my definition a notch below your assessment.

 

[KBIB]

Do you believe fans outside Chicago consider Toews “one of the best to ever play the game”?

I think he is likely viewed with great admiration and as a superstar, but to qualify for your characterization one has to be the best player of a generation, or at least over the course of several years. JT in my opinion is close, but by my definition a notch below your assessment.

I don't really care what fans outside of chicago think, only because the chances the Toews/Hossa dynamic robbed their teams of chances at a Stanley Cup.

Fans will scrutinize point totals, I'll point to Cups.

Fans will say the Hawks were deep, I'll say somebody had to lead them.

Fans will say X third liner has three cups, I'll say Toews was drafted to be great and proved he was when he had to be.

For a five year window, Toews was one of the best centers in the game,if not the second best after Crosby. He had the perfect wingman in Hossa, the best defenseman in the game at the time in Keith, and a blossoming superstar in Kane who is one of the greatest clutch finishers ever.

Toews shut teams down. 2010 for the next four years he was a possession monster to the point only one player can say he was better during that time frame(Bergeron) and was doing it against the other teams top players. Those types of players don't come along as much as many wish to believe and there's only two during the cap era of merit, with Toews being one of them.

Every team is looking for the next Toews

 

[KBIB]

Hard to replace a Hall of Famer, but I see greatness in Dach. Gonna be fun when that dude fills out

I agree, but he either needs to shoot more or have a shoot first guy on his wing.

I've been spoiled as a fan watching Kane and early Savard for years and see what an elite playmaker is. Dach isn't that type of playmaker. He's a grinder. The type who gets results from hard work.

My assessment that Dach has the potential to be a bigger Doug Gilmour hasn't changed.

 

[MassHavoc]

The Hawks problem is and always will be that there's three players, Toews, Keith, and Seabrook, who command more respect in the locker room then the coach.

I'm leaving Kane out since he's always the first guy reported to be communicating with every new player.

But if Toews doesn't like something, you really don't think that has more clout in the locker room then anything JC says? The guys the captain of three cup winners, I'm sure the young guys weigh his opinion over anything JC or Blowman have to chime.

Part of me thinks Blowman wants Toews, Keith and Seabs to ask for trades. When they drafted Reichel, they had a Zoom set up for Dach instead of one of the franchise icons who happens to be the captain. That says alot right there.

I think you can bring a guy in like JC to a young team that hasn't had the success the hawks have had and he'd be fine at commanding the room and getting the best out of them, even if their are some vets. But like you said, he's come into a situation where there are at least 3 guys who are almost the same age as JC, have been around much longer than JC, and have won a hell of a lot more than JC. It's going to be really hard for him to do anything without those guys on board, and here both Stan and JC himself are putting rifts inbetween. The stache was already a damn good coach and a winner before he got there so he'd already earned the respect, I'm not saying JC isn't or can't be a good coach but it's an odd fit, and doesn't seem right for the team.

 

[RacerX]

I don't really care what fans outside of chicago think, only because the chances the Toews/Hossa dynamic robbed their teams of chances at a Stanley Cup.

Fans will scrutinize point totals, I'll point to Cups.

Fans will say the Hawks were deep, I'll say somebody had to lead them.

Fans will say X third liner has three cups, I'll say Toews was drafted to be great and proved he was when he had to be.

For a five year window, Toews was one of the best centers in the game,if not the second best after Crosby. He had the perfect wingman in Hossa, the best defenseman in the game at the time in Keith, and a blossoming superstar in Kane who is one of the greatest clutch finishers ever.

Toews shut teams down. 2010 for the next four years he was a possession monster to the point only one player can say he was better during that time frame(Bergeron) and was doing it against the other teams top players. Those types of players don't come along as much as many wish to believe and there's only two during the cap era of merit, with Toews being one of them.

Every team is looking for the next Toews

Sorry I asked.