Here's To You, 2013 Chicago Blackhawks

From start to finish, the Blackhawks were the team to beat. With an impressive start to the season, to dealing with injuries in their key positions, to dealing with a rough playoffs-- the Blackhawks used their core to get back to the promised land and get a second Stanley Cup in four seasons.

Corey Crawford was the breakout star of the playoffs and the season for the Blackhawks. While some people draw parallels to the 2010 goalie star, Antti Niemi; Crawford did draw plenty of criticism for his inconsistent play, despite keeping the Hawks in many games. However, next year will be the litmus test for Crawford with a full season ahead, but the confidence he has to have now is going to be amazing.

Upfront, the best offensive players were the best for the Hawks, with Conn Smythe winner Patrick Kane leading the charge and Jonathan Toews being the leader by example. The biggest thing for the Hawks is Brandon Saad coming into the line-up and contributing like he did. For a franchise to have the model to bringing up young players and getting them to contribute quickly, Saad just falls into line of what Kane and Toews did for the Hawks.

Outside of the top two of Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, Johnny Oduya became the surprise for the Hawks, playing solid defense and contributing when needed on the offensive side, especially during his slide during the Atlanta/Winnipeg years. Nick Leddy contributed for the Hawks in the regular season, but did have some shaky times during the playoffs; which I'm sure will come into play during contract talks this summer.

And speaking of contract, the Blackhawks may have to break-up some of their team as they did in 2010. With only $2M in cap space going into next season and two more players to sign-- not to mention UFAs and RFAs; the Hawks may need to do something creative in order to get some breathing room going into the season. Luckily, two amnesty buyouts are available and may have to be burned this summer rather than having to wait for next off-season.

You can bet they won't think about that now. The party is on in the Windy City, the Second City, That Toddlin' Town, City by the Lake, City with a Lot of Nicknames-- and it won't be rained on today.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Jimmy Franks

This week's AGM is a guy who got passed around from team to team, but never got traded once. He played in a time where injury and war stripped many teams of their players and goalies-- which is where a back-up or third-string goalie would not only provide depth, but also give options for other teams. This week, the profile of Jimmy Franks.

Franks started in the South Saskatoon Junior League with the Regina Pats, playing in two regular season games in the 1932-33 season before helping the Pats get to the Memorial Cup finals with a 7-3-3 record, but going 0-2 in the Memorial Cup Finals to lose to the Newmarket Redmen. The 1933-34 season had Franks stay in the SSJHL, but with the Melville Millionaires, but he would be in the Junior "A" league in the 1934-35 season with the Kerrobert Tigers.

With Franks advancing to the Senior Leagues, he moved to the Prince Albert Mintos of the North Saskatchewan Senior League for the 1935-36 season, playing in 18 games with an 11-6-1 record, then going 5-2 in seven games of the Allan Cup playoffs.

The Detroit Red Wings signed Franks in May of 1936 and put him in the AHL with the Pittsburgh Hornets in the 1936-37 season, playing 20 games and finishing with a 8-9-3 record, then going 1-0 in the playoffs. However, due to an injury to goalie Normie Smith; Franks got called up to the Red Wings for the playoffs-- lossing his only appearance, but still got his name engraved on the Stanley Cup that the Red Wings won. Franks returned to Pittsburgh for the 1937-38 season, going 3-4-2 in nine games, while winning his only game as a call-up to the Red Wings. Franks again returned to Pittsburgh for the 1938-39 season, sporting a 16-14-3 record in the 33 games he played, as well as playing a game with the Syracuse Stars in the AHL (a tie) and four games with the AHA's Kansas City Greyhounds (3-1-0).

Staying in the AHL, Franks played for the Indianapolis Capitols for the 1939-40 season, playing for 29 game and finishing with a 16-7-6 record. Staying in Indianapolis for the 1940-41 season, Franks played in 56 games and compiled a record of 17-28-11. In the 1941-42 season, Franks returned to the AHA and played for the Omaha Knights and went 19-14-6 in 39 games and then a perfect 8-0 in the playoffs to win the last AHA championship, the Harry T. Sinclair Trophy.

It was an odd 1942-43 season as Franks was loaned out to the New York Rangers by the Red Wings as a war-time replacement for Jim Henry. With the Rangers, Franks played in 23 games and posted a 5-14-4 record. Also that season, Franks played with the Pittsburgh Hornets of the AHL and had a 1-3-0 record in four games of work.

For the 1943-44 season, the Red Wings and Franks were at odds at Franks' demotion, leading the Red Wings to suspend Franks for not reporting to Indianapolis. At the end, Franks was able to agree to playing just road games for the Red Wings, going 6-8-3 in 17 games, while also being loaned out to the Boston Bruins for a game against the Red Wings, where he would lose the game to his own team. Franks also spent a game with the Buffalo Bisons, which was a win.

Franks played for the AHL's St. Louis Flyers for the bulk of the 1944-45 season, going 5-21-3 in 29 games, while also tying the only game he played in for the Buffalo Bisons. At the end of the season, Franks would retire. Franks would pass away in 1994 at age 79.

With so little spots around, Franks was able to get into some games because of war-time and due to other goalies being injured. In that kind of cut-throat time, he was able to get whatever he could get and while he didn't thrive in those times, he was able to make his mark in some way, shape, or form.

On the Topic Of Slow Starts to a Shortened Season

While the shortened season does leave little room for error, the fact that some fans and some teams are hovering their hands over the panic buttons may be a little too premature. Sure, the fact some teams have gotten into slumps in the early five-days for play, you just have to look back into history to see that getting off to a slow start isn't a horrible thing....if you have the right parts, of course.

Looking at the last shortened season in 1995, you just have to look at the Stanley Cup champions of that year to see that as long as you get into the playoffs-- it's perfectly fine and you have a shot at winning the whole thing. In fact, the Devils were the 5th seed in the East, having to defeat the 4th, 3rd, and 2nd seeds in the East to win that conference in a total of 16 games before the Finals.

Yet, the bigger thing is that it wasn't until March 30th (Game 33) when they went over .500 for the season and leading to their 22-18-8 record; in a time where the OT loss didn't account for a point. More over than that, after tying their first game, the Devils went to lose three straight and were 3-5-2 in their first 10 and their longest unbeaten streak was seven games It wasn't a cause for overpanic, but I'm sure it was there after the quick losing streak.

Conversely, the Western Conference representitve that year was the Detroit Red Wings, who won the Presidents' Trophy for best record of the league (33-11-4) and played in 14 games before the Finals, to be swept by the Devils in four games. Comparing the stats for the Red Wings to the Devils, the Wings never dipped below .500 after January 24th in their third game of the year, went 7-3-0 in their first ten games with a long-unbeaten streak of 11 games.

Interestingly enough, both teams went 5-4-1 in their last ten games.

What does it all mean?? Well, it's an issue of conservation and patience. While the beginning may look grim to some fans, owners, GMs, etc.; the fact remains that in the last short-season, it didn't really matter the quick start you got off to or not; just making the playoffs was enough to give a team hope. Of course, with the game changing in conditioning and technology; teams may want to not wait as long as March 30th to finally crack the .500 mark.

Here's To You, Los Angeles Kings

Coaching changes, culture changes, and personnel changes-- the Los Angeles Kings had a roller-coaster season. At the end of it all, the Kings became the first 8th seed in the playoffs to win the Stanley Cup. Sure, they didn't play like a 8th seed and were a couple wins away from being the 3rd seed. Yet, the end of it all-- the Kings made a lot of history for their organization-- a Stanley Cup for the first time in 45 years.

One of the biggest changes was the Kings dumping Terry Murray from behind the bench for Darryl Sutter. Sutter was a guy who was able to give the team an identity and allow them to make the run like they did. The work ethic for Sutter is second-to-none and to have an entire team buy into as quick as they did shows that they knew it was the right time for them.

However, the reason Jonathan Quick was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner is the same reason why the Kings were solid throughout the season. Quick has the chance to win the Vezina and really was able to stifle any competition, even when people thought they had "the book" on him and knew how to score on them. Quick outwitted shooters and really kept them uneasy through the season.

Yet, the biggest thing for the Kings was the fact they slowly became the Philadelphia Flyers of the West coast. With a line-up that had Mike Richards, Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, John Stevens (assistant coach), and Ron Hextall (assistant GM); the City of Brotherly Love had its hockey icons well represented in this Cup victory. Also, Justin Williams spent a time with the Flyers several years ago and GM Dean Lombardi was a Flyers' scout before he got the GM gig in LA.

Most importantly though, the Kings output from top to bottom-- Dwight King was a hero for a time, Trevor Lewis had two goals in the clinching win, Dustin Penner was johnny-on-the-spot, and Jarret Stoll was crucial in the face-off circle. Along with Colin Fraser as the leader of the fourth line, the role players got their due-- as they would in a Sutter system.

Yet, you can't say enough about the bigger stars like Dustin Brown, Anze Kopitar, and Drew Doughty. Brown, a hot button of trade rumors early in the calendar year, book-ended the playoffs with big performances to start and end the playoffs. Kopitar showed that he is another West coast star who may not get the due he deserves. Doughty's hold-out gave him the legs in order to be one of the faster guys out there by the Finals....or so conspiracies would make you believe.

Everyone was give a role, everyone played their role, and the Kings won the Stanley Cup in 20 games-- 16-2, 10-1 on the road, and took home the Cup in six games.....like I said.

Myth of the Stanley Cup Hangover

Last year's Stanley Cup participants are struggling and many would have you believe that it's due to the dreaded "Stanley Cup Hangover." The Boston Bruins are 3-7-0, last in the Eastern Conference and only better than the Columbus Blue Jackets in the league. The Vancouver Canucks are 5-5-1, 11th in the Western Conference and started 4-5-1.

While those are definitely not the best for two champions of their conferences, but is there really such a thing as a "Stanley Cup Hangover??" Let's be honest, you have to just assume that there is because that's what the media is selling and spinning. Though, if you do the research-- there's not really that much of a big deal with it comes to a "Hangover" from the shortened off-season. And you know it bugs me because I actually did research-- WHICH I NEVER DO!!!

So, here are my findings from the first ten games from the past ten season, not including this season. Of course, the years noted are the season AFTER they met in the Cup Finals.

2010-11: Chicago 5-4-1; Philadelphia 5-4-1

2009-10: Pittsburgh 9-1-0 ; Detroit 4-4-2

2008-09: Detroit 7-1-2; Pittsburgh 5-4-1

2007-08: Anaheim 4-5-1; Ottawa 9-1-0

2006-07: Carolina 4-4-2; Edmonton 6-4-0

2005-06: Tampa Bay 5-3-2; Calgary 4-5-1

2003-04: New Jersey 5-3-2; Anaheim 3-5-2

2002-03: Detroit 6-3-1; Carolina 4-4-2

2001-02: Colorado 8-0-2; New Jersey 6-3-1

2000-01: New Jersey 6-2-2; Dallas 6-3-1

So, we have five pre-lockout, five post-lockout on those Finals. The Cup winner was AT OR OVER .500 nine times (five pre-lockout), while the Cup loser was AT OR OVER .500 eight times (three pre-lockout). Not TOO much of a hangover if you act me; just some bumps in the roads to start-- but nothing as drastic as people make it out to be.

However, it's a nice little excuse that teams may have in order to describe the teams woes. That said, you look at the rosters of these teams and there hasn't been that many changes to either roster from the Cup final to the start of this season. That could be a hinderence because of the fact other teams may have gotten better, thus making the Bruins and Canucks already starting off down because they held steady.

The point of this is that the hangover doesn't effect many teams as hard as it has these past two teams. Seven times, both teams started at or over .500 and only once did the Cup winner from the year previous (Anaheim) start out worse that their other Finalist. Just some food for thought on this last Sunday in October.

What's Next 2011: Boston Bruins

It took almost 40 years, but the Bruins get to drink for Lord Stanley's chalise once again. A team that played with a lot of heart, a lot of grit, and had their fair share of controversial moments got the ultimate prize in hockey and will now get a chance to revel in the moment.

You could say the Bruins wouldn't be this far with Tim Thomas, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy for Playoff MVP and bounced back from hip surgery last season and was able to regain his #1 spot over Tuukka Rask. Thomas went through a lot in his career and it was definitely a great story for him to win the Cup. Considering he and Rask will be together once again next season, the Bruins should be in good shape in next for their defense of the title.

The forwards, who really had a committee scoring system this year-- are mostly all back for next season; with Brad Marchand as a RFA and Michael Ryder being the only UFA with Mark Recchi retiring. The question will probably be if there will be any movement from the forwards to get Marchand under contract, especially with the possibility of Marc Savard coming back. However, if Savard or even Nathan Horton have some relapses, that could give the Bruins a bit of breathing room when it comes to their salary cap situation. There shouldn't be any adjustment needed in terms of welcoming new guys into their system; which could be good or bad.

The same circumstance is happening with the defense, as the same guys are back for the Bruins, with only Tomas Kaberle and Shane Hnidy not having a contract, and odds are they may not be brought back either. My thought is that as long as the Bruins have Zdeno Chara back there, the rest are just filler. That said, Johnny Boychuk and Adam McQuaid played solidly on the blue line, while Andrew Ference added more veteran presence back there along with Chara.

Whether or not this solidifies Claude Julien being behind the bench for a while, he did show that he didn't let the rumors of his possible demise rattle him too much and was able to deal with some serious injuries and really bring home a winner to the Boston fateful-- the city who has won all four major sports titles in North America in a seven year span.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Joe Miller

It's time to go into the way back machine for this AGM entry, who has quite the tale to tell. This goalie was a top amateur goalie, who plotted his way through the ranks, ended up with a sub-par team, but still managed to earn a Stanley Cup championship in probably the most unlikely way and I don't mean because of the team he was on. This week, we profile the career of Joe Miller.

Miller started out his career back in an exhibition based league, playing for the Pittsburgh AA's, where he would dominate, winning 37 out of the 40 games he played in at only 16 years old. Miller would stay in the exhibition league, playing the 1917-18 season with the Renfrew Creamery Kings-- but he would only play in seven games with a 4-3-0 record.

With the 1918-19 season, Miller would move to the Ottawa City Hockey League to play for the Ottawa New Edinburghs. Miller would play only four games in the first season, going 3-1-0 with two coming by way of shutout. The 1919-20 season would give Miller more time, with seven games played and a 4-2-0 record. In both the 1920-21 and 1921-22 season, Miller would see a downturn in his stats, even though he got more time in the net. The '20-21 season had Miller in the net for 11 games with a 4-6-1 record, while an 13 game season in '21-22 would yield a 4-7-2 record. The New Edinburghs would improved for the 1922-23 season, with a 10-6-2 record for Miller at the end of the season and a playoff appearance, which would end badly with a 1-3-1 record, where apparently ties were possible. Miller's last season with the New Edinburghs would be the 1923-24 season, where he would go 9-3-0 in his 12 games, but go 0-2 in the playoffs.

With the 1924-25 season, Miller would go back to Pittsburgh to play with the Fort Pitt Panthers of the USAHA. Miller would play 22 games, going 17-5-0; but the playoffs seemed to be a hinderance to him, going 1-3 in his four appearances. Miller would move to the Central Hockey League (the first incarnation) and play with the St. Paul Saints in the 1925-26 season. Miller would post six shutouts in his 38 games during the '25-26 campaign. The Saints moved to the AHA in the 1926-27 season, which had Miller play 30 games with a 13-12-5 record.

NHL teams were lined-up to get Miller, and he would finally sign. Miller would play with the New York Americans in the 1927-28 season for half of the season, going 8-16-4 in 28 games. The second half of the season, Miller went to the CPHL to play for the Niagara Falls Cataracts, where he would put up two shutouts in the 13 games he played there.

Yet, the 1928 playoffs were something that Miller never would have gotten to if it wasn't for a little luck. In the Stanley Cup finals, New York Rangers goalie Lorne Chabot got injured during Game Two. Rangers' GM Lester Patrick had a deal in place with the Americans to take Miller out on a loan, but the Montreal Maroons wouldn't allow Miller to play in Game Two, forcing Patrick to take the reigns, and win. Miller would take over in Game Three of the Finals, which would be the only game he lost. Miller only let in three goals in the last three games of the Finals, carrying the Rangers to winning the Stanley Cup.

After the Cup Finals, the Americans got Miller back, but would trade him to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Roy Worters. The 1928-29 season was rough for Miller, as he played a league high 44 games, but had one of the worst records with a 9-27-8 record with an astonishing 11 shutouts. It wouldn't get much better for the 1929-30 season for Miller or the Pirates, as he would go 5-30-3 in his 43 games. The Pirates moved from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia to become the Quakers, but the change of scenery didn't help Miller, as he would go 2-9-1 in 12 games for the Quakers.

Miller would play one more season in the IHL with the Syracuse Stars in the 1931-32 season, but would go a subpar 5-12-3 in 20 games. After that, he would hang up the pads for good.

Miller passed away at the age of 62 in 1963.

Though he didn't have the most orthodox career, he was able to get the job done when called upon and was able to deal with being thrown into the Finals with no prep at all. Of course, the teams he did play on seemed to let him down a bit once he got to the NHL, but he was the king of the amateurs and had enough buzz about him to get a deal in the NHL and get his chance, albeit in the most unorthodox way possible.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Wendell Young

Last week, I mentioned THN's 100 greatest players by position and they do make a valid case, but when it comes to decorated in all of hockey, this week's AGM could be in the running. As it stands, he's the only goalie in hockey history to win the Memorial Cup in Major Juniors, Calder Cup in the AHL, Turner Cup in the IHL, and the Stanley Cup. While he might not be memorable to some, the accolades speak for themselves. This week, we look at Wendell Young.

Young's career started in Junior "A" with the Cole Harbour Colts, where the young netminder played in 25 games sporting a 3.90 GAA. When old enough, Young transitioned to the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers, where we played well behind a good enough team to be the starter at 17 in the 1980-81, getting 42 games in with a 19-15-0 record, but would truly shine in the playoffs. Young and the Rangers would roll through the OHL playoffs, as Young would go 9-1 in 14 games; leading the Rangers to the Robertson Cup and then into the Memorial Cup. In the Mem Cup, Kitchener would fall in the final to the Cornwall Royals. Because of his play, Young got drafted in the 1981 Draft by the Vancouver Canucks. With plenty of confidence, Young returned to the Rangers, getting more time in net, playing 60 games with a record of 38-17-2; setting up more domination in the playoffs with the Rangers, as Young had a 12-1 record in 15 games; setting up back-to-back Robertson Cup crowns. The Memorial Cup was a different story this time, as the Rangers beat the Sherbrooke Castors to take home the 1982 Memorial Cup.

That Memorial Cup team for the Rangers had a great roster in front of Young, including Scott Stevens, Mike Eagles, and Brian Bellows, all (sans Eagles) went to win Stanley Cups.

The 1982-83 season would see Young stick in Kitchener and dominate in the regular season once again with a 41-19-0 record in 61 games, but the Rangers would be knocked out in the second round of the playoffs, thwarting the dynasty the Rangers had.

Young would be going pro for the 1983-84 season and would get his travel money worth for that first year pro. Young would split the season between three teams in three leagues-- first with the Fredericton Express in the AHL (7-3-0 in 11 games), the Milwaukee Admirals in the IHL (4-1-1 in six games), and the bulk of it in the Central League with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles (11-6-0 in 20 games, 0-2 in four playoff games). It would settle for Young in the 1984-85 season, where he would stay with Fredericton for the season, playing behind Clint Malarchuk. Because of that, he would only get into 22 games, going 7-11-3 for the season.

Starting in the 1985-86 season, Young would be splitting between Fredericton and Vancouver, starting with Fredericton, playing 24 games going 12-8-4 before getting the call-up to Vancouver to back-up Richard Brodeur. While with Vancouver, Young would get 22 games with a 4-9-3 and getting in one game of playoff action, a losing effort. For the 1986-87 season, Young would continue his cross-country venture from Fredericton to Vancouver (almost a 3,600 mile trek, mind you), though he would spend the bulk of his time in Fredericton, playing 30 games with a 11-16-0 record, spending only eight games in Vancouver with a 1-6-1 record.

In the summer of 1987, Young would get traded from Vancouver to Philadelphia for a third round pick in the 1988 draft. While Young would get a call-up to Philadelphia for six games (3-2-0), Young would continue to ply his craft in the AHL with the Hershey Bears for the 1987-88 season, where he would have a career year. Young would play 51 games, going 33-15-1 for the regular season, but in the playoffs-- Young and the Bears would go a perfect 12-0 in route to the Calder Cup championship; beating Young's old team in Fredericton in the Finals. Young would be the 1988 Jack A. Butterfield Trophy winner for Playoff MVP, Baz Bastien Memorial Award for top goaltender, as well as first team all-star.

With his stock high, Young was traded from the Flyers to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the September of 1988 with a 7th Round choice for a 3rd round choice in the 1990 Draft. With the Penguins, Young would be the starter to begin with, but an ankle injury derailed his starting role. Despite a stop in Muskegon of the IHL (1-0-1 in two games), Young would play 22 games in Pittsburgh, going 12-9-0 for the year. For the 1989-90 season, Young would get a chance at the starter's gig again, playing in 43 games with a record of 16-20-3. However, for the 1990-91 season, Young would lose his gig to Tom Barrasso, so he would only 18 games of play in. Part of that was also coupled with a shoulder injury, but Young would go 4-6-2 in those 18 games. Though he didn't play in the playoff; Young would be along for the ride to be a member of the 1991 Penguins' Stanley Cup championship team. The 1991-92 season would see Young riding shotgun again to Barrasso, again with 18 games of play in, which also coupled with a fractured right hand late in the season. Young would go 7-6-0 in the regular season and be a part of the Stanley Cup championship team again.

Despite those things, Young was left unprotected in the 1992 Expansion Draft and holds the title of being the first ever member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. From Cup champs to a new team would be a change for Young and it showed. Young played only 31 games for the Bolts in the 1992-93 season, bothered by shoulder injuries in the process, and would go 7-19-2. Young would also play for the IHL's Atlanta Knights going 3-0-0 in his three starts. It was not a kind 1993-94 season for Young, as a shoulder injury in training camp sidelined him for 53 games. When he got healthy, Young would go 2-0-0 in his two games with Atlanta, but would play only nine games with Tampa going 2-3-1.

Before the lockout, the Bolts loaned out Young to the Chicago Wolves of the IHL for the 1994-95 season. Young would play 37 games for the Wolves that season and have a 14-11-7 record. However, the Bolts would trade Young back to the Penguins for future considerations. Young would play 10 games back with the Penguins, going 3-6-0 in what would be his last NHL action.

In the summer of 1995, Young would sign with the Wolves for some IHL action and the start of a solid relationship between the two. Young would take the starting role for the 1995-96 season, playing 61 games with a 30-20-6 record, but when the playoffs came around, Young would only go 4-5 for the Wolves. Though his games would cut down in the 1996-97 season, Young would still play well, going 25-21-4 in 53 games, but would have the Wolves bow out early again as Young would go 1-3 in four playoff games. It was different for the 1997-98 season, as Young would go 31-14-3 in 51 games, but he would finally break through the playoff slump with a 5-3 and helping to win Turner Cup with the Wolves, thus adding to his mantle. For the 1998-99 season, Young would have to share the net with former AGMs Pat Jablonski and Glenn Healy coming through, which would see him get in 35 games and a 20-10-4 record. Despite a championship, the Wolves would bow out early with Young going 4-3. Young had a bounceback year for the 1999-2000 season, getting more time in net with 48 games and sporting a 32-12-4 record and would help the Wolves in the playoffs with a 5-3 record, aiding in another Turner Cup championship for the Wolves. In what would be his last season, Young would only play 35 games in the 2000-01 season and have a 17-16-3 record, but only 2-4 record in the playoffs, were the Wolves would lose to the Orlando Solar Bears in the Turner Cup Finals.

Young would hang up the pads after the Finals, with quite the resume to follow him into his next ventures. He still leads the Wolves franchise all-time in games played (322), wins (169), saves (8,467), minutes (17,912) and shutouts (16). Young's #1 is the first ever number retired in Chicago Wolves history.

After retirement, Young would be the goalie coach for the Calgary Flames from 2001 until 2003. Young would return to the Wolves in 2004 as an assistant coach and assistant GM, until recently were he took over the role of GM for the Wolves. Young was behind the bench for the Wolves 2008 Calder Cup championship, adding to his accolades. Young also runs a goaltending school in suburban Chicago.

Though he did get his Stanley Cup titles as a back-up, Young did the rest of the work on his own for his other titles and stayed in there long enough to have the chance to get these kind of accolades. Proof that hard work and dedication can pay off if you're patient enough.

On the Topic of Hossa and Bourque

I don't know why this thought came across my mind, but it just randomly hit me as I wake-up to the fact that the hockey season is over. However, it is my belief that Marian Hossa's Cup moment is BETTER than Ray Bourque's moment. While, both were able to get the Cup directly after the captain; I think there's more of a relief off of Hossa lifting the Cup than Bourque lifting it up.

While both moments are great, the sense of relief I felt for Hossa after twice being denied the chance to lift it in consecutive years, then signing a 12-year deal-- many wondered if he'd be ever able to win the Cup after the bad luck he had, including the shoulder injury to start the year. For a guy who was so close for the past two years; the weight off his shoulders is tremendous and you could see the excitement in his face once he got passed the Cup, almost reluctant to touch it because he thought the others were more worthy to touch it after Jonathan Toews, then when he got it-- you knew he didn't want to let it go.

Conversely, the Bourque moment was a nice, touching moment; but it wasn't like Bourque ever got close to it before-- which is something that may have made his moment emotional for the fact it was it third Finals appearance, first in 11-year break in-between; the last time being swept in 1990 against Edmonton. While the emotion was there, I think Bourque could have lived with himself and been able to sleep well at night if he hadn't won a Cup. Granted, that wouldn't have made up for him not being able to win the ultimate prize, but he would have always been know as one of the best defensemen in the modern era.

But at the same time, both did win Cups. Great players like Dino Ciccarelli, Marcel Dionne, Mike Gartner, and Darryl Sittler do not have Cup rings, but still considered to be some of the best guys out there. That's a list that Bourque would have fell into, but probably not Hossa-- especially in the era that he is playing in.

With all that said-- both were very touching and relief moments for both of these players. Granted, if you ask me-- Lanny McDonald's moment in 1989 was the best. Being the captain for the clinching game and being the first to touch the Cup after winning it; his first in his 16-year career-- now that's a way to go out.

My point probably isn't right to some/to most/to anyone except me; but I'm sticking to it. Let me know how you feel in the comments.....or not.

What's Next: Chicago Blackhawks 2010

First off, I CALLED IT!!

Second, like I said on my Twitter-- it's a damn shame that former GM Dale Tallon (now with Florida) couldn't be there on the ice to celebrate with the team that he pretty much created from the bottom up. I'm sure it's a bittersweet moment for him to see the team he help build do the laps with the Cup.

That said, it was a folly by Tallon that made the Hawks have to really get to this moment with this team, especially with the money that was doled out to the likes of Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell, and Cristobal Huet. Notwithstanding, the Hawks were able to pull it off and win the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961, snapping the longest drought to date for years between the Stanley Cup.

Now, the inevitable question of what's going to happen next with this team.

Up-front, the likes of captain Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, David Bolland, and Hossa will be there for the long-term, but Tomas Kopecky, Troy Brouwer, and Dustin Byfuglien having one year left and Kris Versteeg and Patrick Sharp with two years left; it makes you wonder how they're going to dance around it. Obviously, Byfuglien will be a big guy to get signed due to his versatility and intensity; but could you get rid of the other guys without having to deal with any big shake-up. Versteeg and Brouwer are great when a man-down, but could you have other guys come up at a lesser price. Sharp and Kopecky could just be cut down to a numbers game, even with their secondary scoring ability at times. Even all of that: Adam Burish, Ben Eager, Bryan Bickell, and Jack Skille all need contracts for next season, plus the likes of Kyle Beach and Akim Aliu knocking on the door to get into the big club. I do not even GM Stan Bowman trying to figure this mess out in time for next season.

Defense is no better for Bowman, who has Campbell with six more years at over $7M, Brent Seabrook needing a new contract after next year and probably looking for a raise, Duncan Keith, who has 13 years left at a $5.5M cap-hit; all the while having Brent Sopel with a year left and probably trade bait and needing to sign others like Niklas Hjarmalsson or Jordan Hendry or someone else to fill out the six defense; though Byfuglien could drop back to play some and kill two birds that way. While the Hawks may have a great core of players, the odds of them staying together are going to be rough to manage. Again-- not envious.

Even more over, Antii Niemi is without a contract after this year and his Cup win will only make his asking price higher. Offer sheets may be out there, but even so-- the Hawks may do anything to keep him, especially because the faith in Huet is lost and Corey Crawford may still not be the answer, even though he's been waiting in the wings for the longest time. It'll be hard to deal Huet's contract, especially with two years left and ability to collapse like a house-of-cards on a windy day. This could be the biggest situation to fall on the Hawks, as Niemi did keep the Hawks in it more often than not when the going got tough.

Joel Quenneville definitely earned his keep and showed that his pick-up was something that was definitely needed for a team this young and with this kind of skill set. And while Bowman did inherit a gong-show of a payroll, they got the job done they needed. Rocky Wirtz did what his father couldn't and made hockey relevant again in Chicago and the fans came out. If anything, Wirtz could be....check that...is the savior of this market and could be looked at by many on how to conduct business even when you have a lot of strikes against you from a previous ownership.

Regardless of what's going to happen next year, in two years, or whenever-- the Chicago hockey fans should revel in this victory. They need to take it all in and enjoy every minute, as it may be fleeting. They believed in the new direction and the kids did alright. Let the worries begin in July-- the fun needs to continue through June.