relax, turn around, and take our hand the committed...

16
“Coming in from Phoenix? You better believe that’s a paddlin’!” When the Hawks score more times than the Bears do on a Sunday, we just as- sume it’s the usual, abysmal outing from the Bears offense. Not the case 3 days ago, as the Bears scored four times (three TD’s and a FG). But they were surpassed by the Hawks in just 28 minutes, who dented twine six times at that point. The Hawks put up their biggest slaughter of an opponent all year, and their biggest win at the UC since...Phoenix was in town last November. No wonder Gretzky’s va- gina was throbbing after the game. Thanks to his sore female genitalia, the Hawks will have to go without Kris VerStud tonight. He earned a one game suspension for landing a couple rights on Kyle Turris’s face, and Gretzky’s wounded pride. It’s hard to pinpoint what we liked most about Sunday’s effort, but we’ll try. We’ll go with the play of the Hawks third line of Havlat-Bolland-Ladd. They’ve been the best forwards for the three games they’ve been put together. That includes one game where Havlat appeared to play in a giant sulk worthy of a suburban teenage girl for the insult of playing with Bolland and Ladd. He then proceeded to score the tying goal against Anaheim anyway. The three have combined for 14 points in the past three games. They’re also +10. If this continues, the Hawks could boast three lines that can hurt opponents. Anyone remember the last time we said that? Bolland’s game continues to grow and grow. He had been a solid -- if not spectacular -- defensive center for the first part of the year. The last 11 games he has 10 points. He’s always been fast, but the hands and vision are starting to follow suit. We cite the sweet dish to Ladd in Detroit as an example of all of it coming together. People may forget that Bolland’s numbers in Juniors are Kane-like. He put up 97 and 104 points in two years for the London Knights. He’s got tons of talent The development of Bolland has been one of the most satisfying aspects of this season, and long may it continue. The Window is Closed, So No One Fart To this evening, and the visit of the Ottawa Senators. Those of you with good seats tonight will notice the Senators are home to some of the more disturbing mustaches in the league. Chris Kelly, Dan- iel Alfredsson, and Alex Picard look like they came straight from stalking the playground. Maybe the Senators are trying to prop open their rapidly shutting championship window by creeping out their opponents. Ottawa used to be one of the premier teams in the league, but no more. Remem- ber what we said about Anaheim? About how they’re a one-line team? Well, it applies to the Sens just as well. There’s the Pizza Line (Alfredsson-Spezza-Heatley, and we as- sume they call them that because they always deliver. But why you’d want to link Heatley to anything having to do with driving, we have no idea. Perhaps The Drunken Drag Racing Line wasn’t subtle enough?), and then there’s everyone else. Each of the three is averaging a point per game. The next highest scoring forward is Jarkko Ruutu. If Ruutu is among your scoring leaders, you have Blagojevich- sized problems. Not helping the cause was a goalten- ding controversy to start the season. Mar- tin Gerber was, unsurprisingly, puke-tastic. Coach Craig Hartsburg made the permanent switch to Alex Auld 11 games ago. Though Auld has been pretty solid, the Sens are only 4-4-3 in those games. Scoring problems are to blame (true in life as in hockey). Ottawa is fourth from bottom in goals per game. This from a team that used to score more than Justin Timberlake armed with roofies. Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette -- usually reli- able second-line scorers in seasons past -- have five goals combined. Lack of scoring has exposed the blue line of the Sens. There wasn’t much depth here thanks to free agent defections. Volchenkov and Phillips, the top pair, have been below par, and haven’t been bailed out on the other end. Together, they’re -17, or -2.88 in Behind the Net Ratings. Ottawa is still solid defensively though, fourth best in goals allowed per game. Hartsburg? Try Zantac Ottawa used to play a free and open style that suited the Hawks. They’re also not all that physical, which suits the Hawks even more. Hartsburg has tried to tone that freewheeling style down a bit, and the Sena- tors have been more solid at the back. But they don’t score a whole lot, and don’t have a lot of threats. The same effort we saw over the weekend should be more than enough to overcome this group. -The Attorney General Relax, Turn Around, And Take Our Hand.... [email protected] December 10th, 2008 The Committed Indian The REal Fan’s Program OTTAWA, I DON’T THINK SO... $3 secondcityhockey.com $3 “Uh, no Dale, they’re not interviewing for your job. They’re just uh, um, laid off employees from General Motors. Yeah, that’s it.”

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“Coming in from Phoenix? You better believe that’s a paddlin’!”

When the Hawks score more times than the Bears do on a Sunday, we just as-sume it’s the usual, abysmal outing from the Bears offense. Not the case 3 days ago, as the Bears scored four times (three TD’s and a FG). But they were surpassed by the Hawks in just 28 minutes, who dented twine six times at that point. The Hawks put up their biggest slaughter of an opponent all year, and their biggest win at the UC since...Phoenix was in town last November. No wonder Gretzky’s va-gina was throbbing after the game. Thanks to his sore female genitalia, the Hawks will have to go without Kris VerStud tonight. He earned a one game suspension for landing a couple rights on Kyle Turris’s face, and Gretzky’s wounded pride. It’s hard to pinpoint what we liked most about Sunday’s effort, but we’ll try. We’ll go with the play of the Hawks third line of Havlat-Bolland-Ladd. They’ve been the best forwards for the three games they’ve been put together. That includes one game where Havlat appeared to play in a giant sulk worthy of a suburban teenage girl for the insult of playing with Bolland and Ladd. He then proceeded to score the tying goal against Anaheim anyway. The three have combined for 14 points in the past three games. They’re also +10. If this continues, the Hawks could boast three lines that can hurt opponents. Anyone remember the last time we said that? Bolland’s game continues to grow and grow. He had been a solid -- if not spectacular -- defensive center for the first part of the year. The last 11 games he has 10 points. He’s always been fast, but the hands and vision are starting to follow suit. We cite the sweet dish to Ladd in Detroit as an example of all of it coming together. People may forget that Bolland’s numbers in Juniors are Kane-like. He put up 97 and 104 points in two years for the London Knights. He’s got tons of talent The development of Bolland has been one of the most satisfying aspects of this season, and long may it continue.

The Window is Closed, So No One Fart To this evening, and the visit of the Ottawa Senators. Those of you with good seats tonight will notice the Senators are home to some of the more disturbing mustaches in the league. Chris Kelly, Dan-iel Alfredsson, and Alex Picard look like they came straight from stalking the playground. Maybe the Senators are trying to prop open their rapidly shutting championship window by creeping out their opponents. Ottawa used to be one of the premier teams in the league, but no more. Remem-ber what we said about Anaheim? About how they’re a one-line team? Well, it applies to the Sens just as well. There’s the Pizza Line (Alfredsson-Spezza-Heatley, and we as-sume they call them that because they always deliver. But why you’d want to link Heatley to anything having to do with driving, we have no idea. Perhaps The Drunken Drag Racing Line wasn’t subtle enough?), and then there’s everyone else. Each of the three is averaging a point per game. The next highest scoring forward is Jarkko Ruutu. If Ruutu is among your scoring leaders, you have Blagojevich-sized problems. Not helping the cause was a goalten-ding controversy to start the season. Mar-tin Gerber was, unsurprisingly, puke-tastic. Coach Craig Hartsburg made the permanent

switch to Alex Auld 11 games ago. Though Auld has been pretty solid, the Sens are only 4-4-3 in those games. Scoring problems are to blame (true in life as in hockey). Ottawa is fourth from bottom in goals per game. This from a team that used to score more than Justin Timberlake armed with roofies. Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette -- usually reli-able second-line scorers in seasons past -- have five goals combined. Lack of scoring has exposed the blue line of the Sens. There wasn’t much depth here thanks to free agent defections. Volchenkov and Phillips, the top pair, have been below par, and haven’t been bailed out on the other end. Together, they’re -17, or -2.88 in Behind the Net Ratings. Ottawa is still solid defensively though, fourth best in goals allowed per game.Hartsburg? Try Zantac Ottawa used to play a free and open style that suited the Hawks. They’re also not all that physical, which suits the Hawks even more. Hartsburg has tried to tone that freewheeling style down a bit, and the Sena-tors have been more solid at the back. But they don’t score a whole lot, and don’t have a lot of threats. The same effort we saw over the weekend should be more than enough to overcome this group.

-The Attorney General

Relax, Turn Around, And Take Our Hand....

[email protected] 10th, 2008

The Committed Indian

The REal Fan’s Program

OTTAWA, I DON’T THINK SO...

$3

secondcityhockey.com

$3

“Uh, no Dale, they’re not interviewing for your job. They’re just uh, um, laid off employees from General Motors. Yeah, that’s it.”

-Strange Thoughts On This Nervous Night: As most of you prob-ably have heard, it’s been reported that McDonough is eyeing the garbage chute in the hallway and wondering if Tallon will fit in it or if he’ll have to be cut up. Chris Kuc in the Tribune then printed the expected denial from McCub. Everything I hear these days about the inner workings of the Hawks front office makes me urpy. The one that really bothers me is the rumor that McDonough who pushed for both the Campbell and Huet signing, for marketing purposes. The thought of a non-hockey guy sticking anything of his into hockey operations is one that should give every Hawks fan pause. Granted, both of these stories were reported by Al Strachan on “The Hot Stove” druing Hockey Night in Canada, which is one step above The National Enquirer or People. But still, where there’s smoke, there’s generally a teenager smoking pot in your alley. Which, if true, would make a Tallon firing so odd. If he’s being axed for dicking over our cap situation, that’s exactly what he was reportedly told to do by McDonough. Can you get fired for doing what you’re told? I’ve always been fired for not doing what I was told. You mean there’s no other choice? I’m hardly Tallon’s biggest fan, and have called for his removal before. But not now, especially if he’s not even making

all the decisions. If it’s true that he’s not making all the moves, then maybe he should get out with his dignity intact. But this is Tallon’s team out there now, or at least that’s the Hawks’ story, and one that’s doing quite well. There’s an argument that McDonough

pushed for these signings to show to the rest of the league the Hawks are serious players, and every free agent will check with us first before making any move. But is it really worth handicapping yourself to send a message to the rest of the league? I’m not so sure. Tallon has made his mistakes, and he’s had his successes too. I’ve seen far worse Chicago GM’s. I just hope Tallon will be judged on decisions he’s made, and he alone. Right now, I’m not sure that’s the case. That can’t be a good thing.- Speaking of which, and this is very inside baseball, if you want to feel better about your hockey-self, try

and catch “Satellite Hot Stove” on HNIC. It’s the aforementioned Strachan, ESPN.com writer Pierre LeBrun, and -- for no discernable reason -- Mike Milbury. Watching Milbury spew forth his useless twattle leaves little mystery as to why the Bruins and Islanders were scorched Earth after he left. He clearly knows nothing about hockey. Why he’s on an “insider” segment is beyond me. He’s ba-sically there to yell. Trust me, watch him flap on the set and you’ll feel like a goddamn expert.

MUSINGS FROM THE EDITOR

Sam Fels

NHL STANDINGS

ATLANTIC W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY NY Rangers 18 10 2 38 77 76 11-6-1 7-4-1 Pittsburgh 15 8 4 34 87 75 7-4-2 8-4-2 Philadelphia 14 7 6 34 88 81 7-4-3 7-3-3 New Jersey 14 8 2 30 70 63 7-4-1 7-4-1 NY Islanders 10 16 2 22 73 98 5-8-1 5-8-1

NORTHEAST W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY Boston 19 4 4 42 94 59 10-1-1 9-3-3 Montreal 16 6 5 37 83 70 9-2-3 7-4-2 Buffalo 13 11 3 29 74 79 7-6-1 6-5-2 Toronto 10 12 6 26 84 98 5-5-4 5-7-2 Ottawa 10 10 5 25 63 63 7-5-3 3-5-2

CENTRAL W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY Scum 18 4 4 40 95 80 8-2-2 10-2-2 HAWKS 12 6 7 31 90 73 8-1-4 4-5-3 Nashville 14 12 2 30 78 88 7-4-1 7-8-1 St. Louis 12 11 3 27 76 81 7-5-2 5-6-1 Columbus 11 13 3 25 76 86 7-5-1 4-8-2

PUCK DROP

If you would like to ruin your organization’s credibility and advertise with us, please email us at [email protected] or call 773-470-8921

SOUTHEAST W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY Washington 15 10 3 33 88 86 10-1-1 5-9-2 Carolina 13 12 3 29 71 83 7-8-1 6-4-2 Florida 12 12 3 27 67 76 6-4-2 6-8-1 Atlanta 9 14 3 21 77 93 5-6-1 4-8-2 Tampa Bay 6 13 8 20 63 88 3-6-5 3-7-3

Eastern Conference Western Conference

NORTHWEST W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY Vancouver 16 10 3 35 89 75 7-3-1 9-7-2 Calgary 16 11 1 33 81 84 9-4-1 7-7-0 Minnesota 15 10 1 31 72 56 8-6-1 7-4-0 Colorado 14 13 1 29 78 81 6-5-0 6-8-1 Edmonton 13 11 2 28 74 78 3-3-2 10-8-0

PACIFIC W L OTL PTS GF GA HOME AWAY San Jose 22 3 2 46 102 64 14-0-2 8-3-0 Anaheim 15 10 3 33 82 79 8-6-2 7-4-1 Los Angeles 11 12 4 26 75 73 8-6-4 3-6-0 Phoenix 12 13 2 26 69 79 8-4-1 4-9-1 Dallas 10 12 4 24 72 93 4-4-3 6-8-1

TOP 10 LIST

Top 10 Goal Songs We’d Like To Hear At The U.C.

10. Brian Campbell goal- “51 Phantom” by North Mississippi All-Stars9. Toews goal- Beavis screaming, “The Tazer! The Tazer!”8. Havlat goal- “Leper Messiah” by Metallica7. Burish goal- “What Is And What Should Never Be”- by Led Zep-pelin6. Wiz goal- “Raining Blood” by Slayer (cuz we know he’d like it)5. Bolland goal- Walter Sobchak from Big Lebowski saying, “Fuck it dude, let’s go Bolland.”4. Huet big save- “Frogs” by Alice in Chains3. We just want “Shook Me All Night Long” back, that’s all2. A video of the Geico cavemen being shot in the scrotum 1. Anything but that shit song from the Amstel Light Ad. Light beer is evil!

Look-A-Likes

The Grinch

We’re not sayin’. We’re just sayin’...

John McDonough

Chicago Blackhawks 12-6-7

# Pos Player Ht WT AGE GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S% Salary

88 R Patrick Kane 5'10" 187 19 25 12 20 32 1 10 5 0 1 76 15.8 $3,725,000

10 L The Sharp-Shooter 6'1" 197 26 25 16 9 25 2 28 6 0 2 83 19.3 $3,900,000

32 L VerStud*** 5'10" 180 22 25 7 15 22 12 35 2 1 1 46 15.2 $491,667

19 C Captain Marvel 6'2" 209 20 25 8 14 22 3 21 3 0 2 72 11.1 $2,800,000

24 R Martin Havlat 6'2" 217 27 25 7 13 20 8 12 3 0 0 63 11.1 $6,000,000

51 D 51 Phantom 6'0" 188 29 25 4 15 19 3 2 1 0 0 37 10.8 $7,142,875

36 C Dave Bolland 6'0" 188 22 25 5 11 16 4 12 0 1 1 30 16.7 $845,833

16 L Andrew Ladd 6'2" 198 22 25 5 10 15 11 12 0 0 0 49 10.2 $1,550,000

25 D Cam Barker 6'3" 213 22 17 3 9 12 -5 13 3 0 1 24 12.5 $2,768,587

2 D Duncan Keith 6'1" 194 25 25 2 9 11 9 12 0 0 0 52 3.8 $1,475,000

22 R Troy Brouwer 6'2" 213 23 19 2 7 9 6 20 1 0 0 36 5.6 $675,000

33 R Dustin Byfuglien 6'3" 247 23 22 3 5 8 2 27 0 0 0 59 5.1 $3,000,000

7 D Brent Seabrook 6'3" 220 23 25 3 5 8 7 33 1 1 0 37 8.1 $3,500,000

23 D Aaron Johnson* 6'1" 211 25 18 3 4 7 13 12 0 0 1 10 30 $600,000

55 L Ben Eager 6'2" 220 24 21 5 1 6 0 52 0 0 0 15 33.3 $568,000

46 C Colin Fraser 6'1" 188 23 25 1 5 6 -2 35 0 0 0 15 6.7 $500,000

8 D Matt Walker 6'3" 214 28 13 0 2 2 5 20 0 0 0 11 0 $600,000

5 D Brent Sopel 6'1" 211 31 19 1 1 2 -4 8 0 0 1 13 7.7 $2,333,333

28 R Craig Adams 6'0" 197 31 12 0 1 1 -3 7 0 0 0 8 0 $600,000

11 R Jack Skille** 6'1" 208 21 6 1 0 1 -2 5 0 0 0 12 8.3 $1,275,000

37 R Adam Burish* 6'1" 189 25 19 0 0 0 -5 49 0 0 0 21 0 $712,500

6 D Jordan Hendry** 6'1" 194 24 8 0 0 0 -1 4 0 0 0 1 0 $625,000

4 D Niklas Hjalmarsson** 6'2" 200 21 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $643,000

27 L Pascal Pelletier 5’11” 191 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $550,000

Totals/Averages 6'1" 203.60 24.17 88 156 429 25 3 770 11.43% $43,187,795

# Goalie HT WT AGE GPI Min GAA W L OT SO SA GA Sv% G A PIM Salary

39 Nikolai Khabibulin 6'1" 209 35 13 779 2.46 7 1 4 1 413 32 0.923 0 2 4 $6,750,000

38 Cristobal Huet 6'1" 205 33 13 751 2.80 5 5 3 0 355 35 0.901 0 0 0 $5,625,000

Totals/Averages 6'1" 207 34 26 1530 2.63 12 6 7 1 768 67 0.912 0 2 4 $12,375,000

TOTAL CAP NUMBER: $56,119,795

CAP SPACE: $257,000*

*space also affected by buyouts and injured players

16 years ago, David Stern sent me to ruin the NHL. I have done every-thing I can think of to drive the core

fan away, strip hockey of all that’s great about it, and eliminate any at-tention by the mainstream media...

I am so close to completing the task Stern charged me with....

*injured**not currently on roster ***suspended

Injury ListKris Versteeg-Suspeneded (1 game)Adam Burish- Out (Broken Toe-2 weeks)Aaron Johnson- Out (Shoulder-1 month)James Wisniewski-Out (Knee-return Fri.)

Probable LinesLeft Wing Center Right Wing

D. Byfuglien Patrick Sharp Patrick KaneBen Eager Jonathan Toews Troy Brouwer

Andrew Ladd Dave Bolland Martin HavlatPascal Pelletier Colin Fraser Craig Adams

Probable PairingsBrian Campbell Cam BarkerDuncan Keith Brent SeabrookBrent Sopel Matt Walker

Versteeg’s suspension shows you just how stupid the instigator rule is. This wasn’t a goon going goofy in a blowout. This wasn’t a mass brawl. Another glorious rule brought to you by Dickwad Bettman.

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# Pos Player Ht WT AGE GP G A P +/- PIM PP SH GW S S% Salary

15 L Speed Racer 6' 4" 221 27 25 14 14 28 4 24 7 0 2 81 17.3 $7,500,000

11 R Daniel Alfredsson 5' 11" 208 35 24 7 18 25 9 8 3 0 0 68 10.3 $4,414,000

19 C Jason Spezza 6' 3" 215 25 25 12 10 22 6 20 3 1 3 83 14.5 $7,000,000

17 D Filip Kuba 6' 4" 226 31 25 1 18 19 7 10 1 0 0 37 2.7 $3,000,000

73 L Jarkko Ruutu 6' 1" 207 33 23 2 6 8 2 49 0 0 0 33 6.1 $1,272,000

45 D Alexandre Picard 6' 2" 210 23 23 2 6 8 4 2 2 0 0 33 6.1 $800,000

12 C Mike Fisher 6' 1" 213 28 21 3 5 8 -6 13 0 0 1 54 5.6 $4,200,000

71 L Nick Foligno 6' 0" 205 21 25 4 3 7 -10 14 1 0 0 41 9.8 $850,000

10 R Shean Donovan 6' 3" 218 33 23 4 3 7 7 12 0 0 0 26 15.4 $600,000

18 C Jesse Winchester 6' 1" 215 25 25 2 4 6 -5 16 0 0 1 36 5.6 $550,000

22 C Chris Kelly 6' 0" 198 28 25 2 3 5 -5 12 0 0 1 35 5.7 $2,125,000

20 C Antoine Vermette 6' 1" 197 26 25 2 3 5 -8 14 1 0 0 64 3.1 $2,763,000

5 L Christoph Schubert 6' 3" 230 26 17 1 3 4 -4 12 1 0 0 22 4.5 $883,000

37 L Dean McAmmond* 5' 11" 193 35 20 1 2 3 3 4 0 1 0 22 4.5 $875,000

25 R Chris Neil 6' 1" 212 29 19 2 1 3 -6 62 0 0 0 21 9.5 $1,100,000

24 D Anton Volchenkov 6' 1" 226 26 25 2 1 3 -7 18 0 0 1 31 6.5 $2,500,000

55 D Brian Lee** 6' 2" 202 21 6 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 $1,250,000

9 D Brendan Bell 6' 2" 211 25 8 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 13 7.7 $500,000

4 D Chris Phillips 6' 3" 217 30 25 0 2 2 -10 18 0 0 0 26 0 $3,500,000

26 R Ryan Shannon** 5'9" 173 25 2 0 1 1 -1 0 0 0 0 3 0 $605,000

58 C Cody Bass 6' 0" 211 21 7 0 0 0 -2 10 0 0 0 2 0 $512,000

53 C Ilya Zubov** 6' 0" 200 21 4 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 5 0 $850,000

47 C Zack Smith** 6' 2" 205 20 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 $583,000

21 D Jason Smith 6' 3" 220 35 25 0 0 0 0 23 0 0 0 20 0 $2,600,000

Totals/Averages 6' 2" 209.70 27.04 62 106 343 20 2 757 8.19% $48,041,000

...IS THIS THE YEAR?

# Goalie HT WT AGE GPI Min GAA W L OT SO SA GA Sv% G A PIM Salary

31 Alex Auld 6' 4" 223 27 19 1163 2.06 9 6 4 0 525 40 0.924 0 0 2 $1,000,000

29 Martin Gerber 5' 11" 199 34 6 360 3.17 1 4 1 0 186 19 0.898 0 0 0 $3,700,000

Totals/Averages 6' 2" 211 30.5 25 1523 2.615 10 10 5 0 711 59 0.917 0 0 2 $4,700,000

TOTAL CAP NUMBER: $53,240,000

CAP SPACE: $3,460,000

*space also affected by buyouts and injured players

ottawa Rough Riders 10-10-5

*injured**not currently on roster

Injury ListDean McAmmond-Questionable (throat)

Probable LinesLeft Wing Center Right Wing

Dany Heatley Jason Spezza Daniel AlfredssonAntoine Vermette Mike Fisher Shean Donovan

Nick Foligno Chris Kelly Jesse WinchesterJarko Ruutu Cody Bass Chris Neil

Probable PairingsChris Phillips Anton Volchenkov

Filip Kuba Alexandre PicardJason Smith Brandon Bell

Auld has started 11 straight for the Sens. In those games he’s got GAA of 2.30 and a SV% of .920

Phillips and Volchenkov’s numbers look prettty ugly, yet Ottawa is 4th in Goals Against. Shaky goalten-ding from Gerber and sparse scoring from the forwards explain these unusually hideous numbers.

Quite the deal the Sens w

ere able to swing for A

ndrej Mezaros, w

ho currently has 7 points for the botched abortion that is Tam

pa. The deal also netted O

ttawa Picard.

What Chicago Sports Fans Want For Christmas

Burt Lankowski-Bears Fan: What I want for Christmans is Ditka to replace Blag-vich as governor. Cutch Ditka will bring da fire and da passion dat dis state needs. Also, I want Lovie to grow a moustache. Oh, and I want Lovie to be orange like Ditka. I’d also like to institute a law that Urlacher can’t come wit’in 5 miles of my daughter.

Tobias Crane and Weiland Burns-Bulls Fans: Well, firstly, for Christmas we must insist upon making partner down at the firm. Without it I’ll never be able to afford to take Eliza on a holiday in The Algarve. I also would like an acquittal for my boss in his insid-er-trading trial which would result in me still receiving his Bulls sea-son tickets. My clients love our courtside seats, especially when that fine chap Labrum James from Cleveland is playing!

Barry O.- Sox Fan: For Christmas, or Hanukah, or whatever other holiday our citizens celebrate at this time, I think the American peo-ple, especially those on Main St., would love for me to have the ability to test our weapons on Wrigley Field. This will allow the US to defend her shores with the latest in weapon technology, without losing any property of importance. The Cubs are not a symbol of hope that America has become.

Tyler Baskin-Cubs Fan: (vomits) Yeah, uh, I want all the beer in the bleachers to come with a free roofie! (Falls down) Have you seen the bitches out here??!! I gotta mark my free spot on the bingo card! (vomits again) And I want Giambi, Peavy, Texeira, Sabathia, Abreu, Manny, and trade for Beltran and Howard, and all we’d have to give up is Marshall and Theriot! Yeah!!! (Vomits on himself, passes out. Friends put his hand in glass of warm water. They vomit.) CCCUUUB-BIIIEEESSSSS!Kevin Anderson-Hawks Fan: Let’s see, for Christmas....well, hang on, let me get this straight: Wirtz is dead, every game is on TV, and we have an exciting, young team that could be contenders for years to come? Fuck, I’ll have a Jack and coke.

What To Watch For: Probably not much. The Senators aren’t the most ornery bunch. Chris Neil and Cody Bass are the most likely to cause a kerfuffle, and they are definitely in the middleweight category, so the Hawks won’t be run-

ning terrified of them. After Craig Adams got the Hawks going with a bout against Carcillo on Sunday, we wouldn’t be shocked to see someone else try it if the Hawks come out flat.

Team Opp PPG PP%

DET 109 33 30.3

MIN 114 29 25.4

STL 115 28 24.4

PHI 109 26 23.8

BOS 98 23 23.5

SJS 139 32 23

CHI 110 25 22.7

WSH 117 26 22.2

ANA 105 22 21

TOR 129 27 20.9

EDM 111 22 19.8

CGY 137 27 19.7

OTT 104 20 19.2

VAN 124 23 18.6

NYI 131 24 18.3

Team OPP PPG PP%

PIT 124 22 17.7

ATL 113 20 17.7

BUF 125 22 17.6

LAK 123 21 17.1

COL 118 19 16.1

TBL 123 19 15.4

NYR 140 21 15

FLA 101 15 14.8

NSH 127 18 14.2

NJD 86 12 14

DAL 117 16 13.7

MTL 125 17 13.6

PHX 119 16 13.4

CAR 129 17 13.2

CBJ 131 13 9.9

Power Play

Team TS PPGA PK%

NYR 113 11 90.3

MIN 97 11 88.7

BUF 117 14 88

OTT 104 14 86.5

PHI 137 20 85.4

CGY 126 20 84.1

PIT 107 17 84.1

LAK 118 19 83.9

BOS 105 17 83.8

SJS 105 17 83.8

STL 117 20 82.9

CHI 110 19 82.7

MTL 126 23 81.8

FLA 115 21 81.7

ANA 152 28 81.6

Team TS PPGA PK%

VAN 134 25 81.3

PHX 105 20 81

NYI 135 26 80.7

DET 112 22 80.4

NSH 144 29 79.9

TBL 139 28 79.9

CAR 119 24 79.8

CBJ 126 26 79.4

COL 111 23 79.3

WSH 137 29 78.8

NJD 98 22 77.6

TOR 103 24 76.7

DAL 110 26 76.4

EDM 117 29 75.2

ATL 114 31 72.8

Penalty Kill

GAME FIGHT TIME Bloody Nose

Black Eye

Bruised Ego

Just Dancing

Analysis

HAWKS vs. SENATORSFight Stats provided by Hockeyfights.com

The Fight Card

Uh, there haven’t been any. We don’t know what to tell

you. Uh...um... Zeppelin rules!

Spotlight

After the playoff collapse in ‘06 against Buffalo, there were more than a few calls in Ottawa for Dan-iel Alfredsson to head for the exit door. That was the team’s third straight heartbreaking playoff exit. Had the Senators acted on these sentiments, we would have driven up to Ottawa, packed Alfie’s bags, and driven him here. Unfortunately for us, and lucky for Senators fans, the Ottawa brass held on to him. Alfredsson since has re-mained what he has always been; one of the best two-way forwards in the game, a clutch scorer, a hellish penalty-killer, and a leader. He’s doing it again this season. He’s the team’s leader in +/-, and among it’s leaders in goals, points, +/-/60, and Behind The Net Rating. Sadly for Alfie, the Senators chance at a Cup looks to have passed, and he’ll have to be satisfied with the gold medal he won in 2006. Unless, of course, while looking to rebuild, the Sens look to move him. His contract, which he just signed, is not ridiculous, at a little over $5 million per season, well below market value for a player of Alfie’s caliber. But that could turn into another Mats Sundin situation, as Alfredsson has regained his icon status in Canada’s capital. Either way, #11 will probably be the first number retired for a modern-era Senator.

KNOW THY ENEMY

Hawks-Sens: the Last 4

Dec. 22nd, 2007: Hawks 4, Sens 3 (OT)Captain Marvel scores OT winner in an absolute thriller, and announces Hawks presence on NHL

map. LaPointe, Biscuit, and Sharp-Shooter also net for Hawks to defeat East’s leading team at time.

Mar. 4th, 2007: Sens 3, Hawks 4 (SO)Hawks overcome 2-goal 3rd period deficit on tal-lies by Holmqvist and Vrbata (wow, did we suck). Vrbata then scores shootout winner to defeat hottest team in NHL at time.

Dec. 18th, 2003: Hawks 1, Sens 6A true paddling. Ray Emery’s home debut, if only Sens fans knew then...Hossa and Havlat run wild over the Hawks, each with 3 points. They could have been on the same team again this season. In our dreams. Alas.

Dec. 4th, 2002: Sens 0, Hawks 1We have no idea what happened here. And would it really matter if we did? Didn’t think so. Like Ditka said, “The past is for cowards and losers.” Which makes his cashing in of his past accomplishments all

the more funny.

Ben from Sens Army (sensarmy.blogspot.com) tells us what we need to know about the visitors from Ottawa.Q: From where we sit, it appears the Senators’ window is closed. Is that the view in Ottawa?A: Sens fans have definitely tempered their enthusiasm this season. Last year’s playoff loss to the Penguins was humbling to both the team and the fans. At the same time, there seems to be an understanding that this year’s early-season struggles may create a better team toward the end of the season. Last season’s incredible start and all the accolades that went with it inflated the ego of the team and may have contributed to that playoff loss.Q: We keep hearing rumors that Spezza is on the block, which of course excites those of us who picture him in our red and black. Is that really the case? Wouldn’t he be a guy you’d rebuild around? A: There is definitely a small, vocal contingent of Sens fans that want to see Jason Spezza traded, but they are idiots -- wait, no -- fucking morons. Some people take the snapshot of Sens fans as ‘those lonely people who call into post-game shows after losses and rage about the team’. Any objective evaluation of Spezza that isn’t fueled by rage and beer shows that he is an incredibly talented player, who certainly has faults. The man has collected 85+ points in each of the last three sea-sons and is signed to another 6 years with the Senators. There has never been any hint from any member of the Senators staff that Spezza could be traded. I personally hope he never is. Q: The Senators are going to have to make drastic changes soon, if not this season. Who are some of the younger players they will look to build around?There are some solid young players that the Sens aim to build around, and a few of them are already on the roster. Due to the Senators past decade of success, these are not what some would call ‘blue chip’ pros-pects - they are moderate prospects that could help the team succeed. Brian Lee is a mobile defender that played parts of last season (includ-ing the playoffs) with the big club. Nick Foligno is now in his first full seasons with the Sens and he has shown some scoring touch. Cody Bass is a gritty forward who has bounced between the Baby Sens and the big club for the past two season and will soon be a solid enforcer in Ottawa. Brian Elliot appears to be the future of the Sens in goal. He has seen his stock rise since joining the Binghamton Senators and overtook former first round pick Jeff Glass for the starting job over the past two seasons. Is the next Jason Spezza sitting in Bingo and waiting to be called up? Hells no.

Q: We saw the Craig Hartsburg movie here. What have the reviews been on it up there?Some people have questioned Hartsburg’s judgment during the team’s losses, but most seem to be taking a wait and see approach. He’s not burning out our top players like John Paddock did as head coach for most of last year. He’s been tough on players when needed, and has been humble enough to correct himself when he’s made poor decisions (like making Gerber #1 at the start of the year and trying to break up Spezza-Heatley-Alfredsson). I think most fans understand that Harts-burg is a capable coach, but whether the team has a winning record or not this year is more up to the players (and whatever players can be brought in by Murray over the course of the season).Q: We have to say, the Senators should have a Cup to their name already. What do you think is the reason they haven’t been able to cash in on their talent the past few years?It’s hard to say what cost the Senators the Cup over the past few seasons. They have constantly been heralded as among the most talented teams in the league. When they got to the Final in 2006-07, it seemed that Daniel Alfredsson was leading the team in all aspects: scoring, penalty-killing, and, well... leadership. Spezza and Heatley were lighting other teams up with their speed and skill. Many say it was a lack of toughness and physicalty that allowed Anaheim to dominate. Well, Bryan Murray has certainly addressed that, but now it’s other areas that have come to the fore, particularly team defence and secondary scoring. But it’s hard to predict how the Sens will finish this season. I can’t believe that Carolina and Tampa have Cups before the Sens. I apologize on behalf of the team to the rest of the NHL for that.Q: Daniel Alfredsson has gotten his share of criticism, but we can only see a player who’s been a rock for over a decade. Do Senators fans appreciate him more than the media lets on? Or the opposite?There was a time, early in 2006-07, that some in the media and the fanbase were calling for Alfie to be traded. After that whole Stanley Cup run where he played like a man possessed, however, anyone who criticizes Alfie these days is promptly dragged to the town centre and hung. Some Sens fans refer to him as “The Golden God”. He’s gotten better and smarter with age. Alfredsson recently re-signed for another four years with the Senators, taking money well below what a player with his stats deserves. For many years now, Alfie has been the embodi-ment of the Ottawa Senators, but he only seems to be getting the praise he deserves recently. I am confident his #11 will hang from the rafters at Scotiabank Place in due time.

Referee Stats For The HawksReferees 1st NHL

GameHawks Games Hawks PP’s Hawks

PK’s Pens/Game Hawks PP/Game Hawks PK/

GameW L OTL

2 Fraser, Kerry 1980 1 4 10 14.0 4.0 10.0 1 0 0

3 Leggo, Mike 1997 1 2 1 3.0 2.0 1.0 0 0 1

4 McCauley, Wes 2003 4 10 11 5.3 2.5 2.8 2 1 0

5 Rooney, Chris 2000 - - - - - - - - -

6 Marouelli, Dan 1984 2 8 5 6.5 4.0 2.5 1 1 0

7 McCreary, Bill 1984 2 8 7 7.5 4.0 3.5 2 1 0

8 Jackson, Dave 1990 2 10 11 10.5 5.0 5.5 1 1 0

10 Devorski, Paul 1989 1 5 6 11.0 5.0 6.0 0 1 0

11 Sutherland, Kelly 2000 - - - - - - - - -

12 Koharski, Don 1981 1 6 7 13.0 6.0 7.0 1 0 0

13 O’Halloran, Dan 1995 2 12 10 11.0 6.0 5.0 1 0 1

14 LaRue, Dennis 1991 2 10 6 8.0 5.0 3.0 0 0 1

15 Auger, Stephane 2000 3 12 10 7.3 4.0 3.3 2 0 1

16 Shick, Rob 1986 1 2 2 4.0 2.0 2.0 0 0 1

18 Kimmerly, Greg 1996 1 3 5 8.0 3.0 5.0 1 0 0

20 Peel, Tim 1999 1 7 8 15.0 7.0 8.0 1 0 0

21 VanMassenhoven, Don 1993 1 3 3 6.0 3.0 3.0 0 0 1

23 Watson, Brad 1996 1 2 1 3.0 2.0 1.0 0 0 1

25 Joannette, Marc 1999 1 5 3 8.0 5.0 3.0 0 0 1

26 Martell, Rob 1996 - - - - - - - - -

27 Furlatt, Eric 2001 1 3 4 7.0 3.0 4.0 0 0 1

28 Lee, Chris 2001 1 5 4 9.0 5.0 4.0 1 0 0

29 Walsh, Ian 2000 - - - - - - - - -

30 Hasenfratz, Mike 2000 2 11 7 9.0 5.5 3.5 0 1 1

32 Kowal, Tom 2000 3 11 76 29.0 3.7 25.3 3 0 0

33 Pollock, Kevin 2000 2 7 9 8.0 3.5 4.5 1 0 1

34 Meier, Brad 1999 1 3 4 7.0 3.0 4.0 1 0 0

35 Warren, Dean 1999 - - - - - - - - -

36 Morton, Dean 2000 1 5 4 9.0 5.0 4.0 0 1 0

38 St Laurent, Francois 2006 2 14 15 14.5 7.0 7.5 1 0 1

39 Dwyer, Gord 2003 3 16 15 10.3 5.3 5.0 2 0 1

40 Kozari, Steve 2006 2 10 10 10.0 5.0 5.0 1 1 0

42 O’Rourke, Dan 1999 1 7 7 14.0 7.0 7.0 0 0 1

43 Pochmara, Brian 2006 - - - - - - - - -

45 St. Pierre, Justin 2003 2 10 10 10.0 5.0 5.0 0 0 2

If you’d like to contribute to The Committed Indian, or just want to tell us what you think, or call us asshats, feel free to email us at committedindian@

gmail.com. Every guest contributor we’ll have a chance at a free jersey from Triple Threat Sports!

The Committed IndianThe best toilet reading around

ChicagoNAME GP QUALCOMP QUALTEAM TOI/60 TOF/60 +-ON/60 +-OFF/60 RATINGMatt Walker 13 -0.14 -0.19 10.17 36.88 2.72 0.13 2.6Aaron Johnson 18 -0.09 -0.1 11.06 33.11 3.01 0.5 2.51Andrew Ladd 25 0.05 -0.04 12.5 33.11 2.11 0.07 2.04Troy Brouwer 19 -0.03 -0.16 12.09 33.75 1.83 0.65 1.17Kris Versteeg 25 0.08 -0.18 13.14 32.47 1.46 0.3 1.17Martin Havlat 25 -0.05 0.04 13.66 31.95 1.23 0.38 0.85Duncan Keith 25 0.1 0.19 19.69 25.92 0.98 0.37 0.6Brent Seabrook 25 0.13 0.25 17.74 27.87 0.95 0.43 0.52Dave Bolland 25 0.06 0.33 11.68 33.93 0.82 0.57 0.26Dustin Byfuglien 22 -0.01 0.27 12.53 32.36 0.65 0.59 0.06Patrick Kane 25 0.12 0.03 14.74 30.87 0.49 0.7 -0.21Jonathan Toews 25 0.07 0.16 13.63 31.98 0.35 0.75 -0.4Brian Campbell 25 -0.01 -0.23 18.93 26.69 0.25 0.9 -0.65Patrick Sharp 25 -0.03 0.16 13.84 31.78 0.17 0.83 -0.66Ben Eager 21 -0.11 -0.51 7.27 38.46 0 1.11 -1.11Colin Fraser 25 -0.11 -0.76 7.09 38.52 -0.34 0.81 -1.15Brent Sopel 19 -0.13 0.05 11.01 35.17 -1.15 0.72 -1.87Craig Adams 12 -0.14 -0.58 6.72 42.14 -2.23 0.36 -2.59Cam Barker 17 -0.02 -0.08 15.54 30.61 -1.14 2.08 -3.21Adam Burish 19 -0.05 -0.39 6.29 37.65 -2.01 1.26 -3.27

OttawaNAME GP QUALCOMP QUALTEAM TOI/60 TOF/60 +-ON/60 +-OFF/60 RATING

Shean Donovan 23 -0.04 0.04 7.84 37.25 2.33 -0.28 2.61Daniel Alfredsson 24 0.08 0.2 13.93 31.19 1.79 -0.72 2.52Jason Spezza 25 0.05 0.48 15.04 30.07 1.28 -0.8 2.07Filip Kuba 25 -0.01 0.2 15.73 29.38 1.22 -0.82 2.04Dean McAmmond 20 -0.07 0.31 6.92 37.53 1.3 -0.72 2.02Dany Heatley 25 0.05 0.63 15.32 29.79 0.94 -0.64 1.58Brendan Bell 8 -0.17 -0.06 12.67 34.82 1.78 0.65 1.13Alex Picard 29 -0.1 0.5 12.49 32.57 0.17 -0.25 0.42Jarkko Ruutu 23 -0.09 -0.31 10.98 34.64 0.24 -0.08 0.31Jason Smith 25 -0.08 0.06 14.02 31.09 0 -0.15 0.15Christoph Schubert 17 -0.15 0 9.39 34.11 -0.75 -0.41 -0.34Chris Kelly 25 -0.03 -0.47 11.81 33.29 -1.02 0.22 -1.23Jesse Winchester 25 0.09 -0.35 11.6 33.51 -1.03 0.21 -1.25Chris Neil 19 -0.12 -0.43 9.19 35.52 -1.37 0 -1.37Antoine Vermette 25 0.03 -0.08 13.26 31.85 -1.09 0.3 -1.39Anton Volchenkov 25 0.13 -0.31 17 28.11 -0.99 0.43 -1.42Chris Phillips 25 0.15 -0.27 16.69 28.41 -1.15 0.51 -1.66Mike Fisher 21 0.09 -0.13 13.33 32.08 -1.5 0.27 -1.77Nick Foligno 25 -0.09 -0.21 9.45 35.66 -2.29 0.47 -2.76Cody Bass 7 -0.36 -0.4 5.64 42.01 -3.04 1.63 -4.67

Hockey-BallWe expanded to 16 pages partly so we could provide you with the Behind The Net numbers every night. So here they are for both teams. These are at even strength, 5-on-5. Key: QUALCOMP- A measure of the quality of competition each player faces on the ice. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for opponents on the ice against player. Example: Kane has faced the toughest opppostion at +.12 QUALTEAM- A measure of the quality of teammates each player plays with. Calculated by averaging +/-/60 for teammates on ice with player. TOI/60- Time on ice, per 60 minutes, that player spends on ice at full-strength. TOF/60- Time spent off-ice, per 60 minutes, at full strength. +/-ON/60- Team’s Plus/minus, per 60 minutes, while player is on ice. +/-OFF/60- Plus/minus of team while player is off ice, per 60 minutes. RATING- +/-ON/60 subtracted by +/-OFF/60.

Corsi RatingHere’s how the teams match up in Corsi Rating, which measure how many shots are attempted for a team vs. how many are attempted against while a given player is on

the ice, per 60 min.Chicago

NAME CORSIBrian Campbell 10.5

Martin Havlat 9.5

Duncan Keith 7.1

Patrick Sharp 7.1

Patrick Kane 7

Troy Brouwer 6.8

Andrew Ladd 5.6

Kris Versteeg 5.1

Matt Walker 4.5

Brent Seabrook 4.1

Aaron Johnson 3.9

Dustin Byfuglien 3.5

Jonathan Toews 3.2

Dave Bolland 2.5

Ben Eager 2

Cam Barker 1.8

Craig Adams 1.5

Adam Burish 1

Colin Fraser 0

Brent Sopel -4

OttawaNAME CORSI

Brendan Bell 13

Daniel Alfredsson 9.5

Alex Picard 8.3

Jason Spezza 6.2

Shean Donovan 4

Filip Kuba 2.9

Chris Neil 1.7

Chris Kelly 1.2

Dany Heatley 0.3

Nick Foligno -0.3

Chris Phillips -1.3

Dean McAmmond -2.2

Jesse Winchester -3.3

Antoine Vermette -3.8

Mike Fisher -4.1

Jarkko Ruutu -4.3

Jason Smith -5.3

Anton Volchenkov -6.1

Christoph Schubert -12.8

Cody Bass -13.7

Penalties Drawn vs. TakenPretty self-explanatory. A measure of penalties drawn vs. taken, per 60 min.

ChicagoNAME PDRAW/60 PTAKE/60

Fraser 2 1

Burish 2 1

Brouwer 1.8 1

Versteeg 1.6 0.9

Bolland 1.6 0.6

Adams 1.5 0.7

Sharp 1.4 1.4

Eager 1.2 2.7

Toews 1.1 0.9

Walker 0.9 0

Byfuglien 0.9 1.1

Ladd 0.8 1

Kane 0.7 0.7

Johnson 0.6 1.5

Campbell 0.5 0.1

Havlat 0.4 0.9

Seabrook 0.3 1.2

Sopel 0.3 1.1

Keith 0.2 0.4

Barker 0 0.7

OttawaNAME PDRAW/60 PTAKE/60

Neil 2.4 1

Donovan 2 1.3

Bass 1.5 0

Ruutu 1.4 2.1

Winchester 1.4 0.6

Heatley 1.3 1.6

Foligno 1.3 1.3

Alfredsson 1.1 0.5

Vermette 1.1 0.5

Spezza 1 1.3

McAmmond 0.9 0.4

Fisher 0.9 0.9

Picard 0.5 0.3

Smith 0.5 0.2

Kelly 0.4 0.8

Kuba 0.2 0.6

Volchenkov 0.1 1.1

Bell 0 0.6

Schubert 0 2.3

Phillips 0 0.7

ChicagoPlayer Face-Offs Taken FO%

Jonathan Toews 403 54.1

Colin Fraser 247 48.6

Kris Versteeg 35 45.7

Dave Bolland 360 45.6

Adam Burish 36 44.4

Patrick Sharp 315 43.8

Total: Rank: 27th 47.6

OttawaPlayer Face-Offs Taken FO%

Antoine Vermette 218 61

Mike Fisher 295 50.2

Jason Spezza 462 49.8

Chris Kelly 241 49

Dean McAmmond 129 43.4

Total Rank: 14th 50.5

NHL LEADERS

Points

Player Team P

1 Evgeni Malkin PIT 452 Sidney Crosby PIT 413 Alex Ovechkin WAS 354 Ryan Getzlaf ANA 345 Jarome Iginla CAL 327 Patrick Kane CHI 32

Goals

Player Team G

1 Jeff Carter PHI 202 Thomas Vanek BUF 203 Phil Kessel BOS 164 Patrick Sharp CHI 165 Marian Hossa Scum 15

GAA

Player Team GAA

1 Tim Thomas BOS 1.902 Alex Auld OTT 2.063 Craig Anderson FLA 2.064 Jonas Hiller ANA 2.065 M. Fernandez BOS 2.0914 N. Khabibulin CHI 2.46

SV%

Player Team SV%

1 Craig Anderson FLA 0.9412 Tim Thomas BOS 0.9403 Jonas Hiller ANA 0.9334 Roberto Luongo VAN 0.9285 M. Fernandez BOS 0.9269 N. Khabibulin CHI 0.922

Face-Offs

Hockey-Ball

Special moments. They can’t be bought, planned or manufactured. They just happen, spontaneously, with little or no advance warning. We’ve all had them, and savor them, wishing that life could always be so. One of those moments occurred last Sunday, Dec. 23, 2007 at the United Center. It started with a freezing half hour wait in line at the walkup ticket window. As I stood in line, being buffeted by a fierce Northwesterly wind, I could only lament, “The cat is out of the bag on this incredibly talented team.” Before going any further, that moment on Dec. 23rd brings to mind three other special moments that have occurred over my 45 years of fol-lowing those warriors who are fortunate enough to bear the Indian Head on their chests. I won’t even mention all those moments when I saw Tony “O” standing on his head in the crease, with everything but the kitchen sink being tossed at him. The first “moment” occurred when I was 12 years old. If there was 1” of ice on any of the area ponds or rinks, we’d be testing it to see if it would support our weight. Saturday nights were spent in front of a TV watching the Hawks at my grandma’s house, listening to the incomparable voice of Lloyd Petit while munching on the gooiest candy popcorn known to man (my grandma loved watching the fights). Sunday nights our ears were glued to the radio. Alas, coming from a family of 9 kids, there was no way we could afford the high priced $2 tickets for the second balcony in the old barn. The other side of the coin was there were no tickets to buy, every game being a sell out back then. Miraculously, my dad somehow obtained 5 tickets to a game on a weeknight at the last moment. When we came home from school that day, my mom gave us the news; we were going to see our hero’s live for the first time! No sporting event will ever come close to the experience of seeing Hull, Mikita, Nest-erenko, Hall, Pilotte, “Moose” Vasko et al. live. The Hawks were butting heads with the Davy Keon and Johnny Bower led Maple Leafs that night and eked out a narrow victory. I believe our seats were in the second to last row in the Southwest corner of the Stadium. I’ve never had a better seat. Believe me when I tell you I spent most of the evening on the edge of it. That night, the Indian Head became firmly implanted in my heart. The second “moment” occurred in the fall of 1980 when my broth-er and I went to a preseason game to check out the Hawks new prospects. One of the players we came to check out was a diminutive center who the Hawks obtained largely by default. (Remember, the Hawks probably would have taken Doug Wickenheiser had he not been selected by Montreal first.) After the Habs picked Wickenheiser, nearly setting off riots in Quebec, we had to settle for a scrappy little speedster named Savard. As my brother and I watched #18 with considerable interest, “the moment” happened. Savard was flying up the left wing along the benches with a defenseman lining him up for an all expense paid trip into row 10 of section 103. Savard deked to the inside, went wide and then put on the afterburners. He went in all alone on the goalie, untouched by the first of many NHL defenseman who would struggle to stop him over his career. I don’t believe he scored on the play; however, all I could do was smile and say, “John, did you see that!” It was at that moment we both new we had something special in this size-challenged rookie. In a lesser moment, Savard treated us to one of the funniest mo-ments I’ve ever seen at a hockey game. Rockem, Sockem, Robot Ti Domi of the Maple leafs did something to aggravate Savard as the two went to their respective benches for a line change. Savard, in one of his less brilliant mo-ments, gave Domi a little jab with his stick as they crossed paths. Domi just stood in front of the Hawk bench smiling as if to say, “Dennis, you didn’t really mean to do that, did you?” It was if he wanted Denis to apologize to him so he wouldn’t have to kill him next shift. I recall Savard avoided making eye contact as he warily sat on the bench between two of the biggest Hawks he could find. The third moment was my first look at Toews and Kane. That same old, “John, did you see that?”, feeling consumed me. Toews’s goal against the Avalanche brought the crowd to their feet for over a minute. I personally

have never celebrated a goal as long as I did that one. Kane, who I read was the #1 draft pick only do to a weak draft, was electrifying. Can you say, “eyes in the back of your head?” or “a feather touch on passes?” or a “nose for scoring?” Good Lord, we can only pray for more weak drafts if Kaner is the result. Well, those moments bring me full circle to the moment I wit-nessed on Sunday, the 23rd vs. the Oilers. T he Hawks were coming back after a scintillating overtime victory over Ottawa, the top team in the Eastern Conference, the night before. P rior to this time you had no problem walking up to a ticket window and getting a cheap seat within 5 minutes. Not this night, though. It’s as if a “Great Awakening” occurred. The ticket lines were over 30 people deep. By the time we got to the window, only $30 tickets were left and the game was eight minutes old. “The Moment” proved to be worth the wait and the extra $15 we had to pay! The game was vigorously contested, finding the Hawks clinging to a precarious one goal lead before over 20,000 finger nail-biting fans for most of the 3rd period. I breathed a sigh of relief every time the Lang/Ruutu/Kontiola line took the ice. They dominated the puck and Ruutu delivered an “Atomic” hit that brought 20,000 blood thirsty fans to their feet, while it knocked an Oiler defenseman off his. Adam (I think I’ll play the last minute without a stick) Burish was another young Hawk that caught my eye that night. He brought a lot of

frenetic energy to the frozen pond. It appeared he spent most of the evening flying around the ice looking for someone to go “postal” on. At any rate, after the Hawks successfully staved off a furious 6 on 4 asault by the Oilers for the last 90 seconds, “the moment” happened. Martin LaPointe started clapping his hands while looking up to us second cousins in the 300 level. We fans in the nosebleeds went wild. In what turned out to be one huge group hug, the fans in the U.C. fell in love with this team at that moment. Yet, an even bigger “Mo-ment” was to come. After the 3 stars were announced, (Ruutu should have been one of them), the Hawks one by one returned to the ice, applauded and waved to their fans. I told my daughter that in 40 years of watch-

ing Chicago sports, I’ve never witnessed anything quite like that moment. It proved to be the moment “The Indian Head” was firmly implanted in Taylor’s heart. She even talked my wife into letting us go to the next game against the Predators, our 3rd game in a row. In conclusion, as I gazed at the Indian Head this week, I noticed something that never struck me before. The brave appears to be smiling. I’ve been smiling since the Toews goal last year against the Avalanche. While the politically correct crowd continues to get worked up about team mascots, there is nothing derogatory about the Indian Head that adorns center ice. It appears that many of the young Hawks are realizing what a privilege it is to be wearing the Hawks storied jersey. I think any tribe would be glad to have any of the braves that are skating for the Hawks this year. In fact, if you listen closely, you can hear the muffled sounds of “war drums in the distance,” rising all the way to the rafters. Now this is just crazy talk, but what a “moment” it would be to see the Stanley Cup hoisted to the 300 sec-tion. Obviously I’m delusional, but the drums are getting louder.

Rich Lindbloom is a born-again Hawks fan who says of himself:

“Dan Hicks described me best – a trombone player by nature, but a hockey player at heart.”

HIT EM, YOU STINK REF, KILL EM, SHOOT!!

War Drums In The Distance

From The Fans

Rich Lindbloom

The Making of The Chicago Blackhawks

YEAR DRAFT TRADE FREE AGENT2008-2009 Brian Campbell (BUF 6th round 1997

Cristobal Huet (LA 7th round 2001)Matt Walker (STL 3rd round 1998)Aaron Johnson (CLB 3rd round 2001)

2007-2008 Patrick Kane (1st round) Ben Eager (PHO 1st round 2002) from PHI for Jim Vandermeer (FA PHI 2000)Craig Adams (HAR 9th round 1996) from CAR for future considerations.Andrew Ladd (CAR 1st round 2004) from CAR for Tuomo Ruutu (CHI 1st round 2001)

Brent Sopel (VAN 6th round 1995)

2006-2007 Jonathan Toews (1st round) Martin Havlat (OTT 1st round 1999) from OTT and Bryan Smolinski (BOS 1st round 1990) for Tom Preissing (FA SJ 2003), Josh Hennessy (SJ 2nd round 2003) and Michael Barinka (CHI 2nd round 2003)Kris Versteeg (BOS 5th round 2004) from BOS for Brandon Bochenski (OTT 7th round 2001)

2005-2006 Patrick Sharp (PHI 3rd round 2001) from PHI for Matt Ellison (CHI 4th round 2002) and CHI 3rd round pick 2006

Nikolai Khabibulin (WIN 9th round 1992)

2004-2005 Cam Barker (1st round)Dave Bolland (2nd round)Troy Brouwer (7th round)

2003-2004 Brent Seabrook (1st round)Corey Crawford (2nd round)Dustin Byfuglien (8th round)

Colin Fraser (PHI 3rd round 2003), Jim Vandermeer (PHI FA 2000) and 2004 2nd round pick from PHI for Alex Zhamnov and 2004 4th round pick (WIN 4th round 1990)

2002-2003 Duncan Keith (2nd round)James Wisniewski (5th round)Adam Burish (9th round)

COACHESHead Coach-Joel QuennevilleAssistant Coach-John TorchettiAssistant Coach-Mike HavilandAssistant Coach- Marc BergevinGoaltending Coach-Stephane Waite

GM HISTORYDale Tallon (2005-Present)Bob Pulford (Too Fucking Long, Too Many Fuck-ing Times)Mike Smith (2001-2004)Bob Murray (1999-2000)

info in part provided by hockeyreference.com

The Making ofThe Ottawa Senators

YEAR DRAFT TRADE FREE AGENT2008-2009 Filip Kuba (FLA 8th round 1995) and Alexandre

Picard (PHI 3rd round 2003) from TB for Anrej Meszaros (OTT 1st round 2004)

Ryan Shannon (ANA Undrafted FA 2005)Jarko Ruutu (VAN 3rd round 1998)Jason Smith (NJ 1st round 1992)Brendan Bell (TOR 3rd round 2001)

2007-2008 Alex Auld (FLA 2nd round 1999) from PHX for Nate DiCasmirro (?)

Jesse Winchester (Undrafted FA)

2006-2007 Nick Foligno (1st round) Shean Donovan (SJ 2nd round 1993) from BOS forPeter Schaefer (VAN 3rd round 1995)

Dean McAmmond (CHI 1st round 1991)Martin Gerber (ANA 8th round 2001)

2005-2006 Cody Bass (4th round) Dany Heatley (ATL 1st round 2000) from ATL for Marian Hossa (OTT 1st round 1997) and Greg de Vries (EDM Undrafted FA 1994)

2004-20052003-20042002-20032001-2002 Jason Spezza (1st round)

Christoph Shubert (4th round)

2000-2001 Anton Volchenkov (1st round)Anotine Vermette (2nd round)

1999-2000 Chris Kelly (3rd round)1998-1999 Mike Fisher (2nd round)

Chris Neil (6th round)1996-1997 Chris Phillips (1st round)1994-1995 Daniel Alfredsson (6th

round)

GM HISTORY2007-Present: Bryan Murray2003-2007: John Muckler2000-2002: Marshall Johnston1999: Rick Dudley1996-1998: Pierre Gauthier1994-1996: Randy Sexton

COACHESHead Coach-Craig HartsburgAsst. Coach- Greg CarvelAsst. Coach- Curtis HuntGoaltending Coach- Eli Wilson

info in part provided by hockeyreference.com

Playing at home............ 8-1-4Playing on road........... 4-5-3Scoring first.......... 6-2-2Opponent scores first........ 6-4-5Shoot the puck bimbo scores...... 2-0-1Shoot the puck bimbo doesn’t score...... 6-1-3Shoot the puck bimbo blows editors of Commited Indian..... 0-0-0ANYONE blows editors of Committed Indian ................. 0-0-0Playing on a Monday.............. 1-1-1 Playing on a Tuesday................ 1-0-0Playing on a Wednesday........... 3-0-2Playing on a Thursday.............. 0-0-0Playing on a Friday................ 1-2-1Playing on a Saturday............. 2-2-3Playing on a Sunday................ 3-1-0Savard changes lines during game... 1-2-1Coach Q keeps lines as they are, or at least he did..... 11-4-6Are out-muscled by opponent.... 4-6-3Outshoot opponent....... 7-4-2Are outshot by opponenet.... 4-2-5Havlat shies from contact......... 12-5-6Patrick Kane scores............... 4-3-2Jonathan Toews scores.......... 2-0-3Martin Havlat scores............. 4-0-1Patrick Sharp scores............ 9-2-2Dustin Byfuglien scores......... 2-0-1Dustin Byfuglien turns down a hit...... 10-5-5Andrew Ladd scores............. 3-0-1Dave Bolland scores......... 3-0-1Adam Burish scores....... HA!51 Phantom scores....... 1-1-1Duncan Keith scores........ 0-2-0Brent Seabrook scores...... 3-0-0Aaron Johnson scores.... 2-0-1Troy Brouwer scores.... 2-0-0Scoring a Power Play goal....... 9-2-6Not scoring a Power Play goal... 2-4-1Allowing a Power Play goal...... 6-3-7Not Allowing a Power Play goal....... 6-3-0Scoring a short-handed goal........... 1-1-0

Allowing a short-handed goal......... 1-1-1Taking 30 or more shots......... 8-3-4Taking less than 30 shots..... 4-3-1Allowing 30 shots or more...... 6-2-5Allowing 30 shots or less......... 6-4-2100 Level doesn’t cheer for anthem. 8-1-41st of a back-to-back...... 1-2-22nd of a back-to-back..... 3-2-0Opponent played night before.... 3-1-1Seabrook gets a flat-footed penalty.... 4-2-3Burish takes a penalty....... 4-3-2Keith takes a penalty......... 2-1-2Sharp takes a penalty....... 7-2-2Toews takes a penalty..... 4-1-2Havlat takes a penalty.... 4-0-0Sopel takes a penalty...... 3-2-1Sopel looks 6 steps slow...... 5-5-551 Phantom blows a coverage...... 9-4-6Toews is trying too hard...... 3-4-2At least 1 fight in 300 Level... 0-0-2No fights in 300 Level..... 8-1-2Playing Eastern Conference..... 1-2-1Playing Western Conference..... 11-4-6Playing Central Division...... 1-0-5Playing Northwest Division.... 4-1-0Playing Pacific Division 6-3-1Playing Atlantic Division 0-1-0Playing NASCAR Division 0-1-0Playing Northeast Division 1-0-1Playing in October.... 4-3-3Playing in November.... 6-3-3Playing in December...... 2-0-1Playing in January..... 0-0-0Playing in February..... 0-0-0Playing in March...... 0-0-0Playing in April...... 0-0-0UC plays really stupid goal song..... 8-1-4Huet’s five-hole open like Lindsay Lohan’s..... 2-4-2Getting obliterated on face-offs....... 3-5-3Are even close on face-offs..... 8-1-3

Eddie O tells crew to “stop it right here!”.... 12-6-7Eddie O tells us D have the forwards and forwards have the D during 4-on-4........ 12-6-7We fantasize about shooting Eddie O.... 12-6-7We’re ecstatic Pat Foley is back...... 11-5-7Ice-girls wear skirts....... 1-0-3Ice-girls wear pants....... 3-1-0ice-girls wear shorts.... 4-0-1Ice-girls wear hideous pink outfit....... 1-0-0Leading after 2 periods...... 9-1-3Losing after 2 periods...... 1-3-2Tied after 2 periods......... 1-2-2In overtime.......... 1-2In shootout....... 2-5Cam Barker plays....... 8-4-4Cam Barker is in Rockford due to GM incompetence..... 3-2-3Lacking a #2 center........ 12-6-7In 1-goal games..... 3-3-7In 2-goal games...... 2-2-0In 3-goal games....... 3-1-0In 4+ goal games...... 3-0-0Scoring 3+ goals..... 9-1-4Scoring less than 3 goals...... 0-5-3PA plays Ministry....... 0-0-0PA plays Modern Cock-Rock..... 8-1-4PA plays Classic Cock-Rock....... 5-1-4PA plays P.J. Harvey........ 0-0-0Frasier fights...... 5-2-1Burish fights....... 4-1-0Seabrook fights..... 0-0-0Barker fights......... 0-0-1Buff fights......... 0-0-2Sharp fights........ 0-0-0Eager fights.......... 5-0-1On Comcast...... 9-2-4On WGN....... 2-3-3On Vs........ 0-1-0Judd Sirott swears a lot off-air 12-6-7Committed Indian is sold outside... 4-1-2Editor of Committed Indian bleeds on programs........ 1-0-0

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