The Detroit Red Wings were looking to govern as #1 team in the NHL and keep their winning streak going when they came to visit the United Center yesterday. Alas, their mission proved difficult and in the end, they were denied by the Chicago Blackhawks; final score CHI 2, DET 1.
The game was extremely intense and it was such a thrill to see the Blackhawks play with such a sense of urgency. Jonathan Toews was sitting the game out (as was Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk), but even without their star players, both teams throttled the rink to the max and played a ridiculously fervent game that had both fan nations gasping.
Detroit got on the board first, but the Hawks did not lose focus and relentlessly charged the Red Wings zone until they managed to put not just one, but two goals on the board. Ultimately, the two goal-scorers for the Blackhawks were Jimmy Hayes and Marcus Kruger which was a nice surprise in a game where Detroit Goalie Jimmy Howard was denying even the most skilled shooters - much to Kane's chagrin. I read somewhere that Kane is becoming a lazy player, but this was far from the case last night. Sure, his mouth-guard is still spending more time outside his mouth than it should, but his star quality began shining again as he showed a lot more zeal in his game than we've seen from him recently. Duncan Keith has also been prey to much criticism recently, but last night his game continued to pick up as he more than proved to all the skeptics why he wears an 'A' and should not be part of their trade discussions.
So not that Papa's got a brand new bag, do the Blackhawks still need to change things up? Bandwagon fans that were demanding a new goalie during the slump may object, but it still seems as though a trade is imminent.
It's just not Crawford, not Patrick Kane, and the Adam Burish talk is getting old. As I mentioned previously, certain reporters at ESPN like to plant ideas and watch them spread like wildfire, however, Adam Burish is probably not coming back to the Hawks. Filter through a few of the major rumors, think about why some of them have more heat, think logistically what the team needs, and it will become more clear what kind of a player/who they are likely getting and from which team. I respect confidentiality, so that's all I will say, but I felt it necessary to call the bluff because it's funny how these individuals' statements elicit such drastic reactions from the masses.
As Toews said during the slump: "we've got a good group here, and no one's going anywhere" - I don't know what is more credible than getting information straight from the horse's mouth, but we're all free to believe whoever we choose.
Keep the Faith, Blackhawks fans!
Filed under: Blackhawks, Hockey, Sports and Entertainment
Tags: Adam Burish, Blackhawks, Chi, Chicago, Chicago Blackhawks, Corey Crawford, DET, Detroit, Detroit Red Wings, Duncan Keith, ESPN, fans, Goalie, hawks, Jimmy Hayes, Jimmy Howard, Jonathan Toews, Marcus Kruger, Patrick Kane, Red Wings, Rumors, rumours, Toews, trade, Trade Rumors, united center
