Chicago Hawkie

@yave1964 Yeah, I wish I would have been watching prior to 1996, as the Wings were building their team and going through all of the growing pains that went with it. I was fortunate to have seen through the Wings-Avs rivalry from its beginning - that Western Conference finals loss in 1996 was bitter and waiting through the dog days of summer for the next season to begin was excruciating ... When I moved to Chicago in 2008, the Hawks were already an up-and-coming team, although it was probably wondered whether the Hawks were just playing way above their heads even though they began showing signs of improvement starting in 2007. This was the first year Hawks home games were televised, also.

@jammer2 Thanks! The 1970s certainly had some heated rivalries (Bruins-Habs comes to mind). I wish I were alive in the 60's to see those Hawks teams, especially against Detroit. Both the Hawks (since 1961) and the Wings (since 1955) had lengthy Cup droughts to get over, but I think either team could have won more Cups in the 1960s.

What are some of your favorite quotes from hockey players, coaches, GMs, etc.? They can be during press conferences, or in the papers, or during interviews. They can be inspirational, or funny, or can be a portent of how the night's game will go. One of those that come to my mind was during the 1996 Stanley Cup playoff semifinals, Hawks-Avs, where Patrick Roy had had enough of Jeremy Roenick and said, "I can't hear what Jeremy is saying because I have my two Stanley Cup rings coveriong my ears." Classic.

Thanks for all of your replies thus far ... I really enjoyed reading them! I'll post more on this thread tomorrow ... but I do agree that the game has been watered down starting in the mid-90s with Bettman and all the changes he made then. If only we can travel back in time before that all happened ...

I should have voted for the Law of Averages. Oh well ... Five different Hawks scored to overcome the Oilers (although the Oilers made it close and it was not an easy win) and the stigma of them being the Hawks' nemesis. Bring on Phoenix!

What was your favorite decade in hockey? Is there any decade in which you hadn't been watching that you wish you had? I would have like to have been watching in the 1980s. It was a decade known as firewagon hockey, The Hawks had a fairly good team in the 1980s. I would have liked to watch their games vs. the Wings back then. I also would have liked to see how they matched up vs. the Oilers and Flames It seemed like a less restrictive game back then, also, before all the rule changes in the early 1990s that led, at least in part, to a trap-dominated game for much of the '90s and early 2000's.

What do you think will br the deciding factor of this game? Can the Hawks contain the Oilers' high octane offense while taking advantage of the Oilers' leaky defense? Can we turn the tables vs. the Oilers? After all, the Oilers scored 6 goals in a Hawks' loss last season, which was the Hawks' 2nd loss in a row after a loss to Colorado ended the Hawks' point streak to begin last season ... and let's not forget tha the Oilers scored 15 goals in two games vs. the Hawks two seasons ago. Will the Hawks beat themselves, as they have in past games vs. the Oilers, by living in the penalty box? We will see ...

As always, I try to look for the game within a game in each matchup. Tonight, the Blackhawks will meet Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley for the first time since the Stanley Cup finals last season, so they should be looking to prove something to the Hawks.

@Hockey Junkie Yep, 4-1. It looks like the Hawks match up well with them thus far. They were coming off a win vs. Detroit, too.

@State of Hockey Especially now that the Hawks and Wild are in the same division after having been playoff opponents last year. I think later in the season, there will be a lot of one-goal games between the teams ...

Stan Bowman. Of course, I may be a bit biased.

It'll be reunion night for Andrew Ladd, Big Buff (because I'm too tired and lazy to actually spell his last name now ), and Michael Frolik. I think this will be a good and interesting game for the same reasons stated on my poll thread a week ago ... the game within a game!

@Polaris922 I was waiting for someone to mention Mike Lange!

It could be because many teams in the Eastern Conference are geographically closer to one another, so their styles may all be similar.

Right now, I would have to say ... Alex Burrows (a key player in the Hawks-Canucks rivalry) Brad Marchand (from last season's Cup finals) Justin Abdelkader (He always seems to be a thorn in the Hawks' side in our matchups vs. the Wings)

Ray Whitney and Michel Petit come to mind ...

Congrats on the Wings' win vs. the Oilers. I see a score like that and I wonder why the Hawks have had such a tough time against the Oilers in the last two seasons. Maybe this season will be different ...

Aw man ... that was kind of a bummer but the Hawks still get a point. Great game for Flames rookie Berra. On a side note ... I wonder if they will nickname him "Yogi".

@Commander Clueless The one thing I miss since moving to Chicago was watching Hockey Night in Canada where Bob Cole was a fixture broadcasting those games ...

@yave1964 I used to watch the Wings games when I lived in Michigan, so that brings back memories. Along with Johan Franzen the Mule. Redmond and Hawks color commentator Ed Olczyk also, in the same way, give tips to "all you young hockey players out there", to quote them both.

Oops ... more like one of those great 6:30 starts ... I forgot there was a pregame show.

What are some of the funniest or most notable lines that your hockey broadcasters say? I'll begin with Blackhawks broadcaster Pat Foley saying that tonights' Hawks-Flames game will be "one of those great six o'clock starts" and that Blackhawks Postgame Live will start "Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeemmediately" after the game (The spelling error was for effect - that's how he says it).

Blackhawks-Flames at, as Pat Foley says, "one of those great 6 o'clock starts"! I wonder if Nikolai Khabibulin will start and give Crow the day off?

Former Hawk Frolik assisted on the Jets goal and Big Buff and Ladd both spent 2 minutes in the box apiece. Vannie didn't factor much in this equation ... he was -2 but made 5 hits.

@jammer2 I should have put that on my poll and forgot (oops). That will add yet another dimention to this matchup ...