Bleacher Report - Articles by Steve Jankowski

Chicago Blackhawks' Nikolai Khabibulin Clears Waivers, Trade Rumors Persist

Steve Jankowski — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:33:46 -0400

Nikolai Khabibulin cleared waivers Tuesday, as no NHL club opted to pick up his $6.75 million salary for this season. It wasn't a big surprise, given that hefty salary and his mediocre play since arriving in Chicago.

That leaves Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon stuck with two highly-paid, top-notch goalies, and one crease for them to play in. Tallon will likely try to trade Khabibulin to clear the way for Cristobal Huet.

The most likely trade destination is Los Angeles, who needs a goalie and has tons of cap space to spare.

The Kings could also pick him up if Chicago puts him on re-entry waivers. In that scenario, any team that picks him up would only be on the hook for only half of Khabibulin's salary.

Chicago would rather trade him and rid themselves of his entire salary to free up more cap space and add another forward to the mix.

Khabibulin Waived, Blackhawks Plot Next Moves in Crease

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:10:03 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks have placed Nikolai Khabibulin on waivers, signaling the end of the Stanley Cup champion goalie's time in Chicago.

He signed as a free agent with the Blackhawks after the lockout for four years and $27 million, but he has since been mediocre at best.

The move is also a sign that the Blackhawks brass has settled on free agent signee Cristobal Huet as its starting goalie for the 2008-09 season.

The Blackhawks have looked to move Khabibulin since signing Huet on July 1 to clear up cap space and free up the goaltending logjam in Chicago's crease.

With Khabibulin seemingly out of the picture, Huet will likely be backed up by Corey Crawford, unless Antti Niemi beats Crawford out for the backup goalie spot.

Chicago also can free Khabibulin's big contract from its books and use the cap space to acquire another forward before the regular season opens.

One rumor being floated is a three-team deal between Chicago, the Los Angeles Kings, and Ottawa Senators.

Ottawa wants a playoff-proven goaltender and Khabibulin is just that. They have lost confidence in Martin Gerber, and he is rumored to be a part of such a deal. He could be headed to the Kings, and the Blackhawks would likely target either Patrick O'Sullivan or Chris Neil in the deal.

The Kings also need to get to the salary floor established in the CBA, and taking on the contract of Gerber would get them there.

Expect Khabibulin to be traded out of Chicago, either to the Senators or Kings. It would seem unlikely that Chicago GM Dale Tallon would let Khabibulin go without getting something back in return to fill a need.

Notes: Khabibulin was the highest-paid player in Blackhawks franchise history prior to the club's signing of Brian Campbell on July 1...He went 23-20-6 with a 2.63 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage last season in 50 games for Chicago.

Blackhawks Notes: Martin Havlat Hopes to Be Ready for Season Opener

Steve Jankowski — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:36:57 -0400

Blackhawks winger Martin Havlat joined his teammates on the ice at the Edge in Bensenville Thursday for the first time this preseason. Havlat is recovering from shoulder surgery.

He skated on both wing positions during practice and showed some of the skill that has made him one of the best wingers in the NHL. In Thursday's practice Havlat skated opposite Kris Versteeg, who is battling for a spot on the NHL club.

He also took a spill after completing a drill and landed on his left shoulder, but showed no ill effects afterward.

The health of Havlat will be key to the Hawks' playoff chances this season.

If he is healthy and effective, he will take pressure off of youngsters Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Patrick Sharp could also benefit from solid play by Havlat.

The 27-year-old winger has not played in a game since Feb. 27 against Phoenix, when he injured the shoulder again. He underwent season-ending surgery on March 14 and is just now getting back to 100 percent.

Havlat could play in one or two of the Hawks' final preseason games to get ready for the regular season opener in New York against the Rangers on Oct. 10. Until then, the Hawks will be careful with Havlat and try to minimize contact with him.

Depending on his progress and effectiveness on the ice, Havlat could see time on the Hawks' top line with Toews and Sharp, with Kane possibly moving to center the second line. That move could allow Craig Adams or Jack Skille to move to the second line on right wing.

Rejuvenated Paul Konerko Gives Chicago White Sox a Boost in the Stretch Run

Steve Jankowski — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 08:05:47 -0400

It wasn't that long ago that the sports-talk radio hosts in Chicago were calling for the benching of Paul Konerko. With a batting average just above the Mendoza line, plenty of fans were joining in those calls.

White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen stuck with his slugging first baseman, and the club is benefiting now that Konerko is producing in the middle of the lineup.

Konerko has experience in pennant races, being part of the last two White Sox teams to reach the postseason.

He was an integral part of the 2005 team that won a World Series title, and he was ALCS MVP that October.

Should Konerko continue his solid production, he could give the White Sox the boost they need to hold off the Minnesota Twins and win the AL Central.

Konerko seems to have shaken off the hand injury that led to his slow start.

A new approach and better eye at the plate have also helped him raise his batting average to .236, after having it hover around .215 in mid-July.

Nick Swisher may be the better first baseman defensively, but with Konerko returning to form, and Jim Thome continuing to produce at DH, Konerko will stay at first and Swisher will patrol the outfield.

The best case for White Sox fans is for Konerko to continue his solid play and lead the team, on and off the field, to the playoffs for the second time in four years.

That just might leave those talk-radio hosts speechless.

NHL Free Agency: Blackhawks Make Big Splash, But Were Moves Wise?

Steve Jankowski — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:25:25 -0400

Free agency opened in the NHL Tuesday, and the Chicago Blackhawks wasted no time making a big impact, signing the top goalie and defenseman available— Cristobal Huet and Brian Campbell.

The Huet deal likely means the end of Nikolai Khabibulin's stay in Chicago, but his monster contract could prevent teams from inquiring about the veteran Stanley Cup winner in net.

That deal was overshadowed by the signing of the biggest name defenseman on the market, Brian Campbell.

Chicago gave him an eight-year, $56.8 million contract after having talks with defensemen Wade Redden and Brad Stuart.

Campbell is known as a good skater, and moves the puck well, but he will now have to deal with the expectations that come with a huge, long-term contract.

He did not perform all that well in the playoffs for San Jose, after being traded from Buffalo at the trade deadline last season.

The signings make it likely that the Hawks will not be able to sign Marian Hossa, the top forward on the market.

The Blackhawks needed more help up front than on the blue line, so the fact that the Hawks front office targeted a defenseman over a forward is puzzling.

Signing Hossa would have made all the forwards better, especially Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

It also would have taken pressure off of Patrick Sharp, who will receive more attention from opposing defenders next season after his 30+ goal campaign.

If, somehow, GM Dale Tallon is able to sign Hossa too, you could consider the Hawks instant contenders in the Western Conference.

As they stand now, they should make the playoffs, but I can't see them getting past the second round, especially if Hossa lands with another Western Conference team.

The other problem with giving Campbell such a huge contract, is that if he does under-perform, it will be extremely difficult to move that contract via trade.

As for the goaltending situation, bringing in Huet should strengthen a position already considered an organizational strength.

Look for Chicago to move Khabibulin and have Corey Crawford back up Huet at the start of the 2008-09 season.

Crawford showed he is more than capable of playing at the NHL level, shutting out the then-defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks.

He also played well in the AHL playoffs for the Blackhawks affiliate in Rockford.

Chicago should make the playoffs in the competitive Western Conference, but adding some talent up front can help the team advance farther than they would as constructed.

The remainder of free agency and unforeseen trades could change that prediction, one way or another.

Jay Mariotti Deserves Criticism

Steve Jankowski — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:34:13 -0400

Jay Mariotti has been involved in yet another war of words recently, but this time, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen is just a spectator to the verbal fireworks, rather than an active combatant.

Loudmouth Jayis taking flak from his colleagues at the Chicago Sun-Times—specifically columnist Rick Telander.

Mariotti fired the first salvo when he wrote, "[Guillen's] only critic in the Chicago media, mostly because my soft colleagues either fear Guillen's wrath, enjoy how he rips me, work for one of the Reinsdorf-controlled broadcast outlets or are afraid of getting on the chairman's bad side."

Chris De Luca, a baseball columnist at the Sun-Times stepped in, and simultaneously defended his colleagues, and ripped Mariotti.

Telander responded with a fiery column that was spiked, and then filed another version, which also did not run.

Teddy Greenstien's column on the situation describes Mariotti accurately when he said in a June 10 article that Mariotti, "seems to pride himself on making enemies."

Jay deserves to be thrown under the bus by his colleagues at the Sun-Times, especially after he threw them under to start.

He consistently rips the White Sox no matter what they do, good or bad.

That alone must have made the 2005 World Championship they won that much more difficult for him to handle.

He also recently trashed Mike North, formerly a morning radio host at Chicago's WSCR-AM 670, saying North, "dumbed down Chicago's intelligence quotient."

More than a few Sun-Times readers feel the same way after reading Mariotti's columns.

The single biggest problem Loudmouth Jay has (and he has plenty) is his complete lack of basic journalism ethics and objectivity.

How the Sun-Times, or any other media organization for that matter, could hire a writer so blatantly biased and out of touch with his readership is beyond me.

Stunningly enough, the Sun-Times handed Loudmouth Jay an extension through 2011.

Here's hoping that the Sun-Times follows in the lead of WSCR and gets rid of their boorish, un-professional "journalist."

Jason Krog Heats Up at Right Time for Chicago Wolves

Steve Jankowski — Sun, 18 May 2008 14:40:09 -0400

In the Chicago Wolves' first 10 playoff games, AHL MVP Jason Krog failed to find the back of the net. In his last five, he has been making up for lost time.

He scored his first goal of the 2008 Calder Cup Playoffs in Game 5 of the Rockford series, and has been on a tear ever since.

In the Wolves' last five games, Krog has scored nine goals, and he already has five in the first two games of the Western Conference Finals against the Toronto Marlies.

It's no coincidence, then, that the Wolves hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

The league MVP tallied Chicago's last three goals in Game 1, and followed up with two quick goals in the first three minutes of Game 2. At the time, he scored five straight goals for the Wolves.

Krog's outburst has vaulted him to the top of the scoring list for the playoffs.

He leads the AHL in playoff points with 24, and his nine goals put him one behind Tim Brent of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for the most in the league this postseason.

The scoring binge has made Wolves fans forget he didn't score a goal in the first 10 playoff games, and that line mate Brett Sterling has struggled to put up the numbers that have come to be expected of him.

Sterling was scratched from Sunday's Game 2.

His absence from the lineup didn't slow Chicago's vaunted offense, as Joel Kwiatkowski, Bryan Little and Joey Crabb also scored for the Wolves.

Chicago's challenge now will be to keep up the high level of play on the road as the series shifts to Toronto's Ricoh Coliseum for Games 3 and 4.

Ondrej Pavelec Backstops Wolves Past IceHogs and into Western Conference Finals

Steve Jankowski — Wed, 14 May 2008 12:57:42 -0400

The AHL West Division Finals lived up to its advance billing, going the full seven games, which marked the first Game 7 the Wolves hosted since the 1998 IHL Turner Cup Finals.

Ondrej Pavelec stole the show, stopping 38 Rockford IceHogs shots to lead the Chicago Wolves to a 4-1 win in front of 5,218 boisterous fans at the Allstate Arena.

The victory propelled the Wolves into the AHL Western Conference Finals for the second straight year, and their fourth time since joining the AHL in 2001-02.

Overall, this will be their eighth appearance in the Conference finals in the team's 14-year history.

They got there in large part due to Pavelec's solid performance between the pipes in the decisive seventh game. Early in the third, with the Wolves up 2-0, Pavelec made two stellar stops of Rockford chances that would have cut the lead to one.

Soon after, Bryan Little gave the Wolves a 3-0 lead to give Chicago extra breathing room.

Despite the chippy nature of previous games between the two teams, there were only five penalties called all game.

The only penalty of the first period led to the game's first goal. With Rockford captain Jim Fahey in the penalty box for high-sticking, Jesse Schultz tucked home a rebound off the back boards past Corey Crawford.

Early in the second, Chicago's power play cashed in again, as Jason Krog fired home a one-timer off a feed from Darren Haydar.

On the game, Chicago's power play went 2-for-3, and the penalty kill kept Rockford's power play off the scoreboard.

The Wolves will now get a few days to prepare for the Toronto Marlies in the Western Conference finals.

In the regular season, the teams split two games, with the home team winning both times.

Game 1 is Friday at Allstate Arena in Chicago, with Game 2 following Sunday also in Chicago before the series shifts to Toronto for Games 3 and 4.

White Sox Notes: Solid Pitching Keeps Sox in Contention

Steve Jankowski — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:59:51 -0400

Despite a sub-.500 record and the lowest batting average in the American League, the Chicago White Sox are only one game out of first place in the AL Central.

Pitching is the reason the Sox are even in the conversation in what has become a mediocre division.

As of the writing of this article, the team is batting a collective .233 with an on-base percentage of .319, good for 10th in the 14-team American League. They rank eighth in the AL in runs scored.

With such feeble offense, the only way to win is with stellar pitching and defense, and the White Sox have gotten plenty of outstanding pitching.

The pitching staff ranks third in the three major team pitching categories in the AL. They have a team ERA of 3.70, a team WHIP of 1.28, and opponents' OPS of .675.

Their opponents are hitting .247 against them, fifth in the American League.

The situation the Sox are in can be looked at in a couple different ways. The optimist would say that Sox pitching has been excellent; just wait until the offense gets it in gear. However, the pessimist would say that the lack of offensive production is holding the team back.

Both arguments are plausible, and the stats back up both sides of the argument.

Good thing the Sox offense doesn't have to face their own pitching staff. Gavin Floyd might have already thrown two or three no-hitters this year.

In fact, the Sox look like baseball's version of the Chicago Bears: no offense, but they can keep the opposition off the scoreboard. At least the Sox don't have a Rex Grossman to ruin things for them.

All joking aside, all manager Ozzie Guillen can do is hold out hope that his offense finds its groove while the pitching continues to dominate opposing offenses. He better hope it happens before one AL Central team gets hot and runs away with the division.

Hockey: Team USA Looks Impressive Early in IIHF World Championships

Steve Jankowski — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:56:04 -0400

The IIHF Men's World Championships are in their early stages, but Team USA has looked impressive in two group-stage wins over Latvia and Slovenia.

In the opener, the Americans shut out Latvia, 4-0, as Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins stopped all 24 shots he faced to get the shutout.

All four U.S. goals were scored via the power play.

Dustin Brown, Patrick Kane, Zach Parise and Patrick O'Sullivan scored for the Americans.

Kane also added two assists, for a three-point effort in his first game for his country.

All told, Team USA was 4-for-9 with the man-advantage, and fired 49 shots on goal.

On Sunday night against Slovenia, the Americans won again in dominating fashion, winning 5-1 to improve to 2-0 in group play heading into the final pool play game Tuesday against Canada.

Phil Kessel recorded a hat trick for the Americans, and Team USA scored three more power-play goals in the win. Patrick Kane added another goal, and David Booth also scored.

The Americans fired 37 shots on goal and allowed only 12. Tim Thomas stopped 11 of those 12 shots to earn his second win in the tournament.

The U.S. power play went 3-for-5 in this game and is 7-for-14 in the tournament.

Next up for the Americans is a showdown with Canada on Tuesday. The winner will win the pool heading into elimination round play.

NHL Playoffs: Conference Semifinals Lack Drama

Steve Jankowski — Fri, 02 May 2008 06:11:03 -0400

The first round of this year's NHL playoffs featured more than a handful of dramatic series, with three going the full seven games.

But the ensuing four conference semi-final series have been anything but dramatic.

Three of the four series have one team ahead 3-1 in the series.

And the fourth? It's over.

The Detroit Red Wings whacked the injury-riddled Colorado Avalanche in four games. The clinching game was as anti-climatic as they come, as Detroit won 8-2.

That game was so lopsided, it was over halfway though the second period. Kudos to the Avalanche for playing hard in the third period, down seven goals, and later six.

As exciting as the first round was, the second round has been a dud.

The NHL, NBC and Versus cannot be happy about the short series being played. People love tuning into sixth and seventh games, with all the drama those games have. Not as many people will tune into a game four if one team is up 3-0.

The good news for the NHL is that there's still two rounds of the playoffs to go, including the Stanley Cup Finals. Gary Bettman and the rest of the NHL honchos in New York, as well as the executives at Versus and NBC, are hoping the Conference Finals and Cup Finals are longer series to bring in more money and ratings.

More importantly, long series late in the playoffs generate more buzz around the league, and the NHL is in dire need of that these days.

If they get the long series in the next two rounds they're looking for, more national media types will pay attention, and thus, more people will tune into the games.

Here's hoping for the NHL's sake that the next three series last a little longer than the four in the conference semifinal stage of this year's playoffs.

AHL Playoffs: Chicago Wolves Look to Sink Pekka Rinne and the Milwaukee Admirals

Steve Jankowski — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 12:07:11 -0400

The Chicago Wolves offense finally broke through Milwaukee goaltender Pekka Rinne for four goals in the first two periods, and sent the AHL All-Star to the bench early in a crucial 4-1 Game Five win in Chicago.

The Wolves now will look to eliminate their old nemesis tonight in Milwaukee in Game Six of their AHL West Division Semi-final series. Chicago leads 3-2 in the best-of-7.

Rinne was outstanding in the first four games, stopping over 94% of the shots Chicago's high-powered offense fired his way.

But in the pivotal fifth game, Brett Sterling scored just under 2 minutes into the game to give the Wolves an early lead, and some much-needed confidence after having all 37 of their shots stopped in Game Four.

The Wolves outplayed Milwaukee badly in the fourth game of this series, but Rinne's stellar play and two key third period goals allowed the Admirals to steal the win.

Chicago will try to ride the momentum from Game Five into tonight's sixth game and eliminate the Admirals.

Rinne will look to shake off his sub-par performance and keep his team in the hunt and force a seventh game.

It's do-or-die for Milwaukee in tonight's Game Six in the Bradley Center.

NHL Playoff Game Sevens: Best Reality TV on TV

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:18:26 -0400

Looking for compelling, dramatic television this spring? Look no further than the NHL playoffs.

Each and every NHL playoff game has plenty of plots, subplots and drama, and they don't take a crack writing staff in Hollywood to create them.

Overtime games that can sometimes stretch into the wee hours of the morning are always tense and dramatic, as they can end with just the flick of a wrist. But there is nothing more dramatic than Game Seven.

Anytime two hockey clubs square off in a decisive seventh game, both clubs go in knowing that their season can end that night. That alone is a compelling storyline in and of itself.

But other factors, such as a long-standing rivalry can add to the plot, as was the case in tonight's decisive Montreal-Boston game. The round the decisive game is being played in also can add to the tension.

Imagine playing in a Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. Watching it on TV is exhilarating enough. Now throw in overtime, and this writer wouldn't be able to peel himself away from the 42" flatscreen in his living room, even if they're still playing until 3 a.m.

The NHL playoffs are great TV, no doubt. But the drama of a Game Seven just can't be beat. Unless the Game Seven goes into triple-overtime.

White Sox-Orioles: Jim Thome's Homer All Chicago Needs

Steve Jankowski — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:54:46 -0400

Jim Thome returned from a one-game suspension with a bang, hitting a 400-foot, three-run home run in the top of the first to provide the White Sox with all the offense they would need in a 3-1 victory over the host Baltimore Orioles.

Thome's blast was his third this season and No. 510 in his illustrious career. Prior to that, Nick Swisher led off the game with a single, and Orlando Cabrera walked. Then Thome hit a 1-2 pitch deep to right-center.

Jose Contreras made that lead stand, as he threw seven strong innings, allowing one run on just four hits, while striking out six. Scott Linebrink pitched a scoreless eighth, and closer Bobby Jenks retired the side in order in the ninth to pick up his sixth save of the year.

The White Sox only registered six hits all night, three in the first inning alone, but when the pitching staff performs as well as it did on this night, your offense doesn't need much.

The win was Chicago's ninth in their last 12 games, and keeps them in first place in the AL Central.

The brief two game set concludes tomorrow afternoon as Gavin Floyd takes the mound for the White Sox. He will be opposed by Baltimore's Jeremy Guthrie.

For NHL Fans, This Is Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Steve Jankowski — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 09:21:39 -0400

Hockey fans across North America like myself are enjoying what might be the most wonderful time of the year; the beginning of the NHL playoffs.

Playoff hockey might be the highest quality hockey out there, as the players involved up the intensity level as they battle for the Stanley Cup. The fans get into it too, selling out each and every building on game night.

TV coverage increases as well, as U.S. cable network Versus typically shows two games per night, as does CBC and TSN in Canada.

The best part of the first two rounds of the playoffs is the sheer volume of games being played, and the quality of those games.

I long for the days when ESPN and ESPN 2 televised the Stanley Cup playoffs, when four games would be televised in one night. I'd park myself on the couch and flip back and forth between the ESPN game and the one playing on "the deuce".

Unfortunately for U.S. based hockey fans, ESPN no longer televises the NHL. Last year, Versus only televised on Monday and Tuesday nights in the playoffs, and NBC only does one game on Saturday afternoon. But this year, they televise every night, and most nights it's two games a night.

Despite the dropoff in coverage from the early- to mid-90's, this is truly a great time of year for hockey fans.

The games mean more, the players play harder, and each shift, check, pass, shot, save and goal mean so much more, with Lord Stanley's Cup on the line.

Chicago Blackhawks: Minor Tweaks Ahead This Summer

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 13:04:30 -0400

After a season that saw improvements on and off the ice, the Chicago Blackhawks head into the offseason knowing the heavy lifting is behind them.

On the ice, the club improved by 17 points to 88 on the season, but fell three points shy of a postseason berth. They also scored the third-most goals in the Western Conference.

Off the ice, new owner Rocky Wirtz unleashed a series of changes that completely reinvented the image of the franchise.

Most notably, he televised 13 home games on local TV, something his late father stubbornly refused to do. Next season, every game, home and away, will be on either Comcast Sportsnet Chicago, or WGN.

Wirtz also hired John McDonough away from the Cubs to be the new team president, and McDonough created the Blackhawks Convention, to be held July 18-20. He modeled it after the highly successful Cubs Convention the baseball club has held for the last two decades. The convention is the first of its kind in the NHL.

With all that out of the way, the front office, led by GM Dale Tallon, can focus on improving the team on the ice.

He has stated his desire to acquire a defenseman that can quarterback the power play and log significant ice time. The defense corps is young, and any veteran leadership will benefit this group.

One defenseman the Blackhawks should target is San Jose's Brian Campbell. The Sharks acquired him in a deadline deal with the Buffalo Sabres. On the season, he posted eight goals and 54 assists, with five of his goals coming on the power play. He also has logged over 27 minutes of ice time on average in the Sharks first three playoff games, five more minutes than anyone else on his team. He will be a free agent after this season.

Other possibilities are Ottawa's Wade Redden and Colorado's John-Michael Liles.

Offensively, the Blackhawks have assembled a solid core with Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, but they could use another top-tier forward, and the biggest free agent forward to hit the market this summer is Pittsburgh's Marian Hossa. Calgary's Daymond Langkow could also be on Tallon's radar.

While Tallon hopes to add free agents to the mix this offseason, the Hawks plan seems to be to continue to draft well and build from within. That plan has yielded Kane, Toews and All-Star defenseman Duncan Keith and several other solid NHL players who contributed to the team's success this season.

Tallon, however, will have the resources to go after a top-flight free agent, as the Hawks have plenty of room under the salary cap.

Two key questions will have to be answered by Tallon this summer, one being the status of Martin Havlat. He only played in 35 games this season, and has shown signs of being injury-prone. Tallon's plan seems to be to hang on to him and see if he can stay healthy. The better alternative might be to trade the forward and see what comes back in return.

The other question will center around the goaltending situation. Patrick Lalime has shown he is a more than capable backup to Nikolai Khabibulin, but Corey Crawford has also shown flashes of brilliance, most notably his shutout of the Anaheim Ducks late in the season.

The Blackhawks organization has stockpiled a strong stable of goaltenders, and one could possibly be used as a bargaining chip in trade talks to improve other areas of the team. Tallon has stated that he would not rule out re-signing Lalime.

The Blackhawks no doubt are disappointed in not making the playoffs, but with the right moves this offseason, they can return to the postseason, and make a run at the Stanley Cup.

Tigers-White Sox: Chicago Slams Detroit to Take Series

Steve Jankowski — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:59:30 -0400

The Chicago White Sox continue to have their way with the Detroit Tigers.

A day after shutting them out 7-0, and nearly holding the Tigers without a hit, White Sox pitching once again kept the potent Detroit lineup off the scoreboard in a dominating 11-0 win at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago.

Paul Konerko and Joe Crede both hit grand slams to provide the White Sox with more than enough run-support. For Crede, it was his second slam of the homestand, and sixth of his career. Konerko's grand slam was his seventh in his career.

The White Sox sure feel good about their decision to keep Crede right now, since he is hitting .341 with four home runs and 15 RBI.

Javier Vazquez benefitted from the run support, earning his second win on the season. He pitched seven strong innings, allowing only five hits, while striking out nine.

The win improved Chicago's mark to 6-1 against the Tigers this season, and have outscored the Tigers 46-12 in those six games. They also have 42 wins in their last 62 meetings with Detroit dating back to 2005.

The loss for Detroit continued a slide that has seen them shut out four times in 12 games, one more time than they were shut out all last season. They fell to 2-10 on the season, and are 5.5 games behind Chicago in the standings already.

Kenny Rogers started for the Tigers, and went four innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits, walking four, and allowing Konerko's third-inning grand slam. It was the 10th time he served up a slam, tying him with Nolan Ryan and Mike Jackson for the most grand slams allowed in MLB history.

Chicago improved to 7-4 on the year and returned to the top spot in the AL Central with the win. They are one-half game ahead of the Royals.

Next up for the White Sox is a brief two-game home series against the Oakland Athletics. Mark Buehrle takes the hill for Chicago, and will be opposed by Oakland's Greg Smith.

Bleacher Report Shows I Have Written 3500 MLB Stories

Steve Jankowski — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 07:24:50 -0400

Upon logging onto Bleacher Report this morning, writer Steve Jankowski was notified that he was promoted to Analyst. The box stating what he has written about showed that he wrote more than 3,500 articles on Major League Baseball.

"I went from having written nine MLB articles to 3,500 overnight," Steve said. "I didn't know I could write so much in my sleep. I should try that more often."

Apparently the result of a glitch, the sight of such a large number still caused a bit of a chuckle for the newly-christened analyst.

"Thirty-five hundred articles, that's pretty impressive," he said with a laugh.

The page also showed him having written nearly 3,000 NHL articles, almost 300 White Sox articles, and just more than 400 humor articles—not including the one you are now reading.

A source close to the writer said he'll take the additional credit, but wouldn't be surprised if the glitch was fixed.

A Brief Look at the First Round of the NHL Playoffs

Steve Jankowski — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 14:31:33 -0400

Thursday night, the puck drops for the 2008 NHL Playoffs, a two-month long grind to award hockey's most coveted prize, the Stanley Cup.

Here's a brief look at each series, with predictions...

Starting out West, the top-seeded Red Wings enter the post-season with the NHL's best record. They also have the best 1-2 goaltending tandem in the league, featuring Dominik Hasek and Chris Osgood. Both have led Detroit to Cup titles in the past.

They face a familiar foe, in Central Division rival Nashville Predators. The familiarity between these two teams will benefit the Predators, and I think they will give Detroit a run for their money, but I'm going with Detroit in six games.

No team was hotter down the stretch than the San Jose Sharks, who are the 2-seed out West. The addition of Brian Campbell from Buffalo sparked this team at the end of the season, and they earned at least a point in the final 20 games of the regular season to capture the Pacific Division and the two-seed.

They will face the Calgary Flames in the opening round, who were wildly inconsistent in the second half of the season. That inconsistency and Sharks' goalie Evgeni Nabokov's strong play will carry the Sharks in five.

The Minnesota Wild won the Northwest Division title, earning them the third-seed in the West, where they will face a Colorado Avalanche, team that has brought back several former players to try to help them win their third Cup since moving from Quebec in 1995.

Joe Sakic will be fresh for Colorado after missing 38 games due to injury. He'll team up once again with former linemate Peter Forsberg to try to break through the stingy Wild defense. I think that stingy D will allow the Wild to win in six.

Perhaps the most intriguing first-round series is the 4-5 matchup in the West between the defending champion Anaheim Ducks and the Dallas Stars. Both teams possess stellar goaltending, and have plenty of firepower up front. They both were beneficiaries of mid-season additions, as the Stars traded for Brad Richards (a former Conn Smythe winner), and Teemu Selanne came out of retirement for Anaheim.

This has all the makings of a seven-game series, and I think that decisive game goes to Anaheim.

In the East, an Original Six matchup is among the highlights of the first round, as the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens take on the Boston Bruins. It has been a storybook revival in Montreal, and they boast the NHL's top-ranked power play. If Boston has any hope of advancing, they must stay out of the penalty box.

When all is said and done, Montreal wins in five.

The Pittsburgh Penguins lost out on the top spot in the East in the final days of the regular season, but they still won their division, and still have Sidney Crosby, who is back in the lineup after his ankle injury. While Crosby was injured, other players, such as Evgeni Malkin, stepped up and contributed, which gives this team confidence.

Standing in Pittsburgh's way in the first round are the Ottawa Senators, who dispatched the Pens in five games last year. Revenge will be on Pittsburgh's mind, and they field a deeper team, and the Penguins will win in five this year.

The Washington Capitals rode soon-to-be Hart Trophy winner Alexander Ovechkin to 11 wins in their final 12 games and a division crown, and their first playoff berth since 2003.

The additions of Cristobal Huet and Sergei Fedorov also helped, and will continue to help them in their first round series against the Philadelphia Flyers. The Flyers have always been known for their toughness, but they don't have Alexander Ovechkin. I'll take Ovechkin and his Capitals in six.

Rounding out the first round matchups is what could be a backyard brawl-type of series between the four-seed New Jersey Devils and fifth-seeded New York Rangers. Despite having home-ice in this series, the Devils struggled to score goals this season. Their leading scorer, Zach Parise, recorded only 65 points on the year.

The Rangers weren't much better, but they have the potential to score in bunches, with the likes of Jaromir Jagr, Scott Gomez, Chris Drury and Brendan Shanahan. I'll take the Rangers in six.

Blackhawks, White Sox Announce Partnership

Steve Jankowski — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 06:25:45 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks and Chicago White Sox have announced a marketing partnership that will allow both franchises significant visibility at each other's home games via in-game promotions.

During White Sox games at U.S. Cellular Field, the White Sox will incorporate the Blackhawks in their in-game promotions. One of those promotions is a "Shoot the Puck" competition that will be held atop the White Sox dugout.

The White Sox also announced "Blackhawks Night" on August 23rd. Current and former Hawks players will be in attendance, and fans at U.S. Cellular Field will be able to purchase Blackhawks tickets for the upcoming season.

The Blackhawks also plan on hosting a "White Sox Night" sometime during the 2008-2009 season.

Along with collaborating in the marketing area, the two franchises are exploring other cross-promotional avenues regarding ticket sales.

This agreement makes sense for both franchises as it gives both teams visibility all year round. With the NHL and MLB regular seasons overlapping in early April and early October, the cross-promotion will keep both teams highly visible even during their respective off seasons.

The Blackhawks activities started yesterday in the White Sox home opener, and will continue throughout the 2008 season.

Cubs-Pirates Temperatures in Hell Drop After Chicago Victory

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:20:07 -0400

The Chicago Cubs hung on for a 10-8 victory Monday in Pittsburgh, and shortly after the game ended, the temperature in Hell dropped nearly 50 degrees.

Sources close to Satan confirmed the drop late this afternoon, and Satan was quoted as saying, "Did someone turn off the heat, or did the Cubs win today?"

After learning that it was a Cubs victory that triggered the decrease in temperature, Satan quipped, "Figures."

Scientists studying the weather in Hell noted that temperature increases and decreases are directly related to the on-field success - or lack thereof - of Chicago's National League baseball club.

"We have seen that temperatures in Hell drop on days that the Cubs win, and depending on how they won, the drop can be rather significant," said University of Chicago scientist Dr. James Allen.

The biggest swings in temperatures have occured whenever the Cubs have qualified for Major League Baseball's post-season.

"The lowest temperature readings we've seen in recent memory down there were back in October of 2003, when the Cubs nearly won the NL pennant," Allen said.

Allen noted that after the top of the 8th inning in Game 6 of that year's NLCS, "temperatures began to return to normal levels."

Readings last summer were also unusually low, as the Cubs won the NL Central Division title.

So how do forecasters predict Hell's weather?

"We usually look at pitching matchups and box scores of the Cubs and their opponent," Allen said. "The NL Central standings also play a role."

And what would happen if the Cubs were to actually win a World Series?

"I think Satan and the rest of his Fallen Angels would take up ice hockey."

Twins @ White Sox: Joe Crede Slam Powers White Sox to Fifth-Straight Win

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:37:23 -0400

Joe Crede hit a grand slam to break open a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh to push the White Sox to a 7-4 win over the Minnesota Twins in their home opener.

The slam finished off a two-for-four day for Crede, and that followed a four-for-five performance the night before in Detroit. The third baseman is hitting .393 with two home runs and 10 RBI on the young season.

It also made Javier Vazquez a winner for the first time in 2008, after he went seven innings, allowing seven hits, three earned runs, one walk, and eight strikeouts.

Closer Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save this year, after Scott Linebrink worked the eighth, allowing his first run in a White Sox uniform.

The teams traded first-inning runs, and Minnesota took a 2-1 lead in the top of the second after Mike Lamb drove in Jason Kubel with an RBI double.

The Twins extended their lead to 3-1 in the fourth on another Lamb double, but Chicago struck back with a run in the bottom half of the fourth on a Nick Swisher RBI fielder's choice.

It remained that way until the bottom of the seventh, when Jermaine Dye drove Jim Thome in with an RBI-single. After an AJ Pierzynski strikeout, Carlos Quentin singled to load the bases for Crede.

The win was Chicago's fifth straight, making for the team's first five-game winning streak since August 10-14, 2006. This moves Chicago into first place alone, one-half game ahead of the idle Royals, who open a three-game set tomorrow at home against the Yankees.

After an off-day tomorrow, the White Sox will go for six in a row on Wednesday as they send John Danks to the mound against Scott Baker for Minnesota.

Notes: The White Sox are 6-1 in their last seven home openers...Ozzie Guillen was ejected in the third inning, his 13th ejection since becoming Chicago's manager...Crede's grand slam was his first since June 24, 2006 against the Astros.

Chicago White Sox-Detroit Tigers: Chicago Crushes and Sweeps Tigers

Steve Jankowski — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 16:29:49 -0400

The Detroit Tigers looked to get in the win column for the first time this season, but the Chicago White Sox made sure that wouldn't happen, as they drilled the Tigers, 13-2 to sweep the three-game set in Detroit, and drop the Tigers to 0-6 on the season.

Nick Swisher hit the second pitch of the ball game for a home run inside the right-field foul pole to put the South Siders on top.

After Detroit tied the game in the third, Chicago scored twice in the fifth to take a 3-1 lead.

Then, the White Sox blew the game wide open with a six-run sixth inning. It started with one out and Paul Konerko hitting a routine ground ball to third. Miguel Cabrera's throw was on target, but first baseman Carlos Guillen dropped the ball, allowing Konerko to reach safely.

Jermaine Dye followed that up with a double to left, and Tigers starter Justin Verlander walked the Majors' leading hitter, AJ Pierzynski, to load the bases for Carlos Quentin.

Verlander hit Quentin to force in Konerko to make the score 4-1.

Joe Crede then hit a grounder in the hole to shortstop, but Edgar Renteria's throw to second for a force play on Quentin was not in time. Dye scored to make it 5-1, and the bases were still loaded with only one out.

After a Juan Uribe strikeout, Swisher singled to center, scoring Quentin, and that knocked Verlander out of the game.

Orlando Cabrera then cleared the bases with a double to make the score 9-1, and sent boos cascading down on the Tigers.

In the ninth, Quentin hit a bases-clearing triple to make it 12-2, and he was knocked in by Joe Crede to make the final margin 13-2.

Crede had a big night at the plate, going 4-for-5, with three RBI and a run scored. He was so-so in the field, however, as he committed two throwing errors early in the game, but recovered to start a two key double plays.

Starter Mark Buehrle recovered from a disastrous outing on Opening Day in Cleveland to pick up his first win of 2008 by allowing only two runs (one earned) on seven hits in seven innings of work. He benefitted from a Sox defense that, despite committing three errors, turned five double plays in the game, including four in a row in the middle of the game.

Justin Verlander fell to 0-1 on the season after allowing nine runs (four earned) on seven hits, with three walks in 5.2 innings of work.

Detroit is still looking for their first win of 2008 and will head to Boston to face the defending World Champions in their home opener.

The White Sox head home for their home opener on a four-game winning streak, where they will host the Minnesota Twins. Javier Vazquez will get the start against Nick Blackburn for Minnesota.

Detroit-Chicago: Blackhawks End Season on Down Note

Steve Jankowski — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:35:32 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks' season ended with a disappointing 4-1 loss at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings. The loss snapped a four-game winning streak for Chicago.

Patrick Kane scored Chicago's only goal with 2:20 left in the game to spoil Dominik Hasek's shutout bid. The goal was Kane's 21st of the season.

Kane finished the season with a total of 72 points, topping rookies in scoring.

Fellow rookie Jonathan Toews ended the year with 24 goals and 30 assists. His 24 goals in only 64 games led all rookie goal-scorers.

Detroit got two goals from Nicklas Lidstrom, and Jiri Hudler and Mark Hartigan also added goals to the victory.

The Red Wings now head to the playoffs with the best record in the NHL. They will face fellow Central Division foe Nashville.

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks will head home and regroup for next season.

Despite the loss, the increase in points (88 this season, up from 71 a year ago) and the hunt for the playoffs has given the whole organization great momentum. They hope this strength and energy will benefit them in free agency this summer and into next season, when they hope to make the playoffs for the first time since 2001-02.

But on Wednesday, the playoffs will get underway, and the Blackhawks will be spectators once again.

White Sox-Tigers: Pierzynski Blast Gives Chicago Second Straight Win

Steve Jankowski — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 12:34:46 -0400

AJ Pierzynski's three-run home run in the top of the seventh capped off a 3-for-5 day at the plate and was the margin of victory for the Chicago White Sox in an 8-5 win in Detroit.

He had five RBI's in all, and helped even the White Sox record on the season to 2-2.

Jose Contreras was shaky for Ozzie Guillen's club, allowing five runs, four of them earned, on 10 hits and four walks. But all that production for the Tigers was not enough to get them their first win of 2008.

Pierzynski's blast broke a 5-5 tie in the seventh, and improved his batting average this season to .529 (9-for-17). He has two home runs and seven RBI's in the early going.

The much-maligned bullpen held down the Tigers lineup after Pierzynski's homer, and Bobby Jenks pitched a scoreless ninth to get his second save in as many days.

The loss dropped the Tigers to 0-4 on the season, the first time they started that badly since the 2003 Tigers lost 119 games. The start for this Tigers club is more alarming given that they boast the second-highest payroll in the majors at $138.7 million. Only the Yankees have a higher payroll.

Carlos Quentin also homered for the White Sox, who are 20-9 in Comerica Park since 2005.

The two teams resume their three-game set tomorrow afternoon on FOX with Gavin Floyd getting the start for the White Sox. He will be opposed by Dontrelle Willis.

Blackhawks-Red Wings: Chicago Dominant in 6-2 Win

Steve Jankowski — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:38:59 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks aren't about to quit yet.

Needing a win to stay alive in the Western Conference playoff hunt, they scored three times on their first six shots on net en route to a convincing 6-2 win before 21,365 at United Center.

Cam Barker opened the scoring 5:53 into the game with a power play goal, and Jordan Hendry scored his first career NHL goal 43-seconds later to put the Hawks up two.

Former Red Wing Robert Lang sent Hasek to the dressing room with his 21st goal of the season at the 7:52 mark after receiving a cross-ice feed from another former Wing, Jason Williams.

Detroit began to assert itself in the latter stages of the first period, and Henrik Zetterberg capitalized on a power play to make it 3-1.

The Blackhawks power play struck again early in the second, as Patrick Kane skated out of the corner and sent a cross-ice pass to Dustin Byfuglien who one-timed home his 19th goal of the season.

Three minutes later, Kirk Maltby made it a 4-2 Chicago advantage, but that would be as close as the Wings would get the remainder of the night.

Patrick Kane redirected home his 19th of the season a little over a minute after Maltby's goal to regain the three goal advantage for Chicago.

Adam Burish'sthird goal of the season with just over four minutes left capped off the scoring.

Nikolai Khabibulin recorded his 23rd win this year, making 26 saves. Since the beginning of February, Khabibulin is 8-1-3 in 13 games with a goals-against average under 2.

The Blackhawks playoff hopes now rest on the shoulders of the St. Louis Blues, who battle the 8th place Nashville Predators in Nashville tonight. A Predators win gives them 91 points, and will eliminate Chicago. With 86 points and two games left, Chicago can only get to 90 points.

Should Nashville lose in regulation tonight, it sets up a critically important game for both teams, as a Blackhawks win in that game would bring them to within one point of the postseason.

But the fact that these young Hawks are playing important games in April; and winning them, is worth noting.

One Timers:The crowd of 21,365 was Chicago's 11th home sellout of the year ... Defenseman Jordan Hendry became the 8th Blackhawks player to score his first NHL goal this season ... The win clinched the season series for Chicago, and they became the first team to beat the Red Wings five times in a season since 1990-91 ... Former Cub Hall-of-Famer Ernie Banks dropped two ceremonial first pucks.

Blackhawks-Blue Jackets: Chicago Keeps Playoff Hopes Alive With Shootout Win

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 13:30:54 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks needed a win to stay alive in the NHL's Western Conference playoff race, and they went to the shootout to claim a 5-4 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The win brought the Blackhawks to within four points of 8th place Vancouver with three games remaining. They are 4-1-1 in their last six outings.

Rookie Patrick Kane scored the only goal in the shootout. He has scored on seven out of nine shootout attempts, and is tied with San Jose's Joe Pavelski for the most shootout goals in the NHL.

Kane's shootout success is a bit of a surprise to him.

"I don't know what it is," Kane said. "Last year, I was 4-for-10 in junior [in shootouts]. It's crazy to think about that. You just develop moves to become successful with. In pressure situations like that, it comes in handy."

The Hawks at one time were down 3-1 early in the second, after Jonathan Toews gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead on a power play in the first period with his 23rd goal of the year.

Columbus scored two goals late in the first, and added another early in the second before Chicago scored twice later that period to tie it at 3.

Each of Chicago's first three goals were on the power play, which went 3 for 7 on the night. Chicago's power play had not scored in its previous three games.

"We made some adjustments, just shot pucks more," said Blackhawks coach Denis Savard.

Early in the third, Columbus' Derek MacKenzie deflected home his second goal of the season to give the Blue Jackets a 4-3 lead.

Ten minutes later, Yanic Perrault pushed the puck over the goal line to tie the game at 4 with about seven minutes left. The goal was Perrault's ninth on the season.

Despite numerous chances for both teams in overtime, neither team could before the shootout.

Before Kane's heroics in the shootout, he set a franchise record, with his 48th assist on the year. He assisted on Toews' first period power-play goal.

The assist also was Kane's 66th point this season, tying him for the most among rookies with Niklas Backstrom of the Washington Capitals.

Chicago will next host the rival Detroit Red Wings Wednesday night at United Center.

One Timers: The Blackhawks drew 20,885 to the United Center for the game, which was the club's ninth sellout this season ... Head Coach Denis Savard and former winger Steve Larmer had previously held the Blackhawks rookie assist record before Kane broke it ... The Blue Jackets were denied their 35th win on the season, which would have tied a franchise record ... The teams split the eight game season series.

Indians-White Sox: Umps cost Chicago Opening Day Win

Steve Jankowski — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 12:22:16 -0400

Jim Thome hit a pair of two-run homers, but that still wasn't enough for the Chicago White Sox to defeat the Cleveland Indians and the umpires.

Missed calls by the men in blue cost the White Sox (0-1) a total of four runs in the game leading to the Indians (1-0) 10-8 victory.

In the top of the 7th, a slow grounder to short by A.J. Pierzynski forced a hurried throw by Indians shortstop Jhonny Peralta which appeared to pull first baseman Ryan Garko off the bag. Pierzynski was called out, and the runner on third was unable to score as the inning ended.

In the 8th, with the score tied at seven, Chicago loaded the bases with no one out after a Joe Crede leadoff double, and Juan Uribe followed that with a double of his own, with Crede only advanceing to third.

An intentional walk followed, and Cabrera hit a grounder to short. Peralta's throw home was off target, and Crede appeared to slide under the tag, but was called out.

Then, Thome grounded to second base, and Cabrera attempted to break up that double play. He reached out to break up the play while still tagging the bag, but was called out on interference, ending the inning with no runs scoring.

The play was reminiscent of a play at second earlier in the game, also involving Cabrera.

In the bottom of the fourth inning, Casey Blake of the Indians slid hard into second base as new White Sox shortstop Orlando Cabrera was attempting to turn a double play. Blake took Cabrera's legs out while holding his arms high and prevented Cabrera from making the relay throw to first—A run scored for the Indians on the play.

The missed calls overshadowed a resilient effort by the White Sox, who fell behind 7-2 after two innings.

Sox starter, Mark Buehrle, struggled mightily, going 1.1 innings, giving up seven runs on seven hits, all in the bottom of the second.

Nick Masset, the last man added to the Opening Day roster, pitched very effectively in relief, allowing only two hits in 4.1 innings.

Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia was only slightly more effective than Buehrle, going 5.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits.

Rafael Betancourt (1-0) picked up the win in relief for the Indians, while newly acquired reliever Octavio Dotel (0-1) picked up the loss after he allowed a three-run double in the bottom of the eighth to Casey Blake.

Former Cub Joe Borowski picked up his first save, but allowed a Jermaine Dye home run to make the final 10-8.

Northern Illinois Begins New Era on Football Field

Steve Jankowski — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:57:59 -0400

After an injury-plagued 2-10 season, the Northern Illinois football team will look to return to the top of the MAC West under a new coach, former Southern Illinois head coach Jerry Kill.

Kill took over for long-time coach Joe Novak, who retired after leading the Huskies for 12 years.

Under Novak, the Huskies went from a bottom-feeder to perennial MAC contender. He led NIU to four MAC West titles, one MAC Championship game appearance, and two bowl games, with the Huskies going 1-1.

Kill has had plenty of success in his 14-year head coaching career, boasting a 104-57 mark. He will take over a team that returns nine starters on both sides of the ball, and 20 starters overall. Fifty-five varsity letter winners in all return for the 2008 season.

The challenge for Kill this spring will be evaluating a talent pool that was injured most of last season. Many of those players are still rehabilitating those injuries now, and will be limited in their spring workouts.

One of the returnees who was injured in the last game of the 2007 season is redshirt senior tailback Justin Anderson. The Huskies will have to rely on him. He led NIU in rushing last year, running for 1,245 yards and eight touchdowns.

Defensively, the Huskies were led last season by MAC MVP Larry English. He will return to anchor the Huskies' defensive line after posting 10.5 QB sacks and 17 tackles for a loss in 2007.

The Huskies also return their top two quarterbacks, in junior Ryan Morris and senior Dan Nicholson.

Nicholson figures to be the starter when the Huskies open their season August 30 at Minnesota, but Morris showed last year he is capable of filling in after Nicholson went down to injury.

The receiving corps is a year older and more experienced, which will be a boon to whichever quarterback is under center.

The passing attack will be vital to the offensive success of the Huskies, as it will soften up opposing defenses for Anderson and senior running back Montell Clanton, who missed nearly all of last season due to injury.

The Huskies will face only one Big Ten team this year in their season opener at Minnesota.

Other non-conference games include a visit to perennial SEC powerhouse Tennessee, and the Naval Academy's first-ever visit to DeKalb. Their first home game is against Indiana State on September 20.

In conference, the Huskies will have three consecutive home games against Miami of Ohio, Toledo and Bowling Green in the middle of October. The only other MAC East team they will face is Kent State.

Chicago Blackhawks' Season a Success, No Matter How It Ends

Steve Jankowski — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:22:05 -0400

Time is running out for the Chicago Blackhawks to make the playoffs this season, but even if they don't, that doesn't mean this season has been a failure.

Entering tonight's game at Columbus, the Hawks are six points out of the eight and final playoff spot with six games to go, including tonight's contest. They also have one game in hand on the three teams ahead of them, including the eighth seeded Colorado Avalanche.

The very fact that the Hawks are playing meaningful games this late into the schedule is reason for joy on West Madison Street.

The buzz has returned to the United Center, and some of the games played there have been televised locally, something William Wirtz never would have done.

When Rocky Wirtz took over just before the start of the regular season, he made sweeping changes to the club off the ice. He welcomed back legends in Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, and Tony Esposito. He also televised home games.

After hiring John McDonough from the Cubs to be team president, the club created the Blackhawks Fan Convention—the first of its kind in the NHL.

These moves created a lot of excitement for the club and put people in the seats at United Center, but Wirtz knows the only way to capitalize on it is for the team to win on the ice.

GM Dale Tallon started the club in that direction before William Wirtz's death by drafting and stockpiling young, talented players. Now Tallon's job will be to build around this young nucleus for the future.

The headliners of this young group are rookies Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews. These two young phenoms will form the core of the Hawks' offensive attack for the next decade or more.

Defensively, All-Star Duncan Keith is a top-tier defender, and he isn't even 25 years old yet. This season he has mostly been paired with 22-year-old Brent Seabrook on the Hawks' top defensive pairing, often asked to shut down the opponent's top scoring line.

The defense as a whole is young, with only two of Chicago's eight defensemen on the roster over 25. Of the two older defensemen, only 31-year-old Brent Sopel has seen significant playing time.

This late season playoff push, no matter how it ends up, will benefit this young club. The biggest beneficiaries could be Kane and Toews. Neither of them have played a season as long as the 82-game grind that is an NHL season.

Playing important games will help them, and all the youngsters on this club. The experience they are getting now will no doubt benefit the club from top to bottom for the future—which has never looked so bright.