Our Chicago Blackhawks are off to one hell of a start this season. I was back home in Chicago last weekend and I finally got a chance to go to a game and watch the boys beat a talented Avalanche team. I also had the opportunity to watch the Hawks come back to beat the Leafs on Saturday. I have to say I have not been this excited about the Hawks in a long time. I have to admit, once Havlat went out with the shoulder injury I was kind of nervous about how the team would hold up without him, but I'm not concerned anymore.
There are so many positives to take out of the season so far, even just after 8 games. My personal favorite being 2 victories against the team I picked to go to the Stanley Cup finals, the Detroit Red Wings. I picked them but still personally hate them because they are always so good, are rivals of the Hawks, and I have to watch them on TV all the time instead of the Hawks because I live in Michigan. Anyways, guess who is the leading point-getter on the Hawks, Patrick Kane! But wait, I along with many others thought this kid might be too small and was just not ready. We were all wrong, this kid is legit. Being on a line with Toews and Rutuu is scary-good for the future. Speaking of scary-good, make sure to check out the video below of Toews' goal versus three Avalanche players and a veteran goaltender in Jose Theodore.
What a great comeback in Toronto. I believe the victory is attributed to two key factors. First, the Hawks only had one minor penalty while the Leafs had seven (not including the fighting majors which I will address soon). Discipline is key to this victory. The other key, we took advantage of their undisciplined nature. The Hawks scored on 4 of 7 power plays, now that is production. Being down 3-1 and scoring 5 goals in the third period is just great hockey. Unlike the past, that Hawks are winning when it counts, at the end of the game.
There is so much young talent on this team and such speed that it is only going to get more exciting to watch, it's been a long time since 2002. Kane is followed in the point lead by the master face-off man Robert Lang, than Williams, Sharp, and Toews. Just wait for Havlat to come back, then we're going undefeated!!!
Lastly I want to talk briefly about fighting in ice hockey. I have already seen some awesome fights this season. Now, I have always been a supporter of the more talent aspect of the game, the speed and the stick-handling (even though I probably fought more than did any of that myself when I played), but you have to love a great fight and the young talent in the league now is proving that skill does still exist. David Koci of the Hawks knows how to throw down and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him duke it out against Wade Belak of the Leafs. Here's the video:
I also want to show you this video, it is a compilation of some of the best hockey fight knockouts of all time.
...and of course what is a talk about fighting in hockey without a tribute to the toughest man to put on a Hawks jersey and the man to spend nearly 6% of his entire NHL career sitting in the penalty box, Mr. Robert Probert.
GO HAWKS! With home games coming back to TV, this season just keeps getting better and better.
By Gordon Bombay
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