The Blackhawks proved they were “inhuman” by withstanding a physical pummeling from the Anaheim Ducks and delivering a Game Seven hit on the scoreboard, as the Chicago team proceeds to the Stanley Cup final for the third time in six seasons.
In the Game Seven 5-3 victory over the Ducks, the Blackhawks proved concerns over smaller size, lacking defense, and being hit into submission were all for naught.
“Every hit that we’ve had–and I’m sure you guys will count them–it’s all for this Game 7,” Ducks Center Ryan Kesler told media after Game Six after declaring that “no human could withstand that many hits” before Game Five.
Hits did favor Anaheim in the series–341-233.
Game 7: 37-15
Game 6: 43-38
Game 5: 41-23
Game 4: 60-52
Game 3: 45-27
Game 2: 71-45
Game 1: 44-34
As it turns out, hitting the body isn’t as important, after all, as that puck hitting the net. And, the Hawks’ “David” took down the Ducks’ “Goliath” with determination, skill, perseverance, and finesse.
The Blackhawks’ stars showed up when they needed to, while the Ducks simply couldn’t pull it off.
Captain Jonathan Toews scored twice in the elimination game, his first just 2:23 after puck drop on a setup from Niklas Hjalmarsson and Patrick Kane. Kane passed back to Hjalmarsson at the blue line for a shot that Toews rebounded in.
And, 11:55 into the period, Toews was able to capitalize on the man-advantage, firing a wrister past Frederik Andersen off a passing play from Brad Richards and Duncan Keith.
The Hawks continued that momentum into the second period with two more goals.
Saad skated the puck into the zone and passed it off to Johnny Oduya while taking a hit in the corner, then recovered to score off a fake-shot-turned-pass from Kane just 1:18 into the second.
More than 12 minutes later, Marian Hossa tallied the next goal for the Hawks after a takeaway at mid-ice, a pass to Richards for the shot and a rebound that went off his skate. Officials conferred and the play was reviewed, determining there was no intentional kicking motion and the goal stood–giving Chicago a 4-0 lead.
With a little over a minute remaining in the period, Kesler scored the Ducks’ first goal during four-on-four play, with an impressive shot from the right side of Goalie Corey Crawford to just inside the crossbar above the netminder’s left shoulder. Silfverberg and Francois Beauchemin set up the play.
The Ducks would continue their comeback effort in the third.
Corey Perry netted the team’s second goal after Ryan Getzlaf brought the puck into the zone, feeding Patrick Maroon, who sent the puck across the front of the net to Perry–who got Crawford down, then went top shelf at 11:36 into the final period of play.
Then, when Cam Fowler served a hooking penalty on Hossa, the Hawks took back another goal for a 5-2 score.
With 6:37 remaining in regulation and on a power player, Keith passed to Kane, who sent the puck across the ice to an uncovered Brent Seabrook who ripped a shot past Andersen.
And, finally, while Oduya served a delay of game penalty, and with 42 seconds left in regulation, the Ducks pulled Andersen and scored their final goal with a six-on-four.
Shots were 38-26 in the Ducks’ favor, but Anaheim was unable to get ahead. And, despite the chippy play, the series ended with the best tradition in all of sports.
Also, no one touched the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, awarded for winning the Western Conference.
The Blackhawks will head on to Tampa Bay next. But first, another look at how they got there:
Even though the remaining series is a best-of-seven from over, the Blackhawks have a lot of challenging hockey ahead of them in the upcoming Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Lightning Friday finished a seven-game series against the 2014 Eastern Conference Champion and 2015 President’s Trophy winner New York Rangers with a shutout at Madison Square Garden.
“Certainly watching their series against the Rangers, they have a lot of options with their skill, how dangerous they can be with putting pucks in the net,” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said of the Lightning.
After playing the Ducks, Wild, and Predators, this will be the first time in the postseason Chicago faces a team similar to itself–fast and smart hockey.
As Keith said about the Lightning:
“I think the thing that stands out to me is their team speed and skill up front. I remember playing them…towards the end of the season and they beat us pretty good. You know, I think as a team we’ve got a lot of respect for them. They’re there for a reason. Like I said, they’ve got a lot of speed up front. They’ve got big defensemen that can move the puck and skate, and a big goalie who can stop the puck, too. I think we’re confident in our team, but at the same time looking at their team, you know, I think those are the things that stick out to me.”
Two-time NHL goal-scoring leader Steven Stamkos captains the Lightning and has 17 points in the postseason. They also have the “Triplets” line–with Tyler Johnson (who scored a hat trick against the Rangers and has 21 postseason points), Nikita Kucherov (19 postseason points), and Ondrej Palat (15 playoff points).
But the Blackhawks have a pretty strong offense as well, something Lightning players are quick to commend.
“He’s a guy that I really love watching on the highlight tapes and seeing what he can do,” Johnson, 24, said about Kane, 26.
In addition to Kane, who has 20 points, Chicago has Toews (18 points), Hossa (13 points), and Patrick Sharp (12 points) as star forwards, but also depth through all four lines–with clutch points coming from guys like Marcus Kruger and Andrew Shaw when needed.
The youth and speed on both sides is going to be incredible to watch and it’s hard to give either side an advantage.
Defensively, the Blackhawks are still running with only four solid defensemen, but my goodness, are they performing. Keith is a plus-13 in the playoffs, with 18 points of his own–16 assists and two goals. He had an assist on all three of Chicago’s Game Six goals against the Ducks and he prevented two Anaheim goals on his own.
Blackhawks defenseman Brent Seabrook now has six goals in these playoffs, or as many as all the Lightning defensemen combined. #CHI#ANA
The Lightning have a higher quantity of defensemen to turn to. They used seven versus the Rangers, while the Hawks used about 4.5 much of the Anaheim series. Victor Hedman has been solid both defensively and offensively; he is a plus-11 for the playoffs with 10 points.
Goalies Ben Bishop and Corey Crawford are pretty closely matched as well–though Crawford has more playoff experience.
To get here, the Lightning went seven games with the Rangers (L 2-1, W 6-2, W 6-5 OT, L 5-1, W 2-0, L 7-3, W 2-0), six with the Montreal Canadiens (W 2-1 2OT, W 6-2, W 2-1, L 6-2, L 2-1, W 4-1), and seven with the Detroit Red Wings (L 3-2, W 5-1, L 3-0, W 3-2 OT, L 4-0, W 5-2, W 2-0).
If Chicago wins tonight, the Tampa Bay Lightning will be the first team in NHL history to play 4 Original Six teams in one playoff year
This will be Tampa Bay’s first trip to the Final since the Lightning took home the title 11 years ago.
Meanwhile, Chicago has played in the final three times in the last six years, making the playoffs the past seven seasons and the conference final five of those times.
And, they won again in 2013 against the Boston Bruins.
As for this season, the Blackhawks beat the Lightning 3-2 in a shootout in November, while the Lightning won 4-0 in February (the Blackhawks were without Kane or Crawford for this game) when Stamkos had two goals and Bishop made 48 saves.
Again, none of that matters when the puck drops Wednesday. It’s all a blank slate–a freshly-zambonied sheet of ice. What the two teams are able to do with it this series, this year, that’s all that counts. Because it’s the Cup.
The Schedule:
Game 1: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 7:00 p.m. CT Wednesday, June 3 on NBC, CBC, TVA
Game 2: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 6:15 p.m. CT Saturday, June 6 on NBC, CBC, TVA
Game 3: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 7:00 p.m. CT Monday, June 8 on NBCSN, CBC, TVA
Game 4: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 7:00 p.m. CT Wednesday, June 10 on NBCSN, CBC, TVA
IF NEEDED: *Game 5: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 7:00 p.m. CT Saturday, June 13 on NBC, CBC, TVA
*Game 6: Lightning at Blackhawks (United Center) – 7:00 p.m. CT Monday, June 15 on NBC, CBC, TVA
*Game 7: Blackhawks at Lightning (Amalie Arena) – 7:00 p.m. CT Wednesday, June 17 on NBC, CBC, TVA
(As always, click the links for video clips or other information. Gifs via Stephanie Vail @myregularface)
The Los Angeles Kings’ Director of Digital Media, Pat Donahue, Explains Why Pushing the Boundaries Has Been a Successful Social Media Strategy for the Two-Time Stanley Cup Champs and How He Handles the Inevitable “Trolls”.
When Pat Donahue joined the Los Angeles Kings organization in 2011, social media was an afterthought for most brands – as he puts it, “something a PR person did on the side”. At the time, Donahue, whose responsibilities as Director of Digital Media for the Kings include managing the team’s website, social media, analytics, mobile and digital marketing, didn’t know that social media would fast become the preferred communications medium and news source for a generation. Nor could he have known that the Los Angeles Kings would win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history that season, and that he would find himself at the helm of one of the most well regarded social media programs in professional sports. Though running the Kings’ Twitter is just one of Donahue’s many tasks, it’s the Twitter account that has garnered the most recognition, giving the club a reputation for being innovative, edgy and clever, and setting the standard for so many other organizations and brands not only in sports, but across a variety of industries.
I sat down with Donahue (virtually) to discuss how he has helped the Kings find success on the social media front, how the Twitter account walks the delicate line between clever and callous, and why organizations need to have complete trust in their social media leads.
Pink Puck: Social media and digital marketing jobs for sports teams/organizations are relatively new career opportunities. Did you happen into your job with the Kings or were you intent from the get-go on a job in sports marketing/social media?
Donahue: I joined in 2011, when social media was something that a PR person did on the side. The Kings’ accounts were RSS feeds for the most part, and platforms like Instagram, Vine and Snapchat didn’t even exist. I knew that I wanted to work on design, digital marketing and technology, and then social media blew up. That’s a small aspect of what I do, but it’s certainly the most popular.
Pink Puck: Much has been written about the LA Kings’ Twitter account, starting with the famous Vancouver tweet after the Kings beat the Canucks in the 2012 Stanley Cup Playoffs. At the time, did you think that what you were doing was innovative or ground-breaking?
Donahue: Yes, in the sense that, at the time, team Twitter accounts were so boring: just box scores and ticket sales, which some teams still use as their strategy. But that was also a perfect storm: beating the Canucks on the road after their history the past season and the Canadian media picking up on it. Up to that point, “tweets” weren’t reported on by the mainstream media, so this was new.
Pink Puck: Since that time, many organizations seem to be adopting more of a personality for their brands on social media and increasingly, trying to be more provocative and edgy. How do you continue to differentiate the Kings’ brand personality in the face of more imitators?
Donahue: It’s nice that we were first. When other teams do it, we always get a “this isn’t as funny as the Kings” which is always cool to see. But we have a specific voice; that is me writing, and other people might be funnier or better than me, but it’ll always be different. Our account is very personal.
Pink Puck: The recent firing of the Houston Rockets’ social media manager over a controversial tweet has demonstrated both the power of the medium and the potential downside of being risky with your brand on social media. Do incidents like this give you pause when you’re tweeting? How do you remain edgy without crossing the line into inappropriate?
Donahue: Our account has done much worse than the Rockets, I think, but our organization has bought into this strategy. If you want to push the edge, you have to be ready for mistakes. No one was harmed or offended, and it eventually goes away.
Pink Puck: One of the issues people raised about the Rockets’ incident was that social media is inherently fast-moving and requires quick thinking and immediate responses. How do you build in checks and balances when, unlike a traditional press release or a video, for example, your tweets are not being reviewed and pre-approved?
Donahue: You don’t. You hire someone who you trust to make those judgments on the fly, and if they make a mistake (within reason), that’s all part of the strategy. The best stuff we do, it happens on the fly. It’s relevant and timely.
Pink Puck: How do you encourage fans to not only interact with the social media accounts, but to promote and amplify the messages that the organization wants to get out there?
Donahue: We’re lucky that we have an incredibly passionate and dedicated fan base online. They are part of the team: the Insiders, LGK (Let’s Go Kings) online community, Die Hards and Boosters – they support our organization. It’s rare that I say “hey, go post this” because they always want to on their own.
Pink Puck: You must get hundreds of responses to a single tweet. How do you weed through them all to find those that are “worthy” of a response?
Donahue: Anyone who puts an original thought into their tweet, I’ll respond. Obviously, tweets that just say “cool” or “you suck” are not worth my time; I’ll give them a favorite. But if people are taking the time to talk to us, I’ll talk back to them.
Pink Puck: It must take tremendous patience to deal with the “trolls” that every organization, particularly sports teams, encounter on a regular basis. What have you found to be the biggest challenge in dealing with this negativity and how do you decide whether or not to respond?
Donahue: Just my general psyche: I don’t take anything personally, but it sucks reading negativity all day. These people have no accountability and they can say whatever they want – often the most vile things you can say to someone. Someone makes a dumb comment, and the Internet threatens to kill them, “dox” them and their family – it’s disgusting. It’s a huge reason why Twitter growth is where it is. If Kings fans have an issue with the team, our accounts, our marketing, the organization, let us know. But if it’s a 14-year old kid from Chicago, I don’t care. I’ll respond to them if I know I can come up with a good joke and take them down. I’ve often called someone out, then fans see it and jump in, and the original person has often apologized. If people aren’t accountable online, it’s chaos.
Pink Puck: Do you encourage the players, coaches and others in the organization to be active on social media or does that present more challenge than reward for the brand’s accounts?
Donahue: No, they aren’t interested. They play hockey. If someone came to us and wanted help or something, we’d love it. But they do what they do, and they let us do what we do. The risk for them is too high. One wrong word out of context and the tweet is on ESPN and the player has to apologize. It’s not worth it.
Pink Puck: How did you determine your social media strategy during these past few months, given the Kings aren’t in the playoffs? How do you continue to engage and keep folks interested?
This is my first time with the Kings not making the playoffs. Usually, we win the Cup, and I have cup content every day till training camp! This year is very different. Luckily we have Rosen (Jon Rosen, LA Kings Insider), Alex (Alex Kinkopf, Kings’ Digital Media Coordinator), Bailey (the Kings’ mascot), and the Ice Crew all contributing and writing, out in the community, talking about the current playoffs, getting ready for next season. You find interesting stuff, and also realize that people are on vacation, out and about. They take a break from hockey, too.
Pink Puck: Finally, can you share a particularly great social media moment you’ve experienced with the Kings’ organization? A time when you realized, “Hey! This is working and I’m doing a pretty good job!”?
The NHL and the Nashville Predators revealed the logo for the 2016 All Star Game, to be held on Saturday, January 30 and Sunday, January 31 at Bridgestone Arena in downtown Nashville. This marks the first time the Predators, the city of Nashville and Bridgestone Arena will host the League’s mid-season showcase, which includes the NHL All-Star Skills Competition and the NHL All-Star Game.
It was unveiled during a special NHL All-Star themed panel at the Music City Sports Festival in Downtown Nashville by Nashville Predators CEO Jeff Cogen, Bridgestone Americas Chief Administrative Officer and Chairwoman of Nashville’s Local Organizing Committee Chris Karbowiak, and Nashville Sports Council President and CEO Scott Ramsey. As well as the logo reveal, they discussed the city’s preparations and excitement for the upcoming NHL All-Star celebration.
The logo was designed by Fanbrandz and NHL Vice President of Creative Paul Conway, the logo pays homage to both the country music roots of the city, and the navy blue and gold colours of the Predators. The typography is inspired by the famous Nashville music scene, and the neon signs on Broadway and Music Row, instantly connecting the NHL celebration to Music City.
“Nashville is an iconic city, both as the home of country music and an exciting hotbed for hockey,” said Brian Jennings, NHL Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President. “We’re thrilled to bring NHL All-Star to Music City for the first time ever and feel that the new logo truly celebrates the city’s passion for music and for its hometown Predators.”
“In the months since the NHL announced that it was bringing its premier event to Nashville, we have been working alongside the city and a team of talented individuals on the local organizing committee to make sure that this event sets the standard for all other All-Star Games to follow,” Cogen said. “The unveiling of the official All-Star logo is another step in the process and one that brings us even closer to the 2016 All-Star Game where hockey will not only be showcased on an international stage but also celebrated by all that call Music City home.”
Predators current and new season ticket holders will be given first opportunity to purchase tickets for the celebration beginning June 2nd, with tickets starting from $15 per game.
Nicknames. We might be known to our friends by a nickname. Our friends, schools, or work be better recognized by a nickname. Many sports players have a nickname. One of the greatest hockey players of this generation is referred to more by his nickname, the “Great One” than by his birth name is Wayne Gretzky.
Hockey is a sport in which many of the forward lines have nicknames attached to them. Names that include: the Grind Line, “S” Line, the Kraut Line (which got renamed after World War II) and some of the teams have nicknames, such as the Broad Street Bullies. The forward lines include three players: a right wing, a left wing, and a center. In the 1920s, one such famous forward line was comprised of Bun Cook, Bill Cook and Frank Boucher took the puck for the New York Rangers. It was called at first the “A Line” in reference to the “A” train that runs under Madison Square Gardens. They then became known as the Bread Line as a result of Bun Cook’s first name.
There are clubs that recognize achievements or potential of players that have their own nicknames. For instance, there is the Triple Gold Club–those players who have one a gold medal at both the World Championships and at the Olympics as well as a Stanley Cup. Patrice Bergeron was added to this small group–he was the 25th member–when the Boston Bruins won the Stanley Cup in 2011.
The “Next One” is a club few fans are aware of. Have you heard about this little club in the NHL? Most people I have asked say they knew of such a group. Players in this special club could become the next great player. As you can tell, the name is a play on Wayne Gretzky’s nickname. So far no player has matched nor surpassed any of the “Great One’s” hockey records. The four players in this unique club are Eric Lindros, John Tavares, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid. This club is something to watch over the years as players grow and fit into their skates better!
Giving nicknames to lines dates back to the earliest hockey teams. The “S” Line consisted of three players whose last name all started with S–Nels Stewart, Babe Siebert and Hooley Smith who played for the Montreal Maroons in the 1920s. The “Kid Line” helped the Toronto Maple Leafs win the cup in 1932 and consisted of Charlie Conacher (age 18 at the time), Joe Primeau (age 23 at the time) and Harvey “Busher” Jackson (age 18 at the time). Perhaps the Maple Leafs may want to see if they can capture that lightning in a bottle a second time.
The “Punch Line” was a nickname for a three-player line of some of hockey’s greatest on the Montreal Canadiens–Elmer Lach, Hector “Toe” Blake, and Maurice “Rocket” Richard. They helped the team win two Stanley Cups! Oh, so long ago! The “Production Line” would have been an amazing sight of true hockey brilliance. They were the scoring line for the Detroit Red Wings around 1947. The line had the combined talent of Ted Lindsey, Sid Abel and Gordie Howe. What I know about hockey, the nickname sure fit!
One of my favorite nicknames is the “Legion of Doom.” I picture a line of three men that spit fire out of their nostrils and use their sticks like weapons of the Middle Ages. However, they got this nickname for their offensive abilities and but also their ability to dominate with physical play. This line of Eric Lindros, John LeClair and Mikael Renberg played for the Philadelphia Flyers between 1995-1997.
It is fun facts such as these impressive forward lines that continue to have me clamoring for history and information about the sport and the men that make it what it is. Hockey sometimes just leaves me at a loss for words.
The header “The Girl With The Black Tights” is something that I have stuck to for three seasons in the hockey reporting realm. Believe it or not, I take a lot of pride in holding myself to a uniform standard. Plus, dresses and tights make for the ultimate dress-up platform.
So it might come as a bit of a shock that I chose a rare off-season press conference to break my own dress code.
That’s right–for the San Jose Sharks’ Thursday presser announcing Peter DeBoer as their new head coach, I wore pants.
I repeat: I. Wore. Pants.
You might recall that I donned leggings for the Sharks’ prospect scrimmage during last summer’s development camp. It was, to that date, the closest I have come to wearing anything but a skirt and tights to the Tank. But, being that the Sharks season has been over since the beginning of April and Thursday’s press conference is technically outside of my tights-on-game-night parameters, I could allow for one, just one, event with my legs completely covered. That, and I haven’t worn these pants in forever and I decided the night before that they were begging to be worn.
(Yes, I made up rules for breaking my own rules. It’s the Wild West out in the Left Coast hockey fashion world, kids.)
These H&M high-waist trouser pants would be totally acceptable for work. They have a sleek fit that works for flats, heels and boots. Plus they look good with every top from button-downs to fitted tees. Really trouser pants can be worn on any job–as long as they aren’t too tight, and are in a solid color. Since mine are Dalmatian print I had to keep the rest of the ensemble more monochrome and modest. The upside? Black-and-cream plays well with most colors, so I could still rep a bit of flair without looking like I was rocking animal-print pants at happy hour. I went with a periwinkle shell with lace detail at the collarbone–not too low of a neck!–layered under my dainty black cardigan. Threw my favorite black flats on my feet and I was out the door without a hitch.
No need for crazy accessories on this day. Just a couple long, minimalist gold necklaces, my mom’s jade ring, my grandmother’s aquamarine and my small Gucci watch.
After this, I probably owe you guys an ensemble centered around a really out-there pair of stockings. I’ll see what they will let me get away with at development camp.
Until the next puck drops,
The Girl In The Black Tights
But before we think of Saturday’s impending cardiac nightmare, let’s reflect on Wednesday’s.
The first period was mostly uneventful. The Ducks outshot the Hawks 10-6, perhaps partly due to another too many men on the ice penalty served by Teuvo Teravainen about two minutes into the game.
Here’s hoping they practice their counting on the extra day between games.
The Blackhawks also had a power play thanks to a Corey Perry hook on Duncan Keith about five minutes later, but they were unable to set up any plays let alone capitalize on the man-advantage. (Why bother penalizing them for too-many-men at this point? We all see how little they do with an extra attacker.)
Two minutes later, off a feed from Brad Richards, Keith faked a shot twice before dishing to Marian Hossa for a one-timer inside the right post and a two-goal lead.
And, because Hossa’s been earning assists but hasn’t tallied a goal since Game One of the series, here’s a nice Hossa celly.
Less than two minutes later, Keith would earn his third assist of the night on a Kane goal. Keith stole a clear attempt from Clayton Stoner and made a wall pass to Kane, who would undress forward Matt Beleskey before firing to the net for a three-goal lead. Captain Jonathan Toews gave the puck and extra push at the goal line, just in case.
Anaheim would answer with a fast goal while Richards sat for a hooking penalty. At 14:13 into the second, Patrick Maroon tipped in a Cam Fowler shot off a fed from Sami Vatanen shortly after a faceoff win.
Just under two minutes into the third, a controversial and deflating no-call shortened Chicago’s lead even more. Jakob Silfverberg obviously hit Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford‘s glove, interfering with his ability to make a play–but goaltender interference was not called and Stoner was credited with a goal. Goaltender interference is not a reviewable play.
Silfverberg and Nate Thompson were credited with assists on Stoner’s goal–a shot from the blue line after passes through the zone.
Coincidentally and frustratingly, Andrew Desjardins fell onto Andersen less than two minutes later, giving the Ducks a goalie interference power play and giving me an “ohmygoodnessno, they’re going to tie it here” two minutes of astronomically high blood pressure.
But, thankfully, the Blackhawks were able to kill the penalty. And, despite the Ducks outshooting Chicago by more than three times–13 to four–the Blackhawks were able to extend their lead.
As Coach Joel Quenneville said:
It was a great stretch, great start there. Saader scoring a special goal–nice play in the middle of the ice. Duncs makes a spectacular play. All of the sudden we got three, puts us in a good spot. They got right back in it right away with a power play, scored one of those goals right off the bat. We know their success in the third period, how they come, having gotten beat in regulation. We know we’re going to have to spend some time in our end. Shawsy scores a goal and puts us in the right spot.
Despite that third period momentum in Anaheim’s favor, Andrew Shaw went top-shelf with a backhander off a shot from Desjardins with 3:32 left in regulation.
And, with a setup from Marcus Kruger and Desjardins, Shaw gave the Hawks even more insurance as the clock ticked down–scoring an empty-netter with 49 seconds remaining.
This comes on the heels of a series really dominated by the Ducks. Despite three wins on each side, Chicago only took the other two by a goal–in third and second overtimes.
There are tons of stats about these teams and their records historically. I’m not going to share those because, honestly, none of them matter. When these two teams skate onto the ice, they both have one ultimate goal in mind. They’ll be putting blood, sweat, tears, and bones on the line to make it happen.
As Toews said:
I think you raise your play every game as you go deeper and deeper into a series. I think as a hockey player, you want to talk about the cliche of growing up as a kid, playing on the backyard rink, pretending you’re playing that Game Seven. You think of that as the ultimate test for any player to see what you got–to see what you can bring in a high-pressure situation like that. I think that’s the exciting thing. Again we can resort to our experience in these situations and just feel confident. We’re going to go work. Fate’s on our side. We’ll find a way to make things happen.
“If you want to prove people wrong, you’ve just got to go out and do it,” forward Kyle Palmieri said. “Yeah, we blew 3-2 series leads the last two years, but no one is going remember that if we go out there on Saturday night and beat these guys and go play in the Stanley Cup Final. We need to get back to work and we’ll start to do that tomorrow.”
Neither team has any intention of backing down. And both will be ready in all the ways that suit them best.
“Going into a Game Seven, it’s always about preparing exactly the same way you always prepare,” Former NHLer Tom Laidlaw said. “If you do something different, then you are getting off your game. A lot of guys are superstitious and if you always tie your left skate up first, you are going to tie you left skate first this time. You don’t want it to seem like it is a bigger deal, even though it is.”
I’ll keep my game-day traditions as well. I’ll be wearing what I wore Wednesday, eating what I ate Wednesday, and wishing and praying to Lord Stanley to put me through another round of this beautiful emotional turmoil–because it’s the Cup.
The Blackhawks and Ducks play at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, CBC, and TVA. The winner of this series will play the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.
(As always, click the bold links for video clips or other information. Gifs via Stephanie Vail @myregularface)
On Sunday, June 28th, a Camo Gala will be held in Prior Lake, Minnesota that will benefit the charity, Defending The Blue Line. Hockey is typically a very expensive sport to play due to factors such as registration and equipment costs. Defending The Blue Line is a non-profit organization that makes sure that the children of active military personnel are able to afford to play ice hockey if desired. They often help pay for various costs that are required to play hockey, and they will even send military families to professional or collegiate hockey games for free. The charity was founded by active soldiers from Minnesota in 2009, and has since been highly supported by many people, including NHL players, such as Brent Burns of the San Jose Sharks (formerly Minnesota Wild). Currently, there are active staff members in fifteen different states who plan various events such as this to benefit the cause.
At the gala, many people will be recognized, and awards such as the “Military Service Member of the Year”, “Military Child of the Year” and “Athlete of the Year” will be given out.
The Camo Gala will be held at 6 p.m. at the Mystic Lake Casino. The organization was able to recruit country star, Kellie Pickler, to do a special performance at the event. Many guest speakers and professional athletes will also be in attendance at the event. The cost is $250 a seat, and all the profits will go to benefit the Defending The Blue Line charity.
If you are interested in more information about the event, or would like to purchase tickets, you can do so here.
The Monarchs were finally back at it on Thursday night as they kicked off the AHL Eastern Conference Finals against the Hartford Wolf Pack. It had been over a week since Manchester had seen a game. They finished off the second round on Tuesday, May 12th with a 2-1 over the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 4 games to 1. Hartford had also had a bit of a break, finishing off their series on Friday, May 15th.
This marked the first trip to the Conference Finals for the Monarchs since 2010 when they beat the Worcester Sharks to advance, only to lose to the eventual Calder Cup champs the Hershey Bears. In their final season in Manchester, these team seems committed to give their fans all they can.
Once again, the Monarchs got on the board early, it what has seemed to be a trend this post season. Rookie Michael Mersch netted his first of the game and 7th of the playoffs just 35 seconds in. With a lot of traffic in front of Wolf Pack goaltender Yann Danis, Mersch committed to locating the puck and jammed it home.
It was clear from the first puck drop that this was playoff hockey and the Conference Finals at that. Things were tense from the beginning, with players continuing to make contact after every whistle. It was also apparent that it was playoff hockey in the fact that the referees were letting a lot slide.
Hartford showed their dedication too, though, not letting such an early goal get to them. At 11:33, the Wolf Pack evened up the score. Joey Crab dug the puck out of the corner and fed it to Chris Bourque. Bourque made a quick pass to Oscar Lindberg who had a wide open net to beat JF Berube.
Despite some great chances on both sides, the score would remained tied going into the first intermission. When the teams came out for the second, it was a show of goaltending to start. Both Berube and Danis were showcasing the role they played in helping get their teams to the Conference Finals.
Hartford was struggling to connect on passes as physicality continued to carry on past the whistles. The Monarchs were quick to capitalize on those struggles. Rookie Nic Dowd found himself on an odd man break with only one defenseman to beat. They have been emphasizing taking shots in practice and Dowd did just that. He had a beautiful shot that he put right of the left shoulder of Danis to put the puck right under the crossbar giving the Monarchs the lead back at 11:07.
With the 2-1 lead, the Monarchs were not going to sit back to see what happened. Mersch once again showed what a valuable player he has been to this team. There was even more traffic in front of Danis this time as he found himself down on the ice facing too much activity get to his feet. Defenseman Kevin Gravel took a shot from the blue line, knowing someone would get it to the net. Mersch turned out to be just that someone, jamming the puck home from his knees for his second of the game and 8th of the playoffs at 16:07.
The momentum seemed to have shifted to the Monarchs as they took a 3-1 lead into the second intermission. The Wolf Pack came out still with some fight in the final frame but continued to have trouble connecting on passes.
But the Wolf Pack were down and not out. At 6:43, veteran defenseman Mat Bodie pulled Hartford within one again. He took a shot from the face-off circle to Berube’s right that managed to slide between his pad and the post but looked like it took a strange bounce in the process.
Only being down by one seemed to breathe a little bit of life into the Wolf Pack, but the Monarchs were doing their best to hold onto their lead. Towards the end of the game, the referees finally see something from Hartford that they cannot ignore. Monarchs forward Sean Backman has another near miss at an attempt to put the Monarchs up 4-2. Following the whistle, the same roughing around as has happened all game continues. However, this time Wolf Pack defenseman Dylan McIlrath seemed to take it too far and might have shoved the linesman in his attempt to get at the Monarchs. That resulted in a ten minute misconduct for him with less than 3 minutes in the game.
It was clear Hartford wanted to pull Danis for the extra attacker but was struggling to keep the puck in the Manchester zone. At 1:24 to go in the game, Danis was able to skate to the bench and the Wolf Pack began furiously trying to get one past Berube to force overtime. But Berube and the Monarchs stood tall to take Game 1.
It was a hard fought game on both sides and it was clear that both teams were ready to play. The Wolf Pack have one previous Calder Cup from 15 years ago but the Monarchs have not made it to the finals in their 14 seasons in Manchester. It will be interesting how game 2 plays out on Saturday.
This Chicago Blackhawks–Anaheim Ducks series sends me back to my grandparents’ “Nintendo room” (also, importantly, where the old Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books sat) and that darn Duck Hunt dog is laughing at me.
Only now, I’m much more emotionally invested than having to hand an orange plastic gun over to my big brother.
This series, which seemingly miraculously has the Ducks with only a 3-2 lead, is yet to yield a Blackhawks regulation win. And, on Monday night, Anaheim gave Chicago their first overtime loss of the postseason. The 5-4 Ducks victory, just 45 seconds into first overtime, followed a thrilling comeback by Chicago after the Ducks took a three goal lead in the first period.
It also came on the heels of another Blackhawks battering by the Ducks–a gameplan shared (again) beforehand by Center Ryan Kesler, who told Nhl.com.
It’s especially tough when the target’s aimed on defenders, of which the Blackhawks are lacking, with four primary d-men and the remaining two taking very little ice time.
While the Blackhawks aren’t going to just take those sentiments lying down–watching it roll out on the TV before me reminds me a bit of the point in Duck Hunt when those flying ducks overtook the screen leaving me and my plastic gun useless.
Then, while I was down, another figure from my childhood turned on me–Emilio Estevez from the Mighty Ducks.
You know what, Emilio, you’re not lovable Gordon Bombay with your “fowl” mouth.
You’re drunk lawyer Gordon Bombay. You’re ice-cream-with-the-enemy-dating-the-Iceland-trainer/Who was that man with the wet hair? Was it raining? Gordon Bombay. You’re coach-the-District Five-kids-to-dive-This is what I gave up my overtime pay for?! Gordon Bombay.
And the cherry on top–all of those are more relevant than being Emilio Estevez circa 2015.
That Nintendo/Nancy Drew books/Jeremy Roenick Blackhawks-era fan me is well aware the Anaheim Ducks are playing less like the Charlie Conway Ducks crew and more like their opponents–with plans to hit the other team into submission. This isn’t Blades of Steel.
It also isn’t nature, where, on a fishing outing I once saw a hawk swoop a duck right out of the water for a snack–here’s looking at you Kesler, Corey Perry, and Clayton Stoner.
I know I’m partial here, but the Blackhawks haven’t been a bad guy in this narrative. Kimmo Timonen, whose average of about 9-1/2 minutes on ice per game this series (up from five only thanks to so much overtime), is hard for the team but is part of an overall goal to give the aging athlete a chance at a championship. He’s like a grandpa in hockey! And, he came to the Hawks after most of a season off recovering from blood clots.
But, while the Hawks are giving him a chance, the Ducks are crushing him whenever possible.
And, as a fan, I know that the salary cap means we don’t have much time left with all the core guys that contribute so much to this team. It could be greedy to want to see them go all the way together at least one last time, but it’s hard not to pull for them when I see skill versus brute force and juvenile jabs. That’s the kind of hockey I love to watch and I want to see be successful.
The Blackhawks fell 3-2 Monday in a best of seven series. They have not been playing their best hockey. Every game this series has involved some sort of catchup. They’re down, but they certainly aren’t out. Why?
Tons of character. Tremendous leadership. Never die. Never quit. Find ways. It’s all about moving forward, dealing with the situation that faces you. Puts us into tomorrow night’s game.
With 57 seconds left in the period, Patrick Kane scored–a no-look backhander (Brad Richards, Niklas Hjalmarsson) as Kane does and fans like me would hope would inspire the team for a win.
But, the Hawks would be idle for the second, while Anaheim took advantage of the opportunity to get ahead.
Simon Despres (Getzlaf, Cam Fowler) scored the game-winner with less than a minute left than that period and the Hawks would fail to come back despite 10 shots to five in the third.
Game Four
It took a foray into second overtime for the Blackhawks to win their second home game Saturday, 5-4.
Brandon Saad tallied first–a shorthanded breakaway with less than a minute remaining in the first.
And then came the tying goal, 3-3, unassisted, from Matt Belesky, in about 20 seconds.
Perry (Getzlaf) gave the Ducks the lead 14 seconds later, with just over 10 minutes remaining in the third.
Kane, again, would come up big for Chicago, though, when he scored on a play from Richards and Duncan Keith at 12:39 in third.
And, proving they don’t like to sit out, Teravainen (with Patrick Sharp) set up Vermette for the game-winner 5:37 into second overtime–tying the series once more.
“I think we have experienced some moments where you get that sickened feeling, thinking, ‘How did we let that slip?'” Toews said. “You can run so many scenarios though your head as far as little things you could have done differently to finish the game, avoid the situation that you’re in. You just kind of forget about it…You’ve got to move past it, say, ‘Hey, put those three minutes behind us, forget we had a 3-1 lead, just play the way it is now. We’re down a goal, got to find a way.'”
Toews credited the players in and out of the lineup who take the game a shift at a time as part of the team’s depth.
Vermette and Teravainen are those kind of players and they’ve been as significant for the team this series as some of the core men.
“I think that’s why we feel we have a confident group and there’s still another level we can get to,” Toews said.
Game Five
After losing one home game, the Blackhawks returned to Anaheim knowing they’d have to take one on the road to finish the series. For many like myself, the hope was they’d do so sooner rather than later.
But that wasn’t the case. Before the first 20 minutes was up, the Ducks would be up three goals on Chicago at the Honda Center.
At 5:10 into the period, Cam Fowler (Nate Thompson, Cogliano) shot a wrister past Corey Crawford after a bad defensive play by the Hawks.
Less than a minute later, Kesler would tip-in a Silfverberg shot set up by Beauchemin.
Sami Vatanen slapped a third goal in off a Getzlaf faceoff win with just over five minutes left in the first.
Just over a minute into the second, though, Teravainen would come up huge with a wrister off a pass from Vermette set up by Sharp.
And Seabrook would fire in a second goal with about 30 seconds left in the second thanks to a dish from Teravainen (Sharp).
In the third, Maroon tipped in a shot from Vatanen (Getzlaf) to stay at 4-2 with just over 15 minutes left in regulation.
Chicago’s captain stepped in for heroics, though, starting with a slapshot set up by Hossa and Keith 18:10 into the third.
Then, with 38 seconds left, he shot a wrister (Andrew Shaw, Seabrook) from a seemingly impossible angle to the far left of the net to tie the game.
After an incredible comeback, and with the hopes of a now-shaken Anaheim goaltender in Frederik Andersen, the Hawks headed to overtime.
The Ducks broke Chicago’s OT-win streak, though, when a clear-with-a-shot attempt by Bryan Bickell allowed Silfverberg and Kesler to steal the puck and set up Beleskey for the win 45 seconds in.
“You never want to go down three goals right off the bat, but I think we always show that we can find ways to dig ourselves out of those holes (and) we did it,” Toews told media Monday night. “Going into overtime, we feel the game is in our hands, we’re going to get that next break. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t take advantage of it.”
Being back home will have a number of advantages, should the Hawks choose to use them.
What’ll it take?
The Blackhawks will have to use their home crowd to their advantage this time. They’ll need to come out hot and play hard for the full 60 minutes of regulation hockey. They can’t give the Ducks a full period to lead, or even a minute to accumulate goals. While possession means more time to take hits, it also means more time to take shots–and the Blackhawks need to take them.
“It seemed like, I don’t know what it was, but like we were sleeping there at the start,” Saad said of Monday’s game. “Their goals piled on, mistake after mistake. They capitalized on it. That’s what a good team is going to do. We know we got to start better tomorrow.”
Chicago’s offense needs to make the Ducks’ defense work and not the other way around.
“It’s always important to keep the momentum on our team, especially after scoring a goal, if the other team scores a goal, you have to have big shifts right after. I think that’s something we can improve on going forward,” Hjalmarsson said Tuesday. “We all know tomorrow is a fun, huge game for us. We’re all going to bring our best, for sure. We definitely will have to do a better job.”
And, the better Chicago’s offense does, the less they have to rely on their defense and the more they pressure the Ducks’ netminder.
They also need to screen Andersen, who has been hot this series. Someone in red needs to have a present at that net to create a play, whether it’s a tip-in or merely making Andersen’s job more difficult.
While Vermette credited the effectiveness of the Ducks’ shot-blocking (21 shots in Game Five alone), he also said how powerful the Hawks are when they move their feet. They need to stay fast with the puck and spend less time dump-and-chasing, giving Anaheim too many chances to convert.
More puck possession does make them a bigger target for hits and there’s no doubt the Ducks will be aiming to strike and agitate as much as possible. The Hawks must maintain cool heads and keep themselves out of the box. They have to play their own style of hockey, not allowing aggressors to alter what’s worked in the past.
“We feel that we’re a tough team to get rid of,” Toews said. “And now obviously the next game’s a must-win for us. A lot of guys, most guys, if not everybody in this room, definitely believe that that’s when we play our best, when our backs are against the wall. So we’re ready for that challenge.”
This is a must-win for Chicago. They’ll need to play like it.
Western Conference Final Schedule
Game 6: 7:00 p.m. CT Wed. May 27 in Chicago, broadcast on NBCSN, CBC, and TVA Sports IF NEEDED:
Game 7: 7:00 p.m. CT Sat. May 30 in Anaheim, broadcast on NBCSN, CBC, and TVA Sports
(As always, click the bold links for video clips or other information. Gifs via Stephanie Vail @myregularface)
Although Charlie Coyle’s NHL team, the Minnesota Wild, was recently eliminated in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, he was able to overcome the disappointment, and find success with Team USA at the 2015 Ice Hockey World Championships.
Coyle helped Team USA clinch the Bronze Medal, contributing with three goals and two assists, for a total of five points in the tournament. Coyle only participated in five of the ten games in which Team USA played due to the Minnesota Wild being active in the NHL playoffs. His first match he competed in was the victory against Slovenia on May 10. He was not able to score in his first game played, but did contribute a goal in his second one, helping the United States beat Slovakia by a score of 5-4. He recorded two multiple point games in the tournament, with a goal and an assist in each. Luckily for Team USA, one of his two point performances was in the Bronze Medal game, which was won by a score of 3-0 against the Czech Republic.
Coyle participated in the tournament with many other NHL players, and was undoubtedly one of the most successful, based on the amount of games in which he participated and the points that he scored.
Being that Coyle is a young player; it is great that he was willing to stay active shortly after the Minnesota Wild were eliminated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Hopefully his offseason work to improve his game will translate to his upcoming seasons with the Wild in the NHL, and will help them win a Stanley Cup in the near future.
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