Around the Rink 11.27.06

Another one bites the dust, as the Chicago Blackhawks fired Trent Yawney as their head coach and promoted Denis Savard as head coach. The Hawks have won only three of their last 15 games and GM Dale Tallon said the team needed a more "up-tempo style." Yawney went 33-55-15 in his tenure as Hawks coach. Savard has been the assistant coach for the Hawks since 1996-97.

The Hawks have been buggered with injuries to the likes of Martin Havlat, Michal Handzus, and Nikolai Khabibulin, which put them in a hole after an otherwise fantastic start to the season. Yet, something like this couldn't be ignored. The Hawks have plenty of talent, but it's a matter of getting people to buy into system; which seems like what happen to Yawney.

Granted, many fans wish Bill Wirtz could somehow get out of the organziation; but it's wishful thinking.

---------
You have to hate it for Tomas Vokoun. First, he lost the last part of his season to a severe blood clot, came back and got shelled at the start, then has come around as of late. Yet, after a 6-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks, Vokoun tore a ligament in his finger on his blocker hand. On Sunday, the Preds said that Vokoun would be out at least two weeks and as many as six weeks.

The good thing for the Preds is that Chris Mason has been doing great as the back-up and should be able to hold down the fort while Vokoun is on the shelf. Plus, the Preds are tied for second in goals in the Western Conference, behind the Anaheim Ducks and tied with the San Jose Sharks.

--------
If there is one game to watch on Tuesday, it's going to be the Anaheim Ducks heading into Edmonton to face the Oilers. It's going to be a crazy crowd as Chris Pronger returns to his former team's home barn; where he helped lead the Oilers to the Cup Finals. Of course, this past summer the turmoil between Pronger and the fans happened which makes this game such an event.

Though Oiler fans do have a gripe with Pronger and the way he left, the way they went about it probably was fairly stupid. The good thing is that Pronger is a focused player and the jeers will more than likely not phase Pronger on the ice. The best thing Pronger can hope for is a big win for the Ducks and to put up some points in the victory.

---------
Alexei Yashin was having a great start to his season with 28 points in his 22 games. It looked like Yashin was loving the game again. Now, the New York Islanders and Yashin will have to wait to see what happens next, as the captain of the Isles will miss the next two to four weeks as Yashin sustained a sprained knee in a 4-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Saturday.

Yashin has been critized by the media for giving owner Charles Wang bad tips in order to make the team more friendly to Yashin. Yet, the Isles are one of the more surprising teams in the NHL this season, as they are second in the Atlantic Division and seventh in the Eastern Conference. The loss of Yashin is a big hit, but with plenty of role players stepping up; the pain should be eased a little.

---------
That's all for now. Be on the lookout for something in the next couple of days concerning clones in hockey. Until then, check out the FOHS Site, the FOHS Podcast, and the FOHS Message Board for all the fun.