The Chicago Blackhawks of 2010-2011 have looked nothing like the Blackhawks of 2009-2010, and I'm not talking about the rosters.
This year, the excuses and reasons given for why the Blackhawks were falling flat ranged from defense to offense, goaltending to injuries, etc. In the words of Gene Hackman in The Replacements, "They need heart."
The biggest problem this year has been the Hawks belief that they can show up for 35-40 minutes a night, build a one- or two-goal lead and coast through the third period and win.
That cannot be blamed on any of the above excuses, but rather a lack of leadership, especially with a team with as many young players as the Hawks do. The Hawks have lacked hustle, drive and a will to finish off an opponent as mercilessly as they did last year. Last year, a team heading into the third, down a goal or two against Chicago, almost knew that they weren't going to come back, especially not in the United Center (where the Hawks only lost eight times the entire year).
However, this year, teams know that they can come back, and that it won't be terribly difficult and they won't have to ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by John Gallo
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December 18th, 2010 by John Gallo Leave a reply »
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