Blackhawks Rookie Camp, Episode IV

In a galaxy far far away there is hockey in July. Hockey filled with desire passion and the need to impress. You will find it for the last day of camp on Friday July 11 at 10:00 at the Edge in Bensonville. Be there or wait until the leaves turn until for more Blackhawk hockey.

I'm pleased to report that the player injured on Wednesday Simon Danis-Pepin was diagnosed with a strain and a neck contusion and released from the hospital. Good news indeed, he is not expected to return to camp however. Danis-Pepin is one player I would place on the short list to appear on the Hogs line up in October, this Maine Black Bear had an impressive camp previous to the injury.

Yesterdays game the White team had Joseph Palmer in goal, born and raised in the heart of Central New York, attending Ohio State Columbus as a communications major in his junior year. He is a player I was interested in observing and meeting. The goalie competition is tough in the camp this year, already Mike Brodour has been dropped from the roster. Joseph Palmer looks good, yesterday he appeared poised controlled and as one plain speaking observer concisely stated "did not have a case of the floppies". I got a chance to talk to Palmer when he was "cooling down" this thoughtful goalie made an important point. That rookie camps are not just about making the team, it is about comparing yourself to the other players, showing the coaches and staff the gains you have made in the last year. It's all about preparation for the next level and showing that your are ready or in the serious process of training for next level. Palmer looks good now, but the competition is steep, he will be stronger for another season in Columbus. Wherever Palmer is in net this season they will have a level headed nettie, lucky team.

Another player I wanted to watch was the Swedish defenceman Jonathan Carlsson. He is one pretty skater and yes, he is an aggressive guy. He has the endearing quality of protecting his goalie and reminds me of Nathyan Oystrick on the ice at times. If the Hawks don't bite I hope the Wolves will.



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Blackhawk Rookie camp Day III, the Hitting starts...

The first sound heard as I entered The Edge on day three was a hit, a lovely palpable hit.Yes, the camp intensity is decidedly picking up. The math is pretty clear there are 45 names remaining on the roster this morning of these 1,2 possibly 3 may make it to the Hawks.Then an equal number may be protected under AHL only contracts with Rockford Icehogs. Pretty tough odds, but these are tough "kids" the majority coming from the Canadian Major Juniors or US collegiate teams.

Wednesday's action was short lived, one of the more difficult aspects of the sport that we love raised its head. A standout player Simon Danis-Pepin of University of Maine was injured. I didn't have a clear view of the contact so I have no first hand knowledge of the mechanism of injury. I did see the fall and his struggle to lift his torso and legs off of the ice. Regular readers of this blog are aware that in my other life I'm a RN and an old EMT. Because of this I look at injuries and their on ice treatment with different eyes than most sports photographers. Although I understand the need for getting the injured player off of the ice quickly it bothers me so many players with obvious symptoms of concussions are walked off of the ice. The fact is 15% of all concussions carry the risk of neck/spine injuries. If it was your kid would you want them walked off?

When Danis-Pepin hit the ice he was in obvious trouble, trainers quickly came out, assessed him and started treatment. He was able to move his arms,lift his legs from the knee down but seemed in pain. As reported by Blackhawks Trainer, Mike Gapski, Danis-Pepin was experiencing pain down his trapezious muscle and left arm. The full spinal precautions were taken as just that precautions until he could be cleared by definitive care at a hospital. In short the on ice treatment of this injured young man could have been videotaped for any first responder class and titled "This is how to handle suspected cervical injury in an athlete."Bravo! The Blackhawks on ice response team can treat me and mine anytime, a nurses highest praise.

Enough of this Valentine, would you like to see the images of the game?




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