The Beginning of a Man-Crush?

It's not Marian Hossa, it isn't Mathieu Garon, Steve Sullivan, or Ty Conklin. It's John Madden.

John Madden will be the best free agent addition in the Central Division.

Madden is the center that Chicago needed at the trade deadline last season. Instead, they got Sammy Pahlsson. He won a faceoff there, scored a goal here, but Pahlsson is not the same caliber a player as Madden.

He brings a wealth of talent and experience to Chicago.

“His tenacious work ethic is what made him so good at stopping the opposition's best forwards on a given night for years,” John Fischer, manager of the New Jersey Devils blog In Lou We Trust said in an e-mail.

Madden is one season removed from earning a career high in points, when in 2008 he tallied 20 goals and 23 assists. In 2001 he was awarded the Frank J. Selke trophy, an honor he has been nominated for on four occasions. To top it off, he has won two Stanley Cups.

Clearly Madden will have a positive impact on the ice, but more importantly at this point in his career, are the intangibles he brings to one of the youngest locker rooms in the NHL.

“He was a leader in New Jersey's locker room, if I recall correctly, and his wealth of experience playing on a dominant New Jersey Devils team for this past decade, should be a big benefit for the young and relatively inexperienced Blackhawks,” Fischer said.

There are a couple issues though, but they shouldn’t matter much when you consider the situation Madden is entering into with Chicago.

At 36-years old, Madden is not going to be the same player he was while hoisting the Cup in ’00 or ’03 and he followed his career year in ’08 with a slow start and disappointing 23 points last season.

“According to Behind the Nets numbers, the goals against/60 min. and the shots against/60 min. did rise when Madden stepped on the ice in even strength situations which isn't so good,” Fischer said.

“And, along with the rest of the team, he wasn't nearly as effective on penalty killing as one would like.”

Despite a disappointing season and a dip in production on the penalty kill, when asked about his speed, Fischer explained “He's not as quick as he once was, but he's far from slow. I think he still has something in the proverbial tank.”

So he’s still got some quickness. And as for his less than stellar ’08 campaign, I don’t think it’s anything to be worried about. Madden is joining a perfect, talent-latent situation in Chicago where he’ll be responsible for less of a load than he was in New Jersey.

Presumably, he’ll be on the third line with Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien. That could change once training camp rolls around and Coach Q sees something else that works. It’s not like Chicago is lacking in the “talented forward” department.

He won’t have to deal with same pressure as Hossa to put the puck in the net, so he can just go out there and play. His resume alone should garnish instant respect when he joins the locker room, and although it isn’t exactly measurable, his presence on the Blackhawks could solidify them as a legitimate contender for the Stanley Cup.

“He's the typical player who doesn't do much on the score sheet, but fans fall in love with how he works on the ice and eventually understand that his benefit is in stopping the opposition.”

Interview with Marv Cook

Below are exerpts from an interview I conducted with Marv Cook. The interview begins with Cook discussing his introduction to football, with input from his high school football coach Tom Nosbish.

From there, Cook and former teammate Chuck Hartlieb talk about his time at Iowa; from "four long months on the scout team" during his redshirt freshman year to an All-American his senior year.


1985

Six games and six wins into the 1985 season came a moment still able to generate chills. The night of October 19 saw top-ranked Iowa playing host to second-ranked Michigan, with both teams undefeated. The game had the ingredients of an all-time classic, and that’s exactly what was produced.

After a game described by Cook as “back and fourth, back and fourth,” Iowa kicker Rob Houghtlin made a 12-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa the dramatic 12-10 victory.

“That was the beginning, to me, of many, many great, exciting football games.”

In 1985 Iowa earned a 7-1-0 conference record, a Big Ten championship and an invitation to the Rose Bowl; where they ultimately lost to UCLA, giving Iowa an overall record of 10-2-0.

“To me, that’s why I went to Iowa. To win Big Ten championships, to play for championships, and to be able to do that my redshirt and freshman year was a great thrill.”



1986

Cook used the experience from the Rose Bowl the year prior to help prepare him for the Holiday Bowl.

“That’s the thing the Rose Bowl teaches you. When you have your three hours of football, you have to make it a great three hours. You can’t be thinking about Disney World or all that other stuff. You’ve got to be thinking about football.”

“There’s just so much great stuff to do. Tijuana, the zoo, we even visited an aircraft carrier; but you’ve still got to focus for a football game.”

With 47 seconds left in a shootout of a game, San Diego State’s kicker knocked in a 21-yard field goal to put the Aztecs up 38-36. It seemed as though another fantastic Iowa season would end in disappointment.

But Iowa’s Kevin Harmon set a Holiday Bowl record on the ensuing kickoff, returning it to the San Diego State 37 yard line. As the television broadcaster put it, “There couldn’t have been a bigger play at a bigger time for Iowa.”

After a two yard run up the gut, an incomplete pass intended for Cook, and another short run, Iowa sent on the field goal unit.

Kicker Rob Houghtlin was 0-2 on the night, but he was no stranger to last second field goals where victory hangs in the balance.

Time expired as Houghtlin made the 41-yard field goal, giving Iowa the 39-38 Holiday Bowl victory.

“My vivid memories of that game was that it was just a great game, I had a touchdown, which was fun for me, and just the experience of being in San Diego.”




1987

Cook had now solidified himself as a premier player in college football and his role on the team had become more defined.

“I was getting more and more involved in the offense,” Cook said. “I was starting to get more of a game-plan role, where they wanted to get the ball to me in certain ways.”

“Through the course of the season I started to step up in some pretty big games and have some impact on those. It sort of all led up to the Ohio State game.”

4th and 23. 16 seconds left in the game. Iowa’s ball on the 29-yard line and the Hawkeyes trail 27-22.

“We called a timeout and I went to the sidelines to collect my thoughts,” Hartlieb said. “And I knew coach Fry would ask for my input.

“I was thinking, ‘I want to rely on someone I trust more than anyone else.’ I wanted to get Marv involved, so I suggested a play that would give Marv the chance to get the ball downfield.”

“There was sense of urgency but not a sense of panic. I remember looking around the huddle and the intensity of the setting and the noise,” Cook said. “Everybody has to lean in and listen for the play call, and he’s (Hartlieb) yelling and it’s so intensely loud.”

“The focus.” He places emphasis on the ‘f’, as if a quick shot of adrenaline just went through him as he retells the story, the pace quickening. “And looking around at the different faces and realizing; we’ve got to find a way to make this happen, we worked too hard not to finish this thing off.”




For the full version of this story, email me at sean-patchett@uiowa.edu or
SMPatchett@aol.com.

photo from www.hawkeyesmic.com.

Hawkeyes podcast

Talking about the podcasts in class today reminded me of a post I meant to do a long time ago. Here it is, HawkeyesMic.

www.hawkeyesmic.com

check it out, download a podcast or two and give them a listen.

The next great rivarly in sports

(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

How do you know when you’re witnessing history? Easy, pay attention.

Ladies and gentlemen, introduce yourself to the next great rivalry in sports: Crosby vs. Ovechkin.

What we have here with Crosby-Ovechkin is the opportunity to witness the evolution of a rivalry that is already drawing comparisons to Magic-Bird.

Sydney Crosby (21-years old, Canadian, Pittsburgh Penguins)-he is the youngest player in NHL history to record 100 and 200 career points. During the 2006-2007 NHL season he became the youngest person to ever win a scoring title in a major pro-team sport. In addition to winning the scoring title (the Art Ross Trophy) that season he was also named League MVP (the Hart Trophy).

On May 31, 2007 he was named captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history. In 2007 he became the youngest player ever elected an NHL All-Star game starter.

Alex Ovechkin (23-years old, Russian, Washington Capitals)- Over the course of the 2007-2008 NHL season Ovechkin won the Hart Trophy, the Art Ross Trophy, and the Maurice Richard Trophy. So in one season, Ovechkin was named league MVP, scored the most goals, and tallied the most points (65 goals, 47 assists). He set a single season record for goals scored by a left wing and his 65 goals were the most in a season since Mario Lemieux in 1995-96 (only 10 players in hockey history have scored more).

Ovechkin has also earned First Team honors in each of his first three full NHL seasons, which hasn’t happened since Detroit Red Wings goaltender Terry Sawchuk did so from 1950-51 through 1952-53.

Clearly, their resumes scream epic head-to-head matchups.

Naysayers might argue that nobody cares about hockey, or that since an American isn’t involved, Americans won’t care. Don’t let them persuade you from missing something great.

Obviously people are catching on, “according to NBC Sports spokesman Brian Walker, NBC's telecast of Pittsburgh/Washington's Game 1 Eastern Conference Semi-final drew a 1.4/4 overnight rating on NBC. These numbers are up 40% from last year's comparable telecast (a 1.0/4 for Game 2 of Colorado/Detroit).”

Throw in the fact that this season’s Winter Classic, an outdoor hockey game between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings which took place at Wrigley Field on New Years Day, drew the best viewer ratings for a nationally-televised hockey game in 10 years, and it’s clear that hockey’s popularity is on the rise.

This rivalry has the added bonus of coming naturally as well, stemming from the Canada vs. Russia hockey rivalry and the storied Penguins-Capitals rivalry, riddled with bitter or glorious playoff memories, depending on what sweater you wear.

Not only have Crosby and Ovechkin exchanged verbal and physical blows but what happened last night was one of those epic head-to-head matchups I mentioned earlier, and just the sort of ingredient every great rivalry needs.

In Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals, Crosby and Ovechkin both netted hat tricks in a 4-3 Capitals victory. Yes, you read that right, both of them. It was Crosby’s first post-season hat trick and Ovechkin’s first career hat trick.

This spring, make sure to pay attention to the blossoming of Crosby vs. Ovechkin.

Hawks-Cunucks. Nasty, gritty, and beautiful.

What happened the last time the Blackhawks and the Canucks met each other on the ice?



That's what happened.

This series has the potential to go down as an all-time classic. And if Chicago can pull off the upset (and yes, it will be an upset if they win), it may be looked back on as this year's defining seedling of a dynasty.

Check out Scott Burnside's preview over at ESPN.

It's a series that will feature explosive offenses and shut-down defenses, physical play, two of the best goalies in the NHL in Roberto Luongo and Nikoli Khabibulin, and a trip to the Western Conference Finals as the prize.

A seven game series is not out of the question, and overtime heroics could very easily make an appearance.

It's the kind of stuff that makes playoff hockey, playoff hockey.

Free preview of my final project.

Because I believe my final project is that cool, here is a free preview.

For those who were not in my workshop group, my final project is an interview with Marv Cook. The majority of the project is a POV from Cook, and his development from a redshirt freshman to Iowa's all-time tight end.

Below is an exerpt from the written component (the interview with Marv Cook) followed by the YouTube video of what he is discussing. Pretty cool stuff. Enjoy.

“Through the course of the season I started to step up in some pretty big games and have some impact on those. It sort of all lead up to the Ohio State game.”

4th and 23. 16 seconds left in the game. Iowa’s ball on the 29-yard line and the Hawkeyes trail 22-27.

“There was a sense of urgency but not a sense of panic. I remember looking around the huddle and the intensity of the setting and the noise,” Cook said. “Everybody has to lean in and listen for the play call, and he’s (Hartlieb) yelling and it’s so intensely loud.”

“The focus.” He places emphasis on the ‘f’ as if a quick shot of adrenaline just went through him as he retells the story, the pace quickening.

“And looking around at the different faces and realizing we’ve got to find a way to make this happen, we worked too hard not to finish this thing off.”

Second round bound!

The first round of the playoffs are over. The second round is about to begin.

After two different, nail-biting game sevens concluded tonight, with the Capitals beating New York and Carolina scoring two goals in final 1:22 to finish off New Jersey, the second round matchups have been finalized.

In the West, the second seed Detroit Red Wings will take on the surprising eight seed Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks just beat out the top seeded, President's Trophy winning San Jose Sharks. The third seeded Vancouver Canucks play host to the four seed Chicago Blackhawks.

Out East, the now top team in the playoffs, the Boston Bruins, will take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The second seed Capitals, fresh off a series comeback against the Rangers, reignite their rivalry with the four seed Pittsburgh Penguins.

Stay tuned for playoff previews and predictions, as while as some other interesting notes.