It was a very good showing over the weekend for Alex DeBrincat at his very first NHL All-Star game. He showed-off in the Breakaway Challenge and put up a three-point effort for the Central Division. Although they came up short, it was nice to see something regarding the Blackhawks that was positive
• Even with a three-point effort, the Central Division fell in the Final to the Metropolitan Division.
Alex DeBrincat, Central Division Fall Short in NHL All-Star Tournament https://t.co/soAIvDwe7s pic.twitter.com/H2tVZkbAZI
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 5, 2022
• The Central is still looking for their first NHL All-Star 3v3 Tournament championship. As is the Atlantic Division, who the Central beat in Game One.
• Here’s DeBrincat’s first goal against Andrei Vasilevskiy:
Goal and an assist already for DeBrincat!#Blackhawks #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/aqoNxvCK59
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 5, 2022
• And his second goal, coming against Jack Campbell:
Three-point game for DeBrincat as the Central beats the Atlantic 8-5!#Blackhawks #NHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/PFU9QvGK6x
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 5, 2022
• DeBrincat had a third goal of the tournament late in the game against the Metropolitan Division, but it was called back on an offsides review. Seriously…
Alex DeBrincat could have been the first Blackhawks player with three goals in an All-Star game but it was overturned.
"I kind of knew I was offside. I was hoping they wouldn’t review it."
— Mark Lazerus (@MarkLazerus) February 5, 2022
• DeBrincat did not become the third Blackhawks player to win the NHL All-Star MVP, that honor went to Philadelphia’s Claude Giroux.
Metro wins All-Star 5-3 over the Central. Claude Giroux is MVP
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) February 5, 2022
• Giroux, making his seventh All-Star appearance, turned in some pretty flashy moves…
This was pretty sexy pic.twitter.com/K3MpIL3tmh
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 5, 2022
• Maybe he was honestly trying to show off a bit to help his case to be traded from the Flyers?
Claude Giroux playing like he wants a share of the million dollars and a flight anywhere other than back to Philly
— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) February 5, 2022
giroux is having the time of his life playing with actual nhl players
— dom at the athletic (@domluszczyszyn) February 5, 2022
• Crazier things have happened, I guess.
• Who among us, when in Vegas?
Pete DeBoer: “I’ll be honest, I’m a little hungover today.”
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) February 5, 2022
• While Peter DeBoer was hungover during the All-Star game, Kansas City Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill, in Vegas for the NFL Pro Bowl, was on his way to a hangover during the game…
I don't think Tyreek Hill got an ounce of beer 🤣 @cheetah pic.twitter.com/Mcr7w1wN52
— Mike Cugno (@MikeCugnoCBS4) February 5, 2022
• I give it 1-star for the execution of the Stone Cold Steve Austin bit, but 4-stars for the visual of an NFL player spraying beer everywhere in the middle of the NHL All-Star game broadcast.
• Hill just wanted to go big while he was in Vegas. Can’t blame him. And when you want to go big for sporting events nowadays, you break out the drone footage…
NHL All Star Las Vegas pic.twitter.com/J0GhvZRWtU
— Jay Christensen (@JayByrdFilms) February 5, 2022
• Pretty cool. Can’t imagine how many takes this took with how much coordination it must require.
• Steven Stamkos may be able to call his shots on the ice, but it’s Carter Stamkos who calls the shots after the game…
The star of the weekend
Carter Stamkos
He loves Zambonis @RealStamkos91 #NHLAllStarGame @953WDAE @BecklesRecher #GoBolts @TBLightning pic.twitter.com/2orErAYtDU
— Jay Recher (@jayRecher) February 5, 2022
• Cute.
• We’ve run a Twitter Poll, the most sophisticated of polling devices available on the internet, to gauge the temperature of the Chicago fanbase for who they would hire out of the four GM candidates we already “know.”
Of the 4 #Blackhawks GM candidates we know (so far) who is your choice?
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) February 5, 2022
• As of this writing, over 56% over the vote has been for Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky.
• Peter Chiarelli is still a rumor to be interviewed for the open GM job, but that rumored interview is supposed to happen today. If it’s real, the club will confirm it after the fact, like they did with Kyle Davidson, Eric Tulsky, and Scott Mellanby.
• Chicago wants the new GM to be in the position by the NHL Trade Deadline on March 21, and once the GM interview process started, they reportedly wanted to have it wrapped up in two-to-three weeks. So things are going to progress fast now.
• I have hopes that the four men interviewed or rumored to be interviewed by the club are not the only four they bring in to interview. Because if so, all this hoopla about thinking outside of the box and going outside of hockey to potentially find the best candidate and needing fresh eyes in the organization means nothing if you are only going to recycle the same hockey guys around the league.
• Of course you don’t want to hire someone just for the sake of them not being the usual suspects. But just like Rocky Wirtz and his efforts towards “transparency,” it would be another instance of the Blackhawks saying one thing and then their actions doing another.
• Davidson and Mellanby were on our “Big Board” of GM candidates, Tulsky would be a great pick to move forward in a more modern direction, and Chiarelli would be awful. That’s where I stand on the current three, possibly four interview candidates.
• In the Olympics, the U.S. Women’s team remains a perfect three-for-three in the preliminary round with a big win over Switzerland today!
AND THAT'S GAME🇺🇸#TeamUSA | #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/P0TW1aYbbd
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 6, 2022
• Through three games, Hilary Knight, Amanda Kessel, and Savannah Harmon lead the team in scoring with five points each. Knight, Alex Carpenter, and Jesse Compher lead the team with three goals each.
• That’s back-to-back shutouts for Team USA as they will take on Canada next to close their group stage of play on Tuesday.
• That will do it for today. Hope you all enjoy your Sunday!