NEWSLETTER
Sorry for the late start for Blackhawks Bullets today. I figured after last night’s game, I would honor the effort given by Chicago by not getting into work until 10 a.m. Fortunately for you, I’m not going to phone-in the rest of the post.
• Don’t worry, at least the team knew they were flat last night…
Alex DeBrincat said the Blackhawks were "flat" tonight. Couldn't really explain why.
"We need to be desperate."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) February 1, 2022
DeBrincat: "We were flat for most of the game, and it's hard to score goals when you're not moving much. We've got to be way better."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 1, 2022
Connor Murphy on flat effort in loss to Vancouver: “I have no answer for that. It’s not good on us to have two days at home to get ready for a big game. It can’t happen at home to take that long to get into a game.” #Blackhawks
— Charlie Roumeliotis (@CRoumeliotis) February 1, 2022
• Sound familiar?
Kirby Dach: "We weren't ready to go (tonight)…We need a better effort from everybody."#Blackhawks #CHIvsMIN
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) January 22, 2022
• Wash. Rinse. Repeat.
• I don’t know what they need to be ready to play right from the first puck drop. These guys are paid professional athletes, most making seven-figures. They should be ready to go at 7:00, or 7:30, or 6:30, or whatever time the game is set to start.
• At least they are trying, though…
Derek King: "I think they're trying. I really do believe we're trying. Sometimes they don't try the right way, if that makes sense. They work hard at times, and then sometimes, they don't work smart."
— Ben Pope (@BenPopeCST) February 1, 2022
• At 16-22-7, last night’s Blackhawks looked like the 16-22-7 club that is destined for the NHL Draft Lottery, for which they don’t own their 2022 first round pick. The illusion that they are good enough to get on a run to get into a postseason chase, not even into the postseason itself, just to chase a spot, should be gone from our mind.
#Blackhawks have lost 6 of their last 7 games with their loss tonight to the Canucks, a team now 7 points ahead of them in the Western Conference standings.
They're not making the playoffs, folks. Come to grips with it now, it will make the rest of the season easier to swallow.— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) February 1, 2022
• To get this Blackhawks squad into the realm of contention, whoever is going to be put into the permanent GM role is going to have their hands full. And that’s not just coming from me, that’s a sentiment coming from the interim head coach who has to mold this current roster into “winners.”
"Obviously you see what these top teams have and that shows you what we're missing. … I mean there's some work to do. Whoever comes in here (as GM) is gonna have a job. It's gonna be some work."
Derek King when asked where #Blackhawks are compared to Minnesota, Colorado, etc.— John Dietz (@johndietzdh) January 31, 2022
• Finding that new GM is becoming a big group project. With the “Town Hall” event set for tomorrow night, the Blackhawks announced the addition of three team legends to the search committee. Former players Eddie Olczyk, Marian Hossa, and Patrick Sharp will help Rocky and Danny Wirtz, along with Jaime Faulkner in the GM search and interview process.
Hossa, Olczyk, and Sharp Will Help the Blackhawks Pick Their New GMhttps://t.co/gpYe08pXBL pic.twitter.com/upoDQQExS2
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 31, 2022
• Olczyk had previously been mentioned as a potential candidate for the potential President of Hockey Operations position, but it appears the team will not be using that role and allowing the new GM role to be the head of all hockey operations, essentially combining what Stan Bowman was previously doing but now under just one title.
• I do like having the input of more recent players like Sharp and Hossa, and Olczyk is connected to the game outside of the four walls of the Blackhawks due to his national broadcast duties, so I can trust his knowledge, connections, and persepctive around the league to know what works.
• In the meantime, look! Baby content!
PK3 in the building 🥺 pic.twitter.com/NY3vjNrSSs
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) February 1, 2022
• That’s adorable.
• The United Center is going to be adding a new Sportsbook in the arena with a partnership with FanDuel.
United Center Announces Plan to Build New Sportsbook in Partnership With FanDuelhttps://t.co/sx2SulcR7B
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 31, 2022
• Count me in!
• Speaking of new additions, the NHL All-Star skills completion will have two new “Vegas” themed events this weekend.
NHL All-Star Weekend Adds Two Very “Vegas-y” Eventshttps://t.co/L4AQ88Upv8 pic.twitter.com/SVE5PozeKw
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) January 31, 2022
• I love how the league didn’t want the Vegas expansion franchise associated with gambling, and then five years later, every NHL game has multiple betting commercials and we’re watching player play blackjack on Las Vegas Boulevard.
• My, how times change.
• Ottawa and Edmonton played in front of a sellout crowd last night…
Never thought I’d see the day this was on the jumbotron. pic.twitter.com/Po8IYPaEdS
— Ian Mendes (@ian_mendes) February 1, 2022
• *Insert Arizona Coyotes joke here*
• Want to see a kid who’s better at hockey than you?
Cooper — a young Blue Jackets fan — practiced this move for the entire month and waited for his chance.
Monday night, he buried it in front of a packed house in Columbus 👏
🎥 @BlueJacketsNHLpic.twitter.com/0MMeapy9rl
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) February 1, 2022
• Somewhere, John Tortorella’s head is exploding.
• Big news out of the world of Junior hockey as the IIHF is reportedly looking to reschedule the remainder of the Men’s World Junior Championships tournament in August.
IIHF President Luc Tardif told a Russian news outlet the 2022 World Juniors will likely be held in August https://t.co/M8LAE8nOP6
— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) February 1, 2022
• Not sure if that means the same rosters will be available, but it probably will. So Blackhawks prospects Wyatt Kaiser, Landon Slaggert, and Drew Commesso would be able to re-join Team USA, with Michael Krutil re-joining Team Czechia as well.
• Is this it? For real this time?
Tom Brady Officially Retires – Here’s His Statementhttps://t.co/KQPo3keZVM pic.twitter.com/gCOVlVOsM9
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) February 1, 2022
• Ending today with amazing news from the political realm, intersecting with the hockey realm. U.S. President Joe Biden will honor Willie O’Ree, the first Black player in NHL history, with the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor one can receive from the U.S. Congress.
Today, @POTUS signed my Willie O'Ree Congressional Gold Medal Act, which means Willie will join the likes of Martin Luther King Jr. & Coretta Scott King in receiving Congress' highest honor.
Congrats Willie! May you continue to inspire young Black athletes for years to come. pic.twitter.com/0tc7Jv6MGa— Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (@RepPressley) January 31, 2022
• O’Ree recently had his No. 22 retired by the Boston Bruins. Two amazing honors for a player like O’Ree with such an impact on the game.
• That will do it for today. Hope you all enjoy your Tuesday!
