Letter to Melissa Isaacson

In the Chicago Tribune sports section, Melissa Isaacson asked for comments about the Blackhawks to be sent to heymissy@tribune.com. Here is what I wrote on March 12:

Ms. Isaacson:

I attended both Blackhawks games this week--my first games this season. They looked so flat Sunday afternoon against a bad Avalanche team. I didn't understand why their offense was so out of sorts. The malaise seemed to continue three nights later, and their total offensive output was three goals in 120 minutes of regulation play. I'm hardly an expert, but my layman's opinion was that their timing was off in light of their inability to hit teammates with passes and maintain any level of offensive rhythm. To their credit, they outshot both opponents but could not make those shots count.

So I'm queasy. If they can't maintain the consistent high level of play that we've seen this season, they won't last long next month. Their playoff opponents are going to "bring it" every night, and the Blackhawks will need to match that playoff intensity. I'm hopeful that playoff veterans like Nikolai Khabibulin will helpfully explain to his teammates that there is no margin for error once the playoffs begin. They cannot ease up their play due to a one-goal lead or a one-game lead. Those leads can disappear in seconds, and then the players are scheduling tee times instead of the next round.

The Blackhawk players have earned the respect and adoration of the city that abandoned them. They earned the right to wear the Indian-head logo sweater. They earned the respect of their peers and rival teams' fans. I hope they don't throw that all away with lackluster, indifferent play.

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Since I wrote this, the Hawks have lost three games, including two at home.