Day-25 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs:
INKTIME on RINKTIME Observations and Random thoughts by Chris Madsen:
HARD TO BELIEVE: But I just realized that I have as many goals in this year’s Playoffs as Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews.
And perhaps in his zeal to get into the Box Score of last night’s 2-0 debacle in Detroit, JT took the least desirable way to get there–under the header of PENALTIES. And he did so in succession in the 2nd Period:
| 05:20 | Chicago | Jonathan Toews: 2 minutes, hooking | |
| 08:04 | Chicago | Jonathan Toews: 2 minutes, hi-sticking | |
| 10:54 | Chicago | Jonathan Toews: 2 minutes, hi-sticking | |
Now, you don’t need a slide-rule or an abacus to figure out that that is three trips to the Penalty Box in 5:34! All three infractions are stick related and every player playing the game–under control–knows that he is responsible for his stick. Toews second penalty resulted in a Jakub Kindl power play goal (the first PPG against the Hawks in 30+ tries during the Playoffs) that proved to be the game winner.
As for his undisciplined play in a “must-win” game: “My stick got a little loose there,” Toews said. “I was playing hard. Sometimes that happens.” Sometime that happens? Sometime that happens? For a guy in his 6th NHL season–who averages just over 30-minutes in penalties over a full-82-game schedule, I’d venture an educated guess that it has NEVER happened before. And if it did, it certainly never happened during the Stanley Cup Playoffs!
Now my respect for Jonathan Toews is well-documented. Heck, just a couple of days ago I stated that I thought Toews should be the hands-down winner of the Messier Award over the Kings Dustin Brown and the Sens Daniel Alfredsson…but my goodness, man, find a way to get your head screwed on straight, so that what happened last, night never “happens” again!
Which leads me to my question of the day: Is it time for Coach Joel Quenneville to consider benching his struggling star? And before all you Blackhawks fans begin with the “what, are you crazy?’ responses…need I remind you…that just last night, Rangers Coach John Tortorella banished big money Brad Richards–a guy whose coattails Tortorella road all the way to Stanley Cup in Tampa–to the Press Box…and need I remind you of how the Rangers responded? Please COMMENT in the space provided below.
And finally, regardless of which direction Coach Q decides to go, I’d make certain his Captain carries this quote from Red Wings Defenseman Jonathan Ericsson EVERYWHERE HE GOES until the drop of the puck for Game-5 Saturday night in Chicago: “We’d like to keep him (Toews) in the box. He’s not as good for them in the box.”
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ROY CALLED UPON TO MAKE ANOTHER BIG SAVE: Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy –who won a pair of Stanley Cups as a player in Colorado–is officially rejoining the Avalanche as Head Coach and VP of Hockey Operations. Roy–who played for winner after winner, inherits a team that finished dead-last in the Western Conference and failed to make it to the Post-season for a third consecutive year.
The 47-year-old Roy becomes the sixth coach in Avalanche history.
UNTIL THE NEXT TIME WE LACE ‘EM UP AND HIT THE ICE!–Chris Madsen
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TONIGHT’S SCHEDULE:
| Ottawa | at | Pittsburgh | 7:30 PM EST | ||
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