It’s Time for the Annual “Circus” Road Trip for Hawks

It’s that time of year again for the Chicago Blackhawks.

If you are a Hawks fan you know exactly what I mean. This is the time of the year when the Circus comes into Chicago, forcing both the Bulls and Blackhawks to go on a 2-week road trip.

The Hawks go into their 2-week road trip confident after winning four straight games. They sit at the 3rd spot in their conference and 1st in their division.

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Marian Hossa Injury Update

Marian Hossa, forward for the Chicago Blackhakws, recently answered some questions about his decision to let doctors perform surgery on his right rotator cuff.

Hossa said the recovery was coming along well, and that he doesn’t have a different timetable other than what the doctors have said. Hossa is scheduled to miss two months of the regular season.

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Martin Havlat Nets Two Goals Against ‘Hawks

Preseason hockey for the Hawks started last weekend, and a match up against the Minnesota Wild seemed, to me, to be a preseason game watching.

Why you might ask?

Well this off-season the Hawks had told their fans that they had interest in re-signing forward, and points leader for the team, Martin Havlat. Havlat said he would love to stay in Chicago, and that Chicago was the only place he wanted to be.

As you might know, Havlat was released.

The Hawks signed Marian Hossa before Havlat was released, but fans knew once they signed Hossa, Havlat wouldn’t be returning.

Jump forward a couple of months.

Upon his return to Chicago, Havlat scored two goals. I don’t know what you think, but I think that’s a statement. Releasing Havlat was a cruel thing to do. After all, he was your season MVP. It was just the wrong thing to do. Havlat understandably probably wanted some renvege against his former team.

If I am the Hawks, I would watch out. This guy can hurt you from all angles of play. He was a valuable player to the Hawks, and now he might bite them in the butt.

Chicago Blackhawks Season is Right Around the Corner

I went to the Blackhawks website earlier today, and I realized that pre-season for the Hawks is just around the corner. I don’t know how I forgot that, but it had me happy knowing that the hockey season is just around the corner.

The Hawks were one of the most talked about hockey team last year, and they proved they could compete against seasoned teams. The Hawks team was made of mostly young players who battled all the way to the Western Conference Finals only to lose to rival Detroit Red Wings. While the fans and the players were disappointed they didn’t make it the big game, it did show them that they can compete against the big dogs.

This year has the same amount of hype, only notched up to a whole different level. Fans know they can play for the Cup. Now they want to see them win the Cup. If there was a year for Chicago this is it. Salary cap problems will trouble the Hawks next year, which will for sure make the management cut some very good talent. With this problem looming just over the horizon, the Hawks have their best chance this year. It is all or nothing for the Chicago hockey team.

It wasn’t all good news this off-season. The Hawks lost two great and fan-loved players, Martin Havlat and Nikolai Khabibulin. Havlat was the top points leader for the Hawks last year, and Khabibulan was the Hawks first-string goaltender. Losing both your #1 goalie and scoring could be devastating for the Hawks.

Lets not forget that 2007 #1 draft pick Patrick Kane was arrested on robbery and assault charges last August. It was the type of news the Hawks did not want. While it didn’t end up to anything that serious, it was bad press nonetheless, and bad press is never good for a team.

The Hawks signed Marian Hossa to replace Havlat, but Hossa is injured and it’s not 100% known when he will be healthy enough to return. This has all the ingredients to backfire on the Hawks. The team is now relying on the young core to keep the team’s playoff hopes alive while Hossa is gone. Fans can only hope the Hawks don’t fall too behind the #8 spot in the Conference.

The Hawks will also have to rely on yet-proven goaltender Christobal Huet. Huet has been given a huge contract, but he did not live up to it last season making Hawk fans scratch their heads and thinking “Did we make a mistake?” Khabibulan was the better goalie last year, but with Huet’s contract being so high and because of the team already close to the salary cap, the management had no other choice but to release Khabibulan. So it’s Huet’s year whether fans like it or not. There is one good thing going foir Huet, and that is he played really well in the Conference Finals against the Wings.

Was that a sign of better things to come?

Lets hope so.

The full schedule is up on the Hawk’s website. Their first regular season game is on October 2. It will be unique because the Hawks will not in the United States or Canada, but in Finland. It will be the 1st out of 2 games played in Finland.

Marian Hossa Will Undergo Surgery to Repair Right Rotator Cuff

It’s official that Marian Hossa, who has a small tear in his rotator cuff in his right shoulder, will undergo surgery. Hossa was signed by the Blackhawks in this year’s off-season in a huge contract that gave him, on average, $5.2 million a year.

The Hawks said that they were aware of the shoulder injury before they signed him.

“Marian’s injury did not respond sufficiently to our non-operative treatment over the last three weeks so we have collectively decided today to go ahead with the surgery,” Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman said in a statement. “Marian is a franchise player, and we want what is best for him and the Blackhawks long-term. This was a mutual decision and one we feel very confident is the right one.”

Hossa is expected to miss 4 months, which will shelve him for 2 months of the regular season. I can’t help to feel a little mad. We sign this guy to a huge contract, and give up our #1 leader in points, and the guy we get to replace him can’t even play the first 2 months.

Hawks trainer says that after the surgery Hossa will be 100 percent, and that this surgery will be better for Hossa long-term. I hope that is true. I want Hossa to be around and give the Hawks some really good years, but most importantly, aide them to wining a Stanley Cup.

I am sure that the young players on the Hawks will do fine without Hossa, but I can’t be totally sure. The Hawks did lose their best goalie, and our MVP this off-season. Two big losses that could hurt the Hawks even more now that Hossa will be gone for the first 2 months. Hawk’s fans will have to hope that the Hawks really don’t struggle so much early on.

Still I am still optimistic about this year for the Hawks. I really want to believe that Huet will have a more consistent year in the net. Speaking of goalies, the Hawks have not announced who the back-up goalie will be. They have signed Crawford and Niemi, but have not announced who will be behind Huet. I would like to see Crawford get the spot. He was supposed to be the next thing, and I really liked what I saw when they did play him. Niemi wasn’t bad, but he seemed slow form post to post, the same problem Huet has.

As big of a hit this is for the Hawks, I am confident we have the skill to tough it out, and to get back into the playoffs this year.

Hawks Re-Sign Versteeg, Keep Young Core Intact for What Could be a Great 2009-10 Season

The Chicago Blackhawks have re-signed 23-year old forward Kris Versteeg to a 3-year, $9.25 million deal. Recently rated 21st best franchise in sports today by ESPN, the Hawks have kept their young team mostly intact. The Hawks have drafted great young talent the last couple of years, and it has made hockey nation look at Chicago as a serious contender for the Stanley Cup.

After losing the Western Conference Finals to Detroit, Hawk fans are really excited for what next year could bring. Many more NHL teams and owners are taking this young Hawks team seriously now. While the Hawks have lost their season MVP, Martin Havlat, they did add a powerful scoring forward in Marian Hossa. The Hawks lost a great goaltender in Khabibulan, and leaving the team to Huet is a bit risky. Huet has shown he can be a great goaltender, but his inconsistent play has had Hawk fans questioning how good a deal it was to pick him up and at such a steep price.

The Hawks have really big expectations to fulfill this coming season, and nobody really can say for sure if this team is capable of going all the way next year. As young as the team is though, Chicago fans are at least positive that the Hawks could win a championship in the near future. While the future is bright, the players don’t need to feel like they have no room to improve. Their inexperience was exploited by the veteran Detroit team last year in the playoffs and Detroit seems to always have the Hawks’ number. Most of all, Detroit capitalized on every mistake the Hawks made, and the Hawks will have to limit their mistakes against the Red Wings moving forward.

One thing that made me mad was the hatred for the Hawks by Sports Illustrated. They never gave credit to the Hawks, even when they made it deep into the postseason. They said they would lose against the Flames and the Canucks. When the Hawks did win those two series, SI didn’t praise the wins, they just ignored them completely. Just recently Alan Muir has called the Hossa signing a bad one. Come on! They never give the Hawks credit for building a team that can win. Sorry for going on a mini rant, but that has always bothered me a lot.

With prospect camps currently ongoing, the Hawks could find another gem. Next hockey season will be a fun and interesting ride for the Hawks and their fans. As a fan, I can only wish for another playoff berth, and who knows, maybe even a Cup.

Martin Havlat’s Career With Chicago Uncertain as Blackhawks Sign Marian Hossa

The Chicago Blackhawks have one more day to sign either forward Martin Havlat or Nikolai Khabibulin. Free agent signing started today at 11 a.m. If the Hawks are going to sign anybody it will most likely be Havlat. No disses to Khabibulin, but everyone is expecting the Hawks to let him go because of the $22.5 million contract that Huet has. I would love to see Khabibulan stay, but it just doesn’t seem too realistic right now. Even Havlat isn’t a sure thing. Dale Tallon has talked to both players’ agents, but there has been no luck.

Martin Havlat was voted team MVP and was the team leader in points both in the regular season and the playoffs. It would be a big disappointment if Havlat was not re-signed. Havlat has said that he only wants to be in Chicago, and sources say he wants a long-term contract — even if it means having to take a pay cut.

UPDATE (as I write this post!): According to Daren Dreger of TSN.ca, the Blackhawks have signed a multi-year deal with forward Marian Hossa. This news can only mean that Havlat will probably not return with the Hawks. According to TSN, it is a 12-year contract worth $5.2 million a season. This is a huge signing for the Hawks. They are adding some great firepower to their team. New information keeps on coming in as I type this. $53 million will be paid the first 7 years, and a little less than $9 million the last 5 years.

The Hawks keep on trying to improve, and with a signing like this, they are on right track to do just that. I really love what Dale Tallon and the other guys are doing with this Hawks team. I am already pumped for the next season. I am sad that Havlat might be going (though that has not yet been confirmed) but at the same time the Hawks have picked up a great forward in Marian Hossa. Hossa had 40 goals last year with the Red Wings.

The Hawks made it to the Western Conference Finals last season, only to be ousted by their rival the Red Wings. With added firepower the Hawks have a chance to hold the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961. As a die-hard Hawks fan, I am really pleased how the organization is trying so hard to win. They are making great choices. I wish all Chicago teams had great organizations like the Hawks do. (Cubs).

*UDATE: The Hawks also signed Thomas Kopecky to a two year deal at $1.2 million each season.

* – Marian Hossa photo credit: 360Blog.org via Kings Kool-Aid