Blackhawks Win Again!
Hey Everyone! A lot has happened since my last blog. During our first game of the year, we lost Martin Havlat to a shoulder injury. We are still not sure when he is going to be back, but hopefully its soon. Although losing Marty is a big loss, we have responded nicely winning 3 out of our first 5 games! Two of those wins have come against our biggest rival, the Detroit Red WIngs. We have struggled against Detroit the last few years so it felt great to get two come from behind wins against them. Our first game against them was our home opener. We came back from a two goal defecit to win the game in a shootout. The crowd of 19,000 was going crazy. It was the best atmosphere in the United Center I've seen in years. Hopefully that will continue throughout the year. The atmosphere in the dressing room continues to be amazing. In years past, the room hasn't always been a pleasent place to be. So far this year, it is rare to pass a player or coach who doesn't have a smile on his face. Even after practice, everyone sticks around for an hour or so to eat lunch and talk about things happening away from the rink. It is a great group of guys, and I am happy to be a part of it. This year has been pretty interesting so far for me, and I have been learning a lot. I grew up my whole life playing defense. In the beginning of training camp, my coach told me I will be playing left wing as well. It has defninitely been a challange learning a new position while playing against the best players in the world, but my coaches and teammates have been great at helping me out during practice to help me learn how to be an effective winger. After every practice one of the coaches works with me for about a half hour doing drills specific to left wingers. I am feeling more comfortable with my new position everyday. When I play wing, I have to use my speed to get in on the forecheck and make it tough on the other teams defensemen. I have to be phyisical and get the puck to the net. I wasn't too sure how much I'd enjoy playing wing, but it has been a lot of fun. Its way better to be the winger hammering the defensemen rather than what I'm used to. Yesterday, the coaches rewarded our good play with a complete day off from the rink. Days off are really important to clear your mind and get some rest. Hockey is a very draining sport physically and mentally, so it was great to be able to get away from it for a day. I was lucky enough to score some Bears tickets so me and three of my friends made the trip over to Solider Field to watch the Bears take on the Vikings. It was a real exciting game, but the Vikings won the game with a 50 yrd field goal as time expired. Watching the game live, I got an up close view of the Devin Hester show. That guy is a machine! The crowd goes absolutely crazy everytime he touches the ball. It looked like he was playing against a high school football team when he ran back a 90 yrd punt return. Every time he touched the ball, I felt he was going to score. This week we play two home games against confrence rivals. Then Saturday night we get to play another Original Six team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, in Toronto on Hockey Night in Canada. It is always fun to play another Original Six team, but it's too bad we don't play them more often. Talk to you guys in a few days, hopefully after a few Hawks wins! -Richie PS: I didn't know about the comments below the post. I will respond to those quicker!
JohnnyOates said October 15, 2007
stevens8204 said October 15, 2007
gaucho said October 15, 2007
mookie1k said October 15, 2007
hey danny - if you pick up the dual position eligibility,
I'll pick you up in my fantasy league!
Thanks again for th egreat insight - keep it up!
dinabanina said October 15, 2007
bestby said October 16, 2007
ursportspro said October 16, 2007
Daaaaaany said October 16, 2007
Are there any specific bars in Chicago that you frequent regularly?
Saraaa said October 16, 2007
Nice job w/the blogs.Glad you guys are playing so well(even though the canes are playing better ;-) ha ha! Look forward to seeing you play!! :)
Dewey said October 17, 2007
liljoe08 said October 18, 2007
mikeroe said October 18, 2007
Looks like Khabibulin is off to a great start. You boys keep playing well in front of him! I got a question about what you guys call each other. I know nicknames are pretty popular, care to share any? I'm only really familiar with the guys here in Ottawa...Alfie, Heater, Fish, Grats, Vermy, etc.
Good luck this season Danny! Stick on the ice...and show Toronto what you guys are made of on Saturday.
Mike in Ottawa
charlesnc said October 18, 2007
mikitafan said October 19, 2007
mjaxx2 said October 19, 2007
cdanks16 said October 19, 2007
brimirfos said October 20, 2007
Excited to see that you're playing tonight! I'll be listening for you on the radio. Just curious... Who is the biggest prankster on the team (if any)?
JLuvsHerNorAds said October 19, 2007
I loved reading the blog[s] and I look forward to more!! It's great to see what you are up to now that I don't see you every weekend. LOL. I am so excited that ya'll are doing so well. You know I'll always be a Blackhawk fan!! I miss my 06-07 boys!! I just wanted to wish you continued luck!! You are an amazing defensemen and I know you'll do exceptionally well as a left winger. I'll be rooting for the team every step of the way!!
[[See you when Char and I finally make it up there - which we will at some point this season!!!]]
richmondthekid said October 19, 2007
cnhawk said October 21, 2007
Great to see you in the line-up versus colorado. I'm looking forward to seeing you score your first NHL
goal. Now that you are playing wing, do have any personal goals for this year ??? I would imagine you went to training camp hoping to crack the top-7 on d, and now suddenly you're playing wing. I personally would love to see you in the line-up every night. I really like the speed and energy you play with.
zakhawk91 said November 01, 2007
Thanks for throwing me a puck in Dallas.Do you ever visit the Blackhawk message boards??
nick009 said November 10, 2007
Nick P.