Roads and Roads
“Walking down that lonesome road
Fly with me on fire,
Lookin’ for that windy place
Searchin’ ever higher.
High upon a mountain top
Fortress thick and bonded,
Thoughts about a brighter day together in the sun.” – Jorma Kaukonen
By Rich Lindbloom
So it is, the Blackhawks begin their assault on the Mount Stanley, on the road against the hated Nashville Predators. (Actually, there’s never been a lot of hate between these two teams – but with it being playoff season and all it’s time to ratchet up the antipathy!) The truth of the matter is there are no easy roads to eventually hoisting the Cup. That road is littered with potholes, speed bumps, detours and bad calls by the refs. As Al Michaels so brilliantly noted, get ready “to die a thousand deaths” Hawk fans. Hell, even making the playoffs is an arduous process; seldom is that road a straight line! Whoever will be left standing, “high upon a mountain top,” at the end of the long and winding road, will not be playing on cruise control. As my dad used to say before all eleven of us would pile into the Chrysler station wagon, make sure you go to the bathroom before we leave, because we’re not stopping! (i.e. they’ll be no stopping to visit Mrs. Murphy)
Much was made of a post-game interview when Coach Q resigned himself to the fact the Hawks would be opening on the road – I believe after the Wild contest. Coach Q noted how many teams fared almost as well on the road this year, as at home. (The Hawks were 24-24) I’m thinking Rocky Wirtz and John McDonough might have liked to have any extra games we play be contested on home ice. These are very inaccurate figures, but at an average ticket price of $150, if 21,000 fans dig into their 401K, or their kid’s inheritance, to pay for their playoff tickets, the revenue would be $3,150,000 per game; in the first round alone. Home games maybe don’t mean much to the players, (although I’m not so sure about that), but to the owners I’m guessing it can add up close to a $2 million/game profit for a team like the Hawks.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of opening a playoff series on the road is stealing a game in the opposition’s rink. Certainly, there is more pressure on the home team to win those two games. There’s also the added advantage that the players are away from home responsibilities and can focus solely on hockey. The team eats, sleeps and drinks together, while preparing for battle, forging the team into a cohesive unit.
While starting at home didn’t pan out to well for St. Louis last year, when the Blues won the first two games in OT against the Hawks at home, I still think home ice is not to be underrated. There’s always the effect of unconscious calls of the referee who might be influenced by the home town fans. (Kill the ref!) Also, I can’t help but think players are more fired up playing before the adoring masses in their own rink. Just a tiny little shot of adrenalin, whether it’s the cheering after a big goal, a crushing hit or great save – “Corey, Corey, Corey…,” can give the hometown boys a boost. The seventh man in hockey should not summarily dismissed.
I’ve told this story once before, but it bears repeating. My brother Jim was at a Hawks/Bruins game one time when the Hawks were down 5-1 heading into the third period. In between periods, a Bruins fan walked down an aisle with his girlfriend on his shoulders, waving the Bruins pennant. Of course the angry Hawks crowd started booing and throwing stuff at them. Moments later, a Hawk fan walked down another aisle with his girlfriend on his shoulders waving some sort of Hawk paraphernalia. The Crowd gave them a standing ovation. While this ovation took place, the Hawks were emerging from there dismal locker room. They had no idea what was going on, and responded to what they thought was the fans exhortations to give them a boost. Boston never knew what hit them, succumbing to a fired up Hawk squad. (Earl, do you think you can hoist RoseLee upon your shoulders if we need some inspiration during the playoffs?)
It is what it is though, and we’ll be “walking down a country road,” when the Hawks face the Predators tomorrow night. I’m thinking not a lot of work is going to get done by hockey fans in Chicago tomorrow. Most of them will be wondering and discussing if Coach Q has lost all his marbles starting Versteeg over Vermette. Some will even get violent thinking about that situation – more on that later. Although the Hawks lost their last four games, all four games were decided by one goal. The Hawks could have just as easily been 4-0, facing those “Wild Things” in that frozen tundra above Wisconsin.
Instead, we face the Mustard Men, who have lost their last six games. (Doesn’t the term “Mustard Men” evoke images of Flash Gordon?) The Pred’s let in 25 goals in those six games! Do you think they missed, Shea Weber in those contests? The known scoudrel has one of the heaviest clap bombs in the league. Weber will be suited up tomorrow night, although like so many hockey players at this point in the season, I doubt that he is 100%.
Weber is part of a very solid defense corps for the Pred’s. Roman Josi had a phenomenal year, with 15 goals and 40 helpers. Expect to see Josi and Weber logging a lot of minutes. Seth Jones, the 4th pick in the 2013 draft, scares me; a lot. When this kid eventually has his break out moment in the NHL, I hope it’s not against the Hawks. He is strong, big, an excellent skater and an offensive weapon. Paired with Mattias Eckholm who was +12 this year, the Pred’s have a solid second unit. I’d have to say the Pred’s have a definite advantage when it comes to the third line pairings, unless Timmonen can downshift into another gear. Although on the smaller side at 5’10”, 175lbs, Ryan Ellis, the 11th pick in the 2009 draft, is a puck moving machine. Think “Danger, danger will Robinson” when he is carrying the puck. His partner, Anton Volchenkov, likes to hit people. I’m sure Kaner will be aware of him.
On the offensive side of the ledger, the Preds have considerable fire power. Carrie Underwood’s husband, Filip Forsberg, known Hawk slayer Mike Ribiero – 62 points this season, James Neal, Colin Wilson and Craig Smith all can light the lamp. As I recall, Matt Cullen can fly and many of us are probably already having nightmares of Viktor Stalberg blowing by Michal Rozsival – Lord have mercy.
Much was made of the LA Kings reportedly locking Darryl Sutter out of the locker room this past week. And you thought the Hawks had off ice issues this year! But it did give me a thought; can we lock Coach Q in the locker room? His mind blowing decision to start Versteeg on the second line with Kane and Richards makes me want to punch a kitten. Does Coach Q realize were in the playoffs now? The current Blackhawk line configurations for tomorrow are as follows;
Saad/Toews/Hossa
Versteeg/Richards/Kane
Bickell/Shaw/Sharp
Nordstrom/Freddy/Teuvo
Raise your hand if you think that line up is better than the one that came to me in an epiphany at 3am when I visited the bathroom last night. (I can no longer go all night long – without going to the bathroom that is.)
Saad/Toews/Hossa
Sharp/Richards/Kane
Bickell/Vermette/Shaw
Nordstrom/Freddy/Teuvo
In the above scenario, I would have no problem switching Richards and Vermette. I’m not seeing many hands go up.
In Coach Q’s lineup, who is going to have Kaner’s back when the Predators try to intimidate him? If a Predator player so much as looks at Kane cross-eyed, the player needs to be pounded. I just don’t see Versteeg intimidating many of the Pred’s nozzles. Also, God forbid, if this line gets stuck with a defensive zone faceoff, the puck may never leave the Hawks zone. Neither Kane, nor Versteeg are known for getting their elbows dirty along the boards. Versteeg is the king of the poke check, that doesn’t work out to well in playoff hockey. Hopefully Kris will make me eat my words – I’ve just seen too many “Damnit Versteeg” moments this season. There are times when I don’t feel like I can cope with Coach Q’s decisions.
I visited the Nucks Misconduct website last night to read some of the comments between Calgary and Vancouver fans. Boy I hope that series goes seven games; the banter between the fans of the two bitter rivals should make for some great entertainment. Kent Basky, a columnist at nucksmisconduct.com, wrote a piece entitled, “A guide to enjoying the playoffs, or how I learned to quit rioting and love the game.” Basically he stated the Canucks were still in a retooling process, and he told the fans not to get their expectations too high. He noted that the fans should take the laid back, west coast approach to everything. While I sort of got the point he was making, Kent seemed to have forgot he was writing to possibly the most neurotic fans in hockey. (Do you realize we could end up playing those nozzles in the Conference Finals this year? That might stoke the smoldering Canuck/Hawk rivalry a bit, eh?)
You can flash the peace sign, drink herbal tea designed to calm frayed nerves, or hum Kumbaya my Lord, Kumbaya all you want. However there is no way around it; playoff hockey is a gut wrenching affair. It is not for the faint of heart. I love how my mom would tell me after games last year that she would have to turn the TV off because it was too nerve wracking – and she’s 86! However, there are some coping techniques you may want to employ to get through a, hopefully, extended playoff run.
1. Stock up on Alkaseltzer. Can’t sleep at 3 am in the morning after a gut wrenching loss, trust me, the ‘plop,plop,fizz,fizz” is a great remedy.
2. One lopsided loss does not immediately signal “For whom the bell tolls.” Breathe and don’t dare say “We need to play Darling.”
3. Consider the bright side; if the Hawks bow out early to the Mustard Men, you will not have to send in your remittance for Rounds 3 and 4. That will probably be enough savings to plan a two week vacation in Europe this summer.
4. Go out and buy yourself a new pair of Echo shoes. I bought two pairs at the Michigan City Echo Outlet store this weekend. A new pair of shoes just seems to have a salubrious effect on the human condition. Go get a pair of those bad boy kicks and see for yourself!
5. Use reverse psychology. I remember my friend Ears saying “That’s why Corey Crawford will never be an elite goalie” after he let one in during the waning moments of a Ranger game last year. Ears has the tendency to turn very negative, (a bit like one of my favorite Tribune columnists Steve Rosenbloom, when things are going bad.) That evening Ears let Corey, and us have an earful as the game winded down. The game went into a shootout, and Cor-dawg was spectacular. When the Hawks emerged triumphant we started giving Ears the business. He just had a huge smile on his face and said, “Reverse psychology.”
6. Exercise while watching the game. If they lose, at least you will feel you have accomplished something.
7. Although many will try this, drinking heavily will only exacerbate you’re sullen condition. But it beats drinking herbal tea!
8. Pick an alternate team to root for, should the roof collapse. The Wild, Senators and Flames are great underdogs to cheer for.
9. Take a long ride in a car during the game and discuss you and your wife’s feelings.
10. Realize that if we lose Game One, Coach Q will shuffle his lines like a deck of cards in the hands of three card Louie.
In short, be brave Hawk fans. Ben Crenshaw made a great statement in his interview last Friday after his last Master’s appearance. Basically he noted, “You have to hit brave shots to win the Masters. Players who lay up will not be in the hunt.” There’s a great book out called “The Road to Unafraid,” by Jeff Struecker. It tells the story of Black Hawk down in the 1993 battle of Mogadishu. I’m pretty sure we have a lot of Jeff Struecker’s in our line up – players who will no doubt repeatedly put themselves in harm’s way as we advance through the playoffs. Players who will have their teammates back. Anyone have any doubts that a player like Andrew Shaw will eat a fist of puck to win a hockey game. No doubt, that’s what it takes to win in the NHL Playoffs.
Be brave Hawks; be very brave. The road to the mountain top is a tortuous one. When all is said and done though, perhaps we’ll be standing in Grant Park again “on a brighter day, together in the sun.”
And never forget – as Yogi Berra once noted, “If you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
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Rich Lindbloom
