Will the Chicago Blackhawk’s Offseason End?

Larry Gasik is a web developer and hockey fanatic located in the suburbs of Chicago. Nearly any free time he has is spent playing and watching hockey. Just like any true hockey player, Larry spends a good portion of his summertime golfing.

For the Chicago Blackhawks, the 2008-09 season was without a doubt a success. Many people, including myself, did not give them a good shot at making the playoffs. The true result of the season was a trip to the Western Conference finals, where they took the Red Wings to overtime three times, but only capturing one victory.

For Chicago fans, that seems long ago. Free agency brought a buzz to the city with additions such as Marian Hossa, John Madden, and Tomas Kopecky. Many even looked at the Hossa deal as a bad thing, but a player like Hossa for a cap hit of just over five million is a great deal – in the short term.

The RFA debacle where players did not receive their qualifying offers in time marked the first scar on this offseason. Cam Barker and Kris Versteeg were both arguably overpaid in an effort to cover up the mistake made by Chicago management. The mix up did not help build confidence in Dale Tallon, and the conflict in management was starting to come out to the press now. Tallon was demoted, with Stan Bowman replacing him as general manager. Dale’s days were numbered anyway when John McDonough brought in Scotty Bowman as his consultant. It was just a matter of time, and the qualifying offer was the nail in the coffin.

Then in late July fans officially found out Hossa had an injured shoulder. Management claims to have known about it when he was signed. Hossa eventually would have surgery, and will miss probably the first twenty games of the season. July 31st brought more bad news with Hossa with the report of the contract being investigated. The NHL believes that the front loaded 12 year contract was structured to get around the salary cap. If the NHL decides to punish Chicago, it could mean a fine of five million dollars, as well as draft picks.

If that was not enough, there is the arrest of Patrick Kane for the assault on a sixty-two year old cab driver over a mere twenty cents. The outcome of the court case is yet to be heard, but certainly it is not helping the off season of the ‘hawks. Chicago is going to have a tough enough season this year with more focus and attention from opposing teams, coupled with the loss of Khabibulin, and then starting off the season in Europe. These off season events are not going to help their cause much either. And there is always going to be the elephant in the room that needs to be addressed – new contracts for Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane when the team is already right up against the cap.

Theo Deserves Another Chance

Theo Fleury wants another shot to play the game he loves. After a six year absence Fleury says he’s ready to return. “At heart I’m a hockey player, first and foremost. Obviously I didn’t go out the way I wanted to.” Theo last played in the NHL in 2002-03, he was suspended indefinitely for violating the NHL’s substance abuse policy.

Fleury has been sober for four years with the support of family and Alcoholic’s Anonymous. “I knew I wanted to achieve sobriety at some point in my life,” Fleury said Wednesday. “I knew I had a problem. I never hid that fact from anybody.

Theo wouldn’t be the first player to make a comeback to the NHL. Guy Lafleur made a comeback in 1988 at age 37 for the NY Rangers after being away for four years. Guy scored two goals in his first game back to the Montreal Forum, the crowd chanted “GUY! GUY! GUY!” every time he touched the puck. Mario Lemieux returned December 27, 2000 against the Toronto Maple Leafs scoring a goal and adding two assists. He was out of the game for three years prior to that night. The most recent big name to step out of retirement is Claude Lemieux. At age 43 he resumed his playing career with the San Jose Sharks in 2008-09 after being out of the league for a lengthy six years.

Every great athlete always feels they have something left in the tank, physically they break down, but mentally they don’t. Striving to once again achieve greatness amongst the best competition the world has to offer. In Theo’s case, I believe it’s also a desire for self-respect. “I have to believe somewhere, someway that I can do this,” he told TSN. “Otherwise there is no sense in me putting in the work and not expecting to achieve the end goal.” Theo scored 455 goals and added 633 assists over his NHL career. He proved that one can play beyond their size.

It was almost twenty years ago when Fleury scored an overtime playoff goal against the Edmonton Oilers, It was possibly the most famous goal celebration of all time. It was the beginning of his career and at that moment he probably felt like nothing would ever stop him, he was passionate, talented, and happy. At age 41 he’s again searching for that same image of himself. I hope to see you sliding down the ice in 2010. Good luck, Theo.

Hits of the Year: 2008-09 Season

I love fancy goals or stick and puck work as much as the next guy, but c’mon. Tell me it doesn’t give you a bit of an adrenaline rush to watch a bone crunching hit from one of the NHL’s biggest enforcers. I dare you. And if you have no problem telling me this, then first watch this hardest hits highlight video from the NHL this season, and then try and tell me I doesn’t get a bit of a rise out of you.

Rock em’, Sock em’ boys….

Sneak a Peek at Canada’s 2010 Olympic Hockey Jerseys

There is something patriotic about the unveiling of the latest Team Canada Hockey Jerseys that screams, “We are ready to dominate the world!” Given that the 2010 Winter Olympics are set to be held in Vancouver, Canada this year, the jerseys are going to be holding a little extra meaning than usual for Canadians.

Are you ready to see what your Canadian hockey heroes are going to be wearing during the Olympics? Check them out. Tell us what you think. The Puck Doctors are loving the new look. It’s kind of an old-fashioned throwback, mixed in with just the right amount of modern energy to help us take on the world. Go Canada Go!

(H/T to IceThetics for the Pics)

Top 10 Stick Saves in NHL History

We all love when a goalie pulls out one of those hard to reach glove saves right? For some reason its less dramatic when a goalie pulls off a big blocker save. But personally, my favorite types of saves are the diving stick saves. When you think about it these are the most difficult as there is less surface area to block it with. Plus, you just know if the goalie is having to block the puck with his stick he’s been beat pretty bad and it’s a desperation move. This video has some pretty classic nail biters. Enjoy:

Patrick Kane’s Mugshot Photo

The incident occurred when NHL star Patrick Kane and his cousin paid the taxi driver $15 for the ride that cost $13.80. The taxi driver said he didn’t have 20 cents in change to give back. 20 cents must have been lots of money for Kane because both he and his cousin beat up the taxi driver so much they even broke his glasses. That’s the news on the Patrick Kane Mugshot photo below:

2010 NHL Mock Draft Database

The Puck Doctors NHL Draft Mock Database is a listing of links to mock drafts from around the web. The listing will be updated on a bi-weekly basis; however in the weeks leading up to the draft we will be updating the list virtually every day. If you would like to have a link to your mock draft added to our listing please send an email with the link to admin@thepuckdoctors.com.

*If your website is listed here and you would like it to remain in the database listing please link to the database in your website’s blogroll and send us an email letting us know you’ve done so.

Greatest Bench Brawl Ever in International Competition

It’s the off-season so to keep you entertained we thought we’d showcase one of the greatest bench clearing brawls in the history of hockey. This was in the 1987 World Juniors in a match between Canada and the U.S.S.R. The “Punch-up in Piestany” erupted halfway through the final game of the 1987 world junior hockey championship in Czechoslovakia. Canada was already assured a medal, but that didn’t stop them from throwing down in this one.

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