The Bickell Rumors Roar

RUMORS RISE: The Bickell Blame Game

Bryan Bickell
source: http://thehockeywriters.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/0Y7A5074.jpg
What is the deal with Chicago Blackhawks forward Bryan Bickell? As the Hawks season continues to press on, rumors and opinions have been circulating about Bickell missing out on games, being a healthy scratch, and poor play. Will he overcome injury? Is coach Q playing mind games? or has he actually been playing well? 

-Recommend you to read the articles below and give your input- 
Both articles provide different view points of the Bicell incidents, and are great reads for all those interested in the situation. I think valuable evidence is provided in both. 

ESPN: Chicago Blackhawks Report
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/blackhawks/post/_/id/4680054/bickell-looking-for-mental-edge-again?ex_cid=espnapi_public

A recommended and interesting article to read, I encourage my viewers to check it out regarding the controversy of Brian Bickell. A little insight is given into the article below, but it is a great read and I encourage you to read the entire article.

According to a Chicago Blackhawks blog by ESPN, Bickell's play is stated to not be related to injury. the blog quotes Quenneville as saying "I think he’s fine, I just think having a little more confidence in what you’re able to withstand and what you’re able to do and won’t have a little bit of a hesitation. I think that’s going to come. There shouldn’t be a hindrance of an inability to do what he can do because he’s cleared to play. He’s just got to recapture it." According to the article, Bickell's struggles have been due to a lack of confidence in his game and coach Quennville believes that giving him time to think about the way he has been playing should give him an edge to get back on his horse. Will coach Q's tactic be enough to bring Bickell's drought back since winning the Stanley Cup? 

With his team behind him, Bickell will soon realize that he needs to step it up and get back into the swing of things. While landing a big contract following the Stanley Cup victory in June, Bickell may have taken his role for granted. Coach Q is one of the best coaches in the league and surely knows how to get the boys fired up.  

Committed Indians
http://www.secondcityhockey.com/2014/1/15/5311512/the-curious-case-of-bryan-bickell

On the other hand, a Chicago Blackhawks blog from SB Nation believes that Bickell's performance has actually been strong since suffering from ongoing knee injuries during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The blog states that "While the team and fans may expect more from Bickell because he signed a contract, perhaps these expectations are a bit out of touch with reality." Are fans really overreacting to the whole Bickell situation as secondcityhockey.com suggests? The blog post goes on to illustrate several stats that may have Chicago believe Bickell is actually playing well. Several stats from the blog post have been depicted below. 

1. Over his career with the Blackhawks, Bickell has maintained, even into this season, a rather steady Points Per 60 rate.
2. Bickell's own shooting percentage is actually up a bit this season from his last few regular seasons but when combined with his line mate's shooting percentages
3. His possession statistics indicate fairly consistent performances despite a few off games so this might be more of an indictment of the defense and/or goaltending.
4. Bickell's possession rates last season and this season show increases over those earlier in his career, and his individual numbers on a game by game basis this season are consistent with his teammates.
5. After returning from injury, Bickell continued to perform as he had earlier in the season.  Games 44 and 45 of the season were completely different from any other performances we have seen from him and he quickly rectified that situation by bringing his possession time back up.

Maybe Chicago fans are once again overreacting to the case of Bryan Bickell, but as secondcityhockey.com illustrates, his play during the course of the year will be just fine. Even though he has received a bigger contract, does not immediately make him put up numbers as great as that of Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews. As the Hawks have struggled in the midst of the mid-season mark,  the Hawks community should not be out looking for players to blame. Bickell is a great hockey player that brings an abundance of skills to the deep Chicago Blackhawks roster.