Pirate Galaxy » every game I can, he said. Having missed o

There was something ho-hum about it as the Chicago Blackhawks packed up and headed for points west, north and south as part of their annual November circus trip.The perennial Stanley Cup contenders were sitting atop the Central Division with an impressive 11-3-2 record. Defending scoring champion and reigning league MVP Patrick Kane was off to another sterling start with 18 points in 16 games. Frequent linemate Artem Anisimov was red-hot as well, with an 11-game point streak between Oct. 15 and Nov. 6.Just your run-of-the-mill dominance from a team for whom dominance has become commonplace. But -- have appearances been deceiving for the Blackhawks? And, more to the point, will this current road trip help bring the Blackhawks big picture into greater -- if not more accurate -- focus?In short, the answer is yes.In some ways, thats always been the case. When Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey invade the United Center for an extended stay through the Thanksgiving holidays each November, the Blackhawks subsequent road trip serves multiple purposes -- not the least of which is giving the team a chance for critical self-evaluation.This season, the annual circus trip might be even more important for Chicago, both in terms of accurately assessing where the team stands and in that it will allow the Blackhawks to more fully integrate a significant number of young players into the fold. Twin threads of the same tapestry, if you will.Blackhawks general manager Stan Bowman acknowledged that his teams record might have been a little misleading, given how well netminders Corey Crawford and backup Scott Darling had played leading up to the trip.Crawford, overshadowed in some ways by the play of Carey Price in Montreal and a red-hot Tuukka Rask in Boston, has put together a body of work early on that should suggest Vezina Trophy and perhaps even Hart Trophy consideration.Coreys been unbelievable, Bowman said. Its allowed us to not play that well and still gain some confidence.Crawfords play specifically has helped mask transitional challenges for a lineup that features five rookies and another first-year player in 26-year-old defenseman Michal Kempny, a native of the Czech Republic?who came over from Russias Kontinental Hockey League during the offseason.When the Blackhawks -- who are a gaudy 8-1-2 at the United Center -- kicked off the circus trip by getting shut out in Winnipeg 4-0 Tuesday night, leveling their road record at 3-3, it reinforced the notion that they have a lot to learn during the trip.This is going to be a good benchmark for us as a team, Bowman said in an interview a few hours before Chicagos trip-opening loss.The Blackhawks have won three championships since 2010, but they followed up a 2015 Stanley Cup win with a first-round ouster at the hands of the?St. Louis Blues?last spring. Several key parts of that 2015 Cup roster are long gone, including Patrick Sharp, Brad Richards, Teuvo Teravainen, Kimmo Timonen, Antoine Vermette, Andrew Shaw and Brandon Saad.The Chicago model is the future for everyone, whether you win Cups or not, one top NHL executive said recently.As in, take your shot, cast off parts that dont fit under the salary cap, and then make another run at it.This season is no different. It took some time because we had so many new players, Bowman acknowledged. Youre trying a bunch of new things.Not everything worked. Early on, the Blackhawks penalty kill was historically bad. Even though theyve shown more structure of late, they still rank dead last in the league in penalty-killing efficiency.?One former NHL coach told ESPN.com early in the season that he wondered if there would be enough offense in the revamped lineup to keep the Blackhawks competitive in what has historically been the most competitive division in hockey. The Blackhawks are tied for sixth in goals per game despite their shutout loss on Tuesday. That is also in spite of the fact that captain Jonathan Toews got off to a slow start, with no goals in his first eight games. Toews has picked up the pace of late while often playing alongside Kane.Now this team will find out even more about itself over the next 11 days and six games, as it makes its way through Western Canada and Southern California.One thing that Bowman looks forward to is the fact that his young players, like 20-year-old college star Nick Schmaltz and 20-year-old defenseman Gustav Forsling, will get their first chance to spend quality time with the rest of the veteran core that remains so much of the teams identity.Those vets -- 37-year-old veteran Marian Hossa has 15 points in 16 games, for instance -- have helped to deflect some of the attention that might otherwise be on these young players as they get their NHL feet under them.Now theyll get a chance to spend time together away from the rink and connect in a much more personal way -- something thats been difficult with veterans for the most part heading home to their families when the teams in Chicago.We want these guys to come together as teammates, Bowman said. Right now they dont know each other all that well.This road trip should change that, just as it might give us a clearer understanding of exactly what this Blackhawks team is capable of.Fake Yeezy China . JOHNS, N. Yeezy China . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. https://www.yeezychina.us/ . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Cheap Yeezy China . MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez also will attend the session, which was announced Monday. The league has discussed placing its next two expansion teams in Miami and Atlanta. Discount Yeezy Store . Kiriasis and brakeman Franziska Fritz finished two runs in one minute 55.41 seconds -- a mere 0.01 seconds ahead of Meyers and Lolo Jones, who likely bolstered her Olympic hopes by helping give USA-1 a huge push in the second heat.Amid the drama of the tight finish, and the praise for Ben Stokes all-round performance, Jonny Bairstows achievements in Chittagong perhaps didnt gain the plaudits they deserved.Not only did Bairstow produce arguably the most polished display of keeping in his Test career to date, but he set a new record for the most runs in a calendar year by a Test wicketkeeper.While it is true that modern schedules provide more games, and, therefore, greater opportunity to set such records, Bairstow surpassed the mark set by Andy Flower (1,045 runs in 16 innings, set in 2000) in his 18th innings. The previous highest aggregate of runs in a calendar year by an England wicketkeeper was 777 by Matt Prior in 2012. With a maximum of six more Tests to play this year, Bairstow now has Michael Vaughans record of the most Test runs in a calendar year (1,481 in 26 innings in 2002) by an England batsman within his sight. With 1,091, he is already the highest run-scorer in Test cricket this year, and the only man to reach 1,000.But, we have come to expect high standards of his batting. We have become accustomed to him rescuing England from poor starts, and accustomed to him scoring quickly. Only Joe Root, of the top 10 Test run-scorers this year, has scored at a faster rate than Bairstows 61.08 runs per 100 balls.It is his keeping that has remained the debating point.It was excellent in Chittagong. Excellent standing up to the spinners, anyway. While there were a couple of fumbles against the seamers - and one drop down the leg side - in the brutally hot and humid conditions, he put in a performance of which any keeper would be proud. Dealing with the unpredictable spin and bounce of the wicket expertly, he rated it probably his best Test yet with the gloves.You do not have to search far to see the source of the improvement. While Englands net session in Dhaka was winding down, with various team-mates playing football or heading for the shade, Bairstow opted for another half-hour of practise. With Steve Rhodes firing the balls at him, Bairstow continued to grow accustomed, not just to the movements required of a keeper in these conditions, but to concentrating in the heat and humidity. He confesses that, left to his own devices, he would prefer not to wear a helmet when keeping, but accepts the ECBs insistence that he must.It really is just a case of working hard, he said. I know how quickly things can change. I know how hard I have to work to keep improving.It went welll in Chittagong, but there might be two chances I put down in the next game.ddddddddddddThe challenge is heightened in the subcontinent, with the amount it can turn and how close we stand behind the stumps. Youre in the game every single ball. Some balls turn and some balls skid on. If youre not 100% on it and enjoying it, its going to get tougher and tougher.Success tastes all the sweeter for Bairstow as he has endured plenty of tough times along the way. Being dropped after the 2013-14 Ashes clearly hurt greatly, and he admits the desire to prove his critics wrong has been a strong motivational force.You go back, maybe two years, and there are people writing you off to never play Test cricket again, he said. There were a few mumbles floating around that I wasnt good enough.I was out of the side for about 18 months, and Im delighted with how Ive come back. I worked hard at Yorkshire during those months. It was kind of a good thing I went away. I learned about my keeping, worked on my batting, and Ive come back stronger for that.It is good to come back and prove a few people wrong with the way that Ive been playing. Its a pretty amazing feeling.Having had that period out of international cricket, Bairstow is understandably keen to play every game he can. So, while he understands the talk of rest and rotation, he certainly wont be volunteering for a break.I want to play every game I can, he said. Having missed out for 18 months after the Ashes, gone away, worked on my game and earned my place back, I want to play as many games as you can for England in every single format going. Its only natural. If Im rested, so be it, but Im pleased with the way Im catching the ball and batting.He is not complaining at the relative lack of attention given to his performance in Chittagong, either. Knowing that, all too often, keepers only attract comments when they struggle, he is wise enough to interpret the lack of coverage of his performance as a compliment.If Im going unnoticed and keeping well, thats the best way forward me, he said. But I was very pleased to get some positive comments.I hadnt really thought about the record, but Im absolutely delighted to now hold it. Its great to be talked about in such great company.These are early days in Englands toughest of tours. But it has been a quietly impressive start from Bairstow. ' ' '