Blackhawks Reborn?: Who would have thought the Blackhawks would have a convention for its fans? And who would have thought the fans would come? Don't forget. This is a team that just recently started broadcasting home games. It's amazing how things are...... , posted on July 22, 2008 more

Free Agents: No 404 For Us: Larry Brooks points out no one wants to play in Atlanta, Edmonton, or Long Island. I get the Isle burn, because they still have that crazy management reputation, even if it's much calmer out there, but I'm not sure why...... , posted on July 07, 2008 more

No Agent is Truly Free: OK. So I'm so overwhelmed with free-agent signings and trades that I really can't even process anything. I just don't know where to begin, so I'm going to start with the signings that seems downright crazy to me. Let's start...... , posted on July 02, 2008 more

They Could Have Been the Chicago Blackhulls: OK. Daylight Savings Time is really kicking my butt. I don't know how, but I managed to skip ahead like six hours. I feel like a LOST character. Still. I must press on. How cool is it the the Blackhawks...... , posted on March 10, 2008 more

Flyers Continue to Rampage: Who Will Stop Them?: I know I joke about the Flyers being a crazed street gang, but it's kind of not a joke. I know the NHL says says there's no proof Flyers defenseman Derian Hatcher bit Travis Zajac's finger, but I know who...... , posted on January 07, 2008 more

Brokedown Palace: Ryan Smyth knew last night's return to Edmonton would be emotional. "I'm sure I'll break down," said Smyth, before stopping to compose himself, his eyes glistening just a little. "Lot of great memories." "I'm sure I'll break down, too," said...... , posted on October 24, 2007 more

Hockey Lunes: What a weekend! The NHL continues to agonize over its schedule (login info.). I'm definitely with the conventional wisdom that says teams need to see each other more than once or twice a decade. The NHL just doesn't have enough...... , posted on October 15, 2007 more

Lloyd Dobler Returns: I've mentioned before that John Cusack and Chris Chelios are friends. I'm captivated by their friendship. SI had a Q&A with Cusack and posted the leftovers online. Cusack is a good guy: SI: Are you friends with any athletes? Cusack:Chris...... , posted on June 29, 2007 more

NHL Mini Cup: Mark Everson had an interesting column today, suggesting the NHL create a mini in-season round-robin regional tournament to create interest in the NHL's often cosmetic regular season. The teams would only be playing for pride, but it would be a...... , posted on January 03, 2007 more

Angry Burnside: I'm not a huge reader of ESPN.com's Scott Burnside, but I read enough of him to be really shocked by his takedown of the Chicago Blackhawks. He doesn't say anything untrue or especially out of line, but it's just a...... , posted on November 29, 2006 more

Pacific What Zone?: Barry MacDonald has an interesting column about how the Canucks won't play the Penguins, Senators, Habs, or Leafs at home this season. It's all a part of the NHL's plan to build rivalries. And it's not a bad plan. But...... , posted on September 01, 2006 more

Skating Back to Cali: I know the Flyers are crazy deep with centers, and I know Kyle Calder is supposed to have a ton of upside, but I'm still shocked the Flyers traded away Michal Handzus knowing Keith Primeau seems a long way off...... , posted on August 08, 2006 more

Watch This!: If you have Center Ice, I highly recommend staying up to watch Blackhawks-Canucks tonight. The Canucks blew my mind Sunday night against Dallas. Their forecheck is so aggressive, even the Dallas powerplays looked like penalty kills. I found myself counting...... , posted on October 18, 2005 more

Broken Goalies: People are always talking about the keys to success in the new NHL. Things like speed. Things like balanced lines. I think, at least for this season, the key is going to be goalie depth. As I'm sure you've noticed,...... , posted on October 17, 2005 more

Blackhawks Eye Moira Kelly: This is pretty funny. The Blackhawks have hired Olympic speedskater Dan Jansen to teach the team speed, strength, and conditioning. It's a great move. Speed is going to be key in the new NHL. But hiring a speedskater? Doesn't that...... , posted on August 30, 2005 more

Around the Rink: OK. This time I double-checked. The Penguins have actually landed a goalie. They traded for Chicago's Jocelyn Thibault. It's a nice pickup. Thibault was out most of the 2003-04 season with a pretty nasty concussion. But assuming he's healthy now,...... , posted on August 11, 2005 more

LockOutUpdate.com: Um. So how about that lockout, huh? Roy Mlakar, the president of the Ottawa Senators, says the Senators are actually saving money by locking out the players. How crazy is that? How can you run a business that's more successful...... , posted on September 17, 2004 more

Predators Not Ready for Golf: What's going on with the Predators? They grabbed Steve Sullivan from the Blackhawks. He's a great pick-up for them. And they got him for just two second-round draft picks. The Predators also extended original Predator Scott Walker's contract. How sad...... , posted on February 18, 2004 more

Bondra and Zhamnov Moving?: Where is Peter Bondra going? Who knows. Just about every team is rumored to land him. But it seems the strongest murmurings are coming out of Ottawa. Bondra with the Senators is a pretty scary thought. The Senators are just...... , posted on January 29, 2004 more

Goalie Woes in the Windy City: Nice! Jennifer Jones of the Chicago Sun-Times has a great column blasting the Blackhawks for their mishandling of their goaltending situation. Goalie Jocelyn Thibault, who never had a proper backup in the first place, went down back in November, and...... , posted on January 20, 2004 more

Johnson Employable?: OK. Here's even more on goalie Brent Johnson, who I'm beginning to think I'm obsessed with. It seems three teams are interested in Johnson: the Blackhawks, the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the LA Kings. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the...... , posted on January 14, 2004 more

Pang Remembers Maggie: Darren Pang has some nice memories of Keith Magnuson over at ESPN.com. And I guess I should mention former Maple Leaf captain Rob Ramage is being charged with both impaired and dangerous driving, relating to Magnuson's death. Just in case...... , posted on December 18, 2003 more

Magnuson Killed: Former Chicago Blackhawk Keith Magnuson was killed in a car accident Monday. He was 56. Magnuson was the type of player who just wouldn't be popular today. All he cared about was the Hawks. He became an on-ice fighter because...... , posted on December 16, 2003 more

Blackhawks: "We Love Intensity!": The Sun-Times has more on why GM Mike Smith was fired last month. Apparently Blackhawk ownership just loved coach Brian Sutter's intensity. I'm not sure why that meant Smith had to be fired, but apparently the concepts are linked in...... , posted on November 19, 2003 more

Globe: Blackhawks Are Funny!: Kevin Paul Dupont of the Globe goes hard after the Blackhawks, calling them (and their myriad of on- and off-ice problems) comical. My favorite part is how some people in the Blackhawk organization are saying Dale Tallon is the GM-apparent,...... , posted on November 17, 2003 more

Pulford Picks Himself: So nepotism is alive and well, but not in Chicago. Shocking the hockey world, Bob Pulford named himself GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, instead of his son-in-law, San Jose Sharkitect Dean Lombardi. While the move is said to be permanent,...... , posted on November 06, 2003 more

Berard a Blackhawk: So things are different in Chicago without GM Mike Smith — that's for sure. Smith didn't want to sign veteran defenseman Bryan Berard. After Smith was fired, the first thing interim GM Bob Pulford did was sign Berard to a...... , posted on November 03, 2003 more

Smith Fired: The shocking thing about Chicago GM Mike Smith getting fired? That it didn't happen sooner. It just seemed like he would never be fired. He ran the team into the ground and nobody seemed to mind. I thought the owners...... , posted on October 27, 2003 more

Daze with Mayo: So the Blackhawks are sending injured forward Eric Daze to the Mayo Clinic for tests on his back. He's missed the last three games due to stiffness. This is totally and irresponsibly speculative, but I wonder if the Hawks aren't...... , posted on October 22, 2003 more

'Hawks Hindered: Obviously the good people of Chicago have a lot to deal with this week. But I hope they're not turning to Blackhawk hockey to lift their spirits. Eric Daze's back is bothering him again (in fact, he was sent home...... , posted on October 17, 2003 more

Jesus Saves; Espo Writes: So nobody told me that Blackhawks/Bruin/Ranger great Phil Esposito wrote an autobiography. He's plugging it right now. Probably as you read this. The book is called THUNDER AND LIGHTNING: A NO B.S. HOCKEY MEMOIR. There might be some good anecdotes...... , posted on October 08, 2003 more

Chicago Roots for Ruutu: Impressive. Chicago is already in love with rookie Tuomo Ruutu. It seems he's having a good pre-season so far, scoring goals, winning faceoffs, and thrilling Blackhawk fans. Although they're pretty easy to thrill at this point. They're just happy to...... , posted on September 23, 2003 more

Daze's Road Trip Trip: Oh my goodness. Blackhawk Eric Daze's injury-plagued season? hawk12.html">It was because of a long car trip. Apparently Daze and goalie Jocelyn Thibault traditionally start their season by making the 10-hour drive from Montreal to camp. Last year's ride stiffened Daze's...... , posted on September 15, 2003 more

Goalie Day: OK. Today is a theme post. Go in the crease with PuckUpdate as today we look at goalies. (Pause for applause) First, the weird. And the late. The Sun-Times had an interesting piece on goalie Jocelyn Thibault last week. Apparently,...... , posted on September 04, 2003 more

Fleury.com: You don't want to look but you have to. Theo Fleury is talking to the press again. He's pissed at Chicago, who placed him on waivers without telling him. He's not in rehab, but going to therapy. He's also taking...... , posted on July 30, 2003 more

How About We Add a Tiger?: Seriously. I meant what I said yesterday. No more talk about how to make hockey better. That means you Lou Lamoriello. And the rest of the Devils. And the Ducks. Lamoriello tells the Times that penalties should go the full...... , posted on June 05, 2003 more

Fleury Suspended: Theo Fleury is back in the NHL's substance abuse program, suspended for six months. It's just sad. It seems like Fleury just isn't ready for the rigors of the NHL. Hopefully he'll get better and learn to live with his...... , posted on April 14, 2003 more

Yashin: 'What? I Was Just Kidding About Sucking': I'll admit it. I let my love of the Rangers cloud my hockey blogging judgement. All day today, I was thinking about the Islanders playing Chicago. An Islander loss would have put the Rangers within two points of the last...... , posted on March 26, 2003 more

Good News-Bad News: Good News: Marty Turco is ready to go back in goal for Dallas. He could be back as soon as Tuesday. Nothing helps a Stanley Cup run more than a genuine starting goalie. Bad News: The streaky Islanders have found...... , posted on March 21, 2003 more

Fleury on Waivers: I don't quite understand what the Blackhawks are trying to do by putting Theo Fleury on waivers. Has Fleury underachieved all season? Yeah. Has he been a distraction? Yeah (in fact, the Sun-Times reported Fleury and assistant coach Denis Savard...... , posted on March 10, 2003 more

Blackhawks Stuck by Nashville: Just when you think the Blackhawks have hit bottom, they go and lose to the Predators. Nashville beat Chicago 5-4 in overtime Saturday night, handing the Hawks their sixth loss in a row and ninth in their last 10 games....... , posted on March 03, 2003 more

Fleury Benched: Are you shocked? The Blackhawks are 3-11-2 since Theo Fleury and two unnamed teammates got in some sort of scuffle in a Columbus strip club. Just Tuesday night, sputtering Philadelphia managed to blank the stalled Hawks, 2-0. Theo Fleury sat...... , posted on February 27, 2003 more

Fleury's Sobriety Coach Fired: Wow. The Blackhawks fired Theo Fleury's $200,000 sobriety coach. Of course, given how sobriety coach Jim Jenkins coached Fleury (see Fleury's Columbus strip club brawl), I'm surprised the terminally inept Hawks didn't promote him to bench coach. Since Fleury is...... , posted on February 18, 2003 more

Black and Bluehawks: I wonder if another Sutter brother is about to be fired. The Blackhawks are winless in their last six. That's pretty bad. But the worst part is, they just keep blowing leads. They can't finish anyone off. The most recent...... , posted on January 28, 2003 more

Blackhawks: "Come On. He Wasn't That Drunk": So have I told you guys I'm on the Theo Fleury diet. Yeah. It's pretty sweet. I tell everyone I'm on a diet and then eat whatever I want. When you catch me, I say I'm sorry and we pretend...... , posted on January 24, 2003 more

Who Left Theo Fleury Alone?: Hmmm. Chicago has only won two of their last 10 games. The Blackhawks have lost their last three, the last loss against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Did I mention the loss was 5-1? Chicago was looking so sharp, you say....... , posted on January 23, 2003 more

Time For a Nap: Sure Blackhawk goalie Jocelyn Thibault has been playing his ass off. But that doesn't mean he doesn't need rest. Everyone needs rest. And yet coach Brian Sutter won't rest Thibault. Even though Thibault couldn't hold off the anemic Predators this...... , posted on January 06, 2003 more

You Had Me At Hello: So Chicago's Boris Mironov decided to end his 28-day protest over the amount of ice time he saw. You know. Because nothing gets you more ice time than not playing. Mironov also wanted to be traded. You know. Because teams...... , posted on January 02, 2003 more

No Rest for You, Jocelyn!: Over in Chicago, they're running poor goalie Jocelyn Thibault into the ground. He's only missed four games this season. It would be easier to rest Thibault if Chicago had any kind of reliable back-up (the tight-fisted Hawks probably won't go...... , posted on December 27, 2002 more

The Scene of the Crime: I guess in the parlance of addiction and recovery, I'm an enabler. That's right. My name is Steve O. and I like Theo Fleury. He always interested me. He always fascinated me. But I thought I watched him for the...... , posted on December 13, 2002 more

As the Hawk Turns: Speaking of drama (see above), Theo Fleury has been cleared to play. Coincidentally, this happened right before the Hawks were supposed to play the Rangers, Fleury's old team. But don't worry. Things are still weird in Chicago. Defenseman Boris Mironov...... , posted on December 06, 2002 more

Theo Watch: Seriously. When is Theo Fleury returning to the ice? I don't understand this process. I don't understand what the NHL is waiting for. A sign? They need to just get Fleury's return over with. Preferably before he plays the Rangers...... , posted on December 05, 2002 more

Chicago Blues: The Chicago Trib dissects the Hawks recent skid. Among the factors? A bad power play (although does anyone in the NHL have a good power play anymore?), no back-up goaltending, and no impact players. The interesting thing is you could...... , posted on December 04, 2002 more

Mid-West Original Six Curse?: I didn't know the Blackhawks were so dominant in Detroit. The Blackhawks haven't lost there since April 2, 1999. I know this is the part where one might expect an explanation of sorts from me, but I really have no...... , posted on November 07, 2002 more

20/20 Hindsight: Jay Mariotti says the 'Hawks should never have taken Theo Fleury, suspended indefinitely for violating the NHL's substance abuse policy. The 'Hawks took a chance and Fleury's suspension for substance abuse was never a foregone conclusion. In fact, it's pretty...... , posted on October 10, 2002 more

More Theo: The NHL has indefinitely suspended Theo Fleury for violating its substance abuse program. What a waste. Wes Goldstein (who does a really nice job covering hockey over at CBS SportsLine.com) picked Fleury's return to Madison Square Garden as one of...... , posted on October 09, 2002 more

There He Is!: Missing Blackhawk Theo Fleury says he missed two practices because his father was having a tumor removed. He also found time to lash out at the media for immediately playing the substance abuse card while reporting on his disappearance. I...... , posted on October 07, 2002 more

Where's Theo?: Theo Fleury has missed two Blackhawk practices in a row. The Blackhawks are not saying if this is related to Fleury's previous substance abuse problems (login: laexaminer; password: laexaminer) (he enterered rehab in 2001). I love Theo Fleury and I...... , posted on October 04, 2002 more