Bananarchy

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:17 PM) And Hill is a pretty darn good player. And the last of the Weber recruits.

QUOTE (Boogua @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:14 PM) The only four star guy that suited up today that wasn't a freshman was Malcolm Hill. I guess you're expecting quite a bit from JCL, DJW, and Jordan in their second Big ten road game against a top 10 team in the country. This is unacceptable, but let's not paint a different picture than it is. Agreed. The reality is, Groce isn't going anywhere because 1) The whole team is hurt 2) Illinois still hasn't hired his boss

QUOTE (Boogua @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:01 PM) He should probably just quit. I don't enjoy his coaching, but he has been insanely unlucky here. He should try to resurrect his career elsewhere. At least he would leave the program better than he inherited it. If you would have told me we would have all these four star guys and still be this bad, I would have said you were crazy. The Illinois basketball brand is holding on to relevance for dear life.

In "Former Hawks" news, Patrick Sharp has an 11 game point streak.

One catch all thread closer to our next WS Championship

QUOTE (Steve9347 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 01:19 PM) The Departed Heat other things I got 45 minutes into the Departed and honestly thought "This may be the best movie I have ever seen". Still really love it, just like Goodfellas better.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 06:14 PM) Panarin is skating with Patrick Kane on the second line. I'd call that infused into the core. Bickell is struggling to stay on the roster. I'd call that out of the core. When I say "infused" I mean Hawks have to pay him to stay as part of the core. He's a guy they need to have room for.

QUOTE (SoxPride18 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 06:07 PM) You do know Anisimov got a contract extension, right? 1.3 million raise from this season over 5 years. That explains why rotoworld and hockeyscap disagree.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 05:37 PM) Right, and it goes against basically I said in my last post, but I didn't have a ton of expectations for this season, even with the core. This off-season was a little too close to the purge after 2010 with Sharp, Saad, Versteeg, Oduya, Vermette all being shipped out, along with all the miles these guys have on their legs. It was about the next wave being implanted with this team(who you mentioned above), seeing who is a keeper and who needs to be replaced. Things have gone well all things considered, and if they stay healthy, there is no reason to think another long playoff run isn't going to happen in 2016. Luckily, after next season the Hawks will have a good opportunity to infuse Panarin into the core of the team with the expiring Bickell (finally!) and Anisimov contracts. Does anyone have a good grasp on the retirement recapture rule? Edit: Got it. Not that he's going to do it now, but down the line Good thing is he's still a reasonably productive player. I just wish he could score a little more.

QUOTE (Tony @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 05:18 PM) Your Dallas Stars have made the playoffs once in eight years. When you root for a team like that, the regular season becomes much more important, I wouldn't expect you to fully grasp what people are trying to explain to you. It's ok, we understand. I like the Stars because they are fun. I love the Blackhawks because I have watched them since I was a kid. Seriously, stop with the Stars fan stuff. Yeah, I like the Stars. They're on TV for free. I didn't have the money to buy Game Center Live at the beginning of the season. I get it, you're the elder statesman Blackhawks fan. You're one of ten people who cared about the Blackhawks prior to 2009. In that case, we have something in common. I want the Blackhawks to win, but I'm scared of how good this division is.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 05:04 PM) Kopitar has 3 OT goals, Toews has 4. Not referring to Kopitar, referring to Toews, a better player, underperforming this season.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 05:00 PM) The only way the Hawks will realistically have the caproom for a big player is if one of their big time players ends up on LTIR. Hence the "whatever they can".

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:59 PM) Kopitar who has four more points than Toews who is apparently now "dying on the vine"? Seriously, thank God Toews plays in 3 on 3 OT games or it would be worse.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:52 PM) You, on multiple occasions have said the division is too strong and the Hawks are too weak to make the playoffs. So I guess we are taking pleasure in the regular season results while they are still playing. I still contend that I want management to do whatever they can to add a forward or defenseman before I go against the Kings or any Central team.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:49 PM) And if you look around at the other teams, who would you rather have in April? I would say the Kings because Kopitar is Toews kryptonite, but Hossa and (insert winger here) is already Toews kryptonite. But, seriously, the Kings look solid and (what do you know?) are adding defensive and center depth.

QUOTE (Jose Abreu @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:47 PM) Yet we have the third most points in hockey You guys, on numerous occasions, have made it clear that regular season doesn't matter.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:41 PM) What discussion? All you do is talk about how the Hawks arent as good as some xbox team you invented in your head. Its hilarious. I bet you were super "comfortable" with the roster last year. That's your response?! Last year Bowman capitalized on the Kane injury by adding Antoine Vermette, or did you already forget? The Blackhawks were stacked going into last postseason. They aren't now. Toews is dying on the vine, Hossa can't score, Shaw can play, but he's a third line guy that can't finish on the first line. Which defenseman gives you enough confidence that we have at least 2 solid defensive pairings? We're seeing flashes now, but everyone here is all about "regular season doesn't matter". Nope. Don't improve the team. Doesn't work. We've never had to before. And don't be critical of the almighty Blackhawks because we're already engraving the 2016 Cup.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 04:31 PM) LOL, ok. Okay, seriously. What is your deal? The Toews line is a shell of what it was with Saad on it. And the defense runs three players deep. You can mock me, but feel free to contribute to the discussion. Edit: I changed my mind. Don't make any effort to improve the club. Rock says we don't need to.

QUOTE (Harry Chappas @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:29 AM) This makes sense and is something the Bears should have done to protect Cutler. The Bears carousel of coaches on the offensive side of the ball and hiring defensive minded coaches sans the buffoon Treastman has led to a constant state of flux. Now Gase is gone and in comes a new offensive guy. It seems the offense changes annually. Welcome to the NFL. You get a good OC, he moves on to bigger and better things. Unless you're seriously suggesting the Bears fire John Fox and name Gase manager, which would be completely ridiculous. John Fox hired Gase and I fully expect him to hire a strong replacement.

QUOTE (southsider2k5 @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 09:26 AM) He has been in a difficult position since 2010, but he still keeps finding a way to build contenders and champions. If it were easy, even the Blues would be doing it. I still think the issue remains that this is really a one scoring line team. The top line is only called the first line because Toews is on it. The difference between this and 2011 is Hossa is a third line talent now, the defensive prospects are thin, and the third and fourth line just aren't good. Do they have enough star power to win the Cup? Sure. Do I expect them to win the Cup? Absolutely not. There is still a lot of Hockey left and this team is certainly fun enough to justify the Game Center Live investment.

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Jan 7, 2016 -> 07:18 AM) Not to be a dick, but I think The Dark Knight Rises is a bad Batman movie and easily the worst one in the new trilogy. Really, "The Dark Knight" was the only GREAT film in the trilogy, however Batman Begins also gets high marks for changing the game when it comes to Batman film. That being said, the Arkham series of video games is arguably the best modern telling of a Batman story.

1. The Shawshank Redemption 2. Blade Runner 3. Pulp Fiction 4. The Empire Strikes Back 5. Goodfellas 6. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 7. The Usual Suspects 8. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 9. Raging Bull 10. A Clockwork Orange

I could see him learning from the mistake of Robinson Cano. You can make the most money, but it may not be in the best situation.

QUOTE (Y2JImmy0 @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 10:52 PM) In general, I think teams that have this much coaching turnover are dumb. Lovie is a bad coach though and a terrible talent evaluator. He had personnel control and made many questionable decisions. They'll be bringing in an offensive guy. I just can't see why anyone would work for that organization. They have now shown you have no time as head coach to improve. This coaching carousel spinning so fast is really bad news for the "losing organizations". Why would you ever coach the Browns? You have one shot to coach and you've been dreaming about it your whole life. Why would you waste your shot at Cleveland?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Jan 6, 2016 -> 10:25 PM) 2'nd place in the west. Not a contender though, right? They should be okay in the playoffs, but they're really two major pieces short of what I would consider "Comfortable"