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Coach Dennis Savard, inventor of the “Savard Spin-o-rama” has somehow invented ways for his team to win. Their all-around play has been solid, but they have been led by a surprising group of forwards. Hawks fans are not used to seeing their team score, so I thought I would give a little on background on some of the team’s top offensive stalwarts. If December 7,1941 is a date which will permanently “live in infamy” in the American subconscious, April 29 and November 19, 1988 are dates which will live in “famy” for Hawks fans. In that wonderful year of 1988, both Hawks rookie stars, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, were born, and the franchise will never be the same, thanks to them. Appropriately enough, Kane wears number 88. Maybe they have not had Crosby-esque rookie seasons, but that does not matter. They are already better than any other Maybe Bill Wirtz, R.I.P., had a plan in keeping the Hawks bad for so long? For Chicago sports fans not intimately familiar with hockey, this is not supposed to happen. In basketball, for example, a 19 year old LeBron James or Kevin Durant lighting up the scoring board is surprising, but far from rare. Hockey players are not supposed to enter the league until they can at least sprout a mature beard in the early 20’s. There is a reason all those college hockey players you remember seemed like they were almost 30. It was because they almost were. Kane and Toews stepping into the NHL and getting nearly a point per game is flipping insane. All-world skater Markus Naslund scores fewer points per game than the Hawks pair. Clearly, they have many obstacles to overcome and thresholds to pass before they can truly be deemed superstars, but, you know what? I will happily take them on the Hawks. Truth be told, their surprising early returns aside, they are only part of the reason why the Hawks strangely have an above .500 record 30 games into the season. Veterans Robert Lang, Marian Havlat, Tuomo Ruutu and Patrick Sharp have also played like Blackhawks usually do not. Lang, most famous for being the second-line center behind Mario Lemieux in Pittsburgh has been keeping pace with the rookies, netting 26 points in 30 games. He is also +12, leading the team in plus/minus. The rookies are both negative in this category, but hey they’re young, and I said they still had to improve. Since coming over from the Senators prior to the 2006 season, Havlat has been spectacular for the Hawks, when he has actually played. He only suited up for 56 games last year and just 8 so far this season. Aside from the injury bug, he is a scoring machine. Wednesday night against the Kings he had two goals leading the Hawks to victory. Similarly to many of the aforementioned players, Ruutu has been injured a lot, missing 78 of the 164 possible games over the past two seasons, and was a high pick, going ninth in the 2001 draft. While he is also offensively talented, the Fin brings a different element than most other Hawks forwards: he can score on you and he can beat you up. Wednesday he fought Brad Stuart and also destroyed Lubomir Visnovsky with a hit in the first period. Kings coach Marc Crawford noticed as much, commenting later “I thought the hit by Ruutu in the first period made a difference.”
Patrick Sharp is more of a unique case. He is producing this year, leading the Hawks with 14 goals, but he does not have a history of offensive fireworks. His first four years in the NHL since being a 3rd round pick in ’01 draft, his highest point total was only 35. He has gotten to where he’s at now through hard work and not just talent.
Combined together, these six forwards have surged the Hawks to 9th in the league in average goals scored per game. The past two years they have been the second to worst scoring team in the entire NHL.
Despite being led by the forwards, the play from the defenseman and goalies has also been far above regular Hawks standards. Next week I will examine the other parts of the team to help fans get to know them better and try to figure out exactly what is going on with this team. I mean, at this rate they might even make the playoffs?
Probably should not have written that, may have just jinxed them. Ah well, if there is one thing Hawks fan know it is failure.
More articles by CS Sports Columnist / Charlie Danoff
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Sitting at 15-13-2 through 30 games, the Blackhawks this year have shocked everyone this year, even me, and I have been dumb enough to walk around wearing a Hawks baseball hat for years.
individual Hawks player since at least 2000. The #1 overall pick in the 2007 Draft, Kane, is leading all rookies in scoring, and has 28 points in only 29 games. Not far behind, Toews, the #3 pick in the ’06 draft has 24 points in 28 games.
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