The Chicago Black Hawks make a change on coaching staff.

While awaiting WWE SmackDown Live and the results of the 2018 midterm elections this caught my eye today. And interestingly since I unveiled my new "Champs" page here on the blog. This caused me to say woah today...
From the Sun-Times

Before practice, the Hawks announced a coaching staff overhaul, which included the firing of coach Joel Quenneville and his assistant coaches, Kevin Dineen and Ulf Samuelsson.

Rockford IceHogs coach Jeremy Colliton replaced Quenneville as the 38th head coach in Hawks’ history.

The Hawks also named Barry Smith, who most recently served as the director of player evaluation for the Hawks, as an assistant coach on Colliton’s staff. The rest of the coaching staff is expected to stay with the team.

There’s no doubt that Quenneville, who has a Hall of Fame resume, is one of the most successful coaches in the history of both the Hawks franchise and NHL. His three Stanley Cups in six seasons speak for themselves. But after missing the playoffs last season, which was Quenneville’s first losing campaign in his 21-year coaching career, and a slow 6-6-3 start through 15 games this season, something had to give.

General manager Stan Bowman said the decision to part with Quenneville, the second-winningest coach in franchise history (452-249-96 in 797 games since 2008), was “very difficult.” He also clarified that Quenneville’s firing wasn’t based on one specific incident, although the Hawks’ most recent road trip was “concerning.”

Yeah, I remember they missed the playoffs last year. Just three years after winning their last Stanley Cup. An unexpected result to those of us used to the Hawks going to the playoffs during the course of the 2010s. Here's hoping Colliton brings the Hawks back to the dance this year.

And perhaps Coach Q isn't ready to retire from coaching in the NHL yet.

#HawksWin Puck Dynasty

I saw the final period of last night's game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lighting. Today we learned that the Black Hawks won the cup on home ice for the first time since their second Stanley Cup victory in 1938.

It was cool to see the cup come home in Chicago. The last two times the cup was won by the Hawks it had been in Philadelphia and Boston respectively.

I never would've thought in years that the Hawks would have a cup dynasty in this decade. Surely Black Hawks fans would've just hoped for at least one in their lifetime, but three in six seasons is just incredible. Been waiting a longtime myself as a fan and it didn't just happen once it happened thrice. We can say dynasty akin to the Bull's dynasty of the 1990s.

Just think that I gave up the last few minutes of Monday Night Raw to see another cup come to Chicago. It's not like anything was missed that I couldn't catch up to later.

Now to the conclusion of the NBA Finals. Two teams who aren't know for championship success with one team - Cleveland Cavaliers  - never having won NBA title facing a team - Golden State Warriors -  who has had that success. And the Warriors are up by a game in that series!

Black Hawks in the playoffs!

As has been a tradition in both of the Black Hawks' Stanley Cup wins in 2010 and 2014 it's time to start showing highlights of the playoff games. Unfortunately I haven't done a great job of following the Hawks during their playoff run so far. Still the Hawks were down by two games until their victory last night at the United Center last night over the St. Louis Blues. The earlier games were both determined with OT wins by the Blues.




Game 1 @ St. Louis [VIDEO]

Game 2 @ St. Louis [VIDEO]

Game 3 @ Chicago [VIDEO]

More talking about the Hawks...

As of late, this became a hockey blog. This was true with the last Stanley Cup the Black Hawks won in 2010. I followed many of the playoff games back then too often posting video highlights from the NHL's YouTube channel. Went so overboard the posts about the Hawks weren't just about the games but all aspects of Black Hawks history and traditions.

Lately it was my intent to post about the current ownership of the Hawks. Back in 2007 at the start of that NHL season, longtime owner William Wirtz had passed away. Many longtime Hawks fans weren't happy with his management of this historic franchise. He refused to air home games in the Chicago market unless such games were televised nationally. He was quick to trade players especially when the teams were doing poorly then turned around and wondered why fans weren't as supportive of the team and thus weren't coming to games.

This Chicago mag article about the Black Hawks showed how bad of shape the team had been in light of Wirtz' passing. I learned in that article that the Hawks wasn't getting much coverage from many of the local TV, radio, or print outlets in the area. It probably doesn't help if the team isn't winning but certainly if the team is all but invisible because it's unable to attract casual fans.

Anyway at current the Hawks are under the ownership of Rocky Wirtz who had undone some of the longstanding policies of his father. Home games are aired on TV not only on cable but on our local station WGN. They got back some of the many legends who were alienated from this team. And resultantly the team is more popular than ever before. Most importantly the team is not only a winning team, but they have captured two Stanley Cups in four years.

I would consider myself something of a casual sports fan. I'm not into the strategy and stats as most sports fans seem to be. The business side of sports is more interesting to me and the Hawks is a good case study on this aspect. How many sports franchises has had such a marked turnaround as the Chicago Black Hawks. After the death of a longtime owner in less than two or so year's time we have an immediate contender and the greatest show in this town.

Of course when it comes to sports franchise a lot of ingredients have to come together. The Black Hawks had to make some changes to its office and really have to come up with a plan to get fans into the United Center. They needed good players for the fans to watch on home ice.

It's fascinating to read this one of many stories on Rocky Wirtz since he took over the team. He deserves a lot of credit for making many of the necessary changes. I heard the D-word (dynasty) come out as of late I hope there are more Stanley Cups are coming before this decade closes.

BTW, it must be noted Chicago teams aren't known for multiple championships. If the Black Hawks won more championships perhaps they can match up to the Chicago Bulls although not as frequently since the Bulls had two three-peats in the 1990s. Chicago Argus does a good job of comparing the current Black Hawks teams with other Chicago championship teams. It just makes me wonder how many more Championships will the Hawks win in the future if it's meant to be!

Chicago Black Hawks: 2013 Stanley Cup champions

Not long after the victory in Boston last night I posted a pic in the sidebar marking this accomplishment. So the Hawk won their 2nd Stanley Cup in four years in Boston. That brings that count up to 5 cups total for this original 6 franchise the last one was in 2010 of course and I was with them every step of the way back then and this time as well.

Below are highlights from games 5 & 6. The Hawks won this series in six games letting two games go against the Bruins. Alas they won this one away from home however better there than to possibly lose at home although we can't be thinking that way can we?

GAME 5 Bruins @ Hawks - Hawks win! [VIDEO]

 

GAME 6 Hawks @ Bruins - Hawks win Stanley Cup! [VIDEO]

Besides with great credit to the other original 6 team Boston Bruins they truly made this a series to remember. They didn't go down without a fight in the end it wasn't meant to be for them. If they had it would've been their second cup in four years as they had won it all in 2011.


The next two videos are of the presentation and hoisting of the Stanley Cup in Boston last night. [VIDEOS: ONE - TWO]

 

The Cup is now in Chicago, the Hawks arrived early this morning with the cup in tow [VIDEO]

It's official the Cup is back in Chicago!!!! Congratulations guys it has been a great season and it was capped with a championship as it should've been!

Looks like the NHL will be back in 2013!

[VIDEO] At least the NHL won't appear to make a colossal mistake of cancelling the whole season as they did back in 2004-05. And again NHL is the only North American professional sports league to have had to cancel an entire season due to labor issues.

What you see above is a press conference provided by the AP. Now an AP write-up:

The NHL and the players' association reached a tentative agreement early Sunday to end a nearly four-month-old lockout that threatened to wipe out what was left of an already abbreviated season.

A marathon negotiating session that lasted more than 16 hours, stretching from Saturday afternoon until just before dawn Sunday, produced a 10-year deal.

"We've got to dot a lot of Is and cross a lot of Ts," Commissioner Gary Bettman said. "There's still a lot of work to be done."

The collective bargaining agreement still must be ratified by a majority of the league's 30 owners and the union's membership of approximately 740 players.

Under the negotiated CBA, free-agent contracts will have a maximum length of seven years, but clubs can go to eight years to re-sign their own players. Each side can opt out of the deal after eight years.

The pension plan was "the centerpiece of the deal for the players," said Winnipeg Jets defenseman Ron Hainsey, who took part in negotiations throughout the process.

The actual language of the pension plan still has to be written, but Hainsey said there is nothing substantial that still needs to be fixed.

The players' share of hockey-related income, that reached a record $3.3 billion last season, will drop from 57 percent to a 50-50 split. The salary cap for the upcoming season will be $70.2 million and will then drop to $64.3 million in the 2013-14 season. All clubs will have to have a minimum payroll of $44 million.

After the sides stayed mostly apart for two days, following late-night talks that turned sour, federal mediator Scot Beckenbaugh worked virtually around the clock to get everyone back to the bargaining table.

Time to get ready for some Black Hawks action. Besides, some team can unexpectedly win the Stanley Cup as the New York Rangers did in 1994 after a lockout that cost the NHL half a season.

So is there going to be a NHL season?

To be honest, I haven't really kept an eye on the current NHL lockout that has already claimed half of the NHL season. It's unfortunate since I consider myself more of a hockey fan than anything else. It's also unfortunate that it almost seems like the NHL could lose another season to labor strife.

In 2005, the NHL cancelled their whole season thanks to another lockout. So far they are the only professional sports league in North America to have cancelled an entire season due to labor strife. In that vein I'm glad that the league and it's players are about to further their talks in order to save the current season.

You know all I when it comes to labor strife in professional sports is that I rarely know what's going on. It seems whether it's MLB, NFL, NBA or NHL it's always about the collective bargaining agreement. Some will make it about the players thinking their not getting enough money while it does seem the big news in sports is the latest million-dollar offer some athlete signed. At that it seems some athletes are making more money not on their respective fields of play but with outside offers such as endorsement deals. If it's all about the money how much is enough!

Anyway, hopefully the NHL will eventually start their season in the near future. I'm looking forward to some Black Hawks games in the near future! Then by April, it's time for my other favorite sport, baseball!

Chicago Black Hawks 2010 Stanley Cup Champions

This video below shows the Black Hawks being presented and then hoisted the trophy over their heads to celebrate in Philadelphia earlier tonight!

This next video shows the crazy goal that was the Stanley Cup clincher for the Hawks in sudden death overtime!

Initially there was no signal, but eventually it was ruled that a goal was scored and the puck was said to be stuck in the netting. I thought it crossed along the goal line through the crease. Then all the sudden I saw the Hawks removing their gear and celebrating on the ice.

I cannot believe the Stanley Cup is coming to Chicago!!! :)

Black Hawks championship history

The Black Hawks existed as an NHL franchise since 1926. They are considered one of the "Original Six" franchises of the National Hockey League (NHL). So called because from 1942 to 1967 Chicago, Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Detroit Red Wings were the only teams that competed in the NHL.

The NHL was formed in 1917 and only two of these original six franchises Toronto and Montreal were founded before 1926. The other four Original Six franchises including Chicago were founded in 1926. Now from the time of the NHL's founding other teams had come and gone through the years until 1943.

The Stanley Cup was created in 1892 by Lord Stanley who was the Governor-General of Canada from 1888 to 1893. He was originally a British nobleman and politician and he offered this cup as the prize for amateur hockey teams in Canada. By 1926, the NHL were exclusively competing for the prize known as Lord Stanley's Cup.

Over the years the Black Hawks have competed for the Stanley Cup in 1930-31, 1933-34, 1937-38, 1943-44, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1964-65, 1970-71, 1972-73, 1991-92. They have won cups in 1934, 1938, and finally 1961. In addition they have made conference champion in 1992 which was their last Stanley Cup appearance having been defeated by Pittsburgh. That is in addition to 14 division titles starting in the 1969-70 season.

This season (2009-10) they will play for the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1992. They also won a division title and conference title this season.

GO BLACK HAWKS!!!

The top image is of Bobby Hull and Jack Evans another teammate (if you know who that is please leave a comment) standing with the Stanley Cup after their Stanley Cup victory against Detroit on April 16, 1961. This info was found on June 10, 2010 at Chicagoist.

The evolution of Chief Black Hawk

This graphic is from the Chicago Sun-Times

You know in light of the Black Hawk's remarkable playoff run I may be going overboard just a little bit on Black Hawks stories. Just yesterday, I had posted about why I make the team's nickname into two works instead of the officially used one word as it has been since 1986.

Today's post is about the Black Hawk's logo. It has been an enduring one and is easily one of the most recognizable in sports. People from 80 years of age to 8 (according to this Sun-Times article) will be wearing some Black Hawks paraphernalia.

The Blackhawks logo has gone through many changes in its evolution, much like the team it represents -- one that stands just four wins away from its first Stanley Cup since 1961.

It was first introduced to the world in 1926 after team founder Frederic McLaughlin's wife, Irene Castle, designed it for her husband's franchise, which was in its infancy.

McLaughlin, a Harvard-educated coffee tycoon, named the team after a renowned leader of the Sauk tribe -- Chief Black Hawk -- after serving in a U.S. Army infantry unit that called itself the Black Hawks during World War I.

Castle was a popular ragtime dancer and vaudeville performer whose innovative style made her a trend-setter in the fashion realm. But perhaps her most durable legacy was coming up with the long-lasting symbol of the Original Six franchise.

Originally outlined with a black-and-white circle, the logo was ringed with the word "Black Hawks" on top and "Chicago" on the bottom. Facial features were few and far between, but it would become the groundwork for the icon going forward.

In 1937, color was added to the design as well as facial features. The feather, too, was more detailed. By 1960, the franchise had abandoned the encapsulating circle, and the profile took on a wider look. War paint, along with red, green, yellow and orange feathers adorned the back of the head.

Ten years later, the face took on a slimmer look and darker complexion. Today, it's very much the same as it was 40 years ago.

Enduring and believe it or not I have a jersey (actually a training jersey that I had bought in 2002) at home. Often I would wear it around campus and had more meaning as last year the Hawks were in the playoffs for the first time since 2002. That run was remarkable as it marked a turnaround for the original 6 NHL franchise especially since almost a year before Bill Wirtz (some fans may refer to him as "Dollar Bill" because he was unpopular) had passed away.

What ought to be next is a championship history since I did one with the Bears when they went to the Super Bowl. I wonder if I'll have enough time to do some before the Stanley Cup finals commence on Saturday!

Since we're on the subject of sports from yesterday...

Click the old school Black Hawks logo to the official NHL Playoffs page

I saw the final period of game 5 and failed to see a minute of game 6 of the Black Hawks first round playoff series against the Nashville Predators. Monday night, they won game 6 to clinch the series and move on to round two in a rematch against the Vancouver Canucks. The Hawks face the Canucks last year in the second round of the playoffs and moved on to face Detroit in the Western Conference finals where the Hawks were eliminated from the playoffs.

In game 5 on Saturday I almost feared that the Hawks would lose the game. They tied the game in the closing seconds of the 3rd period and scored a goal in sudden death overtime. You can watch highlights from that game here!

Since I never saw Game 6, I'm going to be watching the highlights of that game with you. You can also see that here!

No word yet on when the Hawks/Canucks series will commence. It looks like we have one more game before we wrap up the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Even if it is in the Eastern Conference between the Montreal Canadiens and Washington Capitols. The game will commence tonight at 6 PM Chicago time and that series is tied 3-3!

Just found on Chicago Breaking Sports News that the schedule for the Canucks/Hawks series will be announced as soon as the Montreal/Washington series is concluded tonight!

Black Hawks are even in their first round playoff series

To be honest I haven't been watching the last two games as I should have. I saw the closing minutes of both game one and two. Was disappointed in the outcome of game one as the Hawks was shutout by the Nashville Predators and elated to see a victory by the Hawks in game two.

I only thought about writing this post because of this article from Chicago Public Radio. For an interesting change (of course that's not to say they don't follow sports anyway) a sports article caught my eye from them.

If my work schedule permits I expect to be able to watch more games in the future in hopes that the Hawks will make their first Stanley Cup finals since 1992. They last won the cup back in 1961!

You can check out the NHL playoffs on the NHL's official website!