The current Hawks are one of those “bubble” teams, a team that could so easily go either way. I was happy with the first round play, but realistic about whom the opponent was. Vancouver poses a different threat than Calgary, for starters they’re healthy, have the home ice advantage, and are well rested, fast and skilled. The Hawks on the other hand, are young and skilled. The bad side to that equation is inexperience, the great side to that is ‘not knowing when it’s over’.
The Hawks showed both traits last night when they made a third period comeback followed by some inexperienced mistakes with under a minute to play in regulation. You have to take the good with the bad with youth and as a coach or a fan, try to stay levelheaded. For the realists among us, we know a Stanley Cup this year is a long shot, but next year? I’m being serious here. The skill and poise from these kids is pretty amazing-a few examples:
Patrick Kane. He was somewhat MIA the last part of the season, but he’s stepping it up now. I saw him constantly tapping the ice last night and then “trying for the play” as the song goes. He looks eager to play again and clearly wants the puck on his stick.
Big Buf. I think he likes it! I recently sent a text to Buf that read “hands like Havlat, hits like Pronger!” –maybe a bit of a stretch, but I really think he’s starting to see himself as a power forward. I saw the lightbulb go off when he was FINALLY all smiles after scoring on the penalty shot in the final Detroit game. Now I see him not only making the big hits, but also stickhandling, shielding the puck and drawing attention and bodies to free up other guys. His Tiger Woods impersonation in the corner last night was the talk of my playoff party! For all of you Buf doubters, I stand by my prediction when he was put on offence-he’s going to be a star!
Adam Burish. Burish is kicking it in gear and doing all the things that need to be done. During the regular season he was a shot blocker and a general thorn in the opponents side, but now he’s making plays and timely hits as well.
Everyone else seems to be performing as I expected, although the flu seems to be taking its toll on some of the guys. Brian Campbell doesn’t seem to be as aggressive as he needs to be effective, but I don’t know why. If they all stay healthy, keep levelheaded, avoid the penalty box and have quick learning curves, I plan on watching another playoff round after this.
….but I predicted this to go seven games. More time to learn!!!!
Go Hawks!
-tib
