Hey, I remember these guys.  You know, those Blackhawks who take advantage of other teams mistakes on offense, clamp down in their own end and clear every possible rebound their no-name goalie leaves lying around?

Yeah, those guys were back tonight. 

A word, before I get to the usual, on Chris Chelios.  Tonight was Chelios' heritage night.  There are still some who can't seem to forgive Chris because he once went on Mike North's radio show and when North asked him if he'd ever play for the Red Wings, Chelios, not wanting to booed at home, said no.  A few years later, when the Hawks were a shit team and cut a deal sending him to Detroit, Chelly didn't refuse to report, and has now been labeled  by some as a "liar" and a "traitor".

First of all, fuck Mike North for even asking that question.  The career longevity of that mush-brained dope will go down as the one of the 7 Wonders of the Broadcast World.  And fuck anybody who holds that again Chelios.  Really, if you're that offended by someone lying to Mike North, go string up the Sports Webio guy.

Secondly, "traitor"?  Really?  What are we, 8 year olds?  Chris Chelios busted his ass every night he played for the Blackhawks.  He played through pain, injury and Bob Pulford's idiocy, never giving less than his all.  He won 2 Norris Trophy's here, and entertained the hell out of us.  If you can't put that above the fact that he later wore a Red Wings jersey, well, I feel sorry for you. 

Anyway, fuck that noise, the Hawks beat the Red Wings, which means all is well.

THE GOOD

Brian Campbell - Holy hell, what a game from Campbell.  He was solid in his own zone, and made some great plays on offense, skating through several Red Wings at their blue line and then making a beautiful pass to spring Tomas Kopecky for his first goal, and later setting up Patrick Sharp on the doorstep, only to have him be robbed when Jimmy Howard threw his goal stick.

Jack Skille - Skille ended up with only one assist, but he was one of the Hawks best players in the offensive zone.  He was getting good position and driving to the net with the puck, getting quality chances on Jimmy Howard who stopped him every time.  But if Jack keeps that up, he's going to start denting the twine more often.

Team Defense/Corey Crawford - Crawford was good, stopping 30 shots from the Red Wings, but he gave up a ton of fat rebounds.  And that's where the team defense came in, as the Hawks were excellent in front of their own net, jumping on rebounds and clearing them before the Wings could capitalize.

THE BAD

Not much bad tonight, because let's face it, the Hawks were short handed and playing the best team in the conference.  There wasn't much margin for error.  Although I don't need to see John Scott taking anymore face offs, unless he's actually ripping somebody's face off.

THE UGLY

What's worse than somebody hitting you in the face with their stick on a baseball swing?  Well, how about when it's your teammate?  Fernando Pisani made his first appearance in 8 games, and Dave Bolland welcomed him back by nearly cleaving his head from his shoulders.  Pisani returned to the game, because hey, he's a hockey player.


I love this one: