Takeaways From the Blackhawks Early Preseason Games

Much like with any other sport, in hockey, there is no real way to take away too much from preseason hockey. In fact, I almost missed the start of it, as it really crept up on me. I had forgotten about the whole Olympics thing and that the season was starting early (after ending late). Either way, preseason hockey is underway, and the Blackhawks started off strong with a win the other night. However, what does it really mean? Is there really much we can take away from that game?

Well, is there much? No, not really. However, there is still a decent amount that can be taken away. The first thing I'll bring up is that the Blackhawks are looking to fill some roles that have been vacated. One that was brought up in tonight's by, I think it was Foley, but I can't honestly remember for sure, is the Frolik role. The person brought up as the guy to fill that spot in was Ben Smith. I'm a fan of Smith, I like the way he plays and see some promise with him still (remember, he's only a few months older than Derrick Rose, a player a lot of Chicago fans still see as young). That's not the only role, but while some roles may be changed, but still defined (Crawford the clear cut #1 goalie who will play the vast majority of the games this season, for instance), there are a few out there that are still open.

Another thing we can take away is that the Blackhawks are not going to be letting anyone push them around this season. There were a few fights in the first game, and there's already been at least one fight in tonight's game (switching back and forth between the NFL game and the Blackhawks). Either way, the Blackhawks are at least making a statement right now. This may lighten up once the season starts, especially if other teams realize that they can't get away with pushing around some of the Blackhawks' smaller guys like Kane.

Another takeaway, and one they talked about on tonight's broadcast that they are dead on with, is that teams have confidence in Chicago products. They brought up tonight that tonight's game between the Penguins and Blackhawks has 3 Chicago products playing. Considering the droughts the city has gone through, especially in the post Eddie-O and Chelios era, that's a great thing to see. There's always been a good interest in hockey in Chicago, but there's a much bigger interest now that the Blackhawks are not only winning, but a team that you can actually watch on TV. Remember that before Bill Wirtz passed away, the Blackhawks were getting blacked out. There was some serious disconnect between Wirtz and the Blackhawks fans, and it almost destroyed the franchise. However, now that things are so much better, hockey is more alive in every way around the city.

There's not a whole lot more that can be taken away that we didn't already know (like that Patrick Sharp is good), but those are three things that I feel, for one reason or another, are pretty important. I look forward to watching more of the preseason and seeing how many questions wind up being answered as not only the preseason goes along, but the regular season as well.