Shantz My Pants
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I think we can all agree that this off season was quite boring for most hockey fans outside of New York and Minnesota (Columbus pretty much got screwed, which they are used to by now). The thing is, if you read any “fan” opinions via social media (Twitter and Facebook mainly) you would have thought the Blackhawks completely screwed themselves and ruined their chances at moving past the 1[sup]st[/sup] round of the 2014 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. The main complaint that I read was along the lines of the “Hawks didn’t sign anybody” or “season tickets went up again”! I could go on and write another blog post on the first statement, but I have things to do (not really) so I’ll cut to the chase. The Hawks were smart on saving their cap space because this year’s free agent pool really only consisted of 4-5 guys who were difference makers and the rest were mostly depth guys, which the Hawks don’t really need (see: prospects in the pipeline). But there was one skater who the Hawks decided they could use, and Sheldon Brookbank brings a style of hockey the Hawks have lacked for a few years on the back end.
I’m a fan of hard hitting physical hockey. I believe physical play can not only mess with an oppositions psyche, but also mess with their overall play. You are definitely going to think twice about taking the puck to the net if you know that some defenseman is going to make you physically pay for it. Unfortunately, the Hawks have lacked in this area over the past few years with Seabrook being the only exception. Watching the opposition carry the puck into high scoring areas, untouched, is embarrassing and is a perfect way to lose a hockey game. This in itself was the 2011-2012 Blackhawks defense in a nutshell. With Brookbank though, you bring in a skater who is willing and eager to throw his weight around and make the other teams forwards life a living hell in front of the net. He will grind it out in the corners trying to get possession of the puck and is willing to block shots. He also killed penalties in Anaheim and on the Hawks he will give some skaters a breather or take them off the PK completely (take a seat Leddy). Brookbank, if you just started reading, is also not one to back down from a fight. He was even willing to drop the mitts against John Scott! If that doesn’t make him astupid team player, than I don’t know what does. Brookbank has shown in the past (AHL) to have some skill (53 points in 78 games was his best season), but he’s not known for it in the NHL, nor is that expected from him.
As you can tell, I really like this addition as Brookbank is the type of player that is needed on the blueline. While he’s not going to be a top pairing defenseman, you can put him with anybody and you still will get the same results. Unlike some skaters (i.e. Boynton, Cullimore, Lepisto) the Hawks have used over the past few years, Brookbank isn’t a liability in his own zone and doesn’t make you nervous when he jumps over the boards. All in all I think he’s going be quite beneficial for the Hawks in more ways than most people think. If not, I’m sure O’Donnell is free, am I right…? Anybody…?
PREDICTION: 70 GAMES / 1 GOAL / 4 ASSISTS / 5 POINTS / PLUS-3
Click here to view the article
I’m a fan of hard hitting physical hockey. I believe physical play can not only mess with an oppositions psyche, but also mess with their overall play. You are definitely going to think twice about taking the puck to the net if you know that some defenseman is going to make you physically pay for it. Unfortunately, the Hawks have lacked in this area over the past few years with Seabrook being the only exception. Watching the opposition carry the puck into high scoring areas, untouched, is embarrassing and is a perfect way to lose a hockey game. This in itself was the 2011-2012 Blackhawks defense in a nutshell. With Brookbank though, you bring in a skater who is willing and eager to throw his weight around and make the other teams forwards life a living hell in front of the net. He will grind it out in the corners trying to get possession of the puck and is willing to block shots. He also killed penalties in Anaheim and on the Hawks he will give some skaters a breather or take them off the PK completely (take a seat Leddy). Brookbank, if you just started reading, is also not one to back down from a fight. He was even willing to drop the mitts against John Scott! If that doesn’t make him a
As you can tell, I really like this addition as Brookbank is the type of player that is needed on the blueline. While he’s not going to be a top pairing defenseman, you can put him with anybody and you still will get the same results. Unlike some skaters (i.e. Boynton, Cullimore, Lepisto) the Hawks have used over the past few years, Brookbank isn’t a liability in his own zone and doesn’t make you nervous when he jumps over the boards. All in all I think he’s going be quite beneficial for the Hawks in more ways than most people think. If not, I’m sure O’Donnell is free, am I right…? Anybody…?
PREDICTION: 70 GAMES / 1 GOAL / 4 ASSISTS / 5 POINTS / PLUS-3
Click here to view the article
