Did the Hawks fix the chemistry issue?

[winos5]

It is pretty funny that Duncan Keith has admitted in a number of interviews that he was tired and lazy and unmotivated all last year. Seems like he would be a lockerroom cancer. Yet he is one of 'the core'.



I still don't undertand this notion that Jack Skille is a bad guy and the root of all problems on the bench. I do have a feeling that stems from the draft many many years ago when people were saying the same about Phil Kessel and the two were either mixed up in people's minds or some how connected then mixed up. They were on junior national teams I believe.



Does anyone remember that?

I remember reading that the Skille and Kessel did not seem to like each other and that it related to previous spats prior to pro careers.

 

[BigPete]

I remember reading that the Skille and Kessel did not seem to like each other and that it related to previous spats prior to pro careers.

Kessel is a special kind of negative energy. I am surprised Jack got a bad name when he was probably more outgoing and just didn't like Phil Cancer Kessel. <----meaning lockerroom cancer



But it does seem strange that Skille has been scapegoated at times into being what was wrong with the Hawks. He was an overshoot at the draft. So F'ing what. Get over it Jackels of the world.

 

[Shredder]

Skille seems like too insignificant a player in the grand scheme of things to be the main source of bad chemistry on last year's team.



Kane? Keith? Meh, maybe. I don't really care, to be honest.

 

[jaxhawksfan]

Mmmmm, bearded clam.

 

[the canadian dream]

While I have never been in a locker room for the Blackhawks nor even in the IceHogs during a game or practice I have always been a believer in team chemistry. The season we won the Cup I was told it was there and in volumes. Players like Steeg, Burr and Fraser under the guidance of JT were some of the names I had heard. I felt the core of the Blackhawks plus all of the players that came up in the AHL system together along with Havi was the main reason. Those dynamics take time to develop and I would think the years together learning the same systems with the same players and coach are something that would be quite rare.



I see the all the newer players last season and coming this season and I wonder how anyone can just ASSume that the chemistry will be great. It is purely an opinion and assumption. Our Blackhawks team is no longer dominated by players who were developed together and played together over a couple seasons. It is now a team like most others that has been filled by trades.

I think you have been around the game and different teams long enough to know that you don't need to be in a dressing room or around the players themselves to be able to pick up the sense of team chemistry. I too am a strong believer in team chemistry. I am not sure if there is any variable more important in team sports for success. I have said it a thousand times the cup winning Hawks team was without a doubt one of the most tight knit NHL teams I have ever seen or better yet "sensed". I think that was without a doubt due to intelligent managing and coaching from the farm system up. Doesn't hurt when you draft a natural born captain either who is not only intelligent on the ice but off it also. That group of guys were tight..you could just tell by how they interacted on the ice. It was a team full of individual characters that I believe just meshed together so well it was destined to come out on top. If there were differences in the dressing room (obviously there are going to be on every team) it didn't show on the ice. And that's the sure tell sign of a winner.



Your idea that coming up in a system together is a very valid and strong point. I would also throw Savards influence in there also esp from the season before the 09/10 cup winning season. I think Savard planted the seed with a lot of the younger guys that were coming up. I think Q was handed a team that was well on it's way to one of the most well knit group of guys in the history of the NHL. Not to say Q didn't add his important touches to it as I believe he certainly did.



Good teams and managers build chemistry and always look for it. I think this was Dales strongest suit of all (and Dudlys). This is Bowmans test now. Talent is easy to find...meshing talents together is the hard part.

 

[nana]

The Kane v. Toews fractured dressing room theories don't make sense considering how much time they spend together off the ice.



Don't mind the points about what a guy like O'Donnell will bring to the room... watched his panel and he seemed like a great character vet addition to the team. However, I think the snide, underhanded remarks that don't quite commit JJ to any type of definitive opinion one way or the other are not worth the time to read.

 

[IceHogsFan]

This is Bowmans test now. Talent is easy to find...meshing talents together is the hard part.

Ding



+1

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

Bowman will be hailed as a hero after this year... can't wait!

 

[Pez68]

Assuming there was a chemistry issue to fix?



Meh. I've played on a lot of different teams, in a lot of different leagues, at a lot of different age levels. Chemistry has a way of working itself out. Very, very, very seldom do you have players that clash so much, that it fractures the team or splits the locker room. Typically you need multiple alpha males on the same team for something like that to happen. In most cases, the leader takes over, and even the other leaders fall into place and go with the program. Hockey players, for the most part, bond, when they are on the same team together for months at a time. If there were issues between players, it would be pretty evident.



My two cents.

 

[PatrickSharpRules]

Assuming there was a chemistry issue to fix?



Meh. I've played on a lot of different teams, in a lot of different leagues, at a lot of different age levels. Chemistry has a way of working itself out. Very, very, very seldom do you have players that clash so much, that it fractures the team or splits the locker room. Typically you need multiple alpha males on the same team for something like that to happen. In most cases, the leader takes over, and even the other leaders fall into place and go with the program. Hockey players, for the most part, bond, when they are on the same team together for months at a time. If there were issues between players, it would be pretty evident.



My two cents.

So your teams were being paid in the millions, traveling on private airplanes city to city, go on extended road trips away from family, had legitimate coaches, being hounded by the media, roomed in hotels together, had a Stanley Cup under your belt, pre-season, people trying to make the team, played 82 regular season games in half a year, national TV contracts, and most importantly fans....



Just wanted to make sure the teams you were on were relevant to an NHL team.

 

[Pez68]

So your teams were being paid in the millions, traveling on private airplanes city to city, go on extended road trips away from family, had legitimate coaches, being hounded by the media, roomed in hotels together, had a Stanley Cup under your belt, pre-season, people trying to make the team, played 82 regular season games in half a year, national TV contracts, and most importantly fans....



Just wanted to make sure the teams you were on were relevant to an NHL team.

A team is a team man. Once they're in the locker room, practicing together, traveling together, not much of that matters. I've played with plenty of guys that have played pro hockey(read: they got paid to play). Did they play in the NHL? No. But they still played at an extremely high level. I still play with these guys. I've talked with them quite a bit. Hockey is hockey, once you are dressing up, and getting ready to play. None of that other bullshit you mentioned matters in the least. Especially once they reach the pinnacle of their careers, and get to the NHL. At that point, it's all about winning and the team.

 

[MassHavoc]

A team is a team man. Once they're in the locker room, practicing together, traveling together, not much of that matters. I've played with plenty of guys that have played pro hockey(read: they got paid to play). Did they play in the NHL? No. But they still played at an extremely high level. I still play with these guys. I've talked with them quite a bit. Hockey is hockey, once you are dressing up, and getting ready to play. None of that other bullshit you mentioned matters in the least. Especially once they reach the pinnacle of their careers, and get to the NHL. At that point, it's all about winning and the team.

I have to disagree completely, a team is not a team, this isn't wreck league, high school, or college or anything. This is pros where they are getting paid a lot of money and the egos are just as big. Some people see it as messing with your money. Some guy on your line is fucking around and under performing and you could have a bad year in a contract year and lose millions. That's a little different than being forced to sit next to them on the bus ride home. You have locker rooms all over sports that have labeled guys locker room cancers. Who are in it for themselves and the stardom. And a guy who isn't doing the right things is an locker room where millions and sometimes billions is on the line well that shit gets sorted out.

 

[Tommy 0]

:

A team is a team man. Once they're in the locker room, practicing together, traveling together, not much of that matters. I've played with plenty of guys that have played pro hockey(read: they got paid to play). Did they play in the NHL? No. But they still played at an extremely high level. I still play with these guys. I've talked with them quite a bit. Hockey is hockey, once you are dressing up, and getting ready to play. None of that other bullshit you mentioned matters in the least. Especially once they reach the pinnacle of their careers, and get to the NHL. At that point, it's all about winning and the team.

 

[Pez68]

I have to disagree completely, a team is not a team, this isn't wreck league, high school, or college or anything. This is pros where they are getting paid a lot of money and the egos are just as big. Some people see it as messing with your money. Some guy on your line is fucking around and under performing and you could have a bad year in a contract year and lose millions. That's a little different than being forced to sit next to them on the bus ride home. You have locker rooms all over sports that have labeled guys locker room cancers. Who are in it for themselves and the stardom. And a guy who isn't doing the right things is an locker room where millions and sometimes billions is on the line well that shit gets sorted out.

How often are those locker room cancer stories about hockey? Most of the stories I hear about locker room issues come from football and basketball. I can't remember the last time I've heard about a guy being an issue in the locker room, aside from Avery and Dallas, and the Flyers, and Carter supposedly fucking everyone's wife. You would think a lot more of that would come out with all the players changing teams in the salary cap era, but in reality? You almost never hear about it. Is that because hockey keeps a tight lid on that type of thing, or because it doesn't really happen much?

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

I am on the it doesn't happen that much side of the fence. These guys are all groomed from an early age to understand that team is the utmost importance to the game. Those that struggle with that might move far along on skill, but skill only goes so far in this sport.

 

[MassHavoc]

How often are those locker room cancer stories about hockey? Most of the stories I hear about locker room issues come from football and basketball. I can't remember the last time I've heard about a guy being an issue in the locker room, aside from Avery and Dallas, and the Flyers, and Carter supposedly fucking everyone's wife. You would think a lot more of that would come out with all the players changing teams in the salary cap era, but in reality? You almost never hear about it. Is that because hockey keeps a tight lid on that type of thing, or because it doesn't really happen much?

The media doesn't sensationalize Hockey as much as the NFL and NBA because the general popularity just isn't quite there yet. Hockey has always been more discrete and humanistic in general, but that by no means proves that their aren't locker room cancers that you don't hear and know about because they are more likely to handle them internally. You named a couple right there so yeah it happens.

 

[the canadian dream]

The media doesn't sensationalize Hockey as much as the NFL and NBA because the general popularity just isn't quite there yet. Hockey has always been more discrete and humanistic in general, but that by no means proves that their aren't locker room cancers that you don't hear and know about because they are more likely to handle them internally. You named a couple right there so yeah it happens.

They sensationalize it up North. But I do agree I think with hockey the orgs deal with the situations internally before the media gets a hold of the stories and over embellish them. Why they do that better than other pro sports? Probably has some to do with the large sports media frenzy focusing on the other 3 big games in the states so any problems with NHL players are probably glossed over. So you are correct there. But even then with the sensationalizing media up North here we don't often get too much negative press on players. It's usually overwhelming positives.



Don't get me wrong hockey does have it's underbelly. Substance abuse in hockey is not rare anyone having been around the game for a long time can attest to this. Womanizing is nothing new either. But what is rare with hockey players are all those violent behavior issues you do find in other pro sports. We don't need to go over the social theories on that it always comes back to "poor kid growing up in rough neighborhood makes it big in said sport and gets a smell of big money and celebrity and they don't know how to integrate that into the lifestyle they grew up around". And lets be honest here..hockey is an expensive sport to get involved in at the grass roots. The majority of pro players have come from decent income earning households or pretty tight knit families.



I also wonder what international tourneys influence better behavior in hockey players. Think about it for a second. A lot of these players at a very young age are taught that they aren't just representing themselves out there but also representing nations and heritage etc etc. That is seen in international hockey tourneys at all levels. I don't think the 3 other major sports (Baseball, Football, Basketball) have that same international community feel to them. I certainly don't think Olympic/World Cups of Baseball or Basketball come close to matching those of hockey in style nor grace. Football doesn't even have international flare (but why would it its a strict NA game). Players are chosen to participate in these hockey tourneys not only based on skill but also on character and hell if you make a junior national team you are pretty much bound to make it to the pro level. Kids, coaches, parents etc are not stupid..they know this. They are taught to represent themselves in professional manners at a very young age.



And let's not forget about the magnitude of what international hockey means to those European reps of the sport. Many have roots in the military. Well organized and emphasizing pride, dignity and discipline. Look no further than the roots of Russian hockey for this. Growing up playing in a militia setting def puts a blueprint on ones behavior and how they represent themselves. Or is that grasping at strings too much?



And last but not least of this horrible essay. Endorsements. Large endorsements are still new to hockey esp at the National level (even up North here while the endorsements have existed they have not really been big corporate ones until more recent). So that celebrity status off the rink has never really been there unless you know these players as a hockey fan. Slowly that is changing as we see bigger companies use hockey players on a national stage for endorsements. That celebrity status can and does effect some people...hockey players will not be immune to it as it grows.

 

[EbonyRaptor]

Who the heck is this hack? I heard from a friend of a friend of the person who is not to be named.



Wow...he knows the same people we all know.



Then he writes the crap in the beginning of his blog which totally destroys any professionalism he had for the stance at the end.



What a waste of time.

JJ is one of Eklund's bloggers. That says all you need to know about his credibility. Is credibility possible without integrity?

 

[bubbleheadchief]

This is Bowmans test now. Talent is easy to find...meshing talents together is the hard part.

I disagree....this isn't Bowman's test anymore. Bowman's job is to provide the team with talent, so his test is over, he has provided Q and his asistant's with the talent. It is the coaching staff's job to take the talent provided to them and mesh them into a winning team.



There are two quite distinct types of "chemistry" when you talk about any group of people. In this case you have the on ice/off ice types. As has been proven a group of people, if they stay professional and work for the common goal, can accoplish anything. They can hate each other away from work, and have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but as long as they realize they have to work together to accomplish that ultimate goal and leave personal feelings aside, they can do anything. Anyone who has been in the military knows this can happen.

 

[klemmer]

sounds like someone in here.....RK???? lolol jk.



by the way where is RK did he bounce? got sick of certain people?...I miss his humor. If here really left, someone please try to contact him and have him change his mind. His sources are greatly missed.

Probably that and management's support of those people.