Blackhawks Thriving So Far On The Holiday Road

Tommie Lee
Nov 29, 2014
2 min read

Like the Griswolds traveling around North America in that giant station wagon with Lindsey Buckingham singing Holiday Road, the Blackhawks are wandering around like a force of nature and appear to be having a good time. Coach Q would be Clark, I guess. Patrick Kane might be Beverly D’Angelo, the attractive blonde who just keeps getting better and better as time goes by.

I suppose the backup goalies would be the Griswold kids. Every time we look, they have different faces.

There were 12 points on the table for the circus trip, and the Blackhawks…who have struggled in the standings a bit…needed to snag as many as possible.

The team has responded.

Chicago picked up six of the first eight points, grabbing wins in Calgary, Edmonton, and Denver. They stumbled against Vancouver, but are skating well heading into the last two games of the Circus Trip. They have back-to-back days on the ice in Sunny Southern California, with Anaheim on Friday and the defending Stanley Cup Champs, the LA Kings, on Saturday. It’s the first of only three regular-season match-ups we’ll have with Los Angeles this year, with two of those happening in their house.

The power play is really starting to gel now and will hopefully stay strong. Four times this year the Hawks have managed multiple power play goals in a game, which is a nice surprise. In fact, this current stretch of SIX straight games with at least one PPG is as sweet as your mom’s Thanksgiving Apple Pie with a generous dollop of Cool Whip on it. And maybe a Snickers stuck in the top of it for an exclamation point.

Now is the time for the Blackhawks to keep their foot on the gas pedal as they head off to Hollywood. Anaheim and the Kings are a tough challenge at the end of a long road trip. The always dangerous Patrick Kane is playing very unselfish hockey these days, adding three assists in Colorado earlier this week. Goals are coming from unusual places and names (Carcillo? Really?). We’re starting to make the other guys guess more often. Things are starting to really click now after a slow start to the season.

And some clicking was needed. After the three circus trip victories the Blackhawks are tied for third place in the Central Division (with…Winnipeg? Really?), and tied with the Jets for 7th in the West as well. Seventh is too low for this much talent. Seventh shows a lack of chemistry so far on a team with this depth of talent at every position.

It’s turning around. They’re stepping up right now. There’s plenty more work to be done and I like our chances.

Winning a pair of tough games in California would be a nice way to wrap up this round of the holiday road. And it goes without saying that the fan base would give thanks for it.

Go Hawks!