Only goal scored. Only goal needed. (Photo: Mel Boysen/flickr)

One of these days, sooner rather than later, the Columbus Blue Jackets will learn how to score. Hell, they had a few good chances against the Chicago Blackhawks tonight, with only a couple of bad bounces off of the post keeping them off of the score sheet.

» Continue reading “Boring But Effective: Chicago Blackhawks 1, Columbus Blue Jackets 0″

One goal, one assist, first star of the game… still so Swedish, it hurts. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

So I guess this is where I’m supposed to tell you that Jonathan Toews‘ dumbass fight against Joe Thornton, like, sparked the Chicago Blackhawks to victory against the San Jose Sharks or something? But really, the Blackhawks looked like the dominant team the entire game, so I don’t know if you can really spark something that’s clearly on fire already.

The fight took Toews off the ice for nine minutes and put his team on the penalty kill for four minutes for starting a fight with his visor on along with boarding. So, really, it was dumb and could have totally swung the momentum the Sharks’ way if the penalty kill wasn’t so on point this year. You lucked out this time, Toews.

Anyway, if you want to see the awful fight, it’s after the cut. Seriously, it’s terrible and embarrassing. » Continue reading “Shark Hunters: Blackhawks 4, Sharks 1″

The game saver and the game winner. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

The last time the Chicago Blackhawks went 4-0 to start the season, it was in 1972. (By the way, after that hot start, the Black Hawks won one more game before they went into a seven-game slump. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself there, huh?) It wasn’t easy, but after Kari Lehtonen stoned them early in the game, the team found a way to solve him and get the two points.

Let’s break down what happened after the jump!

» Continue reading “4-0: Blackhawks 3, Stars 2 (OT)”

Pictured: A total badass. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

The second game of a back-to-back is never all that pretty, but at times, this looked as awful as whatever animal is hiding out under Mike Smith‘s helmet this season.

Ray Emery‘s rebound control was nonexistent until well into the third period. Duncan Keith looked like Drunken Keith, and Brent Seabrook looked like he shared the bar tab with Keith.

» Continue reading “The Best Revenge Is Living Well: Blackhawks 6, Coyotes 4″

Don’t get too excited, Hjalmarsson haters. The Blackhawks will get him back after the lockout is over. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Niklas Hjalmarsson becomes the latest Blackhawk to go to Europe, signing with the HC Interspar Bolzano-Bozen Foxes of the Italian Serie A.

This makes Hjalmarsson the sixth Blackhawk to head overseas.  Michael Frolik was the first to sign with a European team, going to Piráti Chomutov of the Czech Extraliga. Michal Rozsival then signed with HC Plzeň in the same league. Soon after, Bryan Bickell signed with Orli Znojmo of the Erst Bank Eishockey Liga, also known as the Austria Hockey League. Viktor Stalberg signed with Frölunda of Elitserien. The biggest name to make the jump across the pond was Patrick Kane, who signed with EHC Biel of National League A in Switzerland.

Of course, this means we once again turn to Google Translate to butcher the latest press release. Take it away, Google!

» Continue reading “Hjalmarsson Goes To Italy”

This is the face I make whenever I think about the lockout. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

And the first Blackhawk to bolt to Europe to play during the NHL lockout is… Michael Frolik.

As first reported by eliteprospects.com, Frolik has signed on to play with Piráti Chomutov of the Czech Extraliga. Let’s see what rozhlas.cz has to say about this, through the magic of Google Translate:

Chicago striker Michael Frolik strengthen extraleague Chomutov. Czech hockey player will be at the club in the Central lockout NHL. The team should be a member of the team bronze from the last World Cup to join in the coming days.

Michael Frolik player but is positive, so the clubs must first agree on which should be the weekend of the state. The Pirates have signed čtyřiadvacetiletý player. 

In the NHL playoffs, including Frolik played 315 matches, of which he chalked up to his 53 goals and 83 assists. In Extraleague appeared already at sixteen, two years later, he was like the tenth order draftovala Florida. 

When lockout overseas competition in the domestic competition appear first Tuesday in Třinec since Sunday match in Liberec still misses. In Chomutov fans will see him on Friday in a game against Kladno. 

Wow. That was insightful.

Frolik might be the first Blackhawks player to head overseas to play while the NHL and the NHLPA fight it out, but he certainly won’t be the last. Viktor Stalberg has stated that he would like to play with Frölunda of Elitserien, while Niklas Hjalmarsson is already back home in Sweden. Meanwhile, Patrick Kane isn’t sure if he’ll head to Europe — but if he does, he would like to play with Jonathan Toews.

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”

Don’t act like you don’t believe Hammer has a meatball throne, or Bolly has a chair made of the bones of his vanquished enemies.

Who knew he'd be the one ex-Blackhawk left in the Stanley Cup Finals?

Before Colin Fraser was in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Los Angeles Kings, writing blogs and scoring goals — he was on the Blackhawks, mostly warming the bench. However, he did get a lot more time in front of the camera during Blackhawks TV, and his BHTV shining moment was probably this interview with some of the other Blackhawks on the subject of Mario Kart.

» Continue reading “From The Vault: Colin Fraser And Mario Kart”

Michael Frolik isn't sure he heard the game result correctly. (Photo: Bridget Samuels/flickr)

Today’s match-ups were already going to cause some conflict here at Runs On Duncan—Sweden taking on the Czech Republic already meant that not all of our boys could win, but Slovakia defeating Canada dashed a lot of hopes.

One of our boys is going to semis, at least?

(…wow, that opening sounds familiar.)

Team Sweden (vs. Czech Republic)

There is really nothing good to say about this game in terms of the Blackhawks on Team Sweden. For starters, its abrupt end (Michalek put it away for Team Czech with :29 to go) reminded me of that Flyers-Blackhawks game in 2010 that still makes me wince. And then there’s the stats sheet. Stalberg, Hjalmarsson, and Kruger contributed a grand total of zero points and broke even in plus/minus except for Hjalmarsson… who was a minus-one. The most visible of the three was Stalberg, who took a dumb slashing penalty in the second.

On a bright side, their loss is Michael Frolik’s gain, whose contributions did not reflect on the score sheet aside from six shots on goal and an awkward minus-one (which is often the case with him)—but who has a chance at a medal by advancing to the semifinals.

If you feel like reliving the pain of this game, you can read my full game recap at the Intermission Report.

» Continue reading “World Domination: One Out of Six Ain’t Bad?”