Photo credit: Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images / Yahoo Sports

Last September, depending on whom you asked, Sharks’ GM Doug Wilson was either the bravest team executive in the league or the dumbest.

Wilson had gambled his Sharks’ fortunes on an old dog, the once-great Jeremy Roenick.  The same Roenick who’d supposedly announced his retirement two months prior via text message and was seemingly fading out of the NHL spotlight the way no one would’ve ever imagined considering Roenick’s track record; without much fan fare.

But Roenick wasn’t about to be forgotten. 

The retirement story for those who’ve followed his career closely seemed absurd considering J.R. has never done much of anything quietly nor concealed from a television camera.  That’s just not his style.

Whether he was feigning retirement to drum up one last round of calls from general managers or he really had come to terms with his career only Roenick truly knows.  It is however, what followed that may just define his legacy forever.

Doug Wilson wasn’t looking for a first-line center or a scoring winger.  What Wilson’s Sharks needed was a pulse.  A character-guy on the ice, in the locker room, on the plane and in the hotel lobby.  Someone who’d take some of the spotlight away from some of the many young players San Jose would be counting on this season.  Rookies like Torrey Mitchell, Tomas Plihal and Devin Setoguchi (not the DAVID Setoguchi Hawks’ announcer Dan Kelly saw playing for the Sharks this year) along with young stars Milan Michalek, Joe Pavelski and Marc-Edouard Vlasic.  A guy who’d relish the opportunity to be a spokesperson for the team when others (read that Patrick Marleau) would rather not.

For the past few seasons San Jose’s had a team, at least on paper, which figured to have what it took to win it all.  What they didn’t have was a swagger.  The certain cockiness that the great teams always seem to have. 

There’s a fine line in sports between arrogance and confidence.  Arrogance in the NHL playoffs will likely get you eliminated.  A haughty bunch will get stung by a group fueled by the fear of failure most times than naught.  However, a talented self-confident group with a fighting spirit comes in with a leg up on the competition.

Doug Wilson was tired of getting stung in the playoffs.  So, with few options in free agency he turned to an old ally, Jeremy Roenick.

The move didn’t come without its stipulations however.  Wilson and Roenick both claim nothing would be guaranteed to J.R.  The now 38-year-old future Hall of Fame candidate would need to prove himself worthy of a roster spot.  Roenick would be asked to be a mentor to the younger Sharks and accept a minimal on-ice role.  This wasn’t going to be about Roenick, his controversial persona or his statistical milestones.  This was about team; the San Jose Sharks, and the greater goal – a championship.

There was ONE other thing; Roenick would have to give up alcohol for the entire season.  It was a request Wilson felt would verify Roenick’s commitment to San Jose’s ultimate goal – the Stanley Cup, something J.R. had also yet to attain in his career.

With the conditions met and his abilities proven up to the task, Roenick quickly earned the respect of his teammates and fans alike. 

He reached the 500-goal plateau in a fashion most elite goal scorers would be embarrassed by, a fluke redirection off the HP Pavilion dasher-boards, which Phoenix goalie Alex Auld actually batted into his own net on November 10 in San Jose.  For Roenick, it seemed apropos and he celebrated it just as if he’d just gone end-to-end, dekeing every member of the Coyotes on his way to 500.

Roenick compiled 14 goals and 39 points in 69 regular season appearances with the Bay area hockey club.  Of those fourteen tallies, ten officially registered as game-winning goals.

While his regular season accomplishments may have earned him comeback player of the year honors, it seemed the J.R. career-rejuvenation tour had hit some black ice during the Western Conference quarter-final series with Calgary.  Roenick had just three shots on goal in the first five games of the series and hadn’t exhibited the same physical intensity he had during the regular season.

Prior to game six in Calgary, Sharks’ coach Ron Wilson made a decision that may have saved his team’s post season.  Wilson made the call to scratch the worn-down Roenick for Game 6, knowing full-well Roenick, who admitted he was “crushed” when Ron Wilson informed him he wouldn’t be playing in game six, had a history of coming up big in game sevens.  If it came down to it, Wilson would be armed with additional ammunition in the series-deciding match Tuesday night; a well-rested, fired up Jeremy Roenick.

Coming into Tuesday’s game, Roenick had played in five game 7’s in his post season career and scored a total of four goals in those contests.

Well, Ron Wilson is a genius at least for one day.  Roenick came through when his team needed him most.  He was the ingredient Doug Wilson was looking for when he signed Roenick to a one-year, five hundred thousand dollar contract last September.

Calgary had just taken a 2-1 lead on Owen Nolan’s third goal of the series early in the second period despite being badly outplayed by the Sharks to that point.

Previous Sharks teams may have had their wills broke.  They’d been dominating game seven on their home ice only to see Jarome Iginla and Nolan answer their charge with two timely goals.

It was then Wilson turned to his ace-in-the hole.  Approximately two and a half minutes after former San Jose fan favorite Owen Nolan let the air out of HP Pavilion, Roenick threw a fifty-foot wrist shot towards the net.  Roenick was hoping for a deflection or a rebound opportunity for a teammate, what he got was a Devin Setoguchi screen which allowed the puck to elude Miikka Kiprusoff.

Exactly three minutes later, a determined Roenick followed his own power-play snap shot chance by picking up his own rebound and firing it over Kiprusoff’s right shoulder, giving San Jose the lead they’d never relinquish.  What should be noted on the play was Sharks’ defenseman Craig Rivet (who was in front of Calgary’s net) noticing Roenick following his shot and allowing his teammate to take the shot.  If Rivet hadn’t picked up head and weren’t aware of Roenick’s position, the goal would’ve never happened and it’s quite possible there may have been an entirely different outcome.

Roenick was named the game’s first star.  He finished the night with two goals and two assists, his only points in six games during the first-round series.

It certainly wasn’t Roenick’s best career playoff performance nor would I say he was even the best player on the ice Tuesday.  It wasn’t and he wasn’t. 

But for at least one more night Roenick was “J.R.” again.  He was the brash power forward with a passion his profession and lust for the big-game spotlight.  When it was needed most, he grabbed the game by the proverbial throat and led his team to victory.

One more time, Roenick’s flame illuminated his team, electrified an arena and an entire organization.

Doug Wilson wanted ‘swagger’ and that old-dog cashed in when most pundits set the odds long.  Roenick gave his boss, teammates and a city everything they’ve asked for and now even more; a trip to the second round of the playoffs; one that may have not been possible without Jeremy Roenick.

Who would’ve thought?  Well, Doug Wilson did.

Sharks 5 - Flames 3 (Scoresheet)  -   Highlights nhl.tv

Game stories: NHL.com / Yahoo Sports / Sporting News (AP) /  

J.R. joins elite 500-goal club TheThirdManIn 11/11/07

ChrisBlock@TheThirdManIn.com

Ex-Blackhawk Goaltenders / NHL-Active in 2007-08

Years w/Chi	Player Name	Team	GP	W	L	OTL	GAA	Save%	SHO	GA	SA	MIN	ENG
90-92	Hasek, Dominik	Detroit	41	27	10	3	2.14	0.902	5	84	855	2350:04	3
02-06	Anderson, Craig	Florida	17	8	6	1	2.25	0.935	2	35	535	934:56	0
98-04	Thibault, Jocelyn	Buffalo	12	3	4	2	3.31	0.869	2	28	214	507:03	0
06-07	Boucher, Brian	San Jose	5	3	1	1	1.76	0.932	1	7	103	238:06	0
03-04	Leighton, Michael	Carolina	3	1	1	0	2.66	0.897	0	7	68	158:09	0

Click here for a look at the final ’07-08 stats for all currently active former Blackhawks, non-netminders.

Tim Sassone  Here come the Hawks? Daily Herald  (3-part series, Hawks now and beyond)

  Chicago a destination again for top free agents

      For Hawks, there's more talent coming

Chris Chelios sets NHL record for playoff appearances (248) CBC.ca

Sharks' Roenick glad he put retirement on hold Mark Emmons, San Jose Mercury News

** Dustin Byfuglien will not play for the U.S. at the IIHF World Championships next month.  Byfuglien was force to withdraw as he’ll need additional time to heel his ailing back.  Carolina’s Tim Gleason, a defenseman, has replaced Byfuglien on the Team USA roster.  James Wisniewski and Patrick Kane are currently the only Hawks on the U.S. roster.

Kane ranks at head of rookie class Bucky Gleason, Buffalo News

**Round One – AHL Calder Cup Playoffs - Schedule

Rockford Ice Hogs vs. Houston Aeros

Game 1 – Fri Apr 18 in Rockford, MetroCentre – 7:30

Game 2 – Sat Apr 19 – in Rockford, MetroCentre – 7:05

Game 3 – * TBD

Game 4 – * TBD

Game 5 – * TBD

Game 6 – Sun Apr 27 – in Rockford, MetroCentre – 4:05

Game 7 – Mon Apr 28 – in Rockford, MetroCentre – 7:05

* Former NHL coach Kevin Constantine (Sharks, Penguins & Devils) now leads the Aeros.  Constantine was the head coach of the 1992 Turner Cup (IHL) Champion Kansas City Blades.  Wade Flaherty was the back-up to Arturs Irbe on that Blades’ team.  Sandis Ozolinsh and Jeff Odgers were members of that Turner Cup winning squad as well.

* Houston’s home games (series games 3,4,5) will be determined once the Toyota Center gets clearance from the NBA.  The Houston Rockets will not know whether or not they’ll have home court advantage likely until the NBA season concludes on Wednesday night.  Obviously, the three possible games in Houston will happen over the course of six days, Monday the 21^st through Saturday Apr 26.  If the Rockets start the playoffs on the road this weekend, it’s conceivable Rockford will spend an entire week in Houston.

IceHogs end regular season with victory, Clinch home ice RRStar.com

* Jordan Hendry suffers serious injury, fractures skull Sunday in game with Iowa.

It was a scary scene at the MetroCentre in Rockford Sunday night when an inadvertent high-stick from teammate Niklas Hjalmarsson sent Jordan Hendry thumping to the ice, cracking his head wide open near the end of the first period of Rockford’s season finale.

Hendry was said to have blacked out prior to the impact, which is the explanation as to why he was unable to brace his fall. 

The opening period was halted with 16 seconds remaining on the clock and the teams were sent to the locker room to allow time to properly remove Hendry from the ice and get him to the hospital as well as clear his blood from the playing surface.

Hendry wasn’t released from hospital until Tuesday.  He has been ruled out of at least the first round series with Houston and Hogs’ assistant coach Ted Dent was quoted by a Rockford television station as saying Hendry’s playing status “may be out of our control” noting the Blackhawks would have something to say about if and when Hendry next suits up.  Officially, Hendry has a fractured skull and was diagnosed with a concussion.

**Rockford IceHogs’ official 2007-08 Awards - link to IceHogs.com here

as awarded by IceHogs’ team president Ryan Washatka following Sunday’s game with Iowa

Team MVP – Martin St. Pierre

Rookie of the Year – Jack Skille

Unsung Hero Award – Colin Fraser

Most Improved Player – Bryan Bickell

Man of the Year – Gavin Morgan (under AHL-IceHogs’ contract only)

Hogs’ Fan Favorite – Wade Flaherty

--Locally, traditional rivals meet for the fifth time in IHL/AHL playoff history.

Chicago Wolves vs. Milwaukee Admirals

Game 1 – Wed Apr 16 at All-State Arena – 7:00

Game 2 – Fri Apr 18 at All-State Arena – 7:30

Game 3 – Sun Apr 20 – in Milwaukee, Bradley Center – 5:00

Game 4 – Wed Apr 23 – in Milwaukee, Bradley Center – 7:00

Game 5 – Thu Apr 24 – at All-State Arena – 7:00

Game 6 – Sat Apr 26 – in Milwaukke, Bradley Center – 7:30

Game 7 – Mon Apr 28 – at All-State Arena – 7:00

** On this date….

4/14/1994 – Oh yes, the beginning of the end.  Blackhawks host their final regular season game at Chicago Stadium.  Toronto defeated the Hawks 6-4.  The game was televised and preceded by a pre-game ceremony commemorating, at the time, the four retired Blackhawks whose jersey’s hung from the Chicago Stadium rafters; Glenn Hall, Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito.  The Hawks would then go on to face Toronto in the opening round of the playoffs and lose to them again there too, in six games with the last being a 1-0 shut-out loss at Chicago Stadium on April 28, 1994.

4/14/1991 – President’s Trophy doesn’t do them much good:  Blackhawks blow a triumphant regular season by losing their cool in penalty-filled Campbell Conference quarter-final series with Minnesota, dropping the series in six games to the North Stars.  Minnesota, led by goaltender Jon Casey, would march through the conference semi-final (St. Louis) and finals series (Edmonton) and earn a match with Pittsburgh in the Cup Finals as the ultimate Cinderella story.  It wasn’t meant to be however and the Penguins earned their first Cup winning the series 4-2 by trouncing the North Stars 8-0 in game 6 at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.  The North Stars played just two more seasons in Minnesota before owner Norman Green, unable to garner support for state funding for a new arena and mired professional and legal controversies, moved the team to Dallas.  The Met Center was demolished in 1994. 

4/14/1931 – Chicago appears in its first Stanley Cup Finals series, losing to Montreal in Game 5 at the Forum.  For the Habs, it marked back-to-back Cup wins and third NHL championship overall.  Back then the Finals was contested as best-of-five.  The first two games were staged in Chicago, then the series shifted to Montreal for the final three games.  The Blackhawks won game 2, 2-1 in double-overtime before a crowd of over 18,000 Chicago fans.  They would then take a 2-1 series lead by taking game 3 in Montreal, this time in triple-overtime 3-2.  Montreal took games four and five, 4-2 and 2-0 respectively.  The Blackhawks would return to the finals three years later and win their first Stanley Cup by besting the Red Wings in four games with the game four, 1-0 (overtime) series celebration taking place at Chicago Stadium.

April 15

4/15/1965 – Blackhawks advance to the Stanley Cup Finals by defeating the Red Wings 4-2 at the Olympia in Detroit in Game 7 of the first round of the 1965 playoffs.  The Hawks would drop the Finals series in seven games to Montreal.

4/15/1969 – Jimmy Waite is born in Sherbrooke, Quebec.  Waite was the Hawks’ first round draft choice, 8^th overall, in 1987.  He just recently completed his 20^th season as a professional hockey goalie playing in Germany, where he has been since 2001.

4/15/1974 – Sergei Krivokrasov is born in Angarsk, Russia.  “Krivo” is still an active player in Russia.  He last played in the NHL with Anaheim during the 2001-02 season.

Top 10 most unlikely Stanley Cup finalists Sporting News

TSN.ca writer Scott Cullen takes a look at this summer's UFA crop

Briefly….

Former Hawk Scott Nichol broke his thumb early in Game 1 of the Detroit-Nashville series last Thursday and is not expected to return to the Predators’ line up in this series….. Chicago bishop invites Stan Mikita to meet Pope Benedict ….  Radim Vrbata finished his season going 22 games without a goal (Feb 19-Apr 6).  Vrbata did convert in the season’s final shootout against Anaheim at Honda Center on the 6th, though his team lost the game 3-2.  Vrbata set his career high for single-season goals at 27.  As a Blackhawk, Vrbata scored 27 times in 122 games.  He is set to become an un-restricted free agent on July 1.  Given his performance, or lack thereof, down the stretch in a playoff push, his status in Phoenix is uncertain....

ChrisBlock@TheThirdManIn.com

June 17^th-20^th The Steve Poapst Hockey Academy

Congratulations to Poapst, a really good guy, on winning the USHL Coach of the Year  

Tim Sassone Huge expectations await the Hawks next season Daily Herald

For next year, Blackhawks seeking 'couple of pieces' Chicago Tribune

List of Referees and Linesmen working this year's playoffs TSN.ca

-- Patrick Sharp, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews have accepted invitations to join Team Canada at this year’s IIHF World Men’s Hockey Championships, which this year will be staged in Quebec City as well as Halifax, Nova Scotia.

The medal rounds take place at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City.

Columbus’s Pascal Leclaire, Jason Chimera and Rick Nash will also be there for Canada.  Hurricanes’ netminder Cam Ward will compete with Leclaire for the starting job.  Roberto Luongo has opted not to play, though obviously he was asked by Canada GM Steve Yzerman.

Current Team Canada IIHF roster Tsn.ca

The United States and Canada will both be in Pool B along with Latvia and Slovenia.

In the dip shit scheduling mishap department, when Canada and Team USA first meet in the upcoming tourney, Tuesday May 6, the game is scheduled for a 3:30 EST puck drop.  Finally, the tournament comes to North America and we still can’t see the game because tournament directors schedule a US/Canada, Tuesday matinee.  No brains.

After their May 6 encounter, the earliest the two nations can meet again would be in the Quarter-finals on Wednesday May 14. 

This year the bronze and gold medal games will be staged on separate days.  The bronze medal will be decided on Saturday May 17^th at 3pm EST, while the Gold medal game sees a Sunday May 18^th, 1pm EST puck drop in Quebec City. 

Many of the games will be broadcast on the TSN network in Canada and will be made available in the U.S. on the NHL Network.

As for the U.S. roster, nothing has been made official just yet and considering cantankerous Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella will also be leading this squad, don’t expect much in the way of news until just before the team’s pre-tournament camp kicks off on April 24 in Portland, Maine.

U.S. names 17 players to initial IIHF Men's roster USAhockey.com

Many of what you’d expect to be the U.S.’s key players are still involved in NHL playoff action.

Patrick Kane was almost assured a spot if the Hawks missed out on post season hockey and he did indicated he would play if asked and apparently he was.  While he’s been named, James Wisniewski is not assured of a regular d-man spot but would probably be called upon should Colorado get past the first round of the playoffs.  The Avs have four (Leopold, Liles, Finger and Sauer) American defenseman on their roster.  Dustin Byfuglien has been invited to the camp, but his sore back could prevent him from participating if it doesn’t heal quickly.  Adam Burish is the other Hawks’ invitee, but he’d need to win a spot from someone else in the pre-tournament camp.

Comcast SportsNet’s Josh Mora has a blog and talks Hawks.  It’s pretty good, I must say.

**Today, April 9^th, in Chicago Blackhawks’ history…

1981 – Milan Bartovic is born in Trencin, Slovakia.  Bartovic, who started the year in with the Chicago Wolves as a member of the Atlanta Thrashers’ organization, skipped town and fled back to Europe where he played for a team in the Czech Republic after not earning a spot in the NHL.

1971 – Kerry Toporowski is born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan.  I have to say, to this day I still hear Toporowski’s name more often than any other guy who never actually dressed in a single game as a Blackhawk.  In fact, Toporowski never made it to the NHL, period.  Though he was a defenseman, he rarely played anywhere but wing since his coaches knew it was only a matter of time before he was kicked out of the game or, in the very least, left the defense-crew short-handed for most of the evening.

Kerry Toporowski has the distinction of being the guy Chicago received from San Jose in the Doug Wilson deal in September of 1991.  Wilson immediately became the Sharks’ first captain and is now their GM.  The Hawks also picked up the Sharks’ 2^nd round pick in 1992 (which ironically turned out to be Boris Mironov, but the pick was sent to Winnipeg before the ’92 draft) but the Hawks eventually flipped that pick for the rights to the one they used to draft Jeff Shantz.

Toporowski’s single season total of 505 penalty minutes in 1990-91 (65 games played) still stands as the third-most in WHL history.  The record, 511, which belongs to Brent Gogol, and the second highest total both belong to goons who appeared in three more games than Toporowski and neither of those players recorded those sin-bin crimes all with the same team in the corresponding season.  Toporowski picked up all 505 of his penalty minutes with the Spokane Chiefs in 1990-91.

To top that off, Toporowski added another 108 minutes in the box over the course of 15 playoff games with Spokane the same year.  He did show some goal-scoring characteristics during his limited time on the ice and thus the Sharks drafted him in the 4^th round of the 1991 draft before trading him to Chicago less than three months later.

Toporowski finished his playing days spending five seasons in Moline, IL with the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League.  Despite scoring just five goals over that five-year span, Toporowski had his jersey number 77 retired by the club.

2000 – Hawks wrap-up the 1999-00 campaign with a 3-1 win over St. Louis at United Center.  17,295 fans showed up for this one.  Their record in that season, 33-37-10-2; 3^rd in Central and NO, they didn’t make the playoffs.  Josef Marha picked up the game-winning goal.  The game represented Bryan McCabe’s last as a Blackhawk (he was only with the Hawks that one season).  McCabe was with the team the following training camp and exhibition games, but GM Mike Smith traded him to Toronto for Alexander Karpovtsev just prior to the start of ’00-01.

ChrisBlock@TheThirdManIn.com

The new regime continues to clean house.  First Peter Wirtz (shortest straw) “resigns”, then Bob Pulford (King Slime) got the boot, followed by Jim Blaney (P.R and director of community outreach), then Jim Sofranko (Executive Director of Sales and Marketing).

Now, 

John McDonough FIRES~! Jim DeMaria, Hawks’ longtime PR-man Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune

Well, officially DeMaria is said to have resigned, but if he was really good at his job or a pleasant person to deal with, he’d still be around.  Perhaps, McDonough presented a scenario were they’d limit DeMaria’s duties to reaching the community dressed in a ridiculous bird suit at Hawks’ home games and special events and he declined.  Just a thought. 

On a serious note, DeMaria had both his detractors and supporters.  Some writers and media sympathized with DeMaria, feeling he was just an emissary carrying out the policies and demands of his bosses, Bill Wirtz and Bob Pulford.  Although others considered him an arrogant team official whose condescending nature represented the club in a poor light.  Maybe that’s unfair, but DeMaria did choose to work under the same bosses and policies for 24 years, prior to this final season under Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough.  The fact that he will not march forward under the new, progressive leadership indicates, at the very least, DeMaria did not fit the McDonough profile.

Winning a title not as easy as A-B-C Mike Imrem, Daily Herald

Bottom line: Hawks still not there Len Ziehm, Sun-Times

What Hawks need to do to be one of West's elite teams Tim Sassone, Daily Herald

Regular season finale:  Red Wings 4 – Blackhawks 1

Hawks vs. Detroit in ’07-08:  5-3-0

Official Scoresheet  --  SuperStats  --  Highlights nhl.tv  

Kane gets No. 21 but Hawks fall Tim Sassone, Daily Herald

Final bow for Hawks Len Ziehm, Sun-Times

   Toews:  Home finale - "Bittersweet"

Hawks return to glory, add warmth to winter Karen Anderson, special to Tribune

Hawks’ related-birthdays we’ve missed:

April 7^th – Alexander Karpovtsev turned 38…. Eric Manlow is 35…. Craig MacDonald (TB Lightning) turns 31….

April 6^th – Gerald Diduck celebrated his 43^rd birthday…. Ville Nieminen turned 31…. Travis Moen (Anaheim Ducks) is now 26….

April 4^th – Cam Barker (22)… Brandon Bochenski (Nashville Predators) turned 36…. Eric Lecompte (1993 1^st round, 23^rd overall pick - ** once thought of as Steve Larmer’s successor) turned 33…. Yanic Perreault (37)…. 

** Eric Lecompte, one of the Blackhawks’ biggest draft-day busts, never made it to the NHL.

April 3^rd – Steve Ludzik~! celebrated his 46^th birthday.  Chicago drafted Ludzik 28^th overall, in the second round of the 1980 NHL draft.

Though he was a prolific scorer in junior hockey, Ludzik developed into a key two-way forward, with keen defensive awareness.  His highest single-season goal total was 11, in the ’84-85 season, and he managed just 46 in over 400 career games.  Ludzik retired after playing one season overseas (in Austria) in 1993.

I suppose