Until we get a logo, you get a picture of Patrick Sharp. (Photo: Mel Boysen)

After some delay, here we are with our second episode of The Quiet Room with Casey and Kat! Topics include:

• Concussions, with a personal view from Casey
• Last week’s Chicago Blackhawks games against the San Jose Sharks, Phoenix Coyotes, and Nashville Predators.
• Other games around the NHL
• Fighting vs. hitting — here is the link to the Justin Bourne article we reference
• The (theoretically palatable!) Line Cocktail for the week
• This week’s question: How long can the Blackhawks go without a regulation loss?

Click the green button below to listen. We’re still working on improving the sound quality of the podcast, so bear with us.

Download the podcast here (To save this to your computer, right-click the link and “Save target/link as…”)

Two goals in this game? TRADE HIM. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

The question was inevitable, no matter how hard we tried to avoid it: How would the Chicago Blackhawks respond to the return of Raffi Torres to the Phoenix Coyotes lineup after serving his 21-game suspension for this hit on Marian Hossa?

Jamal Mayers began the answer to that question when he dropped the gloves with Torres early in the first period.

» Continue reading “Sucks To Suck: Blackhawks 6, Coyotes 2″

Just focus on lighting them up. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

• The Chicago Blackhawks take on the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at 8:00pm CT. The game will be on Comcast Sportsnet in Chicago.
• Previews: NHL, Chicago Tribune, Second City Hockey, The Committed Indian, Blackhawk Up
• Ray Emery will be in net for the Blackhawks. (@ChrisKuc) Mike Smith will backstop the Coyotes. (@azc_mclellan)

» Continue reading “Warmups: So I Heard Some Douchebag Is Coming Back?”

Well, he scored a goal, finally. That’s one thing. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

I just.

I don’t.

I can’t even words?

Sorry, this game broke my ability to think coherent thoughts.

The amount of time and effort to explain just what the hell happened in the first period of the game would overwhelm me, and this is not that sort of site, so just…

Look at the following picture.

» Continue reading “WTF Happened?: Blackhawks 5, Sharks 3″

Birthday boy. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Today is Brandon Bollig‘s birthday. He turns 26 today.

I guess that, since it’s his birthday, I should be nice and not mention that I wish he was back in Rockford, terrorizing the AHL with his limited skills.

I guess I shouldn’t say something like “Whatever you did to Coach Q, Jamal Mayers, please apologize for it so he can put you back in the lineup so we don’t have to suffer through another one of Bollig’s staged fights ever again.”

And I definitely shouldn’t wish Ben Smith a speedy recovery so he can eventually take Bollig’s place in the lineup if Coach Q is determined to keep Mayers in the doghouse for whatever petty, Coach Q-like reasons.

I should just be nice.

So… happy birthday, Bollig. I hope you get to celebrate by watching the game tomorrow from the comfort of Vancouver’s press box. I hear they have good popcorn in there.

(Oh, dammit, that was still mean, wasn’t it? Oh well. I don’t care enough to edit it.)

» Continue reading “Fresh Brew: Happy Birthday, Brandon Bollig!”

Dumbass! I’ve almost kind of missed you, sorta, but not really! (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

It’s been a while since we’ve actually talked about Blackhawks hockey stuff on here, so there are some things you might have forgotten about. Let’s get everybody caught up!

• Daniel Carcillo is our dumbass for two more years.
• Ray Emery is here for another year.
• Jamal Mayers re-signed for another year, as well.
• Johnny Oduya re-signed for three years.
• Mike Haviland was fired from the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks hired Jamie Kompon, former assistant coach of the Los Angeles Kings, to replace him.
• The Blackhawks signed two free agents over the offseason, Sheldon Brookbank and Michal Rozsival.
• Sami Lepisto is gone, but other than that, last year’s team is intact. Whether this is a good or bad thing remains to be seen.

And that’s what you forgot — or tried to forget — over this extended offseason!

Toews leads the team during practice. (Via @adamjahns/Twitter)

The NHL might be locked out, but that doesn’t stop the Blackhawks from getting a skate in.

Most of the team that has already made their way to Chicago — including Jonathan Toews, Jamal Mayers (who worked the whistle), Patrick Sharp, Dave Bolland, Steve Montador, Johnny Oduya, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marcus Kruger, and Sheldon Brookbank — skated in an informal practice today at Johnny’s Ice House West. Ben Smith, Brandon Pirri, Adam Clendening, and Jeremy Morin also joined the group, along with ex-Blackhawks Brian Campbell, Ben Eager, and Troy Brouwer. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Funny thing about this lockout — the Blackhawks can go to Johnny’s Ice House West to practice, can wear their own practice sweaters — but they can’t use their locker room. (@TimSassone)

» Continue reading “Fresh Brew: Blackhawks Continue To Practice”

To celebrate the fact that I can now post videos from NHL.com onto the site, here is video from Blackhawks Night at US Cellular Field.

Three more years. (Photo: the_mel/flickr)

Along with formally announcing the signings of Jamal Mayers, Mac Carruth, Joakim Nordstrom, Klas Dahlbeck, and Kent Simpson that occurred over the holiday weekend,  the Blackhawks also announced the re-signing of defenseman Johnny Oduya for three years at $3.375 million/year, according to CSN Chicago. This is slightly less than his last contract, which had a cap hit of $3.5 million/year.

According to Stan Bowman, the signing was all about Oduya’s “fit” within the Blackhawks:

“We brought Johnny in to solidify things down the stretch, and I think he played a big role in the turnaround of our team. It was pretty evident that his style of hockey complemented our style, and it made our players better,” Bowman said. “I had a good meeting with Johnny at the end of the year and he made it clear that he wanted to be in Chicago. He could have gone anywhere; the fact that he wanted to be back and he helped us made it a simple decision for us.”

I know a lot of people are bothered by the price. The Blackhawks certainly overpaid… a little. But, honestly, when you look at other defensemen in the league that are in the same skill set at Oduya, they’re all making about the same amount (which means, yes, a lot of teams are overpaying for defense).

And please don’t give me the whole “Oduya cost us the Coyotes series,” because I went over that when the Blackhawks were bounced. By that line of logic, the Blackhawks should get rid of half the team. (If you really think the Blackhawks should get rid of half the team — wow, thanks for stumbling across my site, Steve Rosenbloom.)

He's happy, I'm happy -- we're all happy, I think. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Jamal Mayers was re-signed by the Blackhawks late yesterday, according to @RenLavoieRDS:

There was some doubt about Mayers being re-signed after being benched for the Blackhawks’ last three playoff games, but we can put those to rest now.

Even though he’s not getting any younger (he’ll be 38 this year, which is at least 68 in hockey years), he’s a solid guy. You know that he’ll always have his teammates’ back out on the ice, and he’s a player the younger guys can certainly learn from. And hey — the Blackhawks signed him for cheap.

Let’s just hope that a lockout doesn’t ruin it for him and everybody else.