OTF Classic

Since tonight's tilt with Chicago wasn't carried on local cable (thank you, DirecTV Center Ice for the Chicago feed), here's the condensed recap: 1st Period: Once against Barry Trotz sent out the Ortmeyer/Bonk/Smithson line to start a game, and they dominated the first minute of play by keeping the puck in the Blackhawk end, eventually drawing a penalty and giving Nashville and early power play. The Chicago penalty kill has been top-notch on the road, and the Predators barely mounted any threat. For most of the period, however, Nashville kept the pressure on during 5-on-5 action, and a rather odd setup gave the Predators a 1-0 lead. Marek Zidlicky carried down the right side but fell down under pressure, and from his belly, sent a centering pass that deflected right to Jason Arnott who was coasting into the slot where he time to pick his spot on a nice wrister and beat Blackhawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. Even though the period ended with 8 shots for each team, the ...

There's plenty of bile flowing today over the passing of Chicago Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz, but proper respect should be observed, and a bit of perspective taken. After all, there was much more to his life than the governance of a hockey team.

Bill Wirtz, the notorious owner of the Chicago Blackhawks since 1954, has passed away at the age of 77. I'm not here to pass judgment on him as an individual and family man, but let's be honest, his policies have held back the development of the Blackhawks as a modern NHL franchise for years. His policy of stifling local television coverage and shying away from paying for top talent have left untapped what could be one of the great hockey markets in North America. Chicago's a huge northern city with just the one NHL franchise (unlike the New York area) and they love their sports teams. I have no idea what the succession plan is in the wake of "Dollar Bill's" passing, but the long-term prospects of the NHL in the U.S. look a little more hopeful this morning. Sad to say, but true.

The Third Man In begins our bloggers' roundtable of Central Division previews with the first part of his assessment of the Chicago Blackhawks. It was supposed to be posted on Monday, but was delayed due to "copious amounts of adult beverage consumption" and a bout of illness. Sadly, this is what Bill Wirtz and Chicago management have driven their dwindling number of loyal fans to - trying to find the lost glory days of Blackhawk hockey in the bottom of a whiskey bottle or the delirium of high fever. Alas, that's about the only solace left in the Windy City, after years of neglect and mismanagement have rendered the team irrelevant to today's NHL. Back in the mid-90's I remember them battling the Red Wings in the Western Conference finals, but after making it to the second round in 1996 they've wallowed in obscurity for the last ten seasons. So what's going to change this time around? Admittedly, there does seem to be some hop...

Last Friday I touched on the leaders in the NHL Central Division, Nashville and Detroit, but now let's catch up with the rest of the pack. Again, we're looking at trend lines reflecting Actual (red) vs. Expected (blue) Goals on the offensive and defensive side. In general I've tried to keep the preceding graphs relatively free of "visual commentary", but since each of these teams have changed their head coaches already this year, I've put indicators in reflecting those milestones. So let's meet our contestants... ST. LOUIS BLUES : The Blues have been on fire since Andy Murray took the helm, going 12-4-4 in eighteen games. Looking at the Expected Goals For trendline doesn't seem to indicate any huge change in offensive approach, but the steady increase in Actual Goals For seems to say that something is indeed in the works in terms of shot execution. We'll know the answer to that shortly after the All-Star break, in terms of whether that hot streak o...