Awesome~!

Photo credit courtesy of nhllogos.blogspot.com

Dale Tallon Q&A blackhawks.nhl.com (Study this carefully)

Martin Havlat is ranked 31^st of the top 50 NHL’ers in The Hockey News 2007-08 Yearbook.  That’s a five-spot drop from his 26-position in last year’s rankings.  I know this doesn’t need to be said, but I feel compelled to write that no other Hawks made the list.

I wanted to plug this website again and was given a great reason to yesterday.  Canucks fans don’t know how great they have it, indeed.

Andrei Trefilov (7 GP, 1-5-0, 3.88 GAA w/Hawks) is 38 years old today (August 31).

The Edmonton Oilers organization is attempting to fill Rexall Place on November 24 with all military personnel.  The idea is for all 14,000 Oilers season ticket holders to give up their tickets for the Saturday evening, Hockey Night in Canada broadcast, to members of the Canadian Armed Forces so as to fill the arena with Troops adorned in their military regalia for the national television broadcast.

Pat Foley will return to the Chicago Wolves broadcast booth again this year OurSportsCentral

Hawks preseason home games go on sale this Tuesday Daily Herald

Bryan Berard is headed to NY Islanders camp to compete for a roster spot, TSN reports.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports rookie defenseman and 2006 1^st overall draft pick Erik Johnson is living at Al MacInnis home in suburban St. Louis.

Not everyone hates the new Canucks jersey JesGolbez’s Hockey Rants

The new LA Kings RBK Edge jersey Let’s Go Kings blog

Keep track of Detroit's new jersey numbers MLive/Snapshots

Scouting report on potential latest Red Wings super-rookie Igor Grigorenko Ansar Khan, Wings Insider

E.J. Hradek says Red Wings a little worse but still division champ ESPN.com

On this day in Blackhawks history – August 29

1986 – Hawks sign free agent defenseman Gary Nylund.  Actually, depending on which piece of Blackhawks published reference material you call on, Nylund either signed on August 26, 1986 or August 29.

On this day in Blackhawks history – August 30

2001 – Hawks signed tough guy Louie DeBrusk (4 GP, 7 PIM, 2002-03 Jersey #33).

Mattias Ohlund looking dapper modeling the new Canucks RBK Edge jersey

Photo Credit: The Vancouver Sun

?~!?!?Whaaah~!?

My thoughts exactly.  This has to be a rib.  Reebok, which is now owned by Adidas, must have gotten together with some of these NHL teams (Vancouver, Islanders) and decided; “Let’s come up with the most hideous hockey jerseys we possibly can and market them as the “new thing” to these idiot hockey fans.”

Still, I’m a person who’s fascinated by disaster.  I now demand the word “Chicago” to be stitched above the Indianhead on the new Blackhawks home and away jerseys.  If someone can photo shop a Hawks jersey with this new potential design, please send it to me so I can get this up on the site.

Hawks insider: Which rookies are ready? Adam Kempenaar, blackhawks.nhl.com

Eddie Belfour has officially signed with Leksand IF in Sweden.  CBC reports

Flames beat writer Randy Sportak says rating prospects is Anybody's Guess? Calgary Sun

Aaron Downey is 33 today.

Craig Mills turns 31 today (August 27). 

Comcast announces Blackhawks broadcast schedule - No Home Games

Ask the Hawks: Kevyn Adams blackhawks.nhl.com

ESPN’s E.J. Hradek says the Blackhawks will be better, maybe.

He’s not Scotty Bowman, but nevertheless, John Ferguson Jr. has a new assistant general manager in Toronto.  Jeff Jackson played one game with the Blackhawks in the 1991-92 season before retiring his playing career.

Steve Sullivan will be out of the Predators lineup until December.  Nashville Tennessean reports Sullivan underwent a second off season back surgery this past Thursday.

Former Blackhawks defenseman Bill White turns 68 on Saturday.

Tampa Bay unveiled their new RBK Edge jerseys today.  Image gallery

Chelios: Truth will emerge in PA report TSN

Sheila Block delivers report to NHLPA THN.com

Penguins and Sabres to play outside at Ralph Wilson Stadium Jan. 1 Buffalo News

The Blackhawks have to come back this season, right? Terry Frei, ESPN

Kukkla's Korner picks up on the news that Nikita Alexeev has signed with the Ak Bars of the Russian League.

Pascal Rheaume (19 GP, 0 G, 2 A, 2001-02 w/Blackhawks) has signed a deal with the Vienna Capitals in Austria.

Trent Yawney has been hired to a scouting position by the Anaheim Ducks.

Igor Radulov (43 GP, 9 G, 7 A, 2002-04 w/Blackhawks) turns 25 today.  Radulov has spent the last three and a half seasons in Russia after leaving the Norfolk Admirals in 2004, and played last season with Chekhov Vityaz.

A new look for the Senators senators.nhl.com  (look at the size of that logo.  Can you imagine how big the Indianhead’s going to be?)

The new Hawks jerseys are to be unveiled at a press conference on September 14, the day before they are to go on sale.  Nothing like pumping up the new product.  The link posts to the NHL tournament of logos blog.  They’ve had quite a few posts both covering the debuts of each team’s new RBK Edge design and reasonable speculative renderings for teams who are still in hiding.

Cheli's Chili slayings: Jury finds Blackshear guilty Behind the Jersey/DetroitNews

Recent incidents will force Bettman to make some tough calls Scott Burnside, ESPN

Blues hit the bricks to win back their fans Jeremy Rutherford, Stl Post Dispatch

Jim Pappin's long-lost Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup ring has been found

Norfolk Admirals: New parent club means new look Paul White, Virginian Pilot

The Admirals are holding auditions for a new anthem singer on Sept. 15 at the Granby Theater.  The Admirals will debut their new jerseys on Sept. 4.  There is a rally at the Scope for the Admirals this Saturday.

Blackhawks 2004 pick Mitch Maunu sighting:  He has committed to play with the Lakehead Thunderwolves of Ontario University Athletics.

1996 Hawks 7th round pick Mike Vellinga signs with CHL team Texas Brahmas Release

Vegas to erect 20,000 seat arena behind Bally's & Paris resort/casinos Las Vegas Review-Journal

Scroll past this update or click here for my take on the choice as Hawks next Captain.

Jon Klemm is the newest member of the Los Angeles Kings.  Klemm (171 GP, 6 G, 31 A with Blackhawks 2001-04) agreed to a one-year deal on Monday.  He will be reunited with head coach Marc Crawford, whom he spent three seasons with in Colorado.  For your Chicago flavor, the Kings now house Michal Handzus, Kyle Calder, Klemm, and assistant coach Nelson Emerson.  Newly-signed defenseman Tom Preissing hails from Arlington Heights and D-Joe Piskula played for the Chicago Steel of the USHL.

Bryan Marchment has accepted a scouting job with San Jose.  He will also be in charge of teaching Sharks prospects his patented ‘chop block’ technique.

Former Hawks organizational prospect Chris Porter has signed with the St. Louis Blues.  Porter, a teammate of Jonathan Toews at the University of North Dakota, did not agree to terms with Chicago by the August 15 deadline, freeing him to sign with any NHL team.  Porter was the captain of last season’s UND Fighting Sioux hockey club and holds the WCHA record for most consecutive games played with 174.

Mike Peca will be seeking revenge on Jim Vandermeer in a Columbus Blue Jackets sweater this season.  Columbus Dispatch's Aaron Portzline reports.  Peca has not played in a game since the knee-to-knee collision with Vandermeer at the UC on December 22, 2006.

After fast start, (Dale Tallon)'s killing the clock Chris Kuc, Chicago Tribune

More pucks than politics (Canada-Russia Junior Summit Series) Donna Spencer, CP

The series will be played August 31 – September 9.  If you want to watch it, move to Canada.  Brent Sutter is the coach for Canada.  More here in the Winnipeg Sun

Team Russia vs. Team Canada  No Hawks prospects involved here.

Brett Hull admits he cheated Stan Fischler’s blog

What Teemu Selanne does after he wins day with Stanley Cup hat-tip Battle of Ontario

ESPN’s E.J. Hradek isn't convinced a Darryl Sutter-Mike Keenan combo is Calgary's recipe for success

Bandwagon seats still available Al Cimaglia, HockeyBuzz

Cheli's Chili slayings trial shifts to defence MLive.com

The Blackhawks are looking for a graphic designer.

Today is the day Ottawa shows off their new RBK Edge uniform design.  Tampa Bay unveils a new logo and jersey on Saturday the 25^th, Vancouver does the same on the 29^th.   New Flames jerseys will feature laces at the neck.  

By the way, if you go to HawkQuarters looking for a deal on the jerseys that’ll be out of date in less than 30 days, you won’t get one.

Toronto's Air Canada Centre gets a new Dehumidification System - Super Cool~! (Video)

Predators spending money on scoreboards, not players (photo slide)

The Canadiens website reminds us Bryan Smolinski is eight games away from 1,000 played.

Hawks Oct. 27 home date with Atlanta a must-see for Thrashers fans Thrashers.nhl.com

 Go to Joliet, get your teeth fixed, meet Tommy Hawk this Saturday Joliet Herald

Adam Kempenaar, on the Blackhawks official website, deliberates while answering the question; Who (or whom) are going to be the Hawks’ captains this season?

Hawks insider: O Captain, My Captains

Here’s TheThirdManIn’s take:

Let’s cut right to the chase here.  The choice for the lead captaincy role is a simple one.

Martin Lapointe cannot be anything more than an alternate captain as he’s assuredly going to be Dale Tallon’s go-to-bait in the trade market all season long.  For all the Red Wings’ playoff experience and Stanley Cup charisma he brings, his $2.4M contract is one Tallon will likely have to part with to satisfy Bill Wirtz’s bottom line.

I disagree with the notion that any player in his first season with a new club should be appointed to a captaincy position.  Robert Lang, Kevyn Adams, and Yanic Perreault will be looked upon to provide leadership, but in a limited capacity.  And as with Lapointe, all three are sacrifices destined to be made should the Hawks fall out of playoff contention.

Lang will have much bigger fish to fry.  Never in his career has he responded to the task of being a team’s number one center, which he will be asked of here, at least initially, by coach Denis Savard.  While talented, he’s flakey at times.  Not necessarily a desirable characteristic.  (Hey, didn’t the Hawks just rid themselves of a flakey $4M-a-year captain?)

Anyone who’s likely to walk at the end of 2007-08 due to unrestricted free agency (Jason Williams, Sergei Samsonov, Jim Vandermeer, Lapointe, Perreault, Adams, or Andrei Zyuzin – c’mon have a sense of humor) shouldn’t occupy any of the three positions either.

It’s way too early to ask Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, or Cam Barker to adapt to the role.

Tuomo Ruutu should be worried about finding the game he can only seem to bring to the ice during International competition.  Patrick Sharp is dependable and could be a contender for an ‘A’ but is cut from the same mold as Robert Lang so it’s unlikely.

However tempting, why would you give the head captaincy to Brent Seabrook or Duncan Keith now when just about everyone expects Jonathan Toews to grow into the role as leader of this franchise for many years going forward?

Nikolai Khabibulin is a goaltender and goaltenders are not allowed to be the team captain.

This leaves us with the obvious choice.  Martin Havlat.  A bold off-season trade and the three-year, eighteen million dollar contract which followed made Havlat the undisputed face of the Blackhawks’ franchise.  Take your Jonathan Toews love, Patrick Kane anticipation, and the hope that this summer’s acquisitions will all align into one big playoff contending stampede and clutch them in one big meaningless embrace.  The level of success the Blackhawks achieve this season is going to be determined by the performance of one man; Martin “he’s a Blackhawk, and he’s really fast” Havlat.

Now at age 26 and with six NHL seasons under his cap, Havlat should be poised for a true career breakout season.  After five years of gliding under Daniel Alfredsson’s shadow and a season of personal highs and stumbling inconsistency with Chicago, now’s the time for Havlat to become a true NHL superstar.  He should be a passenger racking up points like frequent flyer miles no more.  Embracing and striving in the role as team leader, just as Alfredsson did with Ottawa, is the next step.  Then, after a contract extension followed by a predictable one-way departure at age 31, he can hand over the reigns to a seasoned, 24-year old Toews.

As for his assistants… Martin Lapointe and Brent Seabrook.

Most observers considered Lapointe the unofficial team captain over the usually absent and aloof Adrian Aucoin a season ago.  He’s got all of the characteristics needed to be the prototypical Chicago Blackhawk, but as noted above, the odds are against him finishing the season in an Indianhead RBK Edge sweater.  Still, his experience is immeasurable and respect is demanded in the Hawks’ locker room.

Brent Seabrook, 22, is the future of the Hawks’ defense.  His controlled intensity and hunger for winning will make him a fixture as either the ‘A’ or ‘C’ for as long as he chooses to make Chicago his home.  Unfortunately, Dale Tallon hasn’t rented a quality, veteran d-man for Seabrook and the rest of the young defensive crew to learn from, but there are few veterans in the league better apt to groom Seabrook into captaincy than Lapointe.

You can deem a revolving captaincy, such as Buffalo or Minnesota recently employed, as the way for a young team to go, but you’d be seriously underscoring the wealth of leadership those two teams boast behind the bench.  While he may be some day, Denis Savard is no Lindy Ruff or Jacques Lemaire.  This team needs a true leader, an on-ice general every player and coach can rely on every night.  Star-billing and six million dollars say Martin Havlat is on the clock.

Chris Block

chrisblock@thethirdmanin.com

Blackhawk Rising Lloyd Poast, Chicago Sports Review

A step in the right direction (Patrick Sharp article) Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal

Take a look at his eyes, Bell deserves a second chance Al Coates, The Record

The Miami Herald is reporting on a Swedish paper's report that Ed Belfour is close to signing with Leksand of the Swedish Elite League.

** Darryl Sutter turns 49 today (August 19).  Sutter once played an entire playoff season with broken ribs, wearing a flak jacket to help ease the painful implications associated with his physical, grinding playing style.  His 31 goals and 81 points with the Lethbridge Broncos were only good enough to make him the Blackhawks’ 11^th round selection in the 1978 amateur draft.  Sutter made his NHL debut in 1979 after spending time with Hawks’ minor league affiliate New Brunswick and playing a season with the Iwakura Tomakomai of the Japan National League.  Darryl sits ranked as the ninth leading playoff goal scorer in Blackhawks history with 24 in 51 postseason contests and holds the Blackhawk record for most goals in a playoff year with 12 (1985 playoffs, 15 GP) two of which were overtime game-winners.  Dealing with constant injuries, Sutter’s career was limited to 8 seasons and 406 NHL games, all with Chicago.  He served as captain of the Blackhawks from 1982, taking over for Terry Ruskowski, until he retired in 1987.  The very next season, at age 29, Sutter was named as assistant coach along with Wayne Thomas to the newly hired head coach Bob Murdoch.  After two seasons behind the bench in the minors (his Indianapolis ice won the IHL Turner Cup in 1990) and another two as a disciple of Mike Keenan, Sutter became the 29^th head coach in Blackhawks history after Keenan stepped down following the 1991-92 season which ended with a Stanley Cup Finals sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  In three seasons as Hawks coach (92-95) Sutter compiled a 110-80-26 record (.569 win%).  His Chicago playoff record stands at 11-15, including the 1993 1^st round exit – four game sweep at the hands of the Blues after winning the Norris division a finishing with 106 points, and a 1995 2^nd round sweep of the Vancouver Canucks before dropping the semi-finals series to Detroit in five games.

** The last two Blackhawks playoff overtime goals were scored by Sergei Krivokrasov.  The last goal came in the second overtime of a Game 3, April 20, 1997 game, against Colorado.  The other being the season prior against Colorado, in the first overtime of a 4-3 Blackhawk victory in Game 3 of the conference semi-finals at the United Center.  The Hawks lost both of those series 4 games to 2, each with the decisive loss coming on home ice.

Free agents available as summer shortens TSN.ca

Rick Tocchet avoids jail, gets two years probation ESPN.com

Mike Babcock talks about Wings potential lines and pairings On The Wings blog

I’m a big fan of Daryl Reaugh and his color commentary on the Dallas Stars broadcasts, but I can’t help but think it’s improper to refer to someone as a "fruit of a frontman" on his NHL sponsored and affiliated blog at Dallas Stars.com.

You can subscribe to our RSS feed here.

Scroll down or click here for our 07-08 NHL TV schedule team-by-network breakdown .

Blackhawks announce two game time changes

Both changes effect road games and accommodate Versus telecasts.

Wed Jan. 30 at Colorado now starts at 8:30 central as the second half of a Versus double-header following the Ducks at Minnesota at 6pm central time.   Tuesday Feb. 19 at St. Louis is now a 7pm start.

Peter Forsberg being courted by Detroit and Vancouver Swedes MLive Snapshots

Red Wings scouting report: Chris Chelios Ansar Khan’s blog

Chelios, Cleary, more Wings to play charity softball game 9/9 in Royal Oak, MI Behind the Jersey

Mark Bell update

Leaf Bell blew 2.5 times legal limit, now facing civil suit Kevin McGran, Toronto Star

Santa Clara district attorney Cindy Seeley Hendrickson tells the newspaper how it’s not uncommon for convicted felons to serve their sentencing around a work schedule.

Bell’s rented Toyota Camry struck the victim’s pickup at an estimated 60-70 miles an hour, jolting the idle truck 50 feet up a steep hill.  Bell drove off and parked a few blocks away before fleeing the scene.  An estimated half hour after the accident and being apprehended by police, Bell submitted to a preliminary breathalyzer test and blew .201, nearly two and a half times the legal limit.

Toronto Star columnist Damien Cox gives his thoughts here on how the Leafs and Mark Bell are handling this situation in the media and the Leafs’ history of taking in troubled players.

Crash changed my life, Leafs' Bell says Paul Hunter, Toronto Star

Bell tells the Star he hasn’t had an alcoholic drink since the incident saying “That’s totally gone from my life.”

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Here are the training camp listings for all 30 NHL teams NHL.com

The Hawks will use the Edge in Bensenville a few times during training camp after all on September 20 and then on the 25^th and 26^th due to the “Finding Nemo” ice show occupying the UC.

Blackhawks-related birthdays today (August 17):

** Current prospect Troy Brouwer turns 22 today.

** Nelson Emerson celebrates his 40^th birthday this day.  The Hawks acquired Emerson’s services in the deal that sent Paul Coffey to the Carolina Hurricanes on December 29, 1998.  In 27 games after his arrival, Emerson scored just 4 goals and 10 assists.  He was then dealt again, in the same season, to Ottawa in exchange for right wing Chris Murray on March 23, 1999.  He retired, scoring 195 career NHL goals, following the 2001-02 season with Los Angeles.  He is now an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Kings under Marc Crawford.

** Ron “Chico” Maki, born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario on this day in 1939, is 68 years old.  Maki appeared in one playoff game the last time the Blackhawks won a Stanley Cup.  Maki played his first NHL game in the 1961 playoffs after spending the entire season with Buffalo of the American Hockey League.  Maki would split time between Buffalo and Chicago, playing 16 and 51 games respectively in the 1961-62 season before becoming a full-time NHLer a season later.  “Chico” spent his entire career in a Blackhawks uniform scoring 143 goals and 292 assists in 841 games over 14 seasons.

At 40, Eric Weinrich plays another year with Portland (AHL) Kennebec Journal

** On the topic of the new RBK Edge/NHL jersey line, the Ottawa Senators will be unveiling their new uniforms, with an all-new logo in tow, next week.

The Blackhawks roster page has been updated here.

Versus – 57 game schedule

(1 additional April 1^st game TBD)

Versus 2007-08 NHL schedule press release

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NHL on NBC – 25 games - Flex Scheduling