Joel Quenneville

The Chicago Blackhawks were coming into their Wednesday night game with the Minnesota Wild the losers of six of their last eight games. 

The flu bug has torn through a roster recently beset by injuries.

To add to the malaise, the Hawks arrived for their morning skate only to learn that their head coach was hospitalized after a visit to the emergency room.

The Chicago Blackhawks always seem to have an issue in net, whether it was the 2009 season of Nikolai Khabibulin and his injury during the Western Conference Finals, or the juggling of Cristobal Huet and Antti Niemi last season.

Now coming into the 2010-2011 season, things were supposed to be a lot less complicated than seasons prior. 

Chicago Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville raised a few eyebrows when he named Marty Turco the starter in goal for Chicago's 7-4 win at Columbus Tuesday.

After all, the veteran netminder had only played in one game last month.  Corey Crawford has supplanted Turco as the top man in net.  Despite two subpar performances right before the All-Star break, most of us thought Quenneville would begin the 'Hawks six-game road trip with a rested Crawford in net.

It can be assured that fans have heard by now that both Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith have been the first six players selected to the NHL’s 2010-2011 All-Star Game.  The game will be played on Sunday, Jan. 30 at the Raleigh Convention Center in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Incidentally, Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville will coach one of the All-Star teams as well.

This is a great reflection of the Blackhawks, their team, their coaching staff and the organization as a whole.

The Chicago Blackhawks of 2010-2011 have looked nothing like the Blackhawks of 2009-2010, and I'm not talking about the rosters.

This year, the excuses and reasons given for why the Blackhawks were falling flat ranged from defense to offense, goaltending to injuries, etc.  In the words of Gene Hackman in The Replacements, "They need heart."

Dear Coach, 

How goes it?  It seem like just yesterday we were all laughing along with you as you pulled toilet paper off the trees in your front yard.  Well, Coach, there isn't much laughing going on these days, in fact, the complete opposite to be honest.  June almost seems like it was a mean trick played on us by Fate.  Not much seems to be working right this year.  

Brian Campbell will be back in the Chicago Blackhawks lineup for tonight’s game against the New York Rangers.

In addition to the smile on my own face and the rest of Blackhawks' fans, Niklas Hjalmarsson’s smile should be never-ending.

If injuries weren’t killing the Blackhawks already, another one popped up in the lineup.

As critics continue to hold the Blackhawks' dilemma accountable to the Cup hangover and the departure of key members, it is in fact quite obvious answer to their struggles.

Multiple reasons cause a team’s struggles.

Personally, I have established multiple times on the issue of missing Brian Campbell and overworking Duncan Keith, so I will not be stressing that factor here.

Rather, I am going to be emphasizing on the disappointment of Patrick Kane so far this season.

Fresh off the press, as first reported by ESPNChicago, the Chicago Blackhawks have four new, brand spanking lines.

After 10 games, the Chicago Blackhawks currently sit at a record of 5-4-1 with 11 points.

They are third in the Central division behind Nashville and Detroit, despite playing more games (10), and are 5th in the Western Conference.

However coach Joel Quenneville obviously thinks something needs to be changed and has gone back to the drawing-board with his team's lines.