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Posts tagged Patrick Sharp
Cheer The Anthem Round Table: December 2011
Dec 30th
The Chicago Blackhawks are about to embark on a difficult stretch during the month of January, facing tough Western Conference rivals and some pesky Eastern Conference teams as well. Some players on the team are doing fantastic, some others need work, and we have a pair of excellent goaltenders manning the nets. The Cheer The Anthem staff put their heads together and addressed these and other questions in the latest edition of our Round Table…
Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa are surging lately and headed for strong end-of-season point totals. What do you see as the cause for this, and what can the Blackhawks do to keep these guys on a roll?
JEFF BARTL, Founder & Lead Writer: Remember all the concerns over Hossa’s contract, cap hit, injuries, etc.? It’s amazing how quickly a solid couple of months can rid us of all that. When the Blackhawks signed Hossa, I tried to break it down to non-hockey enthusiasts as being comparable to the Bears trading for Jay Cutler.
A Handsome Steal: Re-Visiting the Acquistion of Patrick Sharp
Aug 4th
"It's amazing how a uniform can change the way you feel about a guy."
Once upon a time, Patrick Sharp was a seldom-used center for the Ken Hitchcock-led Philadelphia Flyers, toiling to the tune of roughly eight minutes of ice time per night.
After 66 games, 10 goals and five different jersey numbers, then-general manager Bobby Clarke decided Sharp was expendable and started shopping the former third-round draft pick.
Philadelphia seemed set with 21-year-old Jeff Carter, veteran Peter Forsberg, R.J. Umberger, Mike Richards and Michal Handzus at the center position and were determined to add depth at the wing.
Little did Clarke know Sharp possessed enough skill at each position, and on Dec. 5, 2005, Dale Tallon pulled off a steal.
From an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer the following day:
“Patrick is a natural center, not a wing, and we have too many centers,” Hitchcock said. “That’s all this is about. We had too many centers.”
Whoops.
Patrick Sharp inks handsome 5-year extension
Aug 3rd
WGN Radio and the big-boy credentialed guys on Twitter are reporting Patrick Sharp has signed a 5-year extension. No money has been thrown around, though Tim Sassone makes the point it likely won’t exceed the $6.3 million cap hit for Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.
We’ll have more details as the story progresses, but this is an early gift from Stan Bowman as we all pretty much figured this would happen during the season.
UPDATE (12:07 p.m.):
UPDATE (3:36 p.m.):
The press conference has sealed the deal, with Sharp getting a 5-year, $29.5 million contract – a bargain given his versatility and all-around game. There’s much talk about how amazing it is to have 17 players already signed for 2012-13 and one of the best cores in the game locked up for a long period of time, and I agree. However, looking that far ahead is pretty futile given things change at the drop of a hat at times. I will say that it sounds great, but lets get focused on the task at hand: 2011-12.
Despite Changes, Much of Same Necessary After 97-point Season
Aug 1st
"Listen to me, damn it, and all will be well."
On the surface, a No. 8 seed and first-round playoff exit seems downright horrific following a Stanley Cup championship a year earlier.
Dig deeper, sift through the preseason overhaul due to cap constraints, and you’ll likely find the Blackhawks’ 2010-11 season most deemed a miscarriage may not be so terrible after all.
The 97 points are more than any No. 8 seed since the NHL did away with divisional playoffs and the Campbell and Prince of Wales conferences prior to the 1993-94 season. That stretch includes the shootout era which began after the 2004-05 lockout, guaranteeing one team will receive two points in every game on the league’s schedule.
That’s nothing to apologize for in my book, especially since a victory over Detroit on the regular season’s final day would have given the Blackhawks the No. 5 seed. If you want to talk numbers, then look at them all – One more win, and there may have been a lot less complaining from the fan base.
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