Alabama and Mississippi tumbled out of the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 poll Sunday and Miami and SMU moved in following a chaotic weekend in the SEC and across college football in general.
Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks, who are the last unbeaten team.
The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after beating Army for its ninth straight win.
No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Tennessee each moved up two spots, No. 8 Miami got a three-rung promotion and No. 9 SMU jumped four places for its first top-10 ranking since 1985. SMU has clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and would play Miami, if the Hurricanes win at Syracuse this week, or No. 12 Clemson.
Indiana dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 following its first loss, 38-15 loss at Ohio State. The Buckeyes would play Oregon in the Big Ten championship game if they beat Michigan for the first time in four years this Saturday.
The Southeastern Conference’s hopes for landing four spots in the College Football Playoff took a hit with two of their teams losing as double-digit favorites. Texas, Georgia and Tennessee are the only SEC teams with fewer than three losses after Alabama lost 24-3 at Oklahoma and Mississippi lost 24-17 at Florida.
Alabama and Mississippi each dropped six spots in the AP poll, the Crimson Tide to No. 13 and the Rebels to No. 15.
Texas A&M was the third SEC team to lose, 43-41 at Auburn in four overtimes. The Aggies tumbled five places to No. 20 but would play Georgia in the SEC championship game if they knock off Texas this week.
Losses by BYU and Colorado created a four-way tie for first in the Big 12.
No. 14 Arizona State, picked to finish last in the conference, handed BYU its second straight loss and is the highest-ranked Big 12 team. No. 17 Iowa State earned a five-rung promotion with its win at Utah. BYU is No. 19 and Colorado, which lost to Kansas, is No. 23.
If the four teams each finish 7-2 in conference play, it’s Iowa State vs. Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game.
No. 11 Boise State is first among the four ranked Group of Five teams. The Broncos got a one-spot bump despite struggling to beat a two-win Wyoming team. Tulane is No. 18, UNLV is No. 21 and Army is No. 25.
Poll points
Oregon, which was idle, was the consensus No. 1 team for the fourth straight week. The Ducks will be unbeaten in the regular season for the first time since 2010 if they beat Washington at home Saturday.
Boise State’s ranking is its highest since it was No. 8 in the final poll of the 2011 season. Arizona State’s ranking is its highest since it was No. 12 in the final poll of the 2014 season.
Indiana-Ohio State was the final top-five matchup of the regular season. The five were the most in a regular season since 1996. There also were five in 1936 and 1943.
In and out
No. 24 Missouri, a 39-20 winner at Mississippi State, returned to the Top 25 after a one-week absence.
Washington State’s four-week run in the rankings ended with its second straight loss, 41-38 loss at Oregon State.
Conference call
SEC — 8 (Nos. 3, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16, 20, 24).
Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 10, 22).
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 14, 17, 19, 23).
ACC — 3 (Nos. 8, 9, 12).
AAC — 2 (Nos. 18, 25).
Mountain West — 2 (Nos. 11, 21).
Independent — 1 (No. 5).
Ranked vs. ranked
— No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson: It’s a Top 25 matchup for the first time since 2013. Clemson’s 16-7 victory in Columbia last year was the fourth of five straight wins to end the Tigers’ season.
— No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M: Stakes are high for the first meeting of longtime rivals since both were in the Big 12 in 2011. Winner goes to the SEC title game.
LAS VEGAS — A man called for police help during a home invasion, then was fatally shot by an officer, according to authorities and 911 calls.
Brandon Durham called 911 early Nov. 12, saying he was hiding with his 15-year-old daughter after someone broke into his home, Assistant Sheriff Dori Koren said.
Durham is heard pleading with the dispatcher to “send someone ASAP” in audio recordings obtained this week by KVVU-TV in Las Vegas.
Koren identified the officer who shot Durham as Alexander Bookman, 26.
Bookman was one of the first officers to arrive and kicked in the front door. Koren said the officer found Durham in a hallway struggling over a knife with the intruder.
In a short clip of body camera video released by police, the officer yells for them to drop the knife, then fires one round. Durham and the intruder both fall to the floor, then the officer moves closer and fires five more rounds while standing over them, the video shows.
Durham, 43, died in his home.
Koren said Durham and the intruder knew each other. The intruder was arrested and charged with home invasion and assault.
David Roger, general counsel for the union representing Las Vegas police officers, said Saturday in a statement that Bookman was not at fault.
“While Mr. Durham’s death is tragic, Officer Bookman was doing his job and did not intend to commit a crime. The person responsible for Mr. Durham’s death is in custody,” he said.
Durham’s family wants Bookman fired and charged.
“Mr. Durham was not threatening anyone. There’s no justification for the use of force against Mr. Durham,” Lee Merritt, a civil rights attorney representing the family, said at a news conference, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson said in a statement that it was too early in the investigation for him to comment on possible charges.
Bookman is on paid leave while the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department investigates.
An off-duty Chicago police officer exchanged gunfire with two assailants early Sunday in Washington Park on the South Side.
The officer was confronted by two gunman about 1:50 a.m. in the 100 block of East 57th Street and all three fired, though the officer wasn’t injured and the gunmen fled, Chicago police said.
Police did not say who fired first. The officer initially exchanged gunfire with one person before a second gunman also opened fire on the officer. Both gunmen then fled.
No injuries were reported, according to police.
The Civilian Office of Police Accountability is investigating.
On a chilly March evening while out for a walk with his dog Sparky on the North Side, Robert Miller came upon some books scattered on the sidewalk.
Even in the dim light, Miller could see that these books, seven of them, were not the flimsy, glossy kind destined for a dumpster or part of one of those front-yard free library huts.
Miller, a retired Social Security administrator, peered closer. The books were sturdy, luxuriously bound in a material the color of antique ivory. The pages were thick and rough to the touch. He could tell that the books were old — very old.
“I look around, there’s nobody there and they are just lying on the ground,” Miller, 75, recalled recently. “They are beautiful books.”
He quickly stuffed the smaller volumes into his coat pockets, tucking the larger ones under his arms as he continued walking in his North Center neighborhood.
And as he walked, his imagination ran wild. Perhaps they’d been stolen and then thrown away when the thief failed to find a buyer, Miller at first considered.
“My working theory was that someone was angry at someone [else] and took their books and threw them away,” Miller said.
It would be another eight months before Miller learned the true story: that the books belonged to an 88-year-old North Side bachelor who’d spent his life traveling and collecting letters, toy soldiers, military garb and books — so many books that he’d lost track of how many he owned.
And it took the patient sleuthing of a rare books and manuscripts curator from the Newberry Library to reunite the lost books — some printed decades before Shakespeare penned his first play — with their owner earlier this month.
Suzanne Karr Schmidt, a Newberry Library researcher, with two of the books discovered by a passerby in the North Center neighborhood. Schmidt was forced to play detective to reunite the books with their owner.
Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Suzanne Karr Schmidt, the Newberry curator, remembers receiving an email from Miller shortly after he’d found the books . He told her he wanted help returning them to their rightful owner.
“Honestly, I thought it might be a fraud or some kind of scam initially,” Karr Schmidt said.
But Miller faithfully responded to every request the curator made, sending her image after image of the pages inside the books, which she determined were rare volumes made in Germany during the Renaissance — the oldest printed in 1525.
“And [Miller] had a dog named Sparky,” Karr Schmidt joked.
Books date as far back as 1525
The books — written in Latin, French and German — were printed in Germany between 1525 and 1725. Several of them deal with the Protestant Reformation — the 16th Century movement that splintered the Catholic Church. The books — and the hand-written notes in the margins — give people like Karr Schmidt a remarkable window into the fierce debates of the day about the divisions within the Church. Someone has scrawled a giant X across the title page of a book written by the Dutch scholar Desiderius Erasmus, who eventually came out against the Reformation and its best-known proponent, the German theologian, Martin Luther.
“It’s almost a viral sort of moment where print is really raising Martin Luther’s status, but also people trying to cut him down at the same time,” Karr Schmidt said.
The lost books are in “beautiful shape, she said, adding, “Almost all of them are in the original bindings.”
Intricate details of the Renaissance-era book at the Newberry Library.
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The main title page of the Renaissance-era book.
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
The spine of a Renaissance-era book at the Newberry Library.
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Suzanne Karr Schmidt, a Newberry researcher, holds open one of the books a Chicago resident found on the street.
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
One of the Renaissance-era books at the Newberry Library.
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Those bindings were likely made of pig skin, some stamped with intricate floral designs.
But there were no markings in the books that pointed to a recent owner — either a private one or perhaps something showing they belonged to a university. Karr Schmidt scoured the internet, reaching out to antiquarian booksellers, both in the United States and overseas. She came up empty.
Then three weeks ago, about eight months after Miller found the books, Karr Schmidt came across an image of the binding of one of the lost volumes posted on the website of an Austrian book dealer. The dealer, who knew Karr Schmidt, agreed to give her the contact information for the man who’d bought that book back in 2021. It was Marvin Rawski, a lifelong Chicagoan.
A Manicule highlighting an important passage in a renaissance era book at The Newberry Library at 60 Walton Street on the Near North Side, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Earlier this year Suzanne Karr Schmidt, a Newberry researcher, was forced to play detective after a Chicago resident brought in some mysterious books from the Renaissance period that he’d found on the street. Turns out, another man, Marvin Rawski, had dropped them. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Intricate details of the renaissance era book at The Newberry Library at 60 Walton Street on the Near North Side, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Earlier this year Suzanne Karr Schmidt, a Newberry researcher, was forced to play detective after a Chicago resident brought in some mysterious books from the Renaissance period that he’d found on the street. Turns out, another man, Marvin Rawski, had dropped them. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
A renaissance era book with a list of previous owners at The Newberry Library at 60 Walton Street on the Near North Side, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. Earlier this year Suzanne Karr Schmidt, a Newberry researcher, was forced to play detective after a Chicago resident brought in some mysterious books from the Renaissance period that he’d found on the street. Turns out, another man, Marvin Rawski, had dropped them. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
| Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Rawski, a Lane Tech High School graduate, spent almost three decades doing aviation electrical work at O’Hare Airport.
His passion, what still gives this octogenarian’s life purpose, is collecting things. Rawski lives on the top floor of a North Center two-flat in a dimly lit apartment cluttered with books. What little light there is comes from a few old reading lamps, one with a bare incandescent bulb.
He has books on shelves, books in stacks of gray “archive” boxes, an island of books in his bedroom. He keeps his clothes in shopping bags so that he can store even more books in his bedroom dresser. He’s happy to show a visitor his collection, but he doesn’t brag or display his treasures prominently.
Last week, a suitcase lay on his sofa — from a recent trip to France to buy more books.
“It’s wonderful to have things that are hundreds and hundreds of years old in your hand,” he said during a chat last week. “The quest is always interesting. One book leads to another book.”
Rawski’s oldest books date back to the mid-1400s, he said.
Rawski’s relentless hunt for books meant he had no time to search for the things of a more conventional life. He never married.
“I was too busy running around collecting something, and collecting a wife was not one of the things I wanted to do,” he said.
The trouble with owning so many books — “hundreds and hundreds and hundreds,” he said — is that Rawski doesn’t always know when he’s missing a few. Last March, he was doing a little tidying, getting rid of what he thought were all boxes of magazines and periodicals. He dropped a box on the sidewalk while taking it out to the trash. He said he would have bent down to retrieve it, but his back ached and so he left it for later.
When he went back, the box had disappeared.
Marvin Rawski with one of his rare books in his top-floor flat in North Center. The 88-year-old bachelor’s passion is to collect items such as books and he travels around the world in pursuit of his next find.
Stefano Esposito/Sun-Times
A ‘very embarrassing situation’
It wasn’t until earlier this month that Karr Schmidt reached out to Rawski, through an email to his goddaughter, to say that the library had some of his books (he didn’t have an active email account at the time).
“I was flabbergasted because as far as I was concerned, I was not missing any books,” Rawski said.
He described it as a “very embarrassing situation.”
To show his gratitude, he decided to donate two of the books to the museum.
“It was a very nice thing they did for me. They could have kept” all the books, he said.
Miller — who has yet to meet the book collector even though he lives in Rawski’s neighborhood — said he’s delighted the books are in safe hands once again.
“As lovely as they are and as interesting as they are, I felt they should be someplace where they could be properly cared for and preserved,” he said.
On Friday, Rawski was peeling the wrapping paper from a small book bound in red leather that he’d bought on his most recent trip abroad.
Was he glad to have the lost books back in his possession? Yes. Does he now have them safely stored away? Sort of.
“If you were to ask me to show you one of those books right now, I would be hard-pressed to quickly find them.”
The New York Jets may be angling for their seventh starting quarterback in five seasons if recent rumors come to pass.
Aaron Rodgers has had something of a nightmare stay in New Jersey since his 2023 trade landed him in a Jets uniform. After playing just four snaps in 2023 and 11 games in 2024, his tenure as leader of Gang Green may soon come to an end.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Jets passer faces an “uphill battle” to return as starting quarterback come 2025, signaling a relatively quick divorce for the two sides.
As far as whose decision it is, Rapoport reports that the decision is up to Jets owner Woody Johnson; should Rodgers continue to underperform down the stretch, then Johnson will consider pulling the plug on the experiment.
Johnson’s frustration with the trade is said to be “palpable,” according to Rapoport.
Rodgers, who turns 41 in December, isn’t just holding off Father Time, but has also been battling injuries this season. Visibly hobbled throughout the year while dealing with knee, hamstring and ankle injuries, Rodgers has reportedly refused to undergo medical testing and scans to determine the extent of the damage.
The injuries may explain some of Rodgers’ inefficiencies this season. He’s still thrown 17 touchdowns to seven interceptions, but the eye test hasn’t provided a passing grade for Rodgers and the Jets offense at large.
The Jets are 3-8 in 2024 and a playoff longshot, despite a sluggish AFC. New York holds a relatively easy schedule the remainder of the season, but haven’t been able to move past inconsistencies on both sides of the ball since Week 1. That’s resulted in the firing of head coach Robert Saleh. General manager Joe Douglas was next to get his walking papers as New York looks to reboot yet again.
New York is on its bye in Week 12, and returns to action in Week 13 vs. the Seahawks at home. That could be the start of the final countdown for Rodgers in green and white.
As they said they would, both running back D’Andre Swift and receiver Keenan Allen will play for the Bears on Sunday against the Vikings at Soldier Field.
Swift ramped up his activity all week after hurting his groin against the Packers, a game in which he ran 14 times for 71 yards and a 39-yard touchdown. He practiced in full Friday, the same day that Allen rolled his ankle and did not finish his workout. Allen said after the game his ankle was merely stiff and that he planned to play.
Nonetheless, the Bears considered both of them questionable to play Sunday.
The Bears had already ruled out guard Ryan Bates (concussion) and safety Elijah Hicks (ankle) on Friday.
Swing tackle Kiran Amegadjie, who was questionable with a calf injury, was made inactive Sunday. Other Bears players ruled inactive were receiver Tyler Scott, defensive end Dominique Robinson and cornerback Ameer Speed.
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams is the worst deep-ball quarterback in the NFL this season; no passer has a worse Pro Football Focus grade on throws of 20 yards or more.
Bears rookie quarterback Caleb Williams — and the Bears’ protection scheme — faces a big challenge from the Vikings’ blitzing front. The Bears’ defense has to find a way to contain Vikings record-setting wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Stopping the run would be a good start.
If the Bears beat the odds and rally to finish 9-8, Eberflus’ contribution has to be more than promoting Thomas Brown to replace Shane Waldron. He has to be the reason they win. The Bears not only have to win for Eberflus to survive, they have to be well-coached.
A teen was killed and another was wounded early Sunday in Little Village.
The teens were standing outside about 1:30 a.m. in the 2600 block of South Avers Avenue when someone opened fire, Chicago police said.
Jesus Sanchez 16, was struck in the abdomen and taken to Mount Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead, police and the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
Another boy, 15, suffered a gunshot wound to the back and was taken to the same hospital in good condition, police said.
Holiday season has arrived, and Chicago theaters are bustling with Ebenezer Scrooges, Tiny Tims and Nutcrackers in every wholesome form and flavor.
But our list isn’t about mounting the classics or family-friendly revamps that feel like familiar gifts wrapped in new packages. Our list is naughty.
Sneak a peek at adult versions of iconic Christmas characters like the risqué reindeer in Hell in a Handbag’s “Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer” or the all-grown-up Cindy-Lou Who in “Who’s Holiday!” at Theater Wit. For the record, “Die Hard” is, in fact, a Christmas movie, and in Broadway in Chicago’s “Yippee Ki Yay,” John McClane tells his story of gunfights, hostages and battling terrorists in a L.A. skyscraper in true ‘80s action hero style. Fa la la.
If you’re looking for shows beyond traditional theater, the burlesque and cabaret scenes come alive this time of year. Jane Lynch (“Glee,” “The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) and Kate Flannery (“The Office”) are throwing a “Swinging Little Christmas” at Steppenwolf with holiday showtunes and comedy. BenDeLaCreme (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”) and Jinkx Monsoon (two-time winner of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”) ring in the holidays with their acclaimed night of music and comedy in “The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show,” while The Newport Theater puts a campy burlesque spin on traditional madrigal dinners with “The Naughty Little Madrigal.”
Here’s our list of 10 adult shows you should see this holiday season.
Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer
“Rudolph the Red-Hosed Reindeer (An Unauthorized Musical Parody),” at Hell in a Handbag Productions.
Where: Presented by Hell in a Handbag Productions at The Hoover-Leppen Theatre
When: Through Jan. 5
Leave the kids at home for this parody of the classic red-nosed reindeer saving Christmas — this is the kinky version. Written by artistic director David Cerda, this musical holiday comedy features gay elves, a capitalist Santa and Rudolph in sexy red fishnets. Are you ready for some reindeer games?
If you go: 3656 N. Halsted St., tickets from $29
Yippee Ki Yay
Where: Broadway Playhouse at Water Tower Place
When: Through Dec 15
For many Americans, “Die Hard” has become a Christmas tradition. The story of John McClane saving a group of people held hostage in an L.A. skyscraper by terrorist thugs unfolds on Christmas Eve. This theatrical adaptation is a one-person show written and performed by Richard Marsh, an award-winning playwright and soon-to-be TV writer (his play “Wingman” is being developed by CBS). Our hero retells the story of that fateful Christmas Eve, when he battled the bad guys, saved the girl and shot a bunch of guns.
If you go: 175 E. Chestnut St., tickets from $36.50
Jane Lynch’s A Swingin’ Little Christmas
“Jane Lynch’s A Swingin’ Little Christmas,” with Kate Flannery and Tim Davis.
Where: Steppenwolf Theatre
When: Dec. 12–15
Music and comedy collide at Steppenwolf when five-time Emmy winner Jane Lynch and Kate Flannery (Meredith Palmer in “The Office”) take the stage with their stylings of holiday tunes and cheerful banter. Along with Tim Davis (who worked behind the scenes in “Glee”) and the Tony Guerrero Quintet, Lynch and Flannery released a 2016 holiday album, “A Swingin’ Little Christmas,” that reached the top 10 on Billboard’s adult contemporary chart.
You may remember Cindy-Lou Who as the little girl in the Dr. Seuss classic who helps melt the ice-cold heart of the Grinch with her sweet and innocent kindness. But now, she’s all grown up. In this one-person show, set in a trailer park, Cindy spins a tale of gossipy holiday wisdom laced with vodka, weed and profanity. Jeff Award–winning actress Veronica Garza plays the title role.
If you go: 1229 W. Belmont Ave., tickets from $39
Teatro ZinZanni
Where: Cambria Hotel
When: Ongoing residency
Teatro ZinZanni is a truly unique experience (I had the chance to go in Seattle). The performance fuses circus arts, dance, comedy, drag, cabaret and artistic cuisine into one magical night. During the holidays, the show incorporates festive music and seasonally themed cocktails. Guests are invited to dress up in their sparkliest holiday attire. (Warning: Audience members may be asked to dance!)
If you go: 32 W. Randolph St., tickets from $89
A Christmas Cabaret Thee Ricky Harris Way
Where: Venus Cabaret Theater
When: Dec. 7–8
Intimate seating, adult beverages and holiday classics: This is a perfect date night, courtesy of Chicago actor and musician Thee Ricky Harris. If you had a chance to see “Hot Wing King” at Writers Theater this summer, then you got a taste of Harris on the keyboard. His soulful voice will be on full display in this show, joined by local actor and musician Laura McKenzie on the piano.
If you go: 3745 N. Southport Ave., tickets from $35
The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show
Where: Auditorium Theatre
When: Dec. 8
The Queens of Christmas return.BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon both stepped into the national spotlight on “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” with Monsoon a two-time winner and DeLa a fan favorite. Now this fabulous duo again takes the stage for a night of holiday-themed tunes and spicy comedy.
If you go: 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive., tickets from $39.50
Raks Inferno: A Holiday Circus Cabaret
Where: The Newport Theater
When: Dec. 13
This show has a little bit of everything you need for a grown-up night at a holiday show, including circus performers and belly dancers. In a cabaret billed as the place where “dangerous meets sexy,” with specialty-themed cocktails on hand, this performance aims to tantalize the audience and includes a meet-and-greet with performers after the show.
If you go: 956 W. Newport Ave., tickets from $39
Dom We Now Our Gay Apparel (21+)
Where: Davenport’s Piano Bar and Cabaret
When: Dec. 13
Comedian and podcast host (“Fixing Famous People”) Dominick Pupa brings back his one-person holiday show, where he cracks on the year that was. Audiences will relive 2024 through the unique stylings of the nightclub queen in a hit show that tours the country with catchy songs and provocative jokes.
If you go: 1383 N. Milwaukee Ave., tickets from $34.61
The Naughty Little Madrigal (21+)
Where: The Newport Theater
When: Dec. 5–8
This show takes the traditional Christmas-season madrigal fest (or Renaissance dinner theater) and flips it on its head. Yes, the classic songs will be sung — and by a live choir, no less — but expect a risqué twist with burlesque, drag and naughty jokes. This show is for adults only and is a fun and spicy alternative to the family version typically found at your local school or church.
A year ago, Blackhawks prospect Colton Dach was on the verge of an NHL call-up.
Then inconsistency and injuries disrupted his rhythm, forcing him to — in the words of Rockford coach Anders Sorensen — “start over a little bit” this season.
After more ups and downs this fall, Sorensen, who always seems more critical of Dach than the Hawks’ other AHL prospects, sat down with him Tuesday morning for a serious chat. That night against Texas, Dach was denied on two golden scoring chances in the first period, which might have rattled him in the past.
But he stuck with it and broke through with two goals less than a minute apart in the second period of Rockford’s eventual win. Sorensen described it as Dach’s “most complete game” of the season, a rare instance of praise.
“I’m not going to lie: I was definitely a little bit frustrated when I couldn’t put one in [early on],” Dach said. “But when I scored that first one, I let it all out and calmed myself down, and we went to work after that.
“I need to play with confidence. When I’m doing that, I’m moving my feet, getting into guys, being physical and winning a lot of stick battles. That’s something I’ve got to keep doing.”
Dach entered Saturday with 11 points in 14 games, trailing only top prospect Frank Nazar for the team lead.
“It’s [about] the work off the puck,” Sorensen said. “We’ve talked a lot about the first four strides in transition, whether it’s one way or the other — similar to Frank, although they’re different body types obviously. [Dach is working on] getting his feet going early to get to spots or get in on the forecheck. When he does that, he’s really effective.”
In his pursuit of an NHL call-up, Dach is mostly competing against Nazar, Landon Slaggert and Cole Guttman. The race could get more crowded soon if Boston University junior Ryan Greene and Minnesota sophomore Oliver Moore sign entry-level contracts in March or April after their college seasons end.
Dach needs to maintain this inkling of momentum to have a chance to break through. He needs his December 2024 performance to be just as impressive as his December 2023 performance — and his January 2025 performance to greatly exceed his January 2024 performance.
Waivers looming
When the Hawks signed goaltender Laurent Brossoit in the summer, they knew they could send Arvid Soderblom to Rockford without the risk of losing him on waivers.
If Brossoit misses much more time, however, that no longer may be the case. Soderblom’s six appearances this season have him up to 56 career NHL appearances; once he gets to 60, he’ll require waivers.
Considering how much Soderblom has increased his stock — he has a .926 save percentage compared to .879 last season — that’s a risk the Hawks would be reluctant to take. Instead, they would be stuck with a logjam of three NHL goalies.
For now, it’s only an academic concern because Brossoit seemingly has made no progress toward a return after his meniscus surgery.
Weird stats
After their 3-2 overtime loss to the Flyers, the Hawks have gone five games with only one power-play opportunity in each game. That’s a franchise record and the longest such streak by any team since 2019.
Forward Lukas Reichel, on the other hand, seems to love Philadelphia. He has three multipoint games since the start of last season, and two have happened in Philly.
He scored the Hawks’ first goal and assisted on the second.