If Toews doesn't get up from that cheap shot you may change that holier than thou attitude. Q needs to seriously consider going back to playing Bickell on the first line, when we are playing these type of teams. Let ops know that we won't tolerate them taking liberties against our top players. Your post sounds very nice, but some of these teams and players will get an edge any way possible, including targeting and attempting to injure the Toews and Kanes of the world.
Good thing it wasn't a cheap shot.
I have no problem with the Hawks responding to hard clean hits with hard clean hits of their own. It's usually pretty hard/pointless for the Hawks to do though, cause we usually have the puck most of the night and you don't throw hits when you have the puck.
The notion that putting physical players into the lineup is going to deter physical teams from being physical is legitimately asinine. The Kings, Blues, etc are always going to try and hit our players, because that's their entire gameplan. The notion that 'oh, ****, they've put somebody bigger on the line, damn, gotta completely rethink our entire gameplan and team persona now' is hilarious.
Putting Bickell on the top line right now would be a baaaaaaaaaad idea given that he hasn't been playing particularly well off his injury yet. Moreover, the Sharp/Toews/Hossa line is dominating possession in the league, so breaking that up now would be idiotic.
If Bickell gets back to playing like he did last year, and stops being a perimeter player that's soft on the puck, then I wouldn't have a problem with putting up there alongside Kane and Toews if the Toews line ever slows down or needs a shake-up.
