(Video) Duncan Keith Slash on Charlie Coyle; Dumba & Shaw Fight

You can watch the video here.

First, Chicago Defenseman Duncan Keith's dirty slash on Minnesota Wild forward Charlie Coyle is unacceptable. I know that the Blackhawks fans are going to disagree with me, but there's no excusing that dirty slash. That's an intent to injure. Nothing Coyle did justifies being slashed like that, Keith could have severely injured Coyle with that gutless act.

Hopefully, the NHL will hand down a harsh sentence. Keith should receive at least a five-game suspension. However, because Keith is a Blackhawk and a star player, he will probably get a one-game suspension if we're lucky. If I was the head of Department of Players Safety, it would be at least a 10-game suspension. This is a bush league act and there's no excuse for this.

Apparently, Patrick Kane can't fight is own battles. First, the hit by Matt Dumba on Kane was a clean, hard, legal hit. (You can take a look for yourself). Nice Dumba beat Andrew Shaw, it was a good fight.

Matt Dumba hit on Patrick Kane

When I look at this hit, I see a suspension coming for Minnesota Wild defenseman Matt Dumba. First, the hit was high, the head looked like it was targeted.

Second, the hit in question was on a star player. Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane is a star player and the league doesn't take to kindly to its star players being hit like this. Lucky for Dumba, Kane when down the tunnel but came back. Suspension worthy?

UPDATE: No Suspension.

Explanation of Dumba hit on Kane https://t.co/3voVffXOs1

— Anthony LaPanta (@AnthonyLaPanta) March 21, 2016

(Video) Michal Rozsival hit on Jason Zucker

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Michal Rozsival was given a penalty major penalty for interference and a game misconduct for this hit on Minnesota Wild forward Jason Zucker.

Was this worthy of a game misconduct? Also, is this hit worthy of a suspension? I don't believe so.

Jonathan Toews: 'Fighting Hawks Best of the Available Options'

Hmm, found this interesting. I said pretty much the same thing.

The day has come. The second round of the UND Nickname vote began today at 12:00 hours. My choice for a new nickname is Fighting Hawks, it’s the best choice of three unattractive/bad choices.

Here's a first from a @UNDmhockey alum: Jonathan Toews likes "Fighting Hawks." Called it the best of the available options. #cawlidgehawkey

— Jess Myers (@JessRMyers) February 20, 2016

(Video) Jonathan Toews vs David Backes

Former Fighting Sioux All-American forward Jonathan Toews has been in a grand total of five NHL fights. Two of them have been against the same player, former Minnesota State Maverick David Backes. While fighting isn't Toews' role, he's fought twice already this season.

Patrick Kane will not face rape charges

In America you innocent until proven guilty. Chicago Blackhawks All-Star forward Patrick Kane has been cleared and will not face criminal charges for rape. Now, Kane and the Blackhawks can move forward.

Jared S. Hopkins and Stacy St. Clair, Chicago Tribune --- Blackhawk's star Patrick Kane will not face rape charges after a three-month investigation into a woman's claim that prosecutors concluded was "rife with reasonable doubt."

In a strongly worded statement Thursday morning, Buffalo-area prosecutors offered a withering assessment of the woman's allegation, saying there was no proof that she had been raped. They also suggested that Kane never behaved as if he had committed a crime — though he never spoke with authorities and has maintained an unusually low profile since the investigation began.

Without providing details, Erie County District Attorney Frank Sedita III said there were "significant material inconsistencies" between the woman's claims and those of other witnesses. He also said the physical evidence and forensic evidence "tend to contradict" her allegation that a rape took place in Kane's bed — where she apparently said it occurred.

NHL Alumni by NCHC School

Lot of players in the NHL that come from NCHC schools.

North Dakota (14)
Taylor Chorney, D (Washington)
Derek Forbort, D (Los Angeles)
Matt Greene, D (Los Angeles)
Rocco Grimaldi, F (Florida)
Brad Malone, F (Carolina)
Brock Nelson, F (New York Islanders)
T.J. Oshie, F (Washington)
Zach Parise, F (Minnesota)
Chris Porter, F (Minnesota)
Dillon Simpson, D (Edmonton)
Drew Stafford, F (Winnipeg)
Jonathan Toews, F (Chicago)
Chris VandeVelde, F (Philadelphia)
Travis Zajac, F (New Jersey)

Denver (9)
Beau Bennett, F (Pittsburgh)
Tyler Bozak, F (Toronto)
Matt Carle, D (Tampa Bay)
Joe Colborne, F (Calgary)
Matt Donovan, D (Buffalo)
Nick Shore, F (Los Angeles)
Paul Stastny, F (St. Louis)
Patrick Wiercioch, D (Ottawa)
Jason Zucker, F (Minnesota)

Minnesota Duluth (8)
J.T. Brown, F (Tampa Bay)
Justin Faulk, D (Carolina)
Justin Fontaine, F (Minnesota)
Jason Garrison, D (Tampa Bay)
Matt Niskanen, D (Washington)
Dylan Olsen, D (Florida)
Mason Raymond, F (Calgary)
Alex Stalock, G (San Jose)

Miami (7)
Dan Boyle, D (New York Rangers)
Andy Greene, D (New Jersey)
Alec Martinez, D (Los Angeles)
Reilly Smith, F (Florida)
Chris Wideman, D (Ottawa)
Tommy Wingels, F (San Jose)
Jeff Zatkoff, G (Pittsburgh)

Colorado College (4)
Curtis McElhinney, G (Columbus)
Nate Prosser, D (Minnesota)
Jaden Schwartz, F (St. Louis)
Mark Stuart, D (Winnipeg)

Western Michigan (4)
Kevin Connauton, D (Columbus)
Danny DeKeyser, D (Detroit)
Mark Letestu, F (Edmonton)
Matt Tennyson, D (San Jose)

St. Cloud State (2)
Matt Cullen, F (Pittsburgh)
Matt Hendricks, F (Edmonton)

Omaha (1) Andrej Sustr, D (Tampa Bay)

(s/t NCHC Hockey)

Will Kane Make it to Training Camp?

Right now it appears that won't happen. It will be interesting to see how this turns out. Will Jonathan Toews' wing man play with the Chicago Blackhawks this season? Stay tuned.
Per Mike Harrington, Buffalo News:

Losing endorsements like being on the cover of a video game is one thing. Getting held off the ice is something else entirely. And that’s where the Blackhawks and the NHL are going to be left with no choice.

The case of the sexual assault allegations against Kane looks like it could be going to a grand jury, although chatter about settlement talks surfaced some last week. Justice is on one schedule and it has to be followed. But hockey has its own schedule and that has to be followed, too.

The Hawks are slated to train for three days at the University of Notre Dame beginning Friday. Their annual Training Camp Festival is Sept. 21 in the United Center, featuring a scrimmage. The crowd is easily expected to be more than 10,000.

Kane can’t be there.

The NHL is already smartly distancing itself from one of its most prominent players. Kane wasn’t part of Tuesday’s kickoff media tour in Toronto, held annually by the league with national outlets and rights holders. The official word, of course, was that players are rotated and this year’s Chicago representatives were Toews and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Duncan Keith. Riiiiight.

Classic Jonathan Toews

Today, former Fighting Sioux forward Jonathan Toews was asked about the Patrick Kane situation by the AM 1290 out of Winnipeg, MB. And this was his response. Classic Toews; he always seems to say the right thing.

Per ESPN:

Toews said: "I think you've just got to have confidence that things like that will resolve themselves over time. And for the time being, you stay together as a team, you support your teammate, teammates that are maybe going through a rough patch."

"We saw it last year with some rumors that spread through social media about several guys in our locker room," Toews said. "It's not the first time we've seen situations like that. Eventually you just deal with it internally, you stay together as a team, and you're confident that as individuals and as a group, everyone kind of stays together. And at the end of the day, we always say to each other what is said and what is done within the locker room is the only thing that really matters. We don't let anything going on on the outside affect the way we do our job and the way we come to work together as a team."

Toews: Blackhawks must 'stay together as a team' - http://t.co/vGIbm3W0gj

— ESPN Top Headlines (@TopEspn) September 4, 2015

Play the GM for an Hour

by Redwing77

Ok, I heard an ad for this segment on NHL radio on Sirius/XM and I was unable to catch this segment but it got me thinking.

Here's what the host challenged:  You are the GM of your favorite team for 1 hour in which you can make any ONE move, no strings attached.  What would it be?

The host stipulated that it could be a front office move, a trade, a buyout, a signing, or whatever realistically possible and rational (so, no "I'd trade my 2015 7th round draft pick for Jonathan Toews" nonsense).

Which team would it be and what would you do?

After following the Blackhawks this postseason, and I was Bowman, I'd go against the grain and try to keep Sharp and get rid of....  Bickell and Crawford.  Look, Bickell is the next Dave Bolland.  Yeah, he's nice to have but he wasn't really visible.  And with the emergence of Shaw, you don't need him.  And Crawford may have two rings now but he's the most mediocre ring-winner I've seen.  I'd trade Crawford and Bickell to Philly for one of their logjammed D prosects, a 2015 3rd round pick, and a conditional 2016 midround pick.  The Blackhawks now have taken two nobody goaltenders and turned them into Stanley Cup champions (Niemi and Crawford).  They can do the same with Raanta and Darling... or they could go out and sign Ramo or someone.  Who really cares.  It's plug and play.


As for my Wings?  Yeesh.  They need depth at forward and, imo, a top 4 defenseman.  I think I'd do something rash like.... win the lottery again and try to steal Dougie Hamilton away from the Bruins.  NHL Radio suggests that Edmonton could do this very thing but comon Dougie, Motown is better than Edmonton!

So, what would you do?

Phil Kessel Would Accept Trade to Bruins and Wild

I just got back from the hunting shack and found this beauty. Apparently, former Boston Bruins forward Phil Kessel would accept a trade to eight teams. This is what Pension Plan Puppets had to say about the matter. 

Scott Wheeler, Pension Plan Puppets -- The list, which was submitted prior to the deadline, is believed to include the Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Rangers, and Boston Bruins in the Eastern Conference as well as the Chicago Blackhawks, Los Angeles Kings and Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference, according to the report.

Looking at this list, Boston has no cap room, plus I can't see the Bruins being all that excited about taking Kessel back. Ditto with the Minnesota Wild. Both teams are extremely strapped for cash, I don't see how they could make a move like this happen. 

Seriously, I can't see Flyers head coach Dave Hakstol wanting a one dimensional player like Kessel on his team. You have to be able to play in all three zones of the ice. The more I think about it, Kessel would be a perfect Hab. 

Finally, does anyone think Kessel would be a good fit with L.A. Kings head coach like Daryl Sutter? I am being serious. 

Video: Kris Versteeg Goalie Interference

Check this out. Chicago Blackhawks forward Kris Versteeg was assessed a two-minute minor for goalie interference. It's almost humorous.

In my opinion, this is a blown call. If you watch the video you will see that Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman actually helps Versteeg into the goal post.

Versteeg was trying to stop there. Gets one-armed tossed into the goalie/face plants on the post. Gets called for a penalty. Ouch.

— Cörey Masisak (@cmasisak22) June 4, 2015

GIF: Face vs. post. pic.twitter.com/EVsdg7RDHd

— Pete Blackburn (@PeteBlackburn) June 4, 2015

Stanley Cup Finals Schedule Released

If the Stanley Cup Finals go to game seven, we will be watching hockey deep into June.  The only questions we left to answer, who's going to be the two teams in the finals? 

Game 1 Wednesday, June 3
Game 2 Saturday, June 6
Game 3 Monday, June 8
Game 4 Wednesday, June 10
Game 5 * Saturday, June 13
Game 6 * Monday, June 15
Game 7 * Wednesday, June 17

* if necessary

Video: And the Academy Award goes to Andrew Shaw for Embellishment

Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Getzlaf is assessed a two-minutes minor penalty for high-sticking Chicago Blachkawks forward/pest Andrew Shaw. I think you could make the argument for embellishment by Shaw. If you count the seconds after the infraction in question it's almost a two full seconds before Shaw reacts.

Here's a gif of the play in question. Looks like Shaw wasn't even touched by Getzlaf. You make the call, you be the judge.

Andrew Shaw No Goal

According to the NHL rule 78.5, this is why Andrew Shaw was not awarded the game-winning goal. According to the NHL Rules, the puck has to be shot in with a stick.

NHL situation room confirms Andrew Shaw's goal disallowed because he directed it in with something (his head) other than stick. #Blackhawks

— Chris Kuc (@ChrisKuc) May 20, 2015

Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford steps into the Ducks Rickard Rakel

The game is getting feisty. Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford steps into the Ducks forward Rickard Rakel and causes a bit of a dustup.

Got to love NHL playoffs. Mayhem all over including blatant interference by Crawford on Rickard Rakell and faceoff neutral zone.

— Scott Burnside (@ESPN_Burnside) May 20, 2015

Corey Crawford steps out and intentionally bumps into Rickard Riakell on a dump-in. #curiousmove #ANAvsCHI

— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) May 20, 2015

Video: Parise vs Toews

A nice video tribute to two former UND fighting Sioux Hockey Players Zach Parise and Jonathan Toews.

Odds for the Stanley Cup

Odds to win the 2015 Stanley Cup

New York Rangers                     13/4 

Chicago Blackhawks                 4/1 

Anaheim Ducks                         9/2 

Minnesota Wild                         11/2 

Montreal Canadiens                   13/2 

Tampa Bay Lightning                 15/2 

Washington Capitals                  9/1 

Calgary Flames                         12/1 

The odds to win the Stanley Cup come from Bovada,

Daniel Carcillo: Why the NHL Community Needs to Look out for Its Own

If you haven't seen this video, it's worth a look. After watching this video, I have a whole new appreciation for Daniel Carcillo. I think about this, Carcillo is a guy that has over 1200 minutes in penalties during 10 season in the NHL. He's an NHL tough guy letting his guard down to hundreds of thousands of people.

Carcillo's message is clear, you have to deal with the issues before they consume you. Also, the NHL alumni need a support group to help them make the transition back to life after the NHL.

If you haven't seen this from Daniel Carcillo re: Steve Montador, do so. http://t.co/WMJdV34Br8 #Blackhawks
— Tracey Myers (@TramyersCSN) April 23, 2015

(Video) Andrew Shaw Headbutts Brock Nelson

Chicago Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw headbutts Islander forward Brock Nelson. Shaw received a Game Misconduct for his efforts. I would imagine that the NHL's Department of Player Safety will look at this, but I don't think he will get suspended for this.

What are you doin Andrew? https://t.co/pdiNRe3koY
— Second City Hockey (@2ndCityHockey) March 18, 2015