Feeling The Love
July 18, 2011, 2:00 PM ET [154 Comments]
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John Jaeckel
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In my advertising career, I was once working on a fashion brand, targeted at college kids. One of the things I figured out very quickly is: the minute you say you're cool, you're not cool.
It's the same thing to a degree with team chemistry: you can talk about it all you want. You can roll it out and put it on display in tightly orchestrated events and fan conventions. But if it's not there— if certain guys in the dressing room hate each other— you don't have team chemistry.
The Hawks had a LoveFest fan convention last year in the glow of the Stanley Cup. They had one this year without a Stanley Cup.
I feel the love more legitimately this year.
I believe the Blackhawks' team chemistry, though not proven yet, with a number of new faces in the mix, is as good or potentially good as it's ever been.
It wasn't last year. You can make the argument that the talents of Dustin Byfuglien and Andrew Ladd weren't replaced. But perhaps the greater issue is their character wasn't replaced.
It's all well and good until things start going poorly in the points race, then you see what you're made of.
And as far as what that bodes for this year, it's likely good news for Hawks' fans, because the character has largely changed for the better since midway through last season— and dramatically so this summer.
I heard from a source last night about what went on in the room last year, who heard it from someone who was there. A lot of this will be old news for regular readers here. But it all speaks to a larger (positive) point about the Hawks team chemistry today.
And this is really not about pointing fingers. But it is about the realities of pro sports and politics versus the marketing and p.r. spin you're asked to believe.
The Hawks, I'm told, had a fractured dressing room for much of last year. Not a schism, or a Civil War, but a couple of players (and one in particular) whose work habits and attitudes were not seen as conducive to winning, who the remainder of the players, including team leadership, became very impatient with (putting it mildly).
The issues allegedly came to a head, a coach or coaches got involved at one point and it got pretty ugly. The organization was aware of it from top to bottom. A change was soon made that improved things dramatically, though it didn't solve everything then.
There are a lot more details. They don't matter. And no one would be surprised.
All things considered, in light of the contracts and personalities involved, the Hawks handled the situation about as well as anyone could expect. How they've responded since, and more importantly, is even better.
Now, do I know with 100% sureness that all this is true? No. Only those who were there do. Have I heard and seen enough to believe with 99.9% certainty that it is essentially true? Yes, I have. You believe what you like. And keep shooting the messenger if you can't handle the story.
Regardless, it's over. And more changes have been made since.
I believe some of the statements of players— even those made "in jest" at the Fan Convention— as well as the offseason moves made by the team, speak to a clearly identified need for better chemistry, more accountability, more 24/7/365 commitment to hockey.
So to those who question whether Sean O'Donnell, Danny Carcillo, Steve Montador, Jamal Mayers and Andrew Brunette make the Hawks a better team, I go back to what I saw last year, and what I've heard then and since.
In the end, carousing and limo rides and all that are only symptoms (or not) of a larger issue. Which is this:
Players who see being in the NHL, much less contending legitimately for a Stanley Cup, as a unique privilege are the guys you win with. And there are many very "skilled" players (like a Jonathan Toews or a Doug Gilmour or a Steve Yzerman or a Bobby Orr and many others) who feel and play this way— as well as those marginal kids who have to scratch and claw their way into the league.
A team that is half muckers and half Jaromir Jagrs (or Roberto Luongos, or . . .), "because you need both," finishes 9th in the conference.
Character without talent is a mucker. Talent without character is a constant disappointment, or worse still, a cancer.
Character has to be the common denominator between all your players— stars and supporting actors.
People can say what they want about Dan Carcillo, but he is not a player who has felt "entitled" to be an NHL superstar, the kind of player whose Mommy and Daddy wanted to see a "timetable" for when their son would be in the league when he was drafted.
"Character" guys are the guys you want.
And those are the guys the Hawks now have in abundance. With this summer's acquisitions . . . added to Toews, Brent Seabrook, Dave Bolland, Corey Crawford, Marian Hossa, etc. And even a couple of moves made last summer. Kris Versteeg is now on his 4th team in the last two years. And the more I hear about John Scott, the better I like what he brings to this team— in the dressing room or even, in a way, the press box.
A bad dressing room and poor work habits will hurt a team in the win/loss column. The opposite will have the opposite effect.
The Hawks are a better team today than they were a year ago, even without the services of Troy Brouwer and Brian Campbell, two players, by the way, whose work ethics have never been questioned to my knowledge.
But sometimes you have to give to get. Not every trade can be a swindle.
The Hawks will not go 82-0. But they will be much more focused and professional starting in training camp and through (hopefully) June. They will have injuries and hit rough spots, but they will have the leadership to pull out of swoons before they become nose dives.
Their talent is not what it was in 2009-10 and might not be much better (or at all) than it was last year. But their experience and character (through both addition and subtraction) over a 23 man roster is better than it was in either year— and a heckuva lot of talent is still there.
How Campbell's puck-rushing and Brouwer's physicality will be replaced remains to be seen: the pressure is on Nick Leddy and Montador and even Sami Lepisto on the blueline, and Carcillo and Bryan Bickell up front.
But I believe, injuries aside, the Hawks will get more from their stars. And character aside, they now have better depth regardless.
Get ready Hawk Fans, this could be a great season.
And in my next blog, I'll try to take a look at the talent and chemistry changes to the rest of the West and make an early stab at some predictions.
Thanks for reading,
JJ
