Shots from the Slot: Reaction Across the Internet to the Hawks’ Stunning Win

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

For those of you who were unable to see the game because of DirecTV’s feud with Versus, who were stuck working (like me), or have been living under a rock for the previous seven hours, here’s what you missed:

The Blackhawks and Flames played tonight at the United Center.

Cristobal Huet was pulled after giving up three goals in less than a minute (on five shots total).

Antti Niemi gave up two more quick goals to make it a 5-0 Flames lead 12 minutes into the game.

John Madden scored with two minutes left in the first.

The Hawks added three goals in the second period to make it 5-4 Flames.

Patrick Sharp scored to tie the game early in the third.

Brent Seabrook netted the game winner mere seconds into OT to win the game 6-5 for the Hawks.

Hawks players mob Seabrook after the winning goal (photo courtesy of Pam Rodriguez)

Followin’ me here, tough guy?  (sorry Denis Leary, felt like stealing from you today)

Obviously, there are three ways to look at this game: one way is to revel in the Hawks’ mounting the biggest comeback the NHL has ever seen, overcoming a five goal deficit to win a game that looked unwinnable.

The second way is to look at the game as a huge, epic collapse by the Calgary Flames, which prompted this angry, albeit entertaining, post over at The Two Line Pass.

The third and final way to look at the game is this: Cristobal Huet has something very very wrong between his ears, and he needs to get it figured out, or else the Hawks won’t be coming any closer to the Stanley Cup than through their television screens in June.

With that as the backdrop, here are the many varied reactions to the Hawks’ impressive win tonight in Chicago.

-Here’s the box score for all the madness that happened at the Madhouse. [chicagoblackhawks.com]

-My take on what is more important from this game: Huet’s suckfest or the offense’s coming out party [The Hockey Writers]

-Mike Kiley weighed in on the Cristobal Huet dilemma over at Blackhawks Confidential

-Jay Zawaski went all Ron Burgundy on us, busting out the words “Glass case of emotion” [Red Light District]

-Greg Wyshynski gave his number one star of the night to Brent Seabrook. Good call. [Puck Daddy]

-Twitter user “hawknut”’s page is an interesting unfolding of the drama at the UC. It’s certainly worth a read-through. [hawknut]

Now, as a special treat for those of you who have chosen to spend part of your day reading this lovely little blog, here were my three stars of the game.

Third Star: Troy Brouwer

Okay, so he technically didn’t make it onto the scoresheet, but I have to say that after fighting Jarome Iginla, and the way he was flying around the ice knocking into anybody wearing a white jersey, it was great to see Troy out there tonight. Him taking Calgary’s captain off the ice, while not directly resulting in a goal, was enough to help continue to unravel the confidence of the Flames, and helped put the United Center crowd over fever pitch. Well played, Mr. Brouwer.

Second Star: The United Center Crowd

Gotta be honest, I would have been itching for an early exit if I had been sitting at the United Center on Monday night. With the low quality of play through most of the first period, I would have been muttering to myself up in the 300 level “how much were these tickets?”

The calm before the storm (photo courtesy of Pam Rodriguez)

Not this crowd. While they may have shared my feelings on the first period, they stuck around (as I would have) and were not only rewarded with a history-making comeback, but they also were a big part of it, as far as this observer was concerned. They remained loud, albeit sarcastic (cheering every save Niemi made in the first period), and they continued to ratchet up the noise as the comeback came to fruition. Kudos to them for at least having a sense of humor to be sarcastic, and also for sticking around to witness history.

First Star: The Entire Blackhawks Team

I can’t single out any one player for the first star award, so I’m going to give it to all of them. This team, from the captain to the last guy on the bench, never quit skating after going down 5-0, and they still managed to pepper Mikka Kiprusoff with 40 shots, adding to their already gaudy totals this season. They overcame what many touted as one of the better defenses in the league, and they are rewarded with not only two key standings points, but also a huge psychological blow to the Flames.

Another thing to note is that they got contributions from some unlikely sources, and other usual suspects were kept silent. While Jonathan Toews and Kris Versteeg were both kept off the scoresheet, John Madden notched his first goal of the season, and Andrew Ladd showed some deft passing with two assists.

Overall, it was a team effort to pick up a goaltender who’s psyche is in shambles right now, and it was a great win for the team and for the city. Bring on Edmonton!

Look for the “Hawk-tober” piece to be posted tomorrow. Unforeseen technical problems caused it to be scrubbed for today. Thank you for your patience, and good night.

Tags: Andrew Ladd, antti niemi, Brent Seabrook, Calgary Flames, Chicago Blackhawks, Cristobal Huet, Jarome Iginla, John Madden, Jonathan Toews, kris versteeg, Patrick Sharp, Troy Brouwer