By Gordon Bombay

The injury bug has hit the Hawks hard and they have been obviously suffering because of it.  Johnathan Toews, Jason Williams, and James Wisniewski are all out for what looks like another month or so.  On a positive note, it looks like Sopel is coming back from injury after being signed to a three year deal.  Havlat is also finally back, hopefully for an extended period of time.  After going on a four game winning streak which included a victory over the very good Ottawa Senators, the Hawks have lost their last eight games.  In these 8 games, inconsistency has been the thorn in the Hawks’ side.  The young defense showing early promise in the season has been up and down along with goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin.  During the game against the Wings I noticed a Hawks team that took the first period off.  Yet during the 9-2 loss to the Kings, the Hawks out shot them 34-26 and also out-shot the Wild 43-16 on Friday night. 

Duncan Keith is going to the All Star game, and Magnus Johansson has been traded to the Panthers for a 2009 draft pick.  Also, with all the injuries has come the opportunity for some future Hawks stars to play in the League.  Jack Skille, Cam Barker, and Danny Richmond have all seen a good amount of playing time, yet anything “Kane like” has yet to be seen.

Record against the Wings: 4 wins, 1 loss

As I watched the Wings vs. Hawks game in Michigan, the Wings commentators were very impressed by the showing the Hawks fans made (standing room only), and they consistently noted the traditional Chicago Stadium atmosphere that had been brought back to the United Center.  I would like to get a discussion going and hear some peoples inputs on the, in my opinion, greatest Chicago sports tradition of cheering as loud as you can during the national anthem.  Lately, the noise has been brought back and a new generation of Hawks fans are continuing the tradition.  Some people find it disrespectful and it is a controversial issue.  But I say, what is so controversial about a strong showing of Patriotism?

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