The Patrick Kane case has gone from strange to downright bizarre....

[torontoeers]

Rape allegations and now accusations of evidence tampering? Trouble seems to follow this guy around....there was the incident years ago when he beat up a Buffalo cabbie and now this mess. I have no idea or feel whether he's guilty or innocent but he certainly doesn't appear very bright...I wonder if this latest development is enough for the Blackhawks to suspend him...the distractions surrounding the team will only get more intense till they do imo....http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/the-patrick-kane-investigation-just-got-messier/

 

[COOL MAN]

You gotta' love this development about the rape kit; sounds like something you'd see on a really bad TV show. Meanwhile, I thought the Black Hawks made a huge mistake trotting out Kane for the Press last week and then putting a muzzle on him. Of course, Kane (and we fully agree on this) doesn't come off as a very smart kid; and I personally doubt his attorney was all that anxious to see him taking questions to begin with. It was a circus act.

Under the assumption he's eventually cleared of the charges......or else buys his way out of them with the victim.....it'll be interesting to see how Kane is treated around the League. The media clearly loves the Black Hawks.....and by extension, Toews' best buddy (and the fact he's American doesn't hurt on this side of the border).....but you'd think he'll be in store for some rough treatment.

That said, I'll be equally interested to hear possible accounts of the confiscation of signs (on the road) criticizing Kane. While the display of ignorant signs obviously isn't in anyone's best interests....and maybe even the home teams don't like the basic idea of them being displayed to begin with.....that'll be an indication to me the League (who I myself think could quietly mandate something like this) has taken a direct role in his defense.

 

[torontoeers]

I too am getting a wee bit nauseous at the Hawks love fest...
I didn't know about these signs you're talking about...I must look up and see what that's all about! Will do so after we arrive outside Motown tomorrow at our cabin...weather looks half decent ( at least fairly warm and minimal chance of rain on Saturday). Looking forward to this last matchup with the Twerps for awhile....our first test this year vs a P5 will be interesting....Maryland always seems a difficult team to judge year to year vs us...the QB Rowe has looked good as well their receivers. ..but their D is no hell and hopefully ours shuts them down like I think they can...
LGM!

 

[COOL MAN]

Didn't meant to imply I've seen anti-Kane signs in the arenas as yet; hell, preseason is only a week old (and I'm not sure Kane has dressed yet anyway). Bur I have to believe certain "hosts" will be tougher on Kane than others. He should thank his lucky stars he's not a Metro player; because Gawd help him in places like NY and (especially) Philly.

All I'll say about tomorrow is that I expect Maryland to play us a lot tougher than they've shown thus far.

 

[COOL MAN]

Pens got their asses handed to them in the first period yesterday versus Columbus, and experienced what a big, tough fore-checking opponent can do to them They evened things up (from a skating and hitting standpoint) in the last period and a half; but by then, it was clear they weren't coming back versus Bobrovsky.,

Columbus essentially dressed their opening night squad including Atkinson, Bob, Dubinsky, Foligno, Hartnell, Jenner, Johansen, Johnson, and Saad.....while the Pens (who were more roster-disadvantaged than I initially realized) didn't dress Bennett, Dupuis, Fleury, Geno, Hornquist, Letang, and Perron. But even at full strength, Columbus remains an awfully tough physical matchup for the Penguins; and we know the bigger and more physical the opponent, the more difficulty the Pens will have.

And as always, Dubinsky did what he does best; aggravating the Pens into what became the Sestito major resulting in the 2 PPG's which broke the game open. Even with a full NHL lineup, if they beat Columbus more than maybe twice this season, I'll be surprised......and it honestly won't shock me in the least if the Blue Jackets beat the Pens 6 in a row.

As for yesterday in Morgantown, I did feel like the physical matchup.....compared to GSU and Liberty.....was far closer than the final score indicated. Of course, quarterback play counts (just as it did when they beat us 37-0); and it's clear Maryland.....at least currently.....has a problem there.

Did you guys have a good time; and was it a loud crowd ??

 

[torontoeers]

Pens got their asses handed to them in the first period yesterday versus Columbus, and experienced what a big, tough fore-checking opponent can do to them They evened things up (from a skating and hitting standpoint) in the last period and a half; but by then, it was clear they weren't coming back versus Bobrovsky.,

Columbus essentially dressed their opening night squad including Atkinson, Bob, Dubinsky, Foligno, Hartnell, Jenner, Johansen, Johnson, and Saad.....while the Pens (who were more roster-disadvantaged than I initially realized) didn't dress Bennett, Dupuis, Fleury, Geno, Hornquist, Letang, and Perron. But even at full strength, Columbus remains an awfully tough physical matchup for the Penguins; and we know the bigger and more physical the opponent, the more difficulty the Pens will have.

And as always, Dubinsky did what he does best; aggravating the Pens into what became the Sestito major resulting in the 2 PPG's which broke the game open. Even with a full NHL lineup, if they beat Columbus more than maybe twice this season, I'll be surprised......and it honestly won't shock me in the least if the Blue Jackets beat the Pens 6 in a row.

As for yesterday in Morgantown, I did feel like the physical matchup.....compared to GSU and Liberty.....was far closer than the final score indicated. Of course, quarterback play counts (just as it did when they beat us 37-0); and it's clear Maryland.....at least currently.....has a problem there.

Did you guys have a good time; and was it a loud crowd ??

Oh definitely had a GREAT time...brought down my good friend and his family...his boys have been wanting to attend a game for a few years now! They were decked out in Gold and loved all of OUR scoring!
I would have enjoyed a closer and more drama filled matchup BUT obviously with the result it leaves me very impressed and happy...met quite a few very nice folks at the tailgate this time as well , who we'll hook up with for Tex Tech in Nov (I wish I could do Okie St in 2 wks but that is our Thanksgiving up here and we always host the family dinner here at our house)...
The crowd was definitely loud, but I can see that if we take out those blasted Sooners on Saturday the place will be absolutely rabid when The Cowboys hit Motown...

Have not seen ANY pre season as of yet...I can definitely see the Jackets man handling the Pens a bit...was Fehr playing and how did he look?
Also happy to have Dupuis back, and hoping he can come back to form ...may take him a month or two to really get back in the swing....love Pascal....

 

[COOL MAN]

Fehr didn't play on Sunday......nor last night in Johnstown (BTW, Matt Murray looked pretty solid in goal against a largely opening night Lightning roster)......and actually isn't expected to be ready to play at all before November.

I think he may finally skating again with some seriousness, but I don't believe he's really even close to taking contact yet. If you watched Tampa dress 3 defensemen (Coburn, Hedman, and Sustr) 6-5 or better......plus Bryan Boyle playing center at 6-7 240......you/we quickly realize (and it's obviously no secret) how much a guy with Fehr's size is needed on this roster.

I too am a big Dupuis fan.....I mean, how can't you love this guy.....but I'm really worried this clot problem runs him permanently into the wall this season. Hope I'm dead wrong about that; meanwhile, I'll also be watching his old running mate Kunitz closely to see if his injury problems over the past couple season indicate he too has begun to breakdown physically.

If he dresses/plays 70 games this season, I myself think both Kunitz and the team will consider themselves jointly pretty fortunate. As for Duper, I honestly don't have any clue what he......or the team.....expects from him (under the circumstances) in terms of games played.