In the hardest hitting game the Chicago Blackhawks have played yet this year, the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins saw what the young Hawks have to offer in a thrilling overtime victory.
From the opening drop of the puck it was clear that the Penguins were trying to send a physical message. Matt Cooke and Duncan Keith exchanged blows in the first period, two high checks ended with Keith in the box for two minutes, and later Cooke sucker punched Keith in the face for the effort. Thanks to WGN’s camera work and a slow-motion, circled telestrator showing the obvious punch from two angles, Cooke should be receiving a love letter from the league office.
The Cooke-Keith battle wasn’t isolated in this game, though. Brent Seabrook, Mike Rupp, Adam Eaton and former Blackhawk Craig Adams all hit hard and a lot in the game. Seabrook led all skaters with nine credited hits in the game, with the ninth being a leveling blow to Evgeni Malkin late in the third period. Adams had a highlight reel knockdown of his own, putting the Oh! in the middle of a Brian Campbell spin-o-rama .
Malkin wasn’t just getting hit, though. In the sec ...
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Article written by TAB BAMFORD
Crosby Sits, Cooke Hits, Blackhawks Win the Game
December 5th, 2009 by TAB BAMFORD Leave a reply »
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