NHL
Sports Moment of the Day — Chicago Blackhawks 2010 Stanley Cup Champions
Thursday, June 10th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks are your 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions. The Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night to take the hard-fought series 4-2. The Blackhawks clinched 3 of their 4 series win en route to hoisting the cup on the road this post-season.
The Blackhawks won the game on Patrick Kane’s 10th goal of the post-season. Somehow Kane rifled the puck under the pad or the skate of Flyers goalie Michael Leighton. Kane knew it was a game winner immediately, but because the light did not go on and no horn sounded, no one knew where the puck was. The Blackhawks continued their celebration as the officials confirmed the game-winning goal on video replay. Flyers players and fans looked on in disbelief as their dreams of a Stanley Cup title came crashing to a halt.
Jonathan Toews was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for the best player during the post-season. Although he had the 2nd highest point total of any player this post-season, he earned the honor because he led his team to the title. Toews tied a Blackhawks team record with his 29 post-season points. His 22 assists were a new franchise post-season record. Denis Savard had 29 points with 20 assists during the Blackhawks 1985 post-season run. Toews also became only the 3rd hockey player ever to win an Olympics Gold Medal (with Team Canada in Vancouver back in February) and a Stanley Cup Title in the same year.
The title ended the longest current Stanley Cup title drought in the NHL – the Blackhawks last won a championship back in 1961. The Flyers had also suffered for a long time, last winning the Stanley Cup crown in back-to-back years in 19754 and 1975. The Flyers have now lost their last 6 Stanley Cup appearances.
Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp (against his former team) and Andrew Ladd scored the Blackhawks first 3 goals of the game. Unsung hero Antti Niemi saved 21 of 24 Flyers shots on goal. Niemi proved to be a reliable goaltender throughout the entire playoffs as the Blackhawks were never forced into a Game 7 situation (1 series sweep and 3 series wins in 6 games).
Crazy stat of the series — Marian Hossa finally won that elusive Stanley Cup title. Playing on his 3rd team in 3 years, Hossa had appeared in each of the last 3 Stanley Cup Series. In 2008, Hossa’s Penguins lost to the Red Wings in 7 games. In 2009, Hossa who had then jumped from the Penguins to the Red Wings faced his former team in the Stanley Cup. But this time it was the Penguins who upset the Red Wings in Game 7 in Detroit. Hossa finally ended up on the winning team this time around as the Blackhawks defeated the Flyers in 6 games.
The celebration continues with a parade through the loop of the streets of Chicago on Friday June 11th – it should be a blast. After losing a fan base under the guise of owner Bill Wertz, kudos to Rocky Wertz and John McDonough who re-invigorated a fan base by televising home games once again and shrewd marketing techniques that helped even the “average joe” fall in love with this exciting, young squad.
Cup Time — Blackhawks Advance to Stanley Cup Finals with 4-2 Win Over Sharks
Monday, May 24th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks have advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals for the 1st time since 1992 after they swept the #1 Seed San Jose Sharks in 4 straight games in the Western Conference Finals.
After the Sharks raced out to a 2-0 lead midway through the 2nd period, it looked like the Hawks might have to close out the series back in San Jose later this week. But the Blackhawks quickly answered with goals by Brent Seabrook and Dave Bolland to tie the game at 2 before the end of the period.
Then it looked like we might be headed to another overtime contest, but Dustin Byfuglien’s 8th post-season goal with just under 6 minutes left to go in the game put the Hawsk ahead for good. Byfuglien has scored all 8 of his goals in the last 2 series against the Vancouver Canucks and Sharks and has proved to be a valuable forward on attack with the Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane after playing the 1st round of the playoffs as a defenseman. He is a big reason that Toews continues to increase his post-season franchise record of scoring at least 1 point in a game with either a goal or assist. Toews has now made it 13 straight games this post-season with his assist on Byfuglien’s game winner.
Kris Versteeg closed out the scoring in the 4-2 win with an empty netter with under a minute left to play.
Antti Niemi proved as good as gold again in net. Although he only faced 18 shots in the game – the lowest number of shots taken by the Sharks this series – he stopped 16 of them. And more importantly, instead of getting down on himself after allowing the 1st 2 goals of the game, he rallied to keep the Sharks out of the net the rest of the way.
Now the Hawks await the winner of the Philadelphia Flyers and Montreal Canadiens Eastern Conference Finals to find out who they will play in the Stanley Cup series. Can’t wait – this city has waited long enough to hoist a Stanley Cup Trophy on the United Center ice here in Chicago…
Blackhawks Top Sharks 3-2 in Thrilling Overtime Win, 1 Game Away From Stanley Cup
Saturday, May 22nd, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, NHL, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
The Blackhawks defeated the Sharks 3-2 in overtime on Friday night at the United Center in Chicago. The Blackhawks need just 1 more win to advance to their first Stanley Cup appearance since 1992.
After a scoreless 1st period, each team scored on a power play goal in the 2nd period. Patrick Marleau scored 4 minutes into the period and Patrick Sharp answered for the Blackhawks just 3 minutes later.
It was still tied at 1 to start the 3rd period, but the Sharks came out firing on all cylinders in the final frame. Although the Sharks would end up out-shotting the Hakws in the period by an 18-6 margin, it was the Blackhawks who answered the call with less than 7 minutes to play on Dave Bolland’s goal. It looked like the Hawks would get the in regulation, but Marleau knocked in his 2nd goal of the game with less than 5 minutes to play.
So to overtime we go. This period, the Hawks were the aggressor, sensing a chance to put the series away for good with a win. The Hawks quickly outshot the Sharks 11-5, and at the 12:24 mark of the 1st overtime period, Bolland fed a wide open Dustin Byfuglien in front of the net for the game winner. It was the 4th straight game in which Byfuglien has scored a goal and it was his 7th goal of the post-season. Byfuglien is quickly turning into one of the most productive forwards for the Hawks in the playoffs as other teams focus on the more well-known goal scoring prowess of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Marian Hossa.
But let’s not forget about the fabulous goal-tending of Antti Niemi. The Sahrks literally threw everything but the kitchen sink at Niemi and he still managed to hold down the fort. It was the 2nd game of the series in which Niemi saved 44 shots. Unbelievable! Outstanding! Superb! The rookie has proved everyone wrong, as it is clear that Niemi has what it takes to lead a team to 16 wins during any given post-season to capture the Stanley Cup crown. IN the 3-game series thus far, Niemi has made 113 total saves, while allowing just 5 goals. This to one of the most productive offenses in all of hockey. It is truly a special thing to be able to watch Niemi night in and night out.
Captain Jonathan Toews (just 22 years of gae) also set a Hawks’ franchise playoff record by recording at least 1 point in 12 straight post-season games (he had 2 assists in the win). Toews was honored to set the record and is even more jacked to get a chance to play in his first ever Stanley Cup — “I mean, you’re not going to get too high on yourself or too full of yourself like that. You got to do the right things and play the right way if you’re going to have success… We’ve done that. There’s nothing about us that says we’re unbeatable. As soon as we get away from playing our game, you know, we’re a mediocre average team. We got to go out there, work hard, stick to our guns, stick to how we learned to play this year. The way we’re going to be tough to beat.” Sounds like a man who knows where his team is headed – straight to hoisting that magnificent Stanley Cup after 5 more wins this post-season.
Game 4 is Sunday afternoon at the United Center.
Blackhawks Seize 2-0 Advantage over Sharks in Western Conference Finals
Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
They are a team of destiny. Riding an unbelievable road winning streak, the Blackhawks beat the Sharks 4-2 at the Shark Tank on Tuesday night and took a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals. It was the 7th straight road playoff win for the Hawks – tying an NHL record. Only the 1999 Colorado Avalanche, the 1995 New Jersey Devils and the 1980 and 1982 New York Islanders have had similar 7-game road winning streaks in a single post-season.
The Blackhawks raced out to 1 3-0 lead midway through the 2nd period. Andrew Ladd got the Hawks on the scoreboard first with a 1st period goal. Then, Dustin Byfuglien and Jonathan Toews each scored on deflections in front of the net just 1:30 apart in the 2nd period to give the Hawks the 3-0 advantage. And although the Sharks answered with a goal of their own in the 2nd period to cut the lead to 3-1, Antti Niemi and the Hawks defense stayed focused the rest of the way as the Hawks still held a 2-goal lead entering the final frame. When Troy Brouwer scored off some nifty passes by Niklas Hjalmarsson and Marian Hossa to give the Hawks a 4-1 lead with only 13+ minutes left in the game, you had a feeling this one was over.
After the teams combined for 95 shots in Game 1, as we predicted, it was a much more controlled game for both squads in Game 2. The Sharks still outshot the Hawks at home (27-22), but they managed just 7 shots on goal in the final frame. Niemi put forth another incredible effort making 25 saves against the #1 seeded Sharks in their home arena.
The Hawks are playing with a ton of confidence. You can see it in their effort on the ice and in their post-game comments.
Defenseman Duncan Kieth was amazed that the Hawks won both games in San Jose — “It’s a good start. To come into this building, a tough building to come into, and to get two wins is good. At the same time as a team we realize that there’s still a lot of hockey left to be played.”
Star forward Patrick Kane loves the team’s comraderie on the road — “The way we’ve been playing on the road, it just seems like everything has gone right for us. Sometimes you get on the road, it’s just a simpler attitude. We’ve had a lot of fun with bonding in the hotel and different things. Sometimes you do that, it’s almost like you’re clicking before you’re even on the ice.”
And Head Coach Joel Quenneville credits his staff and team for being to stick to the game plan on the road – “I like our approach. I think our focus is in the right areas. The guys are sticking together off the ice, come prepared for games, playing a simpler game than we’ve probably seen at home.”
The series continues on Friday night at the United Center in Chicago. The Hawks have played much better on the road than at home – they are just 3-3 at home – so the Sharks still have a chance to make this a series. If the Hawks won on Friday night, the would be able to complete the sweep on Sunday afternoon in front of their home town crowd at the UC.
Blackhawks Overcome 1-0 1st Period Hole, Top Sharks 2-1 in Game 1 of Western Conference Finals
Monday, May 17th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | 1 Comment
OK — I am sold on Goalie Antti Niemi. What a performance from the rookie goalie in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon. The Sharks scored on Jason Demers power play goal just over 11 minutes into the 1st period and then continued to barrage Niemi to the tune of 13 1st period shots on goal. But the rookie never gave in and he seemed to get more and more confident as the game wore. 18 saves in the 2nd period; 14 more saves in the 3rd period; a total off 44 saves on 45 shots on goal in the 1st game ever in the Shark Tank of San Jose’s HP Pavilion. Unbelievable. Like most hockey critics and analsyts, I questioned whether Cristobal Huet or Niemi would be able to lead the Blackhawks to 16 wins in the post-season to capture that elusive Stanley Cup title. After his performance in Round 1, when he pitched 2 shutouts after Game 1 and Game 3 losses to the Predators, you could see that he had it in him to perform at a high level under high pressure situations. The Hawks won the final 3 games of that series and then carried that momentum over into the Semi-Finals against the Vancouver Canucks. Sure Niemi (and the rest of the team for that matter) looked “off” in the Game 1 and Game 5 losses at the United Center, but when you win 3 road games in a series this late in the season, you gotta be doing something right. Niemi took it to another level on Sunday. Both teams had been coming off of longer-than-usual layoffs (Hawks 4 days; Sharks 8 days) so you didn’t really know what to expect. Both teams came out firing right from the start and they combined for a total of 95 shots on goal – which is a TON for a playoff hockey game. I doubt we’ll see a similar display on Tuesday night as the 2 teams now have a game under their belts to figure out each other a little bit more, but if Niemi plays even half as well as he did on Sunday, the Hawks should be in good shape.
As for the Hawks offense, patrick Sharp tied up the game 7 minutes into the 2nd period with his 6th goal of the post-season. Then, in the 3rd period, Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane assisted Dustin Byfuglien on the game winner with just under 7 minutes left to play in regulation. After being held scoreless in the 1st series against the Predators, Byfuglien has now racked up 5 post-season goals in 2010.
Marian Hossa smacked 6 shots on goal in the win, and it’s only a matter of time before he gets a goal or 2 in a game. Kane and Sharp followed Hossa with 5 shots on goal apiece. The Hawks applied a lot of pressure to Ebgeni Nabokov and look for them to be even more aggressive in Game 2 on Tuesday night.
The Hawks did what they needed to do – win one of the 1st two games on the road in the Shark Tank. They can play a little more laid-back on Tuesday which could allow them to sneak another road win before heading back to Chicago for Games 3 and 4 on Friday and Sunday over the weekend. Either way, you have to like the performance – only 3 more wins to go until the Hawks get a chance to claim the Stanley Cup for the city of Chicago…
Western Conference Finals Start Today — Hawks @ Sharks
Sunday, May 16th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, San Jose Sharks, Sports | No Comments
Bring it on – the Chicago Blackhawks kick off the Western Conference Finals in San Jose today with a 12 noon west coast puck drop against the Sharks.
Antti Niemi will face the Sharks for the 1st time this season (Cristobal Huet started the 4 regular season games against the Sharks in which the Hawks won 3 of the games).
Hawks star Patrick Kane is excited for the series to begin after his team had a 5-day layoff and after the Sharks had an 8-day layoff: “Both teams might come out a little sloppy, but I’m sure we’ll find our game pretty soon in the series. I think it’s going to make for a great series. I think there’s a lot of great players.
The Hawks finished just 1 point behind the Sharks for the best record in the West this season. The Sharks have never made it to a Stanley Cup series, losing to the Calgary Flames in their only franchise finals appearance back in 2004. The Hawks have not won a Stanley Cup series since 1961.
Head Coach Joel Quenneville says it’s not good enough that his squad has reached the Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row — “We shouldn’t feel satisfied. We shouldn’t feel like we’ve accomplished anything. I know getting back to where we got to last year, it’s where we wanted to be. But getting to the next round is what we’re all about. One obstacle that the Hawks must overcome – a rookie goaltender. Antti Niemi is a rookie and an NHL team has not rode a rookie goalie all the way to a Stanley Cup Championship since Patrick Roy led the Montreal Canadiens to the promised land as a rookie back in 1986. Come on Antti – let’s make a name for yourself and bring home a championship for the city of Chicago. Go Hawks!!!
Flyers Join Record Books with 4-3 Win Over Bruins in Game 7 in Boston
Saturday, May 15th, 2010 | General, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks | No Comments
Crazy – the Boston Bruins raced out to a 3-0 series lead and looked to be on the verge of reaching the NHL’s Eastern Conference Finals. But just like that, the Flyers became only the 3rd team to overcome a 3-0 deficit in a 7-game series to oust the bewildered Bruins out of the playoffs. The other 2 teams to accomplish the feat were the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs who beat the Detroit Red Wings and the 1975 New York Islanders who ousted the Pittsburgh Penguins.
It is an unlikely Conference Finals match-up between the 7th seeded Flyers and the 8th seeded Montreal Canadiens who took out the Washington Capitals and the Penguins. In contrast, the Western Conference Finals features the conference’s top 2 teams – the San Jose Sharks and the Chicago Blackhawks. Get ready for some more exciting NHL playoff action…
Blackhawks Answer Call with “Easy” 5-1 Win Over Canucks; Headed for 2nd Straight Conference Finals
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, NHL, Nashville Predators, San Jose Sharks, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks eliminated the Vancouver Canucks for the 2nd straight NHL post-season with a convincing 5-1 win at GM Place on Tuesday night. The Hawks won the series 4 games to 2 and will now advance to the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd year in a row. The Blackhawks lost to the Detroit Red Wings in 5 games in last year’s Conference Finals and will look to advance to the Stanley Cup for the 1st time since 1971 with a series win over the San Jose Sharks this month.
After a scoreless 1st period that saw a total of 25 shots on goal, it looked like it would be a defensive battle all night long. But Troy Brouwer and Kris Versteeg scored goals just 36 seconds apart 2 minutes into the 2nd period and the Hawks had a quick 2-0 lead. Dave Bolland’s short-handed goal with 45 seconds left in the 2nd period gave the Hawks a commanding 3-goal lead heading into the final period. The Hawks held the Canucks to just 6 shots on goal in that decisive 2nd period and by the end of the game’s 1st 40 minutes, goalie Antti Niemi had saved all of the Canucks’ 19 shots on goal.
You gotta give the Canucks some credit though. They came out firing on all cylinders in the 3rd period and even scored a goal just over 3 minutes into the period to cut the lead to 3-1. But less than 5 minutes later, Patrick Kane put the dagger in the Canucks’ proverbial backs with a brilliant goal that gave the Hakws a 4-1 lead. When Dustin Byfuglien drove home his 4th goal of the series just 25 seconds later, the celebration for the Hawks was on.
Niemi stopped 29 of 30 shots on goal and won his 2nd straight post-season series. He has proved all the critics wrong with his stellar goal-tending throughout the entire post-season. Sure, he has had an “off” game or 2 in each of the 1st 2 series, but it doesn’t get him down and he seems to be able to re-group and be focused for the next contest.
The other crazy thing to take from the Hawks is their better play on the road than at home. The Hawks won all 3 games on the road in the Vancouver series in convincing fashion – 5-2; 7-4; and 5-1. The Hawks also won 2 of the 3 games played on the road in the opening round series win over the Nashville Predators. That leaves them with a 5-1 road record this post-season, with a disappointing 3-2 home record at the United Center. It is shocking to see the Hawks struggle at home this post-season since they won 29 games at home during the regular season. They did have a winning record on the road as well – 23-14-4 – but I’m surprised to see how tense they are playing in front of the home town fans.
It was a good thing that the Hawks packed their bags for an extended trip on the west coast. The Hawks head to San Jose today to get ready for the Conference Finals series which will likely begin sometime this weekend. The Hawks took 3 of the 4 games from the Sharks in the regular season series, so they do have the confidence to take out the West’s #1 seed (by 1-point) in a 7-game series. After falling behind the Colorado Avalanche 2 games to 1 in the opening round of the playoffs, the Sharks have been on a roll – winning 7 of their last 8 games. They won the final 3 games of the Avalanche series and took out the defending Western Conference Champion Red Wings in just 5 easy games, so it is going to be a dog fight. I can’t wait!
This is why you should watch minor league hockey
Wednesday, May 12th, 2010 | NHL | No Comments
These guys make NHL games look boring. This is a fight from a minor league game a day ago.
Blackhawks Look to Oust Canucks in Game 6 in Vancouver
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010 | Chicago Blackhawks, NHL, Sports, Vancouver Canucks | No Comments
The Chicago Blackhawks look to oust the Canucks from post-season play in Game 6 in Vancouver tonight. The Blackhawks put forth a lackluster performance in Game 5 at the United Center on Sunday, dropping the contest 4-1 after falling behind 3-0 early. The Blackhawks looked flat all game long and didn’t put the Canucks away when they had them on the ropes. The Hawks were 0 for 5 on the power play after scoring 7 power play goals in the first 5 games. Captain Jonathan Toews scored the Hawks’ lobe goal in the 3rd period, but by then it was too little too late. Although the Hawks out-shot the Canucks 30-23, the Canucks were more lethal with their shots on goal. Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo out-played his counterpart Antti Niemi by stopping 29 shots to just 20 by Niemi. Now it’s down to the nitty-gritty as the two teams meet up for Game 6 in Vancouver tonight.
The Hawks defeated the Canucks in Games 3 and 4 at GM Place by outscoring their opponent 12-6. It was the 1st time that the Canucks lost consecutive games at home in regulation all season long. You gotta like the Hawks confidence to win Game 6 tonight. Rumor has it that the Hawks have packed some extra clothes so that they can head straight south to San Jose to get ready to play in the Western Conference Finals against the Sharks over the weekend. Forward Kris Versteeg down played the move — “You never know what’s going to happen so you pack as if you’re going to win and that’s what we expect to do… We expect to win. That’s that.” Patrick Kane expressed similar sentiments — “We put ourselves in this situation. We want to win, obviously, in Game 6 and not give ourselves a chance to go to Game 7.” Now if this was the Cubs that we were talking about, I would say this was a jinx for the Hawks to pack for the long road trip and that there was NO WAY that they would win in Vancouver tonight. But this is the Hawks and they’re going to come out firing on all cylinders en route to the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd consecutive NHL post-season.
