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Friday Night Fights: The Waiting Game

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 01:25:00 GMT

The waiting game sucks. But, until the arbitrator rules on Antti Niemi's case, there isn't much else to do.

By now you've read all the analysis. We all know the story of Niemi, the Finnish wonder who was driving a zamboni 3 years ago, never even got an invite to try out for the Finnish national team, played in the AHL last year, won the backup job this season by virtue of Corey Crawford having a two-way contract and then finally winning the starting job from Cristobal Huet in March and winning the Stanley Cup. Suffice to say, the arbitrator isn't going to find much in the NHL files under "Similar Cases". While most of us hoped a last minute deal might be reached between the Niemi and the Hawks, it didn't happen, and now it's all in the hands of the arbitrator.

So, on with the uniformed speculation, what are the possiblities here?

1. The Hawks Win: Niemi is awarded a contract of less than $2.5 million, giving the Hawks the chance to sign him and keep him (possibly doing some further roster juggling along the way). This wouldn't be all bad for Antti either, since he'd have another year playing behind a pretty good season, followed by the chance to be an unrestricted free agent.

2. Niemi Wins: Rumor has it Niemi's agent Bill Zito is asking for something in the area $4 million. If the goaltender is awarded a contract of that size, the Hawks will be forced to walk away from it, and Niemi becomes an unrestricted free agent one year ahead of schedule, albeit after most teams have already settled their goaltending situation.

3. The middle: This is why I think Zito and his client would have been best served to try and get a contract that puts them under the Hawks cap prior to the hearing. If the arbitrator decides to split the difference between the two cases (which in the NHL they are allowed to do, unlike major league baseball), Niemi could potentially lose control of his own destiny. If the salary is in the area of $3 million or so, the Hawks could accept the tender and then trade Niemi to the team of their choosing. In all likelihood the Hawks would ship him out of conference, and probably not to a good team, leaving Antti with a less than optimal situation leading in to his UFA year.

Although presumably the Finn could just say "fuck it" and join Evgeni Nabokov in the KHL.

Ah, screw it. You know what never gets old? Matt Cooke getting punched in the face.

PUCKCAST: HOCKEENIGHT Meets THE GOALIE GUILD

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Hockeenight) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:25:00 GMT

Tonight we welcome Justin from The Goalie Guild. Of course we discuss Antti Niemi and Cristobal Huet. Also the Hawks' options should Niemi wind up walking.

We discuss Craig Anderson and Jocelyn Thiebault as well.

And Gilles Meloche, Vladislav Tretiak, Darren Pang, Eddie Belfour, Jim Craig, and pretty much any other goalie who sprung to mond.

Also, CT's love of stand-up goalies.

Enjoy.

HAWKS GETTING ORGANEZIZED: Bickell Signs for 3 years

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 14:57:00 GMT

Bryan Bickell signed a 3-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks yesterday worth $1.625 million. This makes his cap hit for the next three years a mere $541 thousand. Pretty much league minimum for a guy who figures to get a decent amount of ice time in the upcoming season.

Now this deal is a one-way deal. He also must clear waivers to be sent down to the minors, so when Hawks' GM Stan Bowman starts doing the Skille Shuffle this season, Bickell isn't on that list.

Now, let's clear one popular misconception up right here...waivers and one-way/two-way contracts have absolutely no bearing on one another. All a one-way deal means is that when a player signs, he gets paid the same amount whether he plays in the NHL or any other league (minors, junior, Europe, etc.). Waiver eligibility is based upon a formula of players' age and number of years since he signed his first professional contract. To wit:

	GOALIES		SKATERS
AGE	Years from signing 1^st NHL contract	NHL Games Played	Years from signing 1^st NHL contract	NHL Games Played
18	6*	80	5*	160
19	5*	80	4*	160
20	4	80	3	160
21	4	60	3	80
22	4	60	3	70
23	3	60	3	60
24	2	60	2	60
25+	1		1

“NHL Games Played” = Regular Season GP + Playoff GP

Age = age when signing 1^st NHL contract as described in Article 8
-- for 90% of players, this is largely true … but there are exceptions. When I’ve completely figured this out, I’ll post details on exactly how it works.

* - If a player plays in 11 or more NHL games at age 18 or 19, the exemption period shall drop to 4 years for goalies and 3 years for skaters with the first year playing in 11+ games counting as the 1^st year, and the following years counting toward the exemption regardless of if the player plays in the NHL.

(thanks to NHLSCAP.COM for the chart & info)

So anyway, Bickell can't do the Skille Shuffle. Last year, Jack Skille (then Bickell) were "sent to Rockford" on non-game days. The Salary Cap actually is a cumulative number, and every day that contract is in the minors instead of the NHL that buys some cap space for later in the season. So none of that for Bryan. On the other hand, he ain't going anywhere for three years. Anyone making this amount of money and can take a regular shift (let's remember he had some time with Kane & Toews, and held up his end) is worth his weight in gold. Even if he's not the next Al Secord, he'll be a bargain. Sometimes, bargains are almost as valuable as superstars.

Now, looking at the numbers on Capgeek we see...holy shit...the Hawks signed Hugh Jessiman? Wow. Perhaps the biggest bust this side of Christina Hendricks is now property of the Stanley Cup Champions. Huge Specimen was a first-round pick for the New York Rangers - two picks before the Hawks took Brent Seabrook. In fact, when Hawk fans get their Kyle Beach boners on, they might want to remember Huge Specimen. Hell, maybe the Hawks signed him to stay in Rockford as a reminder for Beach about what happens when you score goals, drop the gloves, and are dumb as a sack of hammers.

But I digress. The Hawks are currently a little over $403K over the Cap. During the offseason, teams are allowed to be up to 10% over. Which means they can sign Antti Niemi, and add another forward, another defenseman and a backup goalie for about $5 million.

This is where Bowman and QStache will have to work together this fall - sure, it would be nice to see Beach in the United Center, scoring some goals and being the second-string fighter behind the Murdersaurus. Beach, however, carries a cap hit of over a million, while guys like Chris DiDomenico and Igor Makarov make significantly less. Hell, you can almost fit those two guys in for what Beach would cost. Oh, I just used those guys as examples, so don't get too excited about DiDomenico just yet.

This is why the Hawks sent Marty Reasoner to the Panthers this week. A checking center making over a million dollars was a luxury the Hawks couldn't afford.

Here's something else to consider - the Chicago Blackhawks basically got the Stanley Cup on credit. They didn't claw their way up over the span of several years, finally culminating in a hard-fought triumph. Nope, they went from shithouse to penthouse in three years. Hell, these guys won it all in their second playoff run. So instead of clawing and paying dues to get there, the payment starts now. So, sure, they had to trade some guys we'd rather have seen stay. This will happen again next year. The harsh reality of the Salary Cap Era is that good teams can's stay intact.

Good teams have good players. Good players get paid more. Every team has a set amount they can spend, so there is a limit to how many guys you can give top dollar to. Oh, and before anyone starts with "The Hawks are getting screwed by the Cap", or "The Cap is unfair" or any other cursing of the Heavens you want to indulge in that involves the Salary Cap, remember this: If there were no Salary Cap, Marian Hossa would still be a Detroit Red Wing.

The Hawks have plenty of stars. They paid more for Niklas Hjalmarsson than they wanted to, but they'll adjust. They get $4 million in cap space next year they don't have this year, thanks to the bonuses they carried over from last season. That's money to re-sign Brent Seabrook and Troy Brouwer.

For this year, Brouwer is a bargain. Bryan Bickell is one for the next three.He's shown he can be tough. Here's hoping he gets some bad ideas in his head.

Friday Night Fights: Natural Rivals?

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 18:13:00 GMT

Did anyone know that Philadelphia and Ottawa harbor a deep-seated hatred for each other?

Me neither. I'm sure Dave Morris can give us an explanation in the comments, but its Friday and I've got one foot out the door. Which means your fight is early and my paragraphs are short.

Enjoy your weekend.

PUCKCAST: HOCKEENIGHT Hangs with HOCKEY INDEPENDENT

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Hockeenight) — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 03:37:00 GMT

Two Puckcasts in a week? In July? Are you kidding me?

Tonight we welcome our friend Al Cimaglia from XM Radio and hockeyindependent.com as well as our friend and sometimes contributor Dave Morris, who is part of more sites than Jack White and bands.

We talk a lot about the CBA, the state of the NHL, the Hawks' roster taking shape, Antti Niemi's arbitration hearing, and plenty more.

This one goes damn near two hours.

Enjoy.

PUCKCAST: HOCKEENIGHT Meets the HOCKEY BROAD

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Hockeenight) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:52:00 GMT

Tonight we welcome the Hockey Broad to the PUCKCAST. She's recently done a questionnaire with female hockey fans, so she talked about that, and how it pertains to marketing.

We discussed the Blackhawks Standbys (Standbies?), that she is a member of.

We talked the Hawks' roster options, as well as their depth in the organization.

And, of course, the California Golden Seals.

Enjoy.

Friday Night Fights: David Haugh Needs To Be Punched

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 01:19:00 GMT

Has the season started yet? Seriously, winning the Cup was awesome, and I think Stan Bowman's doing a pretty good job managing the roster this offseason, but the absolute deluge of bullshit being written on the Hawks this offseason has got me ready to drop the puck now, even if it means cutting short the Hockeenight Gloat-A-Thon.

Well, not really, but this idiocy needs to be shared.

For example, did you know that David Haugh has decided to devote much of the time he spends being wrong about the Bears, Bulls, Cubs and Sox to being wrong about the Blackhawks?

Mostly, Haugh seems to have absolutely no understanding of how the NHL salary cap works. Now most people would either not spend their time writing about it, or maybe do some research on the subject. That's what makes David Haugh unique. He would rather just blunder ahead using his own assumptions. One theme stands out in Haugh's work. He doesn't understand the concept of a hard salary cap.

Here's what he wrote in his June 23rd article in which he revealed that instead of researching the NHL salary cap, he revealed that he wasted the time of other reporters by asking stupid questions to Stan Bowman:

According to the too-good-to-be-true scenario, team captain Jonathan Toews, 22 going on 50, selflessly would approach the GM about deferring the $1.3 million bonus Toews received for winning the Conn Smythe Trophy. That way, the salary cap-strapped Hawks could hold on to one of the good players whose salaries they otherwise would have to dump and keep the gang together.

Are we sure that Haugh actually asked Bowman this? Yeah, we are.

So, that means its time to change gears and insinuate that the Blackhawks are cheap.

From his June 25th article:

"When sports teams put making ends meet ahead of making games up in the standings, fans still have a right to scoff even if the Bulls can justify their big move easier than the Blackhawks. It's still OK for it to sting a little when the main reason for dealing likable guys such as Byfuglien or Hinrich comes down to money."

Or that they are having a fire sale and somehow going to be way under the salary cap this year:

The Hawks could use some excitement themselves. The comeback to every lament over the exodus of players can't be, "Gee, wasn't the parade cool?" for much longer.

Of the 19 Hawks who logged ice time in the Stanley Cup-clinching Game 6 victory over the Flyers, Bowman has traded five of them: Dustin Byfuglien, Kris Versteeg, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager and Brent Sopel.

A sixth key player in the postseason, John Madden, isn't expected back.

Add Colin Fraser's trade to the Oilers and Adam Burish's signing with the Stars and the list of exiting Hawks equals eight. Which is enough, yes? Too much if you ask me.

As far under the salary cap the Hawks will be in '10, they will go over whatever they had budgeted for shipping after sending all the Cup rings to ex-Hawks

That's right, the Hawks traded all these guys to get waaay under the salary cap so they can reap huge profits this year. So how far under the cap are the Blackhawks after dumping all these guys? About $1 million OVER, with Cristobal Huet's salary still on the books.

Cheap bastards.

See? This offseason is lasting too long. I should be recapping games and cursing Barry Trotz's name, not cherry-picking quotes from David Haugh articles. I'm getting testy.

And so is Kyle Beach.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY: Championship DVDs out next week, in-store signings announced

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 16:24:00 GMT

You've gone out and dropped all kinds of dough on Stanley Cup Championship shirts, hats, license plate frames, and all that jazz already, haven't you?

I know I have. I'm sure if Miller High Life made a Blackhawks Brew, CT would have a truckload of the stuff.

But this is the one we've been waiting for...this is the DVD commemorating the Championship season.

It comes out this Tuesday (7/20), and there is going to be a lot of things happening to coincide with the launch...

There's going to be a big premiere Monday night at the IMAX theatre at Navy Pier, and Dave Bolland, Brian Campbell and Patrick Sharp will all be there. I don't think I need to remind anyone here that Patrick Sharp is a very handsome man.

After the premiere, you can go to the Best Buy at 1000 W. North Street, where there will be a Midnight release. While you're there, you can bask in Sharp's own handsomeness, as he'll be signing copies of the DVD...and ONLY copies of the DVD - so if you wanted your sweater or puck signed, forget it - save that stuff for the Fan Convention.

During normal hours on Tuesday, Campbell will sign DVDs at the Dominick's at 1340 S. Canal St. in Chicago from 11:00AM until 1:00PM. That evening, Bolland will sign DVDs at the Miejer in Orland Park, at 15701 71st Court. As with Sharp, they're signing DVDs only.

We'll have clips up later on, but let's cut to the chase here...

You and I both know we're getting this thing. The only question is will we get it in standard DVD format or go for the Blu-Ray. At this point, the confetti has all been swept away, a bunch of these guys aren't Blackhawks any more, and there may very well be more guys heading out. But this DVD will be our document of the season that was. While it's not unrealistic to think this team might win another Cup, the fact remains they will never erase another 49-year drought.

This one will be the one we'l watch when we're going through hockey withdrawals in the summer, or after a tough loss, or just when we want to feel good. There's plenty of highlights, along with interviews, some behind-the-scenes stuff, all that you expect from a Championship video.

I'm pretty sure the only complaint any Hawks fan will have about this is, it isn't long enough. So you might as well go out and grab a copy, and while you're at it, get one of the players to give you their John Hancock.

I mean "autograph", smartass.

PUCKCAST: HOCKEENIGHT, BLOGE SALMING & PENSION PLAN PUPPETS' VERSTEEG!fest

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Hockeenight) — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 02:50:00 GMT

Tonight we welcome ~~Optimus Prime~~ Chemmy from Pension Plan Puppets, along with Jeff from Bloge Salming. I honestly can't remember much about this Puckcast, other than us talking about the Versteeg trade, upper deckers, and the Hjalmarsson signing.

It all fades into the background amidst the unbridled awesomeness of Chemmy's phone apparently melting in the summer heat.

Enjoy.

Friday Night Fights: Probie

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 02:30:48 GMT

I'm not going to spend a lot of time memorializing Bob Probert. If you're interested in a heartfelt eulogy, there's a very good one over at Chicago Tough .

In the meantime, we'll send Bob off Friday Night Fight style.

Vaya con dios, Probie.

SHARKS JUMP HAWKS: Hjalmarsson signed to offer sheet

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 17:07:00 GMT

The Chicago Blackhawks' cap woes are the gift that keeps on giving. Like herpes or syphilis, once you think it's cleared up, it comes back.

Today the San Jose Sharks signed Hawks' defenseman Niklas Hjamlarsson to a 4 year, $14 million offer sheet. The Hawks now have 7 days to match the offer, or they lose Hjalmarsson for the Shark's first and third round picks in the 2011 NHL draft.

So what exactly are the Hawks' options here? I'm sure GM Stan Bowman would have liked to bring Hjalmarsson in for around $2.75 million per instead of 3.5. In the multimillion-dollar world of modern sports that might not sound like all that much money, but that's basically a fourth line or third pair player - they're paying for Hjalmarsson and Jordan Hendry, but only getting Hjalmarsson.

Of course, the easiest thing would be to just match. They have the Cap space, albeit barely. They'd have $113 thousand dollars, and that's without a backup goalie, a number 6 defenseman, or 3 forwards. It would probably speed things up with Antti Niemi. Rather than wait out the arbitration hearing, which would take place somewhere between July 20 and August 6, they would have to decide to either fish or cut bait.

There are still some inexpensive options out there, and one shitty one (Marty Turco). I'm sure the first think Bowman did when he heard about the offer sheet was call Niemi's agent. Once Niemi's status is set, either as a Blackhawk or not, they can decide what to do with Cristobal Huet. Waiving him looks to be the only option, and I'm sure the Hawks wanted to wait to settle things with Niemi before committing to anything.

The Sharks were smart to do this. Not only would Hjalmarsson strengthen their blueline, it would also weaken the team that kept them from the Stanley Cup Final. After Rob Blake's retirement and Evgeni Nabakov's departure to the KHL, they have plenty of Cap space. Even with the new deals for Joe Pavelski and Patrick Marleau, they've got over $6 million in cap space. A very calculated risk.

So what should the Hawks do? Given the choice between Hjalmarsson and Niemi, if they can only keep one, Hjalmarsson is the one to keep. He's part of the Hawks' system that makes the goaltender a far less important component than a lot of other teams. That's not to say you can stick Marty Turco in there and win (I can't stress this enough - MARTY TURCO SUCKS), but the Hawks don't require great goaltending, they only need "good enough".

Not only that, but Hjalmarsson's joining the defense late inthe 2008-09 season stabilized Brian Campbell's game. Campbell could be more creative with the puck knowing he didn't have to cover for a Matt Walker. Plus, Hjalmarsson is a guy who takes the body and blocks shots like a veteran.

The Hawks need to nut up and match. They've got a week.

HOCKEY COMES TO HOFFMAN: ECHL gives Greater Chicagoland Area franchise

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Hockeenight) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 10:48:00 GMT

OK, a question for our tens of readers...which is better, a new ECHL team in Hoffman Estates having an online contest to name the team, or us finding out about it?

I'm sure you are as excited as we are about the prospect of Hoffman Estates' rich professional hockey history being augmented by a brand-spanking-new team.

Oh yeah...remember the Hounds? Their first game was cancelled after the players were unable to skate on a rink where the surface wasn't so much ice as it was unflavored sherbet. Of course, this led to the team being derisively referred to by some (OK, me) as the Slush Puppies.

So here's the Hounds' owner, Craig Drecktrah, now being the proud owner of a franchise in a real-life league...for any Jewish readers among the tens, I'll give you a second here to giggle over "Drecktrah". Maybe he has a partner named "Marty Schlock".

Drecktrah, a former part-owner of the Rockford IceHogs, has announced that he hopes to have a working relationship with the Chicago Blackhawks. A spokesman for the Toledo Walleye was quoted as saying, "wait...what?"

So the contest...they have a list of what they're telling us are the most popular names on their site. Some of them are...interesting...

Chicago Hounds: Not bad the first time around, but would you really want to re-use the name of a team that ended in abject failure? On the other hand, maybe Drecktrah has a warehouse full of T-Shirts he still wants to move.

Chicago Cougars: Of course, this one resonates with us, since we've both read up on the WHA, and Fork occasionally rambles about the old Chicago Cougars. Of course, the word "Cougar" just meant big-ass cat back then. Nowadays (quick aside: We don't use "Nowadays" as much as we should), it has a slightly different meaning. So unless they want to put a picture of Demi Moore on the front of the jerseys, they might want to skip this one.

Chicago Blizzard, Chicago Express: Team Names that are singular instead of plural are stupid. Sorry, Lightning and Wild fans, but it's true.

Barrington Beavers: See Chicago Cougars.

Hoffman Hammers: Nice and illiterative. Also sounds like a finishing move for a wrestler.

Of course, as we are idea men here at HOCKEENIGHT, we are only too happy to help out with a few names...

Chicago Craftsmen: In honor of playing in Sears Centre, why not let Sears have a plug for their line of tools? In fact, you can even have a contest for each game, picking the "Tool of the Game". Winner gets a free spray tan.

Chicago Slush Puppies: In honor of the Hounds.

Cook County Commissioners: Lucky fans can get their relatives spots on the roster.

Hoffman Estates Hockeenights: Look, we'll foot the sponsorship for this one. How much can it be? 3-4 hundred bucks? CT can dig that much change out of his sofas.

But in the end, we need to settle on one. We're going to submit this one, and are asking everyone to join in supporting it. We thought long and hard about what it meant to have a team playing a fast, exciting game west of Route 53. We wanted something that pretty much embodied the spirit of the Greater Chicagoland Area, as well as the seemingly thousands of car dealerships in the Schaumburg/ Hoffman Estates area, as well is the mulletude that still exists, if not in sartorial splendor, at least bubbling under the surface:

Chicagoland Camaros

So go over there and vote early and often. Then we'll see if we can whore ourselves out to the new hockey team. Hell, someone needs to be their Official Website.

HOCKEENIGHT BOOK CLUB: Hockey: A People's History by Michael McKinley

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:07:00 GMT

On various Puckcasts, CT and I have discussed one hockey book or another. Still, when someone contacted us and asked if we would want to read this book and interview the author, I had to ask, "Why us?"

Despite the fact that the author's representative had heard of us, he still agreed to send us copies of the book for review, and we're still working on getting the book's author, Michael McKinley, on a Puckcast.

Anyway, here's my take on the book:

In the United States, baseball is referred to as the "National Pasttime", even though its popularity has waned in the last 25-30 years, to the point where it can be argued that it now lags behind football, basketball and auto racing in terms of popularity. In Canada, hockey is still second to none.

And that is the underlying theme of this aptly titled book. The book is a companion piece to the 10-part CBC documentary of the same name (full disclosure: I haven't watched the documentary, and didn't want to until after reading the book, as I wanted to base this on the book's own merits. Now I'm done talking about me, I promise.), and the book itself is downright gorgeous, with enough beautiful photographs to ensure it stays on your coffee table.

What McKinley does is take the history of hockey, from the wooden pucks in a game reserved for those of English descent, and brings it into the Modern era. At the same time, he parallels changes in the game with changes in Canadian society. You see teams of French, Irish, and Aboriginal Canadians forming, and the emergence of professional hockey, and the game's migration into the States.

In fact, something you'll find here almost cover-to-cover is the tug-of-war between the Canadian passion for the game and the lure of American money. Every professional league formed during the early Twentieth Century has an eye on the United States, up to and including the NHL. To this day, we've seen Canadian interests lose out to the lure of American revenue generated by television and merchandising, and larger, untapped markets.

At various times in the sport's history, Canadians have seen their game in danger of being taken from them, whether it be the Summit Series in 1972, or the 1987 Canada Cup, through the first Olympic Gold Medals for Canada in 50 years, the 2002 sweep of the Men's and Women's teams. In fact, Women's hockey gets no short shrift here, with stories throughout of female players, from girls pretending to be boys in order to play organized hockey, to formation of women's teams and leagues.

The narrative of the book will present the game in a different light...rather than just tell you about Wayne Gretzky's numbers, or things he was able to do on the ice, you'll read about what it meant to the people of Canada to see him play, or to find out he was in a restaurant nearby. How the "Richard Riots" of 1955 led to a surge in French-Canadian nationalism. How Hockey Night In Canada brought the players into everyone's homes, and how the telecasts brought the players to life across the Nation. Just as an ironic sidenote - the first team to televise hockey games was...the Chicago Blackhawks.

This edition of the book has a new chapter, which contains analysis of the KHL and its effect on the NHL, as well as the emerging role of bloggers in the game.

In summary, this book (along with Ken Dryden's "The Game") is about as close to "necessary" as a book can be for a hockey fan. From experience, you pick it up, and you'll find yourself devouring fifty pages before you know it.

Friday Night Fights: John Scott Will Punch Your Mustache Off

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 01:11:00 GMT

John Scott is a mountain of a man. He's a big, big man.

He's huge, 6 feet, 8 inches tall, and weighing in at 260 pounds.

We know he can fight, and that's pretty much what the Blackhawks are going to ask him to do.

And, we pretty much know that the guy is destined to be a folk hero in Chicago. He'll probably 100 games in two years, fight 6 or 7 times, score a goal or two on accident and the locals will build a statue to him as soon they can find a substance which is plentiful enough to complete the job.

The Hawks showed last year, that you can win a Stanley Cup without a true enforcer (as did the Penguins in 2009, and the Red Wings in 2008). Most people who don't generally manage teams in New York or Philadelphia seem to understand that.

But hey, that doesn't mean we can't enjoy having him around. There's plenty of video evidence that says this guy is going to kick somebody's ass this year. Tonight's fight showcases John against veteran pugilist George Parros. Parros, of course, is known for two things that we here at Hockeenight love - punching guys in the face, and having a kickass mustache. But John Scott doesn't cotton to a man trying to show him up in both categories. So, he decides to punch Parros' mustache into the back of his head.

Keep in mind, Parros is no flyweight himself, he's 6'5" and 222 lbs. And Scott doesn't knock him down with a haymaker, he just throws a jab into Parros' face, and that's enough to knock him down.

I think I'm gonna like having this kid around, but we're gonna need to get him a nickname. Nominations will be taken in the comments below.

I'm leaning towards "Murdersaurus".

HAWKS LOSE MOUNTAIN, GAIN GLACIER: Ladd to Atlanta, Hawks sign Scott.

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 10:33:00 GMT

OK, this was the one I kept saying wouldn't happen.

The Hawks dealt Andrew Ladd to Atlanta for minor league defenseman Ivan Vishnevskiy and a 2011 second round draft pick. I'm sure Stan didn't want to make this trade, and nobody wanted to see it happen.

Unfortunately, after the piles of money being thrown at piles of shit all day yesterday, the price for Ladd undoubtedly escalated outside of the Hawks' budget and cap space. Hell, the Jokinen and Boogaard deals alone mean Ladd should make a damn good buck. Good on him - the guy was an iron man and hard worker every minute he wore a Hawks sweater.

Speaking of good on him, congratulations also are due Adam Burish. He managed to get over $2 million out of the Dallas Stars over 2 years. Now somebody else is overpaying for fourth line forwards. I know Burish is popular here, and he was actually one of the smarter players on the Hawks, but his value to the franchise was unmistakable in the fact that he spend the Blackhawks' biggest game in nearly a half-century in street clothes.

The Hawks did manage to sign one free agent. Not a big name, but a big man. They signed defenseman John Scott away from the Minnesota Wild for two years, with a cap hit of a little over a half million a year. A bargain. There are two things I can tell you about him. He's the size of a glacier, and has the speed of one. At 6'8 and around 250 pounds, he will be an effective policeman on the ice.

The question with Scott will be, can he bring his game up to the Hawks' level? When he dresses, he'll have to fill third-pair minutes. Granted, that's around ten minutes a night. But he'll also be required to kill some penalties. If he improves his positional play, he can be a real asset here. A Giant with a massive wingspan, he can take up an awful lot of real estate out there during a PK.

The other thing is, I'm pretty sure he was hired for his fists. Losing Burish and Ben Eager meant losing the two guys most willing to drop the gloves. Scott can pummel guys. In fact, I expect CT to use him in this week's Friday Night Fight.

The first time he beats the ever-loving shit out of someone he'll be a Chicago Blackhawks legend.

Hockeenight Exclusive: Inside the Derek Boogard Negotiations

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 00:38:00 GMT

Weird things happen in free agency. Bizarre, frightening things.

Take for example, the contract of one Mr. Derek Boogard.

Today, Derek became an unrestricted free agent. Now, Boogard is a tremendous fighter. Frightening even. But his other skills are, uh, underdeveloped to say the least. Boogard averaged 6 minutes of ice time for the Minnesota Wild. He currently holds the longest active goalless streak in the NHL. What is all this worth to a team?

If you're Glen Sather, $6.4 million over 4 years. That's right, $1.6 million a season. To put it in perspective, that's the salary that Andrew Ladd made last year. No wonder the Hawks traded him to Atlanta, I mean, if Boogard's worth $1.6, Ladd should command near $4 million.

What in the hell would possess a man to give such a huge contract to such a limited player, especially in the salary cap era> Now, we at Hockeenight, have obtained through our top secret sources (Mark Messier), actual video footage of Boogard negotiating with Glen Sather:

Unfortunately, it appears that Pierre McGuire didn't make out quite as well.

WHEELING AND DEALING: Versteeg to Toronto

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 04:09:00 GMT

So 3 of the 4 guys we predicted might be gone are. While we wish Kris Versteeg the same gratitude and good wishes we wished Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel and even Ben Eager, there are some simple facts to face here.

First of all, for most of the season, Byfuglien and Versteeg were skating on the third line. Eager skated on the fourth line, when he dressed. Sopel was a third pair defenseman.

When you win a championship in any sport, these are the guys you hope you lose. The core of this team is still very much intact, and will be for a while.

Secondly, trades in the modern NHL aren't the same as they were before. Once, it was a very simple proposition - you traded players, you got players. Now, sometimes you have to trade players to keep players. SO while on paper you can say the Hawks traded Dustin Byfuglien, Ben Eager, Brent Sopel and Kris Versteeg (along with Akim Aliu and Bill Sweatt) for Kevin Hayes, Justin Moll, Marty Reasoner, Jeremy Morin, Viktor Stalberg, Phillippe Paradis and Christopher DeDemonico, you can also say the Hawks got Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith, Antti Niemi, Andrew Ladd and Niklas Hjalmarsson.

See, you only have a set amount of money to spend. In order to extend Kane, Toews and Keith last season, they knew salary needed to be moved. So you get to keep three stars, along with three other valuable players - now the Hawks have plenty of cap space to sign their three RFAs (Ladd, Niemi, HJalmarsson), and they will probably keep other RFAs Jordan Hendry, Bryan Bickell) in the fold as well. In fact, they might even have enough wiggle room to do a little shopping of their own.

The thing to admire about Stan Bowman's trading here is that he moved all these players to teams where they probably won't hurt the Hawks. I'm guessing Versteeg hits career a new career high in goals in Toronto this season - he'll skate top 6 minutes every night, and will be able to drag the puck around to his heart's content - there isn't a lot of offensive creativity there outside of Phil Kessel. But still, neither the Thrashers nor the Maple Leafs are going to be Cup contenders this season. Of course, that's not to say any of these guys might not be dealt to a contender at some point. But that's really out of Stan Bowman's hands.

So the Hawks managed to load up more organizational depth, and there's a very real chance that Stalberg might make the team this season, and they can still backfill the roster with inexpensive players from Rockford. This team's retooling is almost complete, and it still has the look of a Championship contender.

Sorry folks, doesn't look like you're getting rid of the Hawks that easily.

PUCKCAST - HOCKEENIGHT Gets CHICAGO TOUGH

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Hockeenight) — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 03:17:00 GMT

This week we welcome John from Chicago Tough. We discuss dongs, the new hockey team playing in Hoffman Estates , the Hawks and the salary cap, the California Golden Seals, and CT asks 5 questions.

You know, the usual.

Enjoy.

GETTING DEEP: Hawks Draft In Review

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (Forklift) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 14:49:00 GMT

For years, the Chicago Blackhawks have reaped the benefits (such as they are) of being shitty by drafting early. While this can lead to the occasional Remi Royer or Mikhail Yakubov, it also led to Jonathan Toews being available at 3 in 2006 and getting the top pick in 2007, which was Patrick Kane.

The teams have their tables arranged according to draft position. This means the Edmonton Oilers were up front, and the Chicago Blackhawks were waaaaay in back. Also, since their pick was last in the first round, nothing earth shattering was going to happen, so I took my wife dancing instead of waiting around for hours to see a teenager pull on a Hawks sweater.

Let's see how they did:

Kevin Hayes, RW 6'2 201 - 1st Round, 24th overall (From Atlanta)

Really good pick. He's got good size, and moves around the ice well for a kid his size. He'll join his brother Jimmy (who the Blackhawks acquired from Toronto for a second-round pick) at Boston College this fall. Kevin is quicker and more skilled than Jimmy, but he's inexperienced. The Hawks are in a position where they don't require any immediate help, and so they can wait for Hayes. The fact that he's going to BC means he'll be able to develop in a top-flight program.

OK, A quick word for the benefit of neophyte hockey fans. You more experienced types might want to skip onto the next part:

Here's how the NHL draft rules work...once you draft a kid, one of two things happens: if he's playing Junior hockey, you've got a year to get him under contract. Otherwise he goes back into the draft. If he's in college, the clock doesn't start running while he's in school. So deafting someone right out of high school like Hayes means you have even more development time than usual.

Ludvig Rensfeldt, LW 6'3 192 - 2nd round, 35th overall (From Islanders)

Another forward with pretty good size, Rensfeldt entered this season looking like someone ready to make the jump into the top ranks for this year's draft class. His numbers really weren't bad, 21G29A in 39 regular season games in Swedish Juniors. Basically the same as the previous year though, which means there didn't seem to be much development. One knock on him seems to be a lackadaisical approach. That's a shame, because the little I know about him is that he's a pretty good two-way forward, something the Hawks obviously love.

Justin Holl, D 6'2 170 - 2nd round, 54th overall (From Atlanta)

Holl, like Hayes, is an American high schooler. In fact, Americans were a big story in this year's draft, with 11 being selected in the first round and 11 more in the second. Holl had an outstanding year, captaining his high school team to a state championship and being a finalist for the state's Mr. Hockey award. He also played for Omaha in the USHL once his high school season was over, picking up 4 assists in 11 games. He's going to the University of Minnesota, where he can join fellow Blackhawks prospect Nick Leddy on the blueline.

Kent Simpson, G 6'2 182 - 2nd round, 58th overall (From Islanders)

CT is gonna love this guy. Not only for the inevitable Simpsons references, but he's a stand-up goalie. He played for the Canadian under-18 team, and had an outstanding season playing for Everett in the Western League, posting a .925 save percentage and 2.26 goals against. He was also awarded the team's Scholastic Player of the Year award.

Stephen Johns, D 6'3 215 - 2nd round, 60th overall

Nice big kid from Wampum PA, Dick Allen's home town. Allen once wore "Wampum" on his name plate when he played for the A's. Hopefully Johns will fight that temptation. One of seven players from the US under-18 team chosen in the first two rounds, Johns will be attending Notre Dame next season. That will drive the Hawks' green jersey sales.

Joakim Nordstrom, C 6'1 160 3rd round, 90th overall

When I did last season's draft recap, the recurring theme was "needs to bulk up". This is the first guy I've had to say this about. He gor 6G9A in 28 games in Swedish Junior. See how he develops.

Rob Flick, C 6'2 190 4th round, 120th overall

15 goals, 19 assists, 15 fights, 157 penalty minutes in 65 regular-season games in the OHL. This kid's a good boy.

Mirko Hoefflin, C 5'11 154 6th round, 151st overall (From Edmonton)

A little guy with good hands - 32G35A in 24 German Junior League games. Yeah, I didn't know there was a German Junior League either. By virtue of being drafted, he's automatically the best German player since Uwe Krupp.

Nick Mattson D 6'1 190 6th round, 180th overall

This might be the Hawks' sleeper. He had a solid season with the Indiana Ice, overcoming injuries early to post 5G14A in 51 games. He's attending the University of North Dakota this fall, but he actually looks like he might develop into a fairly solid two-way defender.

Mac Carruth G 6'2 172 7th round, 191st overall (from Dallas)

Not great numbers in his first year in the Western League - a .893 save percentage to go along with 3.41 GAA. To be fair, Portland's goalies didn't exactly have a bunch of Duncan Keiths in front of them, but still...

So the Hawks looked for size in this draft, and also chose all "project" players. Fortunately, they have enough talent at the NHL level, along with a decent pipeline of talent closer to NHL readiness, to where these players won't be under any pressure to get to that level any sooner than is proper.

Once we have the benefit of hindsight, we can fully evaluate this draft class. But there are a few guys here who actually look like pretty solid picks. We'll see.

Friday Night Fights: A Fond Farewell

Meatheads@hockeenight.com (CT) — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 01:33:00 GMT

As we all know, the Blackhawks have already started reconstructing their Stanley Cup winning team. While we all knew this was coming, it still sucks to see some of our favorites go. Anybody who reads this site, knows we've now got a healthy man-love for Brent Sopel, and Dustin Byfuglien certainly gained a following during the playoffs. Ben Eager, well, he had his moments, and I'm sure somebody will miss him too.

So, here on Friday Night Fights we have a final salute to the men who helped the Hawks win the Cup, but ultimately couldn't be kept on the team. First, Dustin Byfuglien versus Keith Tkachuk:

Ben Eager's 2nd greatest moment as a Blackhawk:

A young, spry, Brent Sopel takes on Brendan Morrow:

The best part is Sopel being referred to as an offensive defenseman.

In other news, Colin Fraser was also traded this week, but it seemed more respectful to NOT show one of his fights.