Blackhawks Mania Sweeps Chicago

Those of you not from Chicago are probably unaware of the overwhelming--almost oppressive--amount of attention the Blackhawks have been getting during the playoffs. Especially during the Stanley Cup Finals.

Many landmarks around the city have been modified to show support for the Blackhawks, such as the sculpture by Pablo Picasso downtown:

Photo by Shellie Lewis. 

A Blackhawks helmet was put on the "head" of this ugly piece of "art".

Speaking of art, the two lion statues at the Art Institute of Chicago are also donning helmets. Normally, this sort of treatment is usually reserved for the Chicago Bears football team. Even Bobby Hull was impressed.



And the dinosaur statue outside of the Field Museum has been outfitted with a very large Jonathan Toews jersey.

Actually, I took this photo in 2009. The Field Museum "dressed up" their brontosaurus statue last year too.

Even a statue of a living legend has been "Hawked Up."  The Michael Jordan statue outside of the United Center is wearing a Toews jersey, as well as a helmet and skates:

(More info and credit here)

Back during the Conference Finals against the Sharks, the fountain at the Daley Center was dyed red.

 How will we ever keep the Twilight fans away from this? (Credit)

Unfortunately, it took them two tries, as their first attempt resulted in a hot pink fountain.

One byproduct of Hawks Mania is all of the junk that subsequently gets made. I found a bunch of Hawks Crap^TM when visiting a local Walgreen's on Saturday.

Here, my friend Danny reluctantly holds up a Blackhawks window decal and temporary tattoos.

The window decal is of lines to make the glass you stick it to appear to be broken and "half a puck" to stick to the glass--creating the illusion that a puck was shot through your car window.

Buddy, I'll put a REAL puck through your window if you ask me nicely. It would cost less than this SHAM too (approximately $8).

As for temporary tattoos? Cool if you are a 6-year old girl. Ten, years ago you could never find Blackhawks junk like this at a local drug store.

I also came across this felt 'Hawks logo...

Hey, what's this?

Uhhhh, okay. A Chicago Blackhawks Western Conference Champions magazine. Eight bucks, full-color and made by some publishing company I never heard of.

Had this come out a few weeks later--and included the Finals--I'd be all over this. But it only covers the regular season and the first 3 rounds of the playoffs. That's like leaving the last chapter out of A Tale of Two Cities.

Speaking of far, far better things, I thought I'd end this with a picture of the Patrick Kane Mullet T-Shirt:

I haven't seen this in person yet--and wouldn't be caught dead in it--but it is available at NHL.com for $20

Now, imagine the stuff they'll make IF the Blackhawks DO win the Stanley Cup...

2010 Stanley Cup Finals

And now, the series we've all been waiting for...

Series: Chicago Blackhawsks (2-West) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7-East)

My Prediction: Blackhawks in 5 games to win the Stanley Cup

Comments: Sweeps were rare in this year's playoffs. Only the top-seeded Sharks got swept, being beaten in 4 straight by the Blackhawks.

Yes, the 'Hawks certainly bring their "Eh Game" when playing great teams. They did sweep the Sharks, but needed 6 games to beat the Canucks and 6 to beat the Predators.

And the Blackhawks will need 5 to beat the Flyers.

No, it won't be a sweep. The Flyers are good enough to steal a game from the Blackhawks, but not good enough to steal the series.

FYI, there's still time to enter my Stanley Cup Contest.

Puck Junk Stanley Cup Contest

With the Blackhawks, my favorite team, in the Stanley Cup Finals, I cannot think of a better reason to give away some hockey cards. But you got to win them.

How To Play:

1. Post a reply here with your name, email address--and most importantly--who you think will score the game winning goal in the deciding game of the Finals. Not the last goal, not the insurance goal or an empty-netter...but the goal that wins the game that wins the series.

2. You may choose only ONE player, so chose wisely. ( Blackhawks roster | Flyers roster )

3. You may NOT pick the same player as someone else, so pay attention to who others before you have picked. 

4. Even if the player you choose does not score the GWG, you still win a prize if he assists on it.

Prizes - in no particular order

1987-88 OPC Minis Complete Set (1-42) - Gretzky, Lemieux, Roy and many other HOFers.

1969-70 Topps Tim Horton - the card isn't perfect, but let's see how you look in 40 years.

2008-09 Champ's Glenn Anderson Jersey Card - Hall of Fame player who won 6 Stanley Cups.

Who Wins What?
1st Place - for the contestant who correctly guesses the GWG scorer. First place winner gets first pick of the above prizes.

2nd Place - for the contest whose chosen player gets the first assist on the GWG. Second place gets next pick of above prizes.

3rd Place - for the contestant whose chosen player gets the second assist on the GWG. Third place gets whatever prize is left.

If no one correctly guesses the player who scores the GWG in the Cup-clinching game, then everyone moves up a place.

If any prizes are left over, then winners will be chosen at random using Random.org

Finally...
If you have a blog, please let others know about this contest.

And if you like this blog, please become a follower...it will help my fragile ego.

NOTE: This contest is closed.

2010 NHL Playoffs - Round 3 Recap

Four teams enter, two teams leave...and the other two go to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Series: San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (2)

My Prediction: Blackhawks in 6 games.

What Actually Happened: Blackhawks SWEEP in 4 games.

Comments: This could end up being the only sweep in the 2010 playoffs.The games were close--being decided by only 1 or 2 goals--but the Blackhawks never seemed like they were going to lose.

And while I'm glad that my team won, I'm disappointed in the Sharks. The games were exciting...I guess I was secretly hoping for more of them.

 

Series: Philadelphia Flyers (7) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

My Prediction: Montreal UPSETS Philadelphia in 7 games.

What Actually Happened: Philadelphia won in 5 games.

Comments: Thanks, Montreal. Thanks for beating the two most exciting teams in the East, only to be beaten by one of the lamest. Oh, and if you haven't guessed--I'm being sarcastic! 

You killed all the giants, and now a dwarf has bested you for a trip to the Finals.

Chicago vs. Philadelphia? The same Flyers who didn't make the playoffs until the last day of the season--and in a shootout, no less? This is who the 'Hawks will face to win the Cup.At least if the Canadiens won, it would have been two Original Six teams in the Finals.

Granted, I like Chicago's odds against Philly. They can--and should--win the Stanley Cup. But a Cup victory over a GOOD team would be more gratifying.

*******
Late Tuesday or early Wednesday I will announce my first contest on Puck Junk. Just got to scrounge up a few prizes first.

Hawks Sweep Sharks!

The Chicago Blackhawks have swept the San Jose Sharks. I've waited half a lifetime for this moment--for the 'Hawks to return to the Stanley Cup Finals. The last time that happened was 1992, when the 17-year old version of me watched in horror as the team lost in 4 straight to the Pittsburgh Penguins. A disappointing end to an exciting year.

This time will be different. They will win the Cup. If the Blackhawks can SWEEP the best team in the Western Conference, then  the 7th (Philadelphia) or 8th (Montreal) seed shouldn't be much of a threat.

Sure, Michael Leighton has been hot for the Flyers, as has Jaroslav Halak for the Canadiens. But this guy has been pretty damn impressive too...

A few other notes about the Blackhawks...

Teeth 4 Keith: Duncan Keith lost four seven teeth in Game 4 against the Sharks. He still returned in the third period, and even answered everyone's questions after the game. Sure, he sounded lispy, with the missing teeth and swollen lips, and woozy from the painkillers. But he handled the onslaught of questions well.

Yes, this is the only Niemi card I own.

Pro Antti: Now that the 'Hawks have made it to the Cup Finals, perhaps this will make all the anti-Antti Niemi folk pro-Niemi. There is no goaltending controversy, and no more doubts about Niemi. The 'Hawks can win the Cup with a rookie netminder. Just ask Cam Ward. Or Patrick Roy. Or Ken Dryden.

 

Byfuglien? Damn Near Traded 'Em!: Way back in November 2008, it was rumored that the Blackhawks were going to trade Dustin Byfuglien to the Washington Capitals for Michael Nylander. Eighteen months later, it is safe to assume that the Blackhawks organization are glad they didn't engage in such stupidity.  Nylander split this season between the AHL and Finland, while Byfuglien leads the 'Hawks with 8 goals in the postseason--3 of them game-winners against the Sharks.

Stop Saying Chalmerson! As much as I like Mike Emrick, someone really needs to correct his pronunciation of Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson. Same goes for that other Versus announcer. It is pronounced YAL-mer-son, not CHAL-mer-son. Every time I hear "Chalmerson", I think of The Simpsons for some reason. We need Eddie Olczyk to shout "Stop it right here!" and then Tellustrate the correct pronunciation.

See what I did there? Nice, huh?

Speaking of Swedes...What happened to Kim Johnsson? If you recall, the 'Hawks gave up Cam Barker for Johnsson and prospect Nick Leddy. Johnsson hasn't played since March 13, and is believed to have sustained a serious concussion. I know the 'Hawks are riding high now, but I'd still feel better if Barker was on the team.

"Serious" Extends Streak: Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews (aka "Captain Serious") extended his playoff point-scoring streak to 13 games today. Two nights ago, he broke Stan Mikita's team record, which was 11 games. That puts Toews in pretty good company.

Twelve wins down, 4 more to go. There's still plenty of hockey to be played in Chicago.

And once the Blackhawks opponent for the Stanley Cup Finals is determined, check back later this week for Puck Junk's first contest.

War Room - April 21, 2010

This clip of "Got 'Em! Need 'Em!" on The War Room is from April 21, 2010. Yeah, I've been a bit slow in posting these. Grad school, you know.

Anyway, Mick Kern and I discussed further problems for Upper Deck with their football and baseball licenses, and how this might impact their hockey card business--for better or for worse.

This week's clip is a 13 minutes 45 seconds.


If the above player does not work, you can get the clip here. Just right click on the link, and select either "Save As..." or open it in a new tab or window.

Thanks to the guys at XM Home Ice for providing me with the clip.

Letter to Upper Deck - The SQUEAKquel

 

Back in October of 2009, I wrote my first letter to Upper Deck, returning a jersey card where the swatches didn't match the photo. The card pictured 4 Minnesota Wild players, but two of the swatches used were from other teams (Nashville and Los Angeles).

Generally, I am lukewarm towards most jersey cards. However, getting a card that pictures a player with one team, but uses a jersey from another has been my number one collecting gripe.

In keeping my word, I sent back 3 mismatched jersey cards to Upper Deck...

How I wish the swatch on this card was green...

Flyers photo, Senators swatch.

The swatch on this card is green, as it is from a Wild jersey.

I also sent back a Game Patch card because of a bent corner.

And here is the letter that I sent:

April 9, 2010

Dear Customer Service,

This year, Upper Deck has released a lot of great hockey cards. 99.9% of the cards that I have received in packs have been perfect. However, I have enclosed a few of the cards that have some flaw or problem. I was wondering if I could exchange them.

2009-10 Upper Deck Series 2 – UD Game Patch # GJ2-AH - Adam Hall 06/15
This has got to be one of the nicest cards I have ever pulled from an Upper Deck product. Unfortunately, the lower left corner is bent. Is there any way I could exchange this card for one without defects? Since the card is limited to only 15 copies, I understand if you cannot replace it. I would be willing to accept any other patch card that is free of defects.

2009-10 Fleer Ultra – Ultra Uniformity #UU-MF – Manny Fernandez
2009-10 Upper Deck Series 1 – UD Game Jersey #GJ-DC – Dino Ciccarelli
2009-10 Upper Deck Series 2 – UD Game Jersey #GJ2-RE – Ray Emery
Each of these uses a game-used jersey swatch that does not match up with the team that the player is pictured with. While I understand that the swatch on each card is from when the player was with a different team, this unfortunately has been one of the biggest drawbacks to collecting Upper Deck hockey cards. Take the Dino Ciccarelli card, for instance. If you are going to issue a card that features a piece of game-used jersey from his time with the Red Wings, why use a photo of him with the North Stars, and not the Red Wings? I know such matters are not controlled by Customer Service, so perhaps you could pass my feedback on to the brand team.

Anyway, I was also wondering if I could exchange these three cards for ones where the swatch matches the team depicted (e.g. a Bruins swatch on a Bruins card)? The player or team does not matter to me. Though I am partial to the Chicago Blackhawks, I would be happy with any replacements you could provide.

Thank you very much for your assistance in this matter.

Your customer,

Sal J. Barry

As you can see, I was very polite and clearly explained why I was not happy with those 3 jersey cards of Cicarelli, Emery and Turco.

I also suggested that they forward my feedback to the brand team, so that the people who actually make the decisions can see that hockey card collectors don't like mismatched jersey cards.

About one month later, I got a reply...

Sal,

Thank you for your recent replacement request. The Upper Deck Company strives to produce the highest quality trading cards on the market and we apologize that the card(s) you recently purchased did not meet these standards.

The "form letter" part of their response goes on for a bit, so I'll cut to the chase...

Unfortunately, we are unable to fulfill your request for product replacement. With your permission we have exchanged your original damaged cards for different replacement cards of equal/greater value to make the situation right.

This was in regard to the damaged Adam Hall Game Patch card. The replacement that they sent...

...was a Joffrey Lupul Game Patch card, number 1/15. I don't think I've ever received a 1-out-of-anything before. I was pleasantly surprised with this card. Upper Deck is very good when replacing damaged cards.

But what about the other 3 cards of Ciccarellli, Emery and Turco? They were returned to me, with the following explanation at the end of the letter...

The NHL doesn't require us to match the picture with the swatch, therefore these cards are not damaged.
__________________
Sincerely,

The Upper Deck Company

So there you have it. The NHL does not require--or does not care--if Upper Deck mismatches swatches and photos. 

This bothers me because jersey cards drive up the price of a box of cards. If you compare a product like Victory ($1 per pack) and Upper Deck ($3 per pack) the only REAL difference is that you can get a few jersey cards in a box of Upper Deck cards. The jersey cards double or triple the price of a pack, but usually  sell for only $3-$5 each. And putting the "wrong" swatch only makes the card harder to get rid of less desirable to collectors.

So I ask my fellow collectors to follow suit. If you get a crummy jersey card, send it back. Let Upper Deck know that you are tired of these garbage "hits" driving up the price of the cards you collect. Considering all the financial hardships Upper Deck has dealt with in the past few months, maybe they will finally listen to what their customers are saying.

Dale Tallon named Panthers GM

Today, the Florida Panthers will formally announce Dale Tallon as their new General Manager. Recall that a year ago, Tallon was demoted from Blackhawks GM to Senior Hockey Advisor. Apparently--and not surprisingly--that didn't sit well with Tallon, who is leaving the team after 33 years of service as a player, broadcaster and executive.

Tallon was well liked by Blackhawks fans. Many grew up listening to him as the team's color commentator for 'Hawks games in the 1980s and 1990s. And while he made a lot of questionable moves as GM (Adrian Aucoin? Cristobal Huet?), Tallon made some great ones too (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Kris Versteeg, Patrick Sharp). When Tallon was replaced by Stan Bowman as the team's GM, 'Hawks fans were disappointed in the move.

Blackhawks' players also liked Tallon. Remember when the team chose to attended the funeral for Tallon's father? Or how pissed Martin Havlat was when Tallon got canned?

And if the Blackhawks do win the Stanley Cup this year, it will be kind of sad that Tallon won't get a ring or recognition as the man who built the team. Sure, we'll all know, but the engraving on The Cup will say otherwise...

The Panthers' organization made a smart move in signing Tallon. Florida gets someone who built a championship-caliber team and is hungry to do so again.

Tallon's got a lot of work ahead of him rebuilding the Panthers, who finished dead last in the Eastern Conference, and had the 3rd-worst record overall. But he'll probably have a lot of golf ahead of him too. To quote from his bio from the 1988-89 Chicago Blackhawks Yearbook:

If time would permit it, Dale would commute from Southeast Florida to do the 'Hawks broadcasts. The climate and golf in that area are part of his lifeblood these days and he spends as much free time as possible enjoying both.

Fortunately, the Panthers just so happen to play in Southeast Florida.

It's a win-win situation for everyone.

2010 NHL Playoffs - Round 3 Predictions

It's Round 3! The Final Four! The Conference Finals! Winners go to the Stanley Cup Finals, and losers have all summer to say "we were this close..."

Most of us knew that it would come down to these two teams.

Series: San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Chicago Blackhawks (2)

My Prediction: Blackhawks in 6 games.

Comments: The playoffs--probably this year more than any--have established that home ice advantage doesn't really mean anything anymore. At least not since the lockout, and especially between two teams that finish a few points apart. In this case, the Sharks only finished 1 point ahead of the Hawks in the standings.

One thing about the Blackhawks is that they seem to up their game against better teams.beating the Sharks 3 out of 4 times this year. Their 1 loss was by only a goal. However, 1 of their 3 wins was a 7-2 rout, not unlike the 7-1 beating the Sharks took from the Red Wings in Game 4 the previous round.

The point? Though highly competitive, the Sharks sometimes fall apart in games, and the Blackahwks are just the team to take advantage of that.

We got a 7th seed against an 8th seed. This is the first time such a thing has happened in the NHL playoffs (thanks, Lenny). 

Series: Philadelphia Flyers (7) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

My Prediction: Montreal UPSETS Philadelphia in 7 games.

Comments: Who would have thought that finishing 7th would have given you home ice advantage in the playoffs? And yet, the 7th-seeded Flyers do.They almost deserve home ice anyway, considering their feat in the previous round, coming back from a 3-0 deficit against the Bruins.

And the Canadiens? Sure, no one really thought they'd make it past the best team in the league (Washington) or last year's Stanley Cup winner (Pittsburgh). And yet they did. So, beating the Flyers doesn't seem so far fetched anymore, does it?

I also think that Montreal will win because every so often a team that barely makes the playoffs--the Cinderella team as everyone likes to call them--makes it to the Finals. But like Cinderella's magical night out on the town, eventually that too comes to an end.

*******
Whoever wins the Western Conference Finals will win the Stanley Cup. There I said it. Of course they'll have to beat the winning team from the East, but they will.

2010 Playoffs - Round Two Recap

Expect the unexpected? Yes! And no! Two series played out as expected, while the other two surprised everyone. Here's my look back at Round 2 of the 2010 NHL Playoffs.

Series: San Jose Sharks (1) vs. Detroit Red Wings (5)

My Prediction: Sharks in 7 games.

What Actually Happened: Sharks won in 5 games. 

Comments: Every game Detroit lost was by only one goal. But the one game Detroit won was a 7-1 rout, thanks in part to a 4-goal, 2-assist performance by Johan Franzen. Suddenly, I'm kind of miss having this card...

Imagine if the whole series had been a series of one-sided stomp-fests, like the Chicago/Vancouver series. Speaking of which...

Series: Chicago Blackhawks (2) vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)

My Prediction: Blackhawks in 6 games.

What Actually Happened: Blackhawks won in 6 games.

Comments: I told ya so! This may have been the most even match-up in Round 2. When both teams "showed up" to play, the result was a relatively tight, evenly-matched game. But as soon as one team lapsed a bit--POW! Vancouver stomped Chicago 5-1 in Game 1, and Chicago won 5-1 in Game 6. All games in between were won by 2-goal or 3-goal margins.

The Canucks are a good team, but all the Sedins in the world would not have been enough to save them in this round.

Series: Pittsburgh Penguins (4) vs. Montreal Canadiens (8)

My Prediction:Penguins in 5 games.

What Actually Happened: Canadiens UPSET in 7 games.

Comments: Just like no one was expecting the Canadiens to beat the Washington Capitals, no one was expecting this colossal upset either.

Sniff, sniff...what's that smell?

Oh, it's the smell of my Jaroslav Halak rookie cards going up in value. Who knew it'd be so pungent?

So, the 8th seeded Canadiens bumped off the Capitals and the Penguins--the two teams everyone was expecting/hoping for in the conference finals (well, everyone except Captain Canuck, of course). Eventually, the Canadiens' luck will run out--just ask the 1991 Minnesota North Stars or the 2006 Edmonton Oilers.

Series:Boston Bruins (6) vs. Philadelphia Flyers (7)

My Prediction: Bruins in 7 games.

What Actually Happened: Flyers UPSET in 7 games.

Comments: The fact that the Flyers won the series wasn't really an upset. Both teams finished the regular season with 88 points, but the Bruins had 2 more wins. So the teams were pretty even.

What made this series so amazing is that the Bruins went up 3-0 in the series, and that the Flyers won the next 4 games straight. This has only been done 3 times in NHL history, the last time being in 1975!

The Bruins went up 3-0 in Game 7, just like they went up 3-0 in the series. Coincidentally, the Flyers scored the next 4 goals to win Game 7...just like they won the next 4 games to win the series.

******
The top two teams in the Western Conference won their series, as expected. The bottom two seeds in the Eastern Conference won too. Who--outside of Montreal or Philly--would have thunk it?

Stay tuned for my Round 3 predictions, which will be posted before the start of the Hawks/Sharks game on Sunday.

Card of the Week: Painted Penguin

It has been quite a while since I've written about a bad hockey card, so what better way than to ease back into it by picking on an awfully airbrushed card from the 1980s. In this case, a card of former Pittsburgh Penguin left wing Warren Young. (Full Story)

How Dan Carcillo Picks a Fight

I've been making a lot of flow charts lately--you know, little boxes and arrow-type things that illustrate a process. I make such charts to show the page flow of a website...but today, I made one that was a little more interesting.

I am so tired of Daniel Carcillo and his pattented thuggery. I'm all for a good fight in hockey, but Carcillo does not provide good fights. Funny how he went from being my favorite Phoenix Coyotes player to my least favorite NHL player, period. I guess being on a team nicknamed "The Broad Street Bullies" went straight to his head. And we all know that bullies never pick a fair fight.

Thus, I applied a little computer-y flow cart logic to how Carcillo deals with the daunting task of who to fight with when he steps on the ice. Enjoy!

(Click chart to make it bigger and more readable and more enjoyable. Individual enjoyment may vary)

In other news, I'm about 5 weeks away from finishing graduate school, and have been redesigning my portfolio website so I can land a full-time job. That's why I haven't been writing much lately. Because I'm sure all 3 people who visit this site are totally wondering why I haven't updated this site more. Right, uh....AL...and, um....Shane...and, uh...other guy...