Hawks 'Winning Ugly' At Times, But They're Still Winning

CHICAGO --- There's a reason why Chicago Blackhawks star center Jonathan Toews wears the letter 'C' for captain on his jersey each night.

Moments after Toews picked Nashville center Craig Smith's pocket near the Hawks blue line during a Predators power play late in overtime yesterday, Toews was off to the races on a short-handed breakaway.

Toews was initially robbed by Predators goalie Carter Hutton, but slammed on the brakes, got his own rebound, and somehow forced it home for a thrilling game-winning goal. It was the first time in 105 games (yes, 105) that Nashville had allowed a shorty.

But it isn't just Toews' play that merits his captaincy. Listen to his words after the victory, which kept the Hawks undefeated in regulation, at 3-0-1.



"It was just another kind of frustrating game where we have energy," Toews said. "We can't seem to quite get that flow that we're looking for where all four lines are feeding off each other where we get one good shift, then another one.

"Obviously, we're not gonna make excuses, but I think when we start playing more games, we'll definitely get the feel for what we need to do better."

Excuses?

After hearing his comments, you'd think the Hawks had just lost. But this is a team that doesn't want to settle for mediocrity at any point in any game. That's called having the heart of a champion, and it's this kind of gritty attitude that's led to a pair of Stanley Cups in the Windy City since 2010.

It can't be easy being the Hawks every night, who fans never expect to have a letdown. But it beats the alternative, doesn't it? Heck, I'm certain a few dozen NHL teams wish they had the problems the Hawks have, which are minor.

Take a close look at these numbers. After being outshot 34-26 in an opening night overtime win at Dallas, the Hawks have been doing what they should be doing: Shooting the puck, then shooting it some more.

The Hawks peppered Buffalo the following game with 47 shots on goal, then followed that with a rare 50-shot performance against Calgary. Last night against Nashville? They had 37 shots compared to just 20 for the Predators.

Coach Joel Quenville, always cautious about issuing praise, wasn't about to pin a gold star on his players, though.

"We had a great start (against Nashville)," Quenville said. "I liked our start -- and after 40 minutes, here we are again. At least we weren't behind. I didn't like our third (period)."

Indeed, if there's one knock on this group, it's their baffling ability to turn the switch on or off seemingly at will. Thing is, that switch needs to be turned to the "on" position a little more late in games.

Yet if there's one thing we've learned about the Hawks, it's that they're finishers. Sure, they lost in seven games to the Kings in the conference finals last spring. But they rallied from a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 series deficit to force Game 7, and in 2011 you may recall, nearly rallied from a 3-0 series hole to stun eventual conference champ Vancouver. Then there's those two Stanley Cup thingies.

The force is strong in these Hawks. They're almost like the Muhammed Ali of the hockey world. Can they be beaten? Yes. But get them on the ropes, and almost every time, they'll furiously punch their way out.

Positive signs are everywhere. Yet one individual has stood tall above all others. His name is Corey Crawford, who I think is now a Top-3 goalie in the league. Through four games, Crawford is 3-0-1 with a 1.66 Goals Against Average and a .926 save percentage.

"Crow was excellent (last night) and kept us in it and preserved the point," Quenville said.

Two points, to be exact, coach.

Crawford has been a human highlight reel early-on. He's made spectacular saves, appears more balanced than ever when facing shots, and has a calm confidence suddenly oozing from his every pore.

"I just watch the play, stay ready," Crawford said. "Be prepared for any situation, fast break or whatever."

Eight different Chicago players have scored in its four games. Brandon Saad (3 assists) looks like a flash of lightning every time he touches the puck. Andrew Shaw (2 goals, assist), Patrick Sharp (4 points) and Marian Hossa look like themselves. Kris Versteeg returns from injury soon. The team's young defensemen have held their own and are keeping opposing shot totals low.

In fact, the only two players with a minus rating in the +/- category are Trevor Van Riemsdyk (minus-1) and star blue-liner Duncan Keith (minus-1), who has a pair of goals already and a few shiny Norris Trophies sitting on his mantle.

Dan Carcillo has been full of speed and energy on the team's bottom few lines, and worked well when mixed and matched with the Hawks' top-level skill.

Which is why when I hear these quotes from the team's players and coaching staff, I can't help but picture Ali boxing his way through opponent after opponent, with that smirk of confidence on his face.

Am I worried about the Hawks?

Not a chance. You shouldn't be either.

My 2014 Chicago Bears Preview

The 2014 Chicago Bears are kind of like that scary amusement park ride you aren't quite sure you want to go on.

There will be ups, downs and plenty of moments where your stomach drops. Perhaps even some screaming and yelling.

But trust me when I say, you'll all hop on that ride anyhow, rest assured.

Yes, it's finally football season. Break out the nachos, soda, pizza, or your adult beverage of choice. Because win or lose, I'm actually excited about this team for the first time in a long time.

You see, when we last left our heroes from the City of Big Shoulders, they were busy watching an NFC Central Division title slip right through their fingers like the final specks of sand sifting through an hourglass, en route to a .500 record.

Of course, that awful 2013 moment had to be against the Green Bay Packers. Enough said.

We could debate all day if the Bears' secondary was on vacation on the play when Aaron Rodgers broke the hearts of literally millions of Chicago fans nationally and worldwide, but hey ... what's done is done.

We could also talk about why the Bears have failed to address this issue yet another season. I'm even starting to wonder if the Bears are allergic to finding a quality NFL safety.

But this is a new year.



I've toyed with this a long time, looked at rosters, stats, schedules. And I've peeked at almost every intangible factor until it made my head spin the way quarterback Jay Cutler's used to before we had a functioning offensive line (no pun intended with the word offensive, by the way). We also have an offensive genius of a coach in Marc Trestman who helped break records in his inaugural stint.

This guy gets it. He uses the whole field, his tight ends, his fullbacks and spreads things out. He's also holding a hand with three aces in Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffrey and Matt Forte.

So I'm going to come right out and make a bold statement: The 2014 Chicago Bears will make the playoffs, and furthermore, I feel they are going to win the division in what has suddenly become a pass-happy NFL that resembles arena football more by the hour.

Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about their defense.

It scares the hell out of me. The Halloween kind of scare, not the fun kind.

Discussion over.

So just what can we expect when the Monsters of the Midway step on the grass at Solider Field against Buffalo at noon today?

A win, for starters. But then things get tricky, fast. After today, you see, Chicago's schedule becomes the thing of nightmares.

Week 2 is a trip to San Francisco, followed by a trip to the other side of America Week 3 to play the New York Jets. Then, the Bears get a short six-day week and return home.

To face the hated Packers.

Once those four games are done, the Bears should be thankful if they emerge 2-2. Winning on the road is no picnic in the NFL.  The news gets worse. Week 5 and 6? Road trips to Carolina and Atlanta.

Had enough yet?

The Bears do get a reprieve at home against Miami in Week 7, then guess what the schedule says for Weeks 8, 9 and 10?

At New England, then a bye week. Only to be sent right back on the road to guess where?

Green Bay.

Thanks, NFL.

But the glass is half full, not half empty. The final seven weeks features two games against division foe Detroit, and two with Minnesota. By then, we should be beyond battle-tested. This will be where the Bears' fate is sealed, for better or for worse. The Bears are a better team than both, by far.

I like that we've added defensive end Jared Allen, while Julius Peppers continues to age exponentially up north at Lambeau. Lamar Houston is a stud at the other end who will team up to help Chicago's pathetic run defense. Yes, Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs are starting to show their ages. Yet they are two of the smartest players in the league.

Should we encounter injuries, we will have depth issues on that side of the ball. On offense, if Cutler gets seriously hurt for more than a week or two, flush every word I just typed down an imaginary computerized toilet. I also think it matters that Green Bay lost its first game to Seattle.

Why? Because, you see, I strongly feel this is a two-horse race to the playoffs yet again between us and Green Bay. That should be all that matters right now.

The Packers are a vulnerable team themselves, both defensively and injury-wise, as evidenced by O-lineman Bryan Bulaga leaving yet another game last week with knee issues, alongside a few of his teammates with potential concussion worries.

Without going into detail at every position, I like what I see compared to most teams. And I've rambled long enough for you to get the picture.

Right now, Seattle is head and shoulders above the rest of the league, and I'm predicting a Seahawks repeat.

But beware, my friends in the pacific northwest, should my Bears make the postseason as I predict.

Chicago is the only team with wide recievers big and physical enough to play with Seattle's defensive backs, and you know what they say about any given Sunday....

I'm smirking because I know this Bears team might be one of the best we've seen around here in quite some time. Heck, it's been almost 30 years since the 1985 Super Bowl club captivated the imaginations of football fans worldwide.

I don't think the Bears shock the world this season and win it all, but I do think they somehow finish 10-6, which will be enough to win the NFC North.

Play .500 ball on the road, go 6-2 at home, and we're there. That's not far-fetched, or unreasonable.

Once you actually make the playoffs, anything can happen.

Just ask Green Bay, who almost didn't make the playoffs a few years back because Jay Cutler got hurt, only to see Caleb Hanie nearly pull off a miracle of epic proportions. Yet the Packers survived by the skin of their teeth to win the title.

Pull up a chair. It's kickoff time.

Most of the time, the greatest things in life happen when you least expect it.

LeBron's Return to Cleveland a Refreshing Wake-Up Call

I've read LeBron James' announcement in Sports Illustrated probably 30 times now. Each time it invokes the same reaction in me.

Tears well up in my eyes as I read it.

http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/11/lebron-james-cleveland-cavaliers

I don't care if someone edited it, polished it or refined it for him. The message tugs at your heart.

"Before anyone ever cared where I would play basketball, I was a kid from Northeast Ohio," James begins in his letter to fans. "It’s where I walked. It’s where I ran. It’s where I cried. It’s where I bled. It holds a special place in my heart. People there have seen me grow up."

Right there, I'm already choked up.

Maybe it's because I have become so used to athletes making spectacles of themselves as James did when he announced he was bailing his hometown and taking his "talents to South Beach" in a live, televised ESPN reveal four years ago.

Even last night during Major League Baseball's All-Star game, when Seattle relief pitcher Fernando Rodney ended an inning with a strikeout late in the game, he shot an imaginary arrow in the air in a clear act of ego and showmanship that really is no different than how James acted when he abandoned Cleveland.

But it wasn't that he abandoned Cleveland as much as how he did it that truly upset fans, causing many to burn his jerseys, with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert even writing a scathing letter to about/to James that said some pretty angry things. And that's putting it mildly.

This, however ... this is the new LeBron. Wiser. More mature. A father to several kids of his own now. That perspective changes the way a mature person thinks, makes decisions. The message you create for your own kids suddenly matters even more.

"My relationship with Northeast Ohio is bigger than basketball," James continues in his letter. "I didn’t realize that four years ago. I do now. Remember when I was sitting up there at the Boys & Girls Club in 2010? I was thinking, This is really tough. I could feel it. I was leaving something I had spent a long time creating."

I'm glad he mentioned the Boys & Girls' clubs. Just a few weeks ago, I donated $10 to their cause on behalf of former White Sox skipper Ozzie Guillen at a semipro baseball game, knowing it's an organization making a tangible difference to underprivileged kids every day of the year. I've seen it with my own eyes.

Some of those same underprivileged kids who looked up to LeBron like he was their hero, their everything, many who don't have a mom or dad, were hurt when LeBron left Cleveland. I'm sure of it.

Then, comes an apology of sorts. Remember, this is a guy who has the '303' area code of Akron, Ohio, tattooed on his arm. You don't do that for fun.

"If I had to do it all over again, I’d obviously do things differently, but I’d still have left," James adds. "Miami, for me, has been almost like college for other kids. These past four years helped raise me into who I am. I became a better player and a better man. I learned from a franchise that had been where I wanted to go. I will always think of Miami as my second home. Without the experiences I had there, I wouldn’t be able to do what I’m doing today."

Sure, a small portion of people will say that James bailing from Miami has the same negative effect him bailing Cleveland did for fans and kids alike. But you'd be wrong.

The difference now is, that mother or father in Miami can explain, rationally, to their child what James did this time was for the right reasons. Ones that matter, that a child can comprehend and understand. Ones that when a child grows older, they can look back bummed James left Miami, sure, yet understand he did so for the right reasons and still look up to him. Cleveland or not.

There's a certain dignity in that. Doing something as James now has for family, friends and those who grew up with him. Playing in the same parks. Going to the same schools.

Him returning is the kind of thing that gives people hope again. The same hope us Chicago fans have clamored for from our very own Chicago Cubs for over a century, in fact.

"After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought," James said.

Which means something convinced him. We'll call it maturity. Perspective. All things he has learned since his ill-fated ESPN announcement.

That there is class in doing things old school still.

"But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl," James adds. "I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy."

To be honest, I didn't really respect LeBron for a long time. As a sports fan. As a person. I always knew he was the best basketball player in the NBA right now. But something was missing. I felt there was a deeper side to this man, the one an entire city has now forgiven and re-embraced.

"I'm not promising a championship," James says.

Thing is, to many in Cleveland, this letter, this announcement, the way he did it ... in many ways it's bigger than any NBA title he's won.

And it was one of the biggest breaths of fresh air I've had in a while in a pro sports world that can be filled with stench far too often.

LeBron was the last person I thought would provide me with that. But boy am I glad he did.