What Happened to the Chicago Blackhawks Who Have Left Since 2005?
The off-season of 2010 for the Chicago Blackhawks was a "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" Summer for many.
On one hand, the celebration that was in the making for nearly half a century occurred after the thrilling campaign that ended in a championship.
On the other was the departure of many of the players that played a key role in making that championship happen.
So instead of evaluating how these players that were on the team last year are doing in the two or three games they have played for their respective new teams, I will instead look at players that left in the summers before when the Blackhawks were slowly working towards being the preeminent power in the Western Conference.
Many of these players were draft picks or pick ups of the infamous Blackhawks general manager Mike Smith; while others fell under Dale Tallon's tenure. Either way it is exciting to think about how far the team has come in such a short period of time.
Nikolai Khabibulin
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"The Bulin Wall".
A big ticket free agent that gave many Blackhawks fans great hope for the future after he won a Cup with the Lightning before the strike year.
He was disappointing in his first couple of seasons with the team, and it appeared to many that he did not have the same skills that he had shown in Tampa Bay and Phoenix over the years.
But, in the 2008 season he emerged from the ashes to become one of the best goalies in the league as the Blackhawks made it to the Western Conference Finals before Nikolai got hurt.
He was eventually let go by the Blackhawks in favor of the Hawks going with Antti Niemi and Cristobal Huet (How'd that turn out), and "The Wall" headed to the Oilers. He was plagued by injuries and had a bad year with a bad team. He is now in appeal for an off-ice legal issue (make inferences yourself from the picture), and has not rejoined his team as of yet.
Patrick Lalime
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The long-time Senators netminder joined the Hawks in 2006 to back up Nikolai Khabibulin. A year later he was the starting goalie, and ended the season with a 16-12 record.
The 36 year old goalie was thought to be done for when the Blackhawks picked him up, and in a sense he rejuvenated his career in Chicago. Since leaving the Blackhawks Lalime has been backing up All-World goalie Ryan Miller in Buffalo.
Craig Anderson
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A Blackhawks draft pick in 2001, Craig Anderson never was considered to be the starting goalie in his three years with the big club, but since than he has been able to be a starter.
After three mediocre years with the struggling Panthers, Craig was given a chance last season to be the starting goalie with the Avalanche. He flourished in the role starting in 71 games and finishing with 38 victories by season's end. In the playoffs he showed signs of brilliance, setting the record for most saves in a shutout playoff game with 50.
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The A-B-C Line
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Though the "A" (Tyler Arnason) did not return to the team after the strike, Mark Bell and Kyle Calder breifly emerged from the work stoppage to try to fufilll the promise that many expected from them every year. Though they never brought the success many hoped; which would later be acheived by the likes of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, they brought their share of thrills.
Mark Bell was a high draft pick with the Hawks that never was able to live up to his hefty expectations. He was traded to the Sharks where he was looked upon to be the compliment to Jonathan Cheechoo and Joe Thornton.
He did not have much succcess in San Jose however, and was eventually released. Since than he has been toiling with legal problems, and is still trying to make it back consistently in the NHL.
Kyle Calder was a winger with alot of promise for the Blackhawks. He was a tough player who had enough finesse to be a scorer. He was able to lead the Hawks in points in the year after the strike before being traded to Philadephia the following season to some fans dismay.
Since than he has bounced around to several teams including: Philadephia, Detroit, Los Angeles and Anaheim. He currently is in the minors.
Over The Hill Veterans
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Matthew Barnaby: A fan-favorite in many of the destinations in his solid NHL career, Matthew Barnaby played a year with the Blackhawks in the end of his days in the NHL. Known as a proficient fighter in his day, his best games came with the Sabres and not the Hawks.
Since hanging up the skates he has moved on to a very successful hockey analyst career at ESPN along side Barry Melrose. He often speaks of his large contract that he got from the Blackhawks, and refers to it as robbery.
Curtis Brown: Like Mr. Barnaby, Curtis Brown's best NHL days came in Buffalo, and like Mr. Barnaby, Curtis Brown got a large contract from the Blackhawks only to be bought out after one season.
He has had a breif run with the Sharks since his departure from Chicago, but is now in the minors.
Martin LaPointe: Long known as a gritty role player for the championship Red Wing teams over the years, Marty LaPointe was looked upon to bring leadership to a young and up and coming Blackhawks team.
He was briefly the captain for the injured Adrian Aucoin (will not mention in this article), and had a decent run with the Blackhawks at best.
Since being traded to Ottawa where he played in only 18 games before being released LaPointe has been looking for work on the ice, and so far nothing had come.
Peter Bondra: In what was a run a futile attempt to make the playoffs in 2008, the Blackhawks brought in the aging former Capitals captain.
It cannot be considered a faulire as the aura of Bondra no doubt rubbed off on the eventual Cup champs. He also scored his 500th career goal with the Blackhawks at the United Center before retiring at season's end.
Jason Williams: It cannot be considered to be a complete bad move to bring in Jason Williams as he did produce numbers for the Hawks. He has since gone to the Thrashers, Blue Jackets, and Red Wings. He is a free agent at this time.
Red Rising Talent
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Rene Bourque: One of the bright spots of the new generation of Blackhawks hockey was Rene Bourque. He was a rookie of the year winner in the AHL before joining the Blackhawks in 2005. For three seasons he was as solid a Blackhawk as there was, and when we was traded to the Flames in 2008 it was startling to many.
He has battled injuries throughout his career including his tenure with Calgary. In both seasons with the Flames however he has still been able to score at least 20 goals in each season.
James Wisniewski: The former OHL defencemen of the year who now is thought of in a mixed light by Hawks fans continues to play the hard-nosed brand of hockey we remember him for.
He started his career with the team 2007, and had a good rookie season before tearing his ACL the following year. Despite being well-liked by fans and players alike he was traded to the Ducks in 2008. He would go on to hit his former friend and teammate Brent Seabrook in a controversial manner that caused a concussion to the Blackhawks defender.
James now plays for the Islanders this season where his outlandish style has already landed him in trouble as he flicked off Sean Avery.
Tuomo Ruutu: The 9th overall pick by the Blackhawks in 2001, Tuomo Ruutu was thought by many to be the future star of stars for the Blackhawks. He had glimpses of excellence for the team that drafted him, but never became a game-changer as excepted.
He was traded at the deadline in 2008 for Andrew Ladd. Ruutu has been a good player for the Canes, but has not reached the team success that Ladd was able to acheive with both Carolina and Chicago with his two Cup wins under his belt.
Cam Barker: Perhaps expected to do even more than Ruutu, Cam Barker was a #3 overall pick by the Blackhawks.
For several seasons it appeared that Cam was going to be a flat-out bust pick as lower picks Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook continued to get better and better. But, to his credit Barker became a solid player on the blue line before being traded last season.
The Blackhawks shipped him to Minnesota for Kim Johnsson who did not pan out, and Nick Leddy who is already a Blackhawk at 19.
We Shall Not Forget
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Robert Lang: Playing for a team that barely missed the playoffs with rookies Toews and Kane, Robert Lang was the wily veteran that gave the Blackhawks the best he had every night.
He was able to contribute 54 points in his one season in Chicago after his numerous seasons in Detroit. In the last two seasons he has played in both Montreal and Phoenix.
In the latter, he was apart of the surprising re-birth of success for the Coyotes; which resemebled the season he had with the rookies in Chicago.
Martin Havlat: One of the true fan-favorites of the new era of Blackhawks is Marty Havlat.
Fans wanted to see him overcome the injury bug that plagued him for years in the worst way. And, in the team's conference finals appearance year in 2008-2009, he did just that and more.
He was named the team's MVP after tallying 77 points in the regular season to go along with 15 points in the playoffs; including the thrilling winner in a overtime game against the Canucks.
Sadly, his playing career with the Blackhawks ended in a vicious hit against the Red Wings, as he was not re-signed, and struck a massive 6 year deal with the Wild. He was again able to stay relatively healthy last season, and got over 50 points, but surely wished he could have hoisted the cup with his friends and former teammates.
Other Names That Threw On The Sweater
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- Radim Vrbata - Now with Phoenix Coyotes
- Jim Vandermeer- Now with Edmonton Oilers
- Jassen Cullimore- Now with Rockford Icehogs
- Adrian Aucoin- Now with Phoenix Coyotes
- Adam Munro- Now in KHL
- Jeff Hamilton- Now in Swiss League
- Yanic Perreault- Retired as Blackhawk
- Craig Adams- Now with Pittsburgh Penguins
- Kevyn Adams- Retired
- Aaron Johnson- Now with Nashville Predators
- Scott Nichol- Now with San Jose Sharks
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