Daily Pucking Grind. March 8th.
By Frank Rekas
Today’s music selection is Here Come The Hawks.
A mixed bag of emotions will be rampant in the Bank Atlantic Center today as the Chicago Blackhawks, and ex-Florida Panther Michael Frolik visit Sunrise, Florida. Dale Tallon the Panthers General Manager is credited as being the architect of these Blackhawks, and for the most part he is. I lived there for a long time and witnessed the “comeback” and revitalization of a franchise that was left for dead.
At one point and time you couldn’t get a ticket for a Hawks game, as they played a brand and style of hockey that moved you to the edge of your seat. Banging bodies, scoring goals, and the shiver you felt in the ‘Old” Chicago Stadium could be compared to no other venue in sports. Then, they hit rock bottom. Not only an an afterthought in the city, but in the NHL. A sad state of affairs.
It took the death unfortunately of Bill Wirtz for his son Rocky to take over and bring the team not only to respectability, but to the top of the NHL with last year’s Stanley Cup Championship run. Dale Tallon was largely responsible for that as he drafted, made shrewd trades, and assembled a team with a coach behind the bench that has the right amount of “chutzpa” to get the players to perform on a nightly basis. (Minus his recent diagnosis of a bleeding ulcer).
As an original Blackhawk fan I could sit here and salivate and blab all day long about where they were, where they went, and how fun it was to watch them come back. But I won’t. I will tell you though, that Dale Tallon has a plan. He’s going to work that plan. We have to give him time to put it together. As he said the other day, we have no choice as fans other than to be patient.
One last thing before i give you a few links for today. There are a lot of teams that come into the Bank Atlantic Center that we love to hate, or despise. Philly, Pittsburgh, Detroit, some of the Canadien teams. Sure I’m biased when I say this, but honestly, there’s nothing to hate about the Chicago Blackhawks.
Here’s a few links for Tuesday:
Frolik returns, and Dale Tallon has moved on. On Frozen Pond.
Two places to get to know the Chicago Blackhawks. Our own Blackhawk Up, and Second City Hockey.
Puck Daddy’s Three Stars for Monday night.
Monica McAlister covers last night’s events, from A to Z. The Hockey Writers.
Want to know what’s going in the Western Conference? Our Amanda Di Paolo covers it every Monday. Too Many Men On The Site.
Thanks for reading. We welcome your comments and your rants!
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