In Praise of Creative Hockey

I'll admit that I've never played competitive hockey in my life. The only sport I have played competitively is baseball. But what I'm about to talk about is from my experience as a fan and connoisseur of hockey and by extension, sport.

Recently, I've become frustrated with the uninspired play of my beloved hometown team, the Chicago Blackhawks. The team has played an uninspired game, held back, in my view, by head coach Joel Quenneville's stubborn need to keep some "old-school" enforcers on the roster instead of trusting young, energetic talent waiting in the wings. Quenneville's not the cause of these problems, of course, but I do believe they're a factor.

So imagine my relief when I see an article pop up on my Twitter feed by former Russian NHLer Igor Larionov. In this article on the Players' Tribune, Larionov talks about the stifling training schedule imposed by the Soviet system, including the Red Army club CSKA and the Soviet national team.

Training 11 months a year and being treated more like prisoners than players, the Soviets developed a creative, fluid game as soon as they hit the ice (that was influenced by former coach Anatoli Tarasov, who created an entire system from scratch, influenced by ballet, among other things).

This lead the Soviet team to become THE dominant power in ice hockey for decades. Not even one game in Lake Placid, New York in 1980 could stop them.

Which brings us to North America. Here in the New World, we like to think of our hockey as being... "Tough"; defense wins championships, chip and chase, a north-south game, Keep It Simple, Stupid. But, there are also some VERY creative types within the NHL; Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Pavel Datsyuk and a whole host of others have been praised for being able to see where the puck will be in a few seconds and do amazing things with the puck and their stick.

Wayne Gretzky himself was so good because he was able to see where the puck was going to be, not just where it was.

It is here that Larionov bemoans the stifling atmosphere of the North American game. Particularly in these paragraphs:

People ask me why this creative style of play is now so rare at the NHL level. The first thing that gets pointed to is the fighting and dirty play. But that’s not the heart of the problem. I’ve never been a fan of fighting, but hockey has always been a violent game. Bobby Clarke purposely slashed Valeri Kharlamov and broke his ankle at the 1972 Summit Series. Those games were more brutal than anything you see today, and it didn’t stop the Soviets from playing creative hockey.

The problem is more philosophical and starts way before players get to the NHL. It’s easier to destroy than to create. As a coach, it’s easier to tell your players to suffocate the opposing team and not turn the puck over. There are still players whose imagination and creativity capture the Soviet spirit — Johnny Gaudreau in Calgary, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in Chicago just to name a few. However, they are becoming exceptions to the rule. Many young players who are intelligent and can see the game four moves ahead are not valued. They’re told “simple, simple, simple.”

That mentality is kind of boring. Nobody wants to get fired. Nobody wants to get sent down to the minors. If you look at the coaches in Juniors and minor league hockey, many of them were not skill players. It’s a lot of former enforcers and grinders who take these coaching jobs. Naturally, they tell their players to be just like them. Their players are 17, 18 years old — younger than I was when I joined the Red Army team. Say what you want about the Whiplash mentality (or the Soviet mentality), but if coaches are going to push kids at that age, why are they pushing them to play a simple game? Why aren’t coaches pushing them to create a masterpiece? 

We lose a lot of Pavel Datsyuks to the closed-minded nature of the AHL and NHL.

Reading these it made me think of the Blackhawks situation. The Hawks have a phenomenal talent by the name of Teuvo Teravainen, a Finnish prospect, in their system. One of Teravainen's favorite players in Patrick Kane, as well as Pavel Datsyuk. You can see it in the way Teuvo plays his game, particularly fast, smart and creative. Unfortunately, he's been stuck in the Rockford Shuffle this year while Quenneville goes with washed-up enforcer Dan Carcillo.

There's a sad mentality among NHL coaches to play not to lose. It's gotten so bad that it's possible this might be behind the Hawks' sluggish play. Creativity is stifled at the youth level in favor of playing "simple", physical hockey. Coaches, raised on the old-school, Broad Street Bullies, "Slap Shot", physical style of hockey insist on playing enforcers, who have been fading in popularity.

We in the West pride ourselves on creative freedom. The only place men like Larionov could express it was on the ice. Indeed, how ironic it is that the stifling Soviet style created the hockey equivalent of Brazilian soccer, while the free West has boring, physical hockey.

There is indeed a place for grit in hockey. Defense wins championships, after all. But offense wins games. And there's a reason creative geniuses like Stan Mikita, Bobby Hull, Patrick Kane, Pavel Datsyuk, and yes, the Soviet team, are celebrated: They make the game fun to watch.

I am not a hockey expert. But speaking as a fan, I do believe that coaches should let their players' creativity shine. We celebrate creativity in other sports. Ozzie Smith became known as "The Wizard of Oz" for his on-field intelligence. Michael Jordan wouldn't have become the greatest basketball player of all time if he didn't know how to get past his opponents. And there's a reason Lionel Messi is considered the best soccer player in the world today. And there's a reason they're called "Martial Arts".

I love hockey, but the sport needs to stop living in the past and embrace what it is: A fast, fluid sport that can switch between beautiful and ugly in the fraction of a second. Embrace your creativity, hockey players and coaches. Whether it's on a backyard ice rink, the local ice arena or even gym class playing floor hockey, develop your game the way you see fit. Nobody should tell you how to play the game you've been playing for your entire life. Have fun! Enjoy it! It's a game, after all!

Blackhawks-Sabres Recap

Patrick Kane scored a goal against his hometown Buffalo Sabres tonight as the Blackhawks played the second of their back-to-back games at the United Center, winning a surprisingly tight game against the points-wise worst team in the NHL.

Brandon Pirri made his first appearance for the Hawks this season. The long-time Rockford star was due for a chance and it came tonight. He was on the fourth line with Brandon Bollig and Ben Smith.

Part of the reason for the tight score was because of the work of Ryan Miller, the 2010 Olympic MVP, making 38 saves but his team failed to provide any offense until the third period. The Hawks slipped two past Miller though, the first salvo coming from Winston-Salem, NC product Ben Smith, who deflected a Brent Seabrook shot for his first of the season.

The second goal came from Patrick Kane in the second period on a Power Play goal with an assist from Patrick Sharp (who was playing in his 600th NHL game). Drew Stafford got the Sabres closer, but it wasn't enough and the Hawks held off the Sabres for the rest of the game despite a flurry of shots from the Sabres.

We mentioned Ryan Miller earlier, but we cannot ignore the Hawks netminder Corey Crawford. Crow saved 28 shots,showing he's starting to get comfortable in net again. The Hawks also dominated possession and out-shot the Sabres 20-6 in the first period.

The only reason the game was as close as it was, was because of the stellar play of Ryan Miller. And yet for Ryan Miller, it's becoming obvious he's not fitting in at Buffalo anymore. Their lack off offense is not helping him at all. It's a shame, since he's a former Vezina Trophy winner and as I mentioned earlier, Olympic MVP. There was once a (horrible) rumor that the Hawks might trade Patrick Kane for Miller, but it's looking less likely, especially since the Hawks have every intention of keeping the Buffalo native.

As for the Hawks play, I have few complaints. After the bad two-game losing streak, it's good to see the Hawks starting to really gel and come together as a team. This should have been an easy win, but Buffalo is better than their record really indicates, since they do have an exceptional goalie. I want to see how the Hawks build on this two-game winning streak as they head to Raleigh to take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Blackhawks Vs Isles Recap: About Time!

After two bad wins, the Blackhawks welcomed the New York Islanders to the United Center for the first of two games in two days at the UC. On the night the US Soccer team beat Jamaica and clinched first place in the CONCACAF qualifiers, the Blackhawks recovered from their two-game losing streak to beat the Islanders 3-2.

There was a change in the line-up tonight. One-time Hawks goalie Nikolai Khabibulin was placed in goal, presumably to give Corey Crawford some time to rest. Given how Crawford's had a rough couple of games, I can believe that Crawford appreciated the time off. Quenneville also played with the lines, putting Bryan Bickell on the third line and put Andrew Shaw on the second line. Michal Handzus was also placed on the fourth line at center. Brandon Saad joined Kane and Toews on the first line.

The Blackhawks struck first as rookie Joakim Nordstrom put the Hawks up at 9:32 in the first period. It was the first NHL goal for the Swedish Hawk Mafia's newest member. Then the Captain, Jonathan Toews, put the Hawks up 2-0 a couple minutes later.

But the Islanders took advantage of the Hawks' defensive weakness and scored two unanswered goals near the end of the first period. Josh Bailey and Kyle Okposo both scored 2 minutes and 56 seconds apart and Okposo's goal came with 4.8 ticks remaining in the first period.

Thankfully, the Hawks regrouped and prevented any more goals. Khabibulin stopped 17 of 19 shots total in the game. Michal Handzus put the Hawks up for good at 6:45 in the second period. This time, the Hawks killed every penalty that came afterwards after three games of a bad penalty kill.

This was the game I had been waiting for! The Hawks did not panic after giving up those two goals in the first period. But, they need to stop giving up goals in bulk, so there's plenty to work on. As for Khabibulin, he's still the Bulin Wall of old, and tonight was win t'ree t'irdy t'ree for him. I think this win was a small, but important step towards repeating a Cup championship. They felt like they'd been robbed of three points in the last two games, so to get both points was big. They play the Buffalo Sabers tomorrow night at 7:00.

In other updates, the Hawks have recalled Brandon Pirri from Rockford and sent Jimmy Hayes down to Rockford. Pirri should play tomorrow night.

Blackhawks vs Blues Recap: Oh, Jeez.

The Hawks had a chance to take control of the new NHL Central Division tonight. Instead, they ended up the victims of St. Louis's biggest sports night of the year, losing 3-2 to the Blues on the night the Cardinals clinched a spot in the NLCS. And while it's still only the third game of an 82-game season, this still should have been better.

First, let's start off with the good parts: The Hawks are very dangerous on the Power Play. Both goals came seconds after the Blues scored, and during the Power Play. Also, Corey Crawford, was exceptional, making 31 saves against the Blues. The game itself was a good back-and-forth battle between two very good teams and involved a lot of physical play.

But sadly, the Hawks gave up 3 goals, the last of which they'll want back.

Make no mistake the Blues came to play tonight. They've had to watch the Hawks while they've won the Cup twice in four years and they were no doubt envious of the Hawks' success. They made damn sure every goal the Hawks scored, they earned it.

The Blues opened the scoring on a Vladimir Tarasenko goal on an odd-man rush that beat Corey Crawford. Patrick Kane answered 77 seconds later on the Power Play, which was a dumb penalty given up by the Blues. Then David Backes deflected a Steven Pierangelo shot, which was answered by Toews about 39 second later.

The third period itself was scoreless until 21 second left. The Hawks were going for the jugular against the Blues and looked as if they were about to put the Blues on the brink before a bad Brent Seabrook hit allowed the Blues to go in transition on a 3-on-1 and race up the ice for the score. The Hawks pulled Crawford to no avail and the Blues took the first meeting between the two teams.

Just like with the Lightning game, I'm beginning to wonder if the Stanley Cup Hangover is affecting these players this year. This team has been picked to repeat as champs, yet they keep letting teams get to them easily. If they can't put away opponents, I have a very bad feeling for the rest of the season. The good thing is, it's only the beginning. The bad part is, I want to see them storm out of the gate. Only time will tell, but they had better get their act together, or it's good-bye Lord Stanley.

Blackhawks vs Blues Preview

NBC has been pushing the Blackhawks-Blues rivalry, although it's not without reason or history. With the Red Wings moving to the Eastern Conference, the Hawks won't have chants of "DEE-TROIT SUCKS!" raining down from the rafters as much and they'll need a new rival. That rival is the St. Louis Blues, which essentially makes this the Cardinals-Cubs rivalry with the colors switched.

The Hawks and Blues were big rivals in the old Norris AKA "Black and Blue" Division in the late '80s and early '90s. Their playoff series were tough, physical and heated, their rivalry culminating in a massive series of brawls on St. Patrick's Day, 1991, an event popularly known as the St Patrick's Day Massacre. Six players on each team, which added up to a total of twelve, were ejected. A video of the incident is available on YouTube.

Of course now, the Hawks-Blues rivalry is starting to heat up and tomorrow, the two teams play in their first game of the year. The Hawks are built on speed, quickness, the Blues on big bodies and bruising hits. It looks to be an old Norris Division match-up transplanted into the modern age.

One member of the Hawks who has an interest in this match-up is Brandon Bollig, a St. Louis native himself. He's said that this is one of the games the Hawks have circled on their calenders, and they should come out swinging against the Blues. They'll need to.

The Blues as a whole have only allowed a total of two goals the entire season. The Hawks will have to get past Jaroslav Halak, who looks to be the Blues' starting goalie on Wednesday. The Blues also added top defensemen Jay Bouwmeester and Jordan Leopold, so expect the Blues to be pretty defensive. But they also inked forwards Brenden Morrow and Derek Roy for some offensive firepower.

Experts have been picking the Blues to be a challenge for the Hawks, so don't expect an easy victory. The two teams will be very evenly matched. The new alignment also adds weight to this match-up, as the top 3 teams in each division move onto the playoffs, and there's the possibility the Hawks and Blues will meet in the playoffs. I expect the Hawks to win, but it will not be easy at all. In fact, it should be fun.

NHL: Game 2: What Was That?

I'm beginning to wonder if these Hawks really are suffering from Stanley Cup Hangover, or maybe I'm just overreacting. Either way, I am not happy with that third period against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Or that performance, for that matter. At the same time, you may just have to give the Lightning credit.

The first period between the Hawks and Lightning went completely scoreless, even though the Hawks completely outshot the Bolts 11-0 in that first period. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop kept the Hawks off the score sheet rather well.

But come the second period, the Hawks seemed to find their offense. Patrick Kane jumped on a loose puck about a minute into the period and flipped it into the goal mouth to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead. About ten minutes later, the Hawks went on the Power Play for hooking. Nick Leddy tried to get the puck on goal with Bishop out of the net, but Brandon Saad took advantage of the empty net to knock it in from the left side.

But the Tampa Bay defense and Bishop ended up tightening their grip after that. Despite a horrid offensive performance, Tampa Bay were able to stay in the game and eventually, Tampa Bay captain Martin St. Louis beat Corey Crawford with a backhander with 9:52 left in the game on a Power Play... seems to be familiar. Then Teddy Purcell scored almost 2 minutes later to tie the game.

The Hawks could not find a way past Bishop and a late rush on goal turned up empty for the Hawks. They could not break through in overtime and in a horrid show, did not score once on Bishop in the shoot-out. The only goal in that shootout came from a former enemy in Valterri Filppula.

Honestly, I'm not sure what happened here. I understand that in a long season, losses are inevitable. Still, if you're gonna lose, I'd rather it be because the opponent were simply better that night instead of you just being bad. The Hawks gave up both goals on the power play and then failed to score in the shoot-out. Look, I know there will be losses, but come on. I'm holding this team to a fairly high standard and the penalty kill needs to be improved and fast.

Of course, on the other hand, I do have to give credit to Tampa Bay. They have a good defensive team and even though they were 0-1-0 coming into this game, they didn't play like a bad team. I expect them to be contenders in the new Atlantic Division in the NHL.

So tonight it was a combination of bad play by the Hawks and good play by the Lightning. The Hawks will need to fix the penalty kill soon, otherwise defending that Stanley Cup will be hard. The Hawks next game is this coming Wednesday at the St. Louis Blues.

NHL Fighting: A Catch-22

On Tuesday, Montreal Canadiens enforcer George Parros got into a fight with Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Colton Orr. An enforcer in hockey is a guy whose job is to get into fights. Well, these two enforcers did, but something happened.

It was basically a fluke accident, which you usually don't see in hockey fights, but is very much a risk. Parros slipped and crashed head-first into the ice. He was carried off the ice with a concussion.

There is a popular saying "I went to a fight and a hockey game broke out.”  Fighting is a major part of the appeal of hockey, aside from its emotional and physical intensity. But Parros's injury is starting to stir debate among fans and journalists about whether fighting has any place in hockey.

There are already a few heavyweights calling for less fighting in the game. Among those is Tampa Bay Lightning GM and former Detroit Red Wings great Steve Yzerman, who told The Dreger Report that players should get a game misconduct penalty for fighting. Also among these voices are Scotty Bowman, who is one of the greatest NHL coaches of all time, Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jim Rutherford of the Carolina Hurricanes. Bowmen tweeted that players should be polled as to what to do about fighting.

Those players polled recently went 98 percent in favor of keeping fighting in the game. Since the players have to approve any bans, it's likely not going to be approved. “It’s part of the game. It always has [been], and I think it always will be,” said Ottawa Senators forward Chris Neil.

And of course, there's the fans. While a few fans might not like the idea of fighting being the main draw to hockey, many more casual fans are drawn to the fights and to have fighting banned from the league might push them away.

Basically, the NHL is in a catch-22. They want to ensure the safety of their players, but they know that the players and fans want to keep fighting. Right now, I don't see fighting going anywhere. One thing I know can be done is to manage fighting.

Right now the NHL has already taken steps to manage fighting. They have a new rule that tacks on an extra 2 minutes to the usual five for fighting if a player removes his helmet prior to a fight. A lot of good that did Parros, though it should be noted that from this season on, all rookies entering the league must wear a visor, but anyone who doesn't wish to as allowed to keep going without a visor. Parros was one of those grandfathered players. It's possible a visor could have lessened the impact, but it's rather suspect.

The NCAA already banned fighting. Anyone who gets into a fight is kicked out of the game on the spot. I've watched a couple college hockey games and I must say I rather enjoy it, so perhaps banning fighting wouldn't be the end of the world, but as I mentioned previously, the fans and players won't stand for it.

I personally enjoy fights. But I don't want anyone to get truly, seriously hurt by fighting in hockey. I hope that the NHL and NHLPA can come up with a plan to reduce the risk of fighting in the league or else someone might end up getting in a worse situation than George Parros.

NHL Game 1: Hawks Win!

It seems like just yesterday that the Hawks stunned the crowd in Boston to win the Stanley Cup. My, how time flies when you're waiting for hockey to come back. The Hawks opened their season against an always-stacked Washington Capitals club looking to continue the streak of Stanley Cup champions who lose on the day of their banner-raising. The result was a heck of a game.

While the ceremony itself was beautiful, the game itself was pretty intense. It was a tight, back-and forth game for much of the game. In the end, the score read 6-4, but that was a very indicative scoreline. At one point, the Caps lead 4-3 over the Hawks before three third-period goals saved the team.

Brandon Bollig opened the scoring for the game, season and his career in the first period, before Alexander Ovechkin evened the score showing just how good he is. But Patrick Kane scored an equally-impressive goal that put the Hawks up 2-1 just 24 seconds later. Michael Grabovski took advantage of an out-of-place Duncan Keith to pull the Caps even, but Brent Seabrook, who was left all alone, put the Blackhawks back ahead.

The Caps tied the game again on the PP (seems to be a pattern) but Brandon Saad scored on the Power Play to keep the Hawks in the lead. The Caps eventually took a 4-3 lead, but the Hawks came back and won. Johnny Oduya scored what would be the winning goal on his 32nd birthday!

As for the Hawks play, I thought it was impressive considering how emotionally jacked up they must have been. Considering how the NHL is trying to increase scoring, I thought they responded well each time the Caps scored. Heck, they had a comeback, for cryin' out loud!

The Power Play seems to have improved. Saad's PP goal came on fantastic pass from Marian Hossa. Heck, their Penalty Kill was pretty impressive, aside from the PP goals the Caps (who are the best PP team in the league) scored. The Hawks managed to kill a 5-on-3 Penalty late in the third period and Corey Crawford stood on his head to stop the Caps.

The offense of course, was phenomenal. Brandon Bollig is not known for scoring, but the St. Louis native scored his first NHL goal in a most-fitting way. Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad, Brent Seabrook and everyone who scored did their part.

It's only the first game, but I like what I saw. This is still very much the team that won the Stanley Cup in June and they're looking for a chance to repeat. Whether or not they will is in question, but judging from what I saw tonight, they'll be pretty good this year.

Can the Hawks Repeat?

Sports Illustrated seems to think so. Of course, among sports fans, the blessings of Sports Illustrated magazine is a curse in disguise. But, perhaps the Blackhawks might have what it takes to repeat as Stanley Cup champions this coming season.

The Hawks still have their major players from last year; Kane and Toews, Andrew Shaw, Corey Crawford, Patrick Sharp, Bryan Bickell, Seabrook & Keith, Michal Handzus, Brandon Saad, Johnny Oduya and the others. However, the Hawks have given up Viktor Stalberg, Dave Bolland, Michal Frolik and Ray Emery to deal with the NHL salary cap. We know the core of talent can certainly perform and win, but it's the guys around them who will have to step it up.

Brandon Pirri is one of the guys vying for a spot on the final regular season roster. Pirri was the American Hockey League's top scorer for the Hawks' farm team Rockford Icehogs last year. Currently he is nursing a lower-body injury that might, if things go wrong, would keep him off the team. But Pirri should get his chance after the season he had last year. The guy can't be denied a chance at the NHL for much longer even if he has to remain on injured reserve.

One name who's been surprising for the moment is Joakim Nordstrom, whom the Tribune quotes as being surprised himself. He's shown strong two-way skills, penalty killing and chemistry with fellow Swede Marcus Kruger. I want to see him on the roster, as well. The other Scandinavian who came into camp, Teuvo Teravainen, will sadly return to Finland for the season, even though he's shown he's got incredible talent. If you ask me, it's a waste. I hope he'll be brought back to the states from his Finnish club Jokerit some time during the season.

What will benefit the Hawks is the new NHL realignment. To put it short, Detroit is gone and the Hawks won't have much competition in their new Central Division. That could play into their hands for a good record. And since it helps for the Hawks to get away from the UC at around the start of the season, the training camp in South Bend might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

So, do the Hawks have what it takes to repeat? Here's the thing: The NHL is unpredictable. The Hawks could win a second-straight President's Trophy and get swept out of the playoffs. Right now, it's hard to tell, and since I never make predictions, I'm not going to do that. What I will say is that I expect the Hawks to have a successful season and make the playoffs. Sure, everyone is gunning for them, but it looks to be another fun season at the UC.