When the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 2010, they had a few weeks to enjoy the victory before the draft. This time the Blackhawks had less than a week to begin the offseason and get to work after winning the Cup. Six days after bringing a championship to Chicago, the Blackhawks were busy at the NHL Draft on Sunday.

The Blackhawks started the day drafting Chicago native Ryan Hartman with the 30th pick in the draft. A lot of people were excited that Hartman is a local kid, but the Blackhawks drafted him because of his skill and not where he was from. Then the Blackhawks, who started the day with five picks total, drafted seven more players after a few trades.

Dave Bolland was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs for three draft picks. Soon after Michael Frolik was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for two picks. This opened the door for the Blackhawks to keep Bryan Bickell in Chicago for another four years. Continue reading →

Last night was one of the greatest nights in Chicago sports history. It’s not  just the fact they won, but how they won. Later I will post my thoughts on the game, season and give a preview for the summer.

Blackhawks fans began to panic just after 7 p.m. Chicago time on Monday night.

Slowly tweets started coming in that Marian Hossa was a late scratch for Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final. Whether you were at home on a computer or standing in a bar reading your cellphone, the surprising news began to sink in. If you weren’t around technology the announcers on NBC Sports Network let 4 million know Hossa’s status. NBC analyst Mike Milbury probably thought in his head that Hossa is a disinterested Slovakian like the rest of his European counterparts. Continue reading →

Last season left a bad taste in my mouth. Not because how the Blackhawks lost to the Coyotes. Not because the future of Marian Hossa was in jeopardy after Raffi Torres tried to end his career. The upsetting part was the impatience from Blackhawks fans about general manager Stan Bowman.

People questioned him not signing a big free agent the summer before. Fans were mad that he stayed loyal to Corey Crawford between the pipes. While Blackhawks fans blasted Bowman and wanted him gone, I knew he was the right guy for the job and wanted to give him more time. Continue reading →

The Blackhawks and Bruins barley got here. Both teams were in danger of being eliminated earlier than expected.

Boston was about to blow a 3-1 series lead against division foe Toronto in the first round. The Leafs led Game 7 4-1 with under 11 minutes to go and 4-2 with under 90 seconds remaining. The Bruins shocked the hockey world with two quick goals and won in overtime. Since then they are 8-1 in the playoffs with their only loss coming in overtime.

Chicago trailed bitter rivals Detroit 3-1 in the second round. The Blackhawks lost three straight for the first time all season and couldn’t solve Red Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard. The Blackhawks bounced back in Game 5 and entered the third period of Game 6 trailing by a goal. An inspired three-goal burst in the final period forced a Game 7 where the Blackhawks won in overtime. The Hawks went on to win the Western Conference in five. Continue reading →