Blackhawks Not Ready To Give Up The Stanley Cup

After going down 0-3 to the Vancouver Canucks the defending Stanley Cup champion Chicago Blackhawks aren't ready to give up the cup just yet.

Chicago has won the last three including Sunday nights overtime win 4-3 to tie the series at 3 each.

Right winger Ben Smith was the hero for the Blackhawks. Here's the highlights from NHL.com/Versus



Big Ben talks about that overtime goal to CSN Chicago



Game 7 is Tuesday in Vancouver.

NHL Recap: Hawks On The Edge, Carrie Underwood Cheers, And All The Others

((HT: NHL.com/TSN/NBC/FSPredators))

Vancouver puts the Blackhawks on the edge of elimination, Teemu Selanne scores twice in 30 seconds but Nashville wins anyway over Anaheim, Brandon Dubinsky makes the Rangers winners over Washington, but more importantly Carrie Underwood's husband got the game-winner from Sergei K...

Here's every goal from Sunday in a minute and a half...

Subban Game Winner Puts Habs In Playoffs

((HT: RDS/NHL/Fel0096))

The Chicago Blackhawks were trying to make a point ((actually, two points)) in the Montreal season home finale last night, but PK Subban would have none of it...

And after the goal, neither would Carey Price who beat Subban in a game of butt-buck...

DEVELOPING: Hjalmarsson Gets Two For Pominville HIt

((HT: CSNChicago/NHL/Youtube))

Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson has been suspended for 2 games for his hit on Buffalo Sabres forward Jason Pominville on opening night in Chicago...

Here's the hit from behind that gave Pominville the concussed state of mind he currently has...


In other NHL news, James Wisniewski also got two games for his reminder to the Rangers' Sean Avery that he needs to floss regularly...

BREAKING NEWS: Thrashers and Blackhawks Involved In Blockbuster, Ramsay To Be Head Coach

((HT: ESPN/LeBrun))

In a trade still pending league approval, the Cup champ Chicago Blackhawks are poised to trade power forward Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Sopel, Ben Eager, and a prospect in exchange for a one, a two, a prospect, and Marty Reasoner.

The Hawks are looking to dump salary while new Thrashers GM Rick Dudley is in a win now-mode while, at the same time, trying to court a new head coach and balance the notion of not being able to know who his owners will be long-term.

This could also be seen as a move by Atlanta Spirit to make an asset look more attractive for the sale previously reported by the New York Post and the HQ...

According to nhlnumbers.com, Byfuglien has one year left on his contract paying him $3 million. Sopel has one year left on his deal at $2 million with a cap hit of $2.3 million. Eager earned $965,000 in 2010, but as an RFA should the Thrashers choose to resign him, it would take that much at a minimum.

The Blackhawks get Reasoner, who has one more year left on his contract at $1.2 million and his cap hit is $1.15 million.

Doing HQ Math, that means the Thrash would have 15 players under contract for a number close to US$33.6M. 10 players would be unrestricted free agents and five more would have restricted status- including Eager. There would be US$29.8-million left under the salary cap. Dudley needs to make decisions on Max Afinogenov, Colby Armstrong, Evgeny Artyukhin, Niclas Bergfors, Eric Boulton, Bryan Little, and Clarke MacArthur, Pavel Kubina, Christoph Schubert, Mark Popovic, Ondrej Pavelec, and Johan Hedberg.

Slava Kozlov and Chris Chelios look to retire...

The Blackhawks save five million and have decisions to make on guys like Antti Niemi, Andrew Ladd, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and John Madden. HQ Math on Chicago has them, currently, at 14 players signed for 2010-2011 for US$58.8M.

Here's what the Thrash are getting in their new power forward...
They hope...
((HT: NHL/NBC Sports))


LeBrun, FOSG Scott Burnside, and ESPNChicago's Jesse Rogers discuss...


1230 UPDATE: To get under the 50-player limit, Dudley sent the expiring contract of Brett Sterling, Mike Versace, and a Seven to San Jose for future considerations.

TSN, among other sources, is saying Craig Ramsay will be named the new Thrashers Head Coach with John Torchetti named as an assistant.

Chris Vivlamore concurs from the AJC...

It will be Ramsay's first full-time head coaching gig, but he has been interim head coach in two other situations. Ramsay will replace John Anderson who lost his locker room during the '09-'10 season.

An official announcement could come as early as Thursday.

Chicago has a champ....Blackhawks win cup

Yes, you heard us right. You may even already know it. Really, it's true. 49 years after there last Stanley Cup, the Chicago Blackhawks can now say that they have won another.

The beat the Philadelphia Flyers last night in dramatic, overtime fashion. Patrick Kane somehow goes 5-hole while skating parallel to the goal and the 'Hawks win...4-3 in OT. Six games, winning it in Philadelphia, one heck of a series.

Check out the newspaper coverage from the Chicago Tribune RIGHT HERE

((The Chicago Blackhawks//Courtesy: Scott Strazzante/Chicago Tribune))

Your Game Winner from the You Tube:

Stanley Cup Finals Tied At 2 Games A Piece

((HT: NHL.com/Versus))

The Chicago Blackhawks had not lost back-to-back games in the 2010 playoffs. But first-period goals from Mike Richards, defenseman Matt Carle and Claude Giroux, coupled with goalie Michael Leighton's best performance of the Final, gave Chicago its second road loss -- in as many games -- of the postseason.

Here's your highlights...