Final Blog Component

The Blackhawks have had a record breaking 1,006,920 fans this season—obviously the marketing team is doing something right (and so are the Hawks)!

In an effort to better publicize and market the youth of the Hawks, the Blackhawks marketing team has created some clever commercials. They have been focused on the 'One Goal' campaign this season; the 'one goal' is in reference to their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup, which as of right now is still within reach. Click here to be directed to the Hawks All Access to see Kane and Toews sport their playoff beards in the 'One Goal' commercial. Click here to find Kane's 'One Goal' commercial with a young fan that aspires to play in the NHL, like Kane.

Here’s what some of the fans are saying:

“To have that kind of talent at such a young age is just incredible! I love watching Kane play!”—David Pilling, 49

“It’s unbelievable to watch the younger guys grow up together out on the ice. We haven’t made it to the playoffs in forever, and now thanks to these kids out there, here we are!”—Tom Kasler, 52

“Go Hawks! You’re the man Toews!”—Dan Lehman, 41

“My favorite Blackhawks player is #19, Jonathan Toews.”—Brian Roy, 15

“It’s finally our year! We have a young team that’s proven themselves. Go Blackhawks!”—Colton Bailey, 19

Here's a look at what the Hawks are up against--be sure to watch out for these guys in tomorrow nights game:

These guys are really fast:

• The Sedin twins from Sweden: Daniel with 31 goals, and Henrik with 22--they are Vancouver's top skaters for the playoffs
• Ryan Kesler has 26 goals

Their Captain and star goalie

• Roberto Luongo

Be sure to watch the game tomorrow night at 7:00 p.m. and cheer on the Hawks!!

Update

Check back tomorrow for a team comparison between the Hawks and the Canucks.

Hawks Win!!

HAWKS WIN TONIGHT!! They beat Vancouver 6-3 and will be coming home to play their next game on Tuesday, May 5th at 7:00 p.m. The Canucks are hot...BUT THE HAWKS ARE HOTTER!! I was initially worried going into round #2, only because Vancouver has been playing so well. After tonight though, I really think we can do it! Go Hawks!

Hawks Move On

ROUND 2 FOR THE HAWKS!! WOOOO

Hawks Win!

The Hawks won tonight with a final game score of 5-1!! They are now leading 3-2 over Calgary in round #1 of the playoffs.

Forgot to Mention...

I forgot to include this detail regarding the playoffs:

• The 7 games that are played each round are rotated between the 2 teams home stadiums; however, a benefit for the team who finished with a higher ranking, is that they have game 7 played  at home. For example, the Hawks are ranked 4th and Calgary is 5th, so the Hawks play the first 2 games home, the next 2 at Calgary, the next 1 home, the following at Calgary, and if they are tied with 3 games each, the 7th game will be home for the Hawks

Playoffs for Dummies

Here's how the NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs work:

• The No. 1 seated team plays No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6, and No. 4 plays No. 5
• The Hawks ended the season ranked No. 4, so they are playing Calgary (No. 5)
• There are 4 rounds in the playoffs and 7 games in each round
• The 7 games are alternated between the 2 teams home stadiums
• The first 2 games, the Hawks were home at the United Center (we WON these 2!)
• The second 2 games were played in Calgary (we unfortunately lost)
• Both teams will now come back to the United Center to play the 5th playoff game in the first round
• Right now they are tied 2-2...so the Hawks need to win this next game!!

Cheer on the Hawks as they play Calgary at the United Center on Saturday, April 25th at 8:00 p.m.!! GO BLACKHAWKS!!

Player Watch

Players to look out for against Calgary:

• Jarome Iginla--he has scored 35 goals this season for the Flames
• Todd Bertuzzi--he's a goon, we'll probably see a fight from him tonight
• Andre Roy--he's a big fighter

Game 2

Watch the Hawks as they play Game #2 of the playoffs against the Calgary Flames. The puck drops at 8:00 p.m. tonight at the United Center. If you can't get to a TV, be sure to check out the score throughout the game here.

Playoffs

The Blackhawks are in the playoffs!! They had their first playoff game against Calgary on Thursday night. They won in overtime 3-2; Havlat scored the winning goal.

Easter With the Hawks

My family and I will be spending Easter as we do every year--with the Blackhawks! Come join us and support the Hawks in their final game of the season; they will be playing the Detroit Red Wings again at 1:00pm. In addition, the Hawks will be giving away their jerseys at the end of the game.

Blackhawks Fired Up

The Chicago Blackhawks played the Detroit Red Wings this afternoon...AND WON!! The Hawks beat the Red Wings 4-2, marking their first win over Detroit all year. It was Dustin Byfuglien's penalty shot that broke the tie with less than 30 seconds on the clock. He has been playing well recently--he must know he's trade bait. For more on the victory over Detroit check this out.

Playoff Standings

Western Conference Playoff Standings:

1. San Jose Sharks

2. Detroit Red Wings

3. Vancouver Canucks

4. Chicago Blackhawks

5. Calgary Flames

6. Columbus Blue Jackets

7. Anaheim Ducks

8. St Louis Blues

The Baseball Strike of '94 Inevitable

The 1994 Major League baseball strike was inevitable; the players thought the 232-day long strike was how best to proceed following the deteriorating financial situation in baseball.

Between the salary cap and revenue sharing, and in addition, commissioners holding all of the power, it was no surprise the years of tension led to what became the 13^th work stoppage in the history of baseball.

A timeline of baseball salary as stated by John Helyar in Lords of the Realm:

· 1 1984

o -The PRC would push for some major structural changes: a cap on team payrolls, for one, and a cap on the maximum raise in salary arbitration

o 21 of 26 teams lost money, for a combined operating loss of $41 million

· 1990

o Bud Selig and Jerry Reinsdorf favored a lockout in the hopes of achieving the goal of determining salaries of players with under 6 years’ service by a statistical formula

o PRC brought the idea of a “revenue participation” plan to the table. It stated that the players would get 48% of the gross

In a span of 10 years, the PRC made many poor attempts at compromising with the needs and requests of the players.

But the salary cap, though a large factor in the strike, wasn’t the only reason players were infuriated; there was also the idea of revenue sharing.

While some may argue that revenue sharing could be seen as a positive aspect, as the smaller teams would benefit, it only heightened tension. There was no way that the larger city owners would agree to help out teams in smaller cities. The idea of balance doesn’t quite factor in when owners are clearly only concerned with the success of their team.

Finally, a dictatorship didn’t work for Hitler, I don’t know why people would think it could work for baseball. The commissioner at the time, Fay Vincent, had all the power—what a bad idea—all the power and yet no concern for the players or their demands. The commissioner remained focused on one thing—himself! It’s a good thing he was forced to resign in 1992.

As with most mistakes, hopefully the strike of ’94 was a message learned.

John Isner

I attended the Indian Wells Tennis Open in Palm Springs, California a week ago. While I was at breakfast I ran into John Isner; I couldn't believe how tall he is! He is 6'9"! I had to post a picture of him.

Tennis Update

On the tennis front, Roger Federer lost at the Indian Wells Open, making it his third loss this year. He lost in the semis to Andy Murray.

This is the year of comebacks and new faces at the top. Andy Roddick, for example, is having a major comback--this could be because of his new coach though. He made it to the semis at Indian Wells where he lost to Rafael Nadal.

Other names to look out for this year are: Fernando Verdasco, Fernando Gonzalez, Richard Gasquet, and Gilles Simon.

Great Wiz Fight!

In honor of James Wisniewski, who will no longer be with the hawks, pleace check out this video of his fight against Tootoo on the Predators.

Rafa or Federer to win Wimbledon?

Who do you think will win Wimbledon this year, Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer?

Current Standings

Here are the current standings for the NHL Western Conference:

1. San Jose Sharks
2. Detroit Red Wings
3. Calgary Flames
4. Chicago Blackhawks
5. Vancouver Canucks
6. Nashville Predators
7. Columbus Blue Jackets
8. Dallas Stars

The Anaheim Ducks, who recently got Wisniewski, are ranked No. 10 and are still vying for a playoff spot.

Check out the NHL website for more updates on standings!

Trade

To make matters even better, the Hawks got Samuel Pahlsson from the Ducks (since they are soo good--NOT) and Logan Stephenson. Hopefully the Hawks see better players with the draft pick.

A Time To Mourn

Blackhawks fans can begin the mourning process, as my husband--James Wisniewski--was just traded to the Ducks.

Coming Soon

I am currently working on an article surround tennis, so beginning soon, you will be getting my opinion on both hockey and tennis. I will be attending the Indian Wells Tennis Tournament in Palm Springs, California, where I will hopefully have the opportunity to interview some of the top ranked players in the world. I am so excited and I will keep you posted!

Ice Crew

I wonder what the requirements are to be apart of the Chicago Blackhawks Ice Crew?

If I had to guess...just kidding! I think it's funny how they now have men that scrape and clean the ice with the girls. They weren't really doing much out there other than exciting the audience, so they needed to have guys go out there with them to actually do the work.

Last week I was at one of the Hawks games and as usual the Ice Crew came out on the ice and all the men in the stands began whistling and cheering. As one of the girls was skating off the ice she did some tricks in the center of the ice, and when she was twirling, she fell flat on the ice. Everyone started booing her and laughing--myself included--it was so funny!

Playoff Tickets

With the playoffs in sight, tickets are beginning to go on sale. For rounds 1 and 2 of the playoffs, tickets are $95. The third round tickets run $130 and it's $150 for the finals. Buy your tickets now, I bought mine already!!

Ladies Man

Which Blackhawk do you think is the biggest ladies man? Check this out for help

Hawks to Start Season in Finland

Check out this story; 4 teams, including the Blackhawks, will open the 2009-10 season in Europe! The Hawks will verse the Florida Panthers at the Hartwall Arena on Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3, in Helsinki, Finland. This game will mark the 1st time in 17 years that the Blackhawks will play in Europe.

Probert Night at United Center

The Hawks will honor Bob Probert on February 22nd as they take on the Minnesota Wild. I will be going to the game to cheer them on in person! If you can't make it to the game, be sure to watch them as they honor Probert--they usually do something pretty cool when they honor players. I'll never forget when they honored Tony Esposito. They passed out Tony masks to everyone in the United Center; it was a sea of white masks. It was such an amazing night...so be sure to tune in (and look for me on TV)!

In Your Opinion...

Question: Do you think it's more important to be small and fast on the ice, or to have big bodies out there, that might not be the best skaters, but can fight?

Hawks Stop Home For Valentine's Day

The Blackhawks have been on an 8 game road trip, winning 5 of the 8 games. It's their second long road trip of the season.

They stop home tonight, Valentine's Day, to take on the Dallas Stars at 7:30p.m.

After tonight's game they will continue on the road to play 3 more games.

Watch the Hawks tonight!

Sick Of All the Hype Yet?

Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews are now in their second season of professional hockey playing for the Chicago Blackhawks. While they are in their second season, the hype of having such young athletes with the amount of talent that they do continues to rise.

I think it’s insane how much media coverage the two of them get, when the leading scorer of the team for the last 2 years has been Patrick Sharp.

Sharp has led the Hawks in scoring with 36 goals for the 2007-2008 season, and is currently in the lead this season with 23 goals. Meanwhile it’s all about Kane, who had 21 goals last season and currently has 17 for this season, as well as Toews, with 24 for 2007-2008 and 17 so far this season.

Both Kane and Toews are great players and obviously leaders in scoring, but it’s frustrating that they are the only players to receive media coverage on the team.

The Hawks have a lot of great young players this year, such as Ben Eager and Kris Versteeg, however the focus remains on Kane and Toews.

I’d like to see the media begin to give credit where credit is due—I want to read an article about a player other than Kane or Toews.

Be The Best Valentine

Do you have a gift for your Valentine? It's not too late to enter the Blackhawks Valentine's Day Sweepstakes. You and your date could be the lucky winners of tickets to the February 14th game where the Blackhawks take on Dallas. Also, you win dinner at the Governor's Room and flowers delivered to your seats by Tommy Hawk--and who doesn't love Tommy Hawk? Enter today and make your lovers day!

Hawks Take On the Canucks

The Hawks have been on the road and bringing home the wins; they have won the last 3 games in which they have played the Sharks (4-2), the Oilers (3-1), and the Flames (5-2). They are playing the Canucks tonight, hopefully bringing home the 4th straight win on the road. Watch the game here.

A Shift From Old Veterans To Young Rookies

With 15 of its 23 players under the age of 25, the Blackhawks have directly experienced the shift in concentration, aided by the new rules, from old veterans to young rookies in the NHL.

The NHL’s Board of Governors on July 22, 2005, made it a primary objective to “reduce the scope of defensive tools a team may effectively employ.” The adjustment promoted “allowing skill players to use their skills,” essentially eliminating bigger players that lack skill but can fight on the ice.

The rule increased the number of young players drafted into the NHL, such as Patrick Kane, 20, a forward for the Blackhawks from Buffalo, N.Y., and Jonathan Toews, 20, a forward for the Blackhawks from Winnipeg, Canada.

Wisniewski said the new rules were helpful to him because there are no longer 6 foot 4 inch players on the ice who can’t skate.

Another rule change benefiting smaller players is the “instigator” rule.

The rule states that a player who instigates a fight in the last five minutes of a game will receive a game misconduct, as well as an automatic one-game suspension. In addition, the player’s coach will be fined $10,000.

The enactment of this rule has decreased the number of bigger players, or “fighters” who lack a lot of skill.

“It helped me out a lot,” Wisniewski said.

At 5 feet 11 inches, he said, “I was always told I was too small.”

Khabibulin or Huet?

Fans tend to blame goalies for some of the losses, when in fact it is usually a team effort. The Blackhawks have two great goalies, but here is the question: Who is a better goalie, Khabibulin or Huet?

Rookies, Welcome To The Team

While most associate the term "hazing" with fraternities, people may not realize that teams, such as the Blackhawks, know from experience what hazing really is.

Every year the Blackhawks have what they call a "rookie dinner". The rookie dinner usually takes place while the team is on the road for a period of time. The team goes out to eat a lot on the road, and what happens is that they invite the rookies to dinner at a really nice restaurant. According to Blackhawks defenseman, James Wisniewski, the guys order $50 steaks and $250 bottles of wine; at the end of dinner they leave the bill with the rookies. The rookies are then left paying the entire team's bill. The team sees it as a way for the rookies to demonstrate their devotion to the team.

Another example of a prank pulled by the Hawks, was when the team hid Todd Simpson's car for a week. Each day in practice they would give him a different clue as to where his car was hidden.

The Blackhawks are constantly hiding teammates clothes and playing pranks on eachother; it's obvious that they are all really close on and off the ice.

Intro

I have been a hockey fan as long as I can remember; specifically a Chicago Blackhawks fan. I grew up going to all of the home games, back when Amonte and Chelios were with the Hawks.

I have been fortunate enough to meet Chicago Blackhawk legends, such as Bobby Hull, 'The Golden Jet', as well as the former coach of the Blackhawks, Denis Savard.

This is the year of the Hawks; with the young talent and new coaching staff, I believe the Hawks have a chance at making it to the playoffs, and doing well.

This blog will track the progress of the Blackhawks, as well as serve as a forum to discuss news and events surrounding the team. GO HAWKS!!