News Flash - Fans DO Miss HockeyChamps for Charity a Huge Success

Last night some former and current Blackhawks played a charity game against some other NHLers for the Ronald McDonald house, at the All State Arena in Rosemont. Anyone showing up to this event thinking it was going to be anything other than a lighthearted schmoozefest, well, the joke is on them.

There were "missed" calls, all penalties were penalty shots, there was a mob style mugging of Dan Carcillo, and there was a goalie on goalie penalty shot. This was a CHARITY game with a bunch of highly paid, when they are actually playing, professional players. No one was going to risk serious injury for a charity game. The players yucked it up for the crowd and took a primary role as "entertainers", rather than "cattle", and the overall theme was laughs and tom foolery.

With an announced crown of just under 12,000 people, and over $323,000 raised, it's safe to say that people in Chicago miss their hockey, or at least their Blackhawks.

Blackhawks Star Patrick Kane did exactly what you would expect him to do, by scoring 5 goals and winning the MVP trophy, just in time to head over to Switzerland with mom.




Here is the recap of my live tweeting:

-Kaner comes out to cheers and a standing ovation
-Joe Corvo (Boston, but playing for his hometown Hawks) rocking the killer Mohawk
-Mike Brown (Toronto) is rocking an EPIC lockout beard.
-Wizzzer (Columbus) with an Atrocious turnover and the hawks team down 0-2
-Jared Boll (LA Kings) for a 3-0 World team . Ouchie
-Kaner give the Hawks team life. 3-1 world
-Tazer breakaway goal on a "missed" offsides for the hawks second goal.
-Ladd (Winnipeg) brings out the dagger for 3-3 tie
-Craig Adams (Pittsburgh) on the penalty shot for a 4-3 hawks lead
-Jordan Staal (Carolina) ties it back up at 4s
-Kaner puts the hawks back ahead with under a minute left in the 1st.
-Ladder (Winnipeg) scores again to incite the canoe celebration and the daggar again.
-Sharpie scores for a 7-4 hawks lead.
-Lockout beard (Mike Smith of Toronto) scores to cut the lead to 7-5.
-Anderson (Ottawa) turns puck over to leino (Buffalo) for a world goal.
-Goligoski (Dallas) ties the game up at 7-7.
-Burish (San Jose) does a ned braden striptease after putting the hawks up 8-7.
-Timonen (Philly) ties it up again After a huge Anderson save.
-Tazer with goal 9 for hawks.
-Correction sharpie with 9 followed by kaners hat trick goal.
-Corvo (Boston) on the delayed penalty. 11-8 hawks
-Bobby ryan (Anaheim) scores the 9th world goal.
-Staal (Carolina) with #10 for the world.
-World ties it up 11-11 By Brookbank (Hawks but playing for the World).
-Ladder (Winneipeg) hat trick puts the hawks back up 12-11.
-Penalty shot goal for Jake the Snake Dowell (Minnesota) for a 13-11 Hawks lead.
-Detroit sucks chants loooouuuuud and clear. (TRUTH!!!)
-Carbomb (Hawks but playing for the World) pulled onto Hawks bench to fight Ryan Dempster, Wizzer, and Burish
-Thornton (Boston) goal to bring the world back within 1. 13-12.
-Backstrom (Minny) scores on the first goalie on goalie penalty shot. 13-13. Sandstorm ensues
-Miettinen (Winnipeg) pits the world up 14-13.
-Wizzer turnover = carbomb goal. 15-13 world.
-Kaner goal brings the hawks back within 1. Gould throws the challenge flag and loses.
-Kaner ties it up with the goalie pulled and 1:42 left. Crowd on their feet.
-After watching Wizzer play this game Scott Howson just shot himself. Shootout time.
-Tazer hits crossbar.
-Bobby Ryan scores
-Shooter evens it up
-Staal stopped by anderson
-Kaner scores to put hawks up.
-Leino stopped by anderson
-Ladder Stopped
-Timonen beats anderson to tie it up
-Brouwser no goal.
-Carbomb Scores to win the game on the kaner stop n go
-Kaner wins MVP
-$323,500 raised for Champs For Charity

Some videos for you to enjoy:

Several Cup Winning Blackhawks to Return for "Champs for Charity" Game

"We're Getting the Band Back Together!"
Former Blackhawks fan favorite Adam Burish headed up a news conference, yesterday, and announced the plans for a Champs for Charity game at the All State Arean on October 26th. Joining Burish on the ice for the game will be several former and current Blackhawks from the 2010 cup winning team. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster.com. The intention is for the game to raise hope to raise $250,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana.

Joining Burish on the ice will be Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Andrew Ladd, Ben Eager, Brian Campbell, Dave Bolland, Jake Dowell, James Wisniewski, John Madden, Troy Brouwer and Kris Versteeg. Other NHL players that are set to join the former champs are Bobby Ryan, Ryan Suter, Jack Johnson, Ville Leino, Mike Brown, Antti Miettinen, Jared Boll, Tom Gilbert, Alex Goligoski, Al Montoya, and Kimmo Timonen. Rumors are also being thrown around suggesting that Sidney Crosby will be on the ice, as well.

As far as tickets, there are 100 VIP tickets for $500 and include glass seats, an event jersey, and a pre-game meet-and-greet with the players from 6 to 6:45 p.m.. There are also $60, $30, $15 and $10 tickets available.

Rockford IceHogs at Chicago Wolves - Loss Recap

"GOIN HOGGIN!"
Well, here we sit, on October 15th, and the only hockey we can manage to watch is the joke that is the KHL through some kind of ESPN pirate feed, or the AHL. Lets be honest, neither is the quality we are accustomed to, but it will have to do, given the circumstances. Mind you, the fans aren't even offered the AHL team most Hawks fans WANT to watch; unless the Wolves are facing the IceHogs. This madness is all we have, while the NHL and NHLPA continue to measure each others dongs and argue about the length and girth differences. It's getting old REALLY fast, assclowns.

We were given a morsel of Blackhawks hockey on Saturday, as the Wolves beat the Hogs 1-0 in a shootout, and Sunday was game 2 of the opening AHL weekend. No one expected a double shutout and a shootout on the opening night of the season for these two clubs, but that's what they got. The supposed firepower that the Blackhawks left the Hogs with was rumored to provide some serious goal scoring, but that was nowhere to be found against Eddie Lack and the Wolves Saturday night. We were all hoping for something a little more "scorish", for this contest. See? This recap thing is like riding a bike. Right back on for another ride.

The first period opened like a thoroughbred race, going end to end and back, but slowed into a fairly boring period, as the period went on. The Wolves outshot the Hogs, 8-6 for the opening frame, scoring on one of those 8 shots. The Hogs came out in the second period, and looked more focussed, but a shorthanded goal took the wind out of their sails REAL fast. For the remainder of the period, the Wolves had a wild Hog hair up their ass and ended up going into the second intermission up 2-0. The Hogs pulled a page out of the Hawks book, dominating in shots, but tied in goals 3-3 for the period. That was all the Wolves needed to send the Hogs packing and winless for the season. Final Score, 5-3 Wolves.


The Good

• Nothing against Jim Cornelison, but Wayne Mesmer will forever be my favorite anthem singer. Memories of the old Barn, and the '91 All-Star game.
• It was really nice to not have to watch 100 of those insufferably brutal Binny's commercials.
• Martin "Lucky" St.Pierre is a slick little player. This is the first I've seen of him, and he has some serious stick skills. From what I've heard, it's his off ice antics that kept him out of the NHL.
• Dream Warrior, Lucky Pierre, and Scorin Morin hooked up for the first Hogs goal of the season, on the powerplay, if you can believe that. Not really much to it, really. Kruger lugged it around the net and dumped it off to St.Pierre, who took a second and fired it to a wide open Morin across the crease. Morin just jammed it past Lack to breaks HIS shutout streak.
• Just a few minutes after the Morin goal, Marcus Kruger snapped a nice wrist shot past Lack on yet another powerplay.
• Morin scored the third Hogs goal of the game on a very simple play. He skated up the middle and snapped a wrist shot that looked to be slightly redirected by a Wolves defender.

The Bad

• Seeing people in Hawks color sweaters wearing the numbers 18, and 21 is really strange. Most people might not even notice it, but those numbers stuck out like a sore thumb to me.
• The Wolves finally broke Hutton's scoreless streak about halfway through the first, as the Hogs had major trouble getting the puck out of the zone, and Former Hawk for a second Andrew Ebbett scored on what looked like a deflection from outside the left circle.
• Couple of minutes into the second period, and the duo of Leddy and Stanton got caught up, and left the Wolves with a 3-on-1. Luckily, Patrick Mullin hit the post, with Stanton diving to try and poke the puck away. Some things never change, Leddy. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride for Leddy in his own end. Hawks fans have seen THAT a time or two.
• Brandon Saad had two GREAT chances in the middle of the second period and was robbed blind by Lack. The Canucks have to feel really good about their goaltending future with Corey Schneider and Lack in the system. Eddie Lack is a man among boys in the AHL.
• The Wolves took a two goal lead back just after a bad Dylan Olsen penalty, in the third period. Longpre took a pass in the low slot and snapped it by Hutton. St.Pierre got caught reaching for Longpre and Olsen was late getting back into the play following his penalty.
• Former Hawks draft pick Bill Sweatt put the final daggar in the Hogs, as he took a nice feed in the slot and snapped it past Hutton with about 3 minutes to go in regulation.

The Ugly

• Not a minute into the game, and Joe Lavin got his dick absolutely knocked into the dirt by Steve Pinizzotto. Head up, kiddo.
• Shawfacts was up to his usual shenanigans, spearing a Wolves player in the back of the knees after a whistle that negated an upcoming Hogs a powerplay, at the end of the first period. Quenneville would have sat his dumb ass for the next 3 weeks for that shit, minimum.
• Nathan Longpre took advantage of Jeremy Morin playing the point on the Rockford powerplay, and ended up one-on-one with Hutton. Longpre did just what a sniper should do when he's in all alone, shorthanded no less. What is the fascination with this organization and forwards playing the point on the powerplay? 2-0 Wolves.
• Just to prove that they are affiliated with the Hawks, the Hogs showed off their very own dogshit circus powerplay. They finally found their legs in the third period, but they ended up 2-13 for the weekend, with a shorthanded goal against. When you outshoot a team and have 7 powerplays, you should win.
• Brandon Pirri pulled some shenanigans of his own, late in the second, elbowing the Wolves Kevin Connauton in the dome. This could very well lead to a suspension for targeting the head. Way to show off your poise and maturity.
• Noted Canucks Dickbag Zack Kassian took exception to the Pirri elbow by throwing a flying shoulder to the head of Ryan Stanton. I guess the douchebaggery was being spread like a case of herpes on spring break, in Rosemont. Jimmy Hayes was kind enough to rush in and offer up his face as a fist magnet, while coming to Stanton's aid. Hayes earned himself a deuce of his very own for his troubles.
• The third goal of the game was as ugly as they come. Ben Youds turned the puck over on the near boards, and Brett Sterling picked the puck up and threw a simple shot towards the net. Easy play unless Dylan Olsen kicks it into his own cage, which he did. Hutton got NO help from his defense in this affair.

Here are the lines for the IceHogs, last night:

Brandon Saad-Marcus Kruger-Jimmy Hayes
Peter Leblanc-Martin St.Pierre-Jeremy Morin
Ben Smith-Brandon Pirri-Andrew Shaw
Brandon Bollig-Rob Flick-Kyle Beach
Nick Leddy-Ryan Stanton
Ben Youds-Dylan Olsen
Brett Lebda-Joe Lavin
And yes, we even have some video highlights for you: