Twitter Launch

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Between the pipes

Very many things have been going on in the offseason. Many transactions that leave loyal fans curious as well as myself. One of the most controversial signings of the offseason was the signing of veteran goaltender Michael Leighton. This recent transaction left Blackhawks fans wondering what will be happening between the pipes in the future with Chicago. With Corey Crawford as the franchise goalie currently as well as Antti Raanta as the prime backup in Chicago, This leaves many people curious as to why the Blackhawks are signing another goalie to the roster. Crawford just signed a 6 year contract at the end of last season, as well as Raanta who signed a 2 year contract extension in the offseason. Crawford will clearly be the starter unless something severe happens, and Raanta will be waiting to take his place if something were to happen.

Many people may not remember Michael Leighton, but he was the goalie that the Chicago Blackhawks played against in the 2010 Stanley Cup finals. The veteran tender will bring wisdom to the team, but he will only have a spot as the 3rd goaltender, which is the goaltender that plays primarily for the AHL affiliate team, which is the Rockford Icehogs. The time Leighton will get playing time is if Crawford and Raanta get injured, which is a very unlikely scenario. With the Blackhawks still over the salary cap, this signing of Leighton makes the loyal fans baffled as to why Blackhawks GM Stan Bowman would make such a signing in the offseason. Only time will tell whether this was a good pickup, but with the past signings of goaltender for Chicago, like Cristobal Heut being a complete bust, as well as Nikolai Khabibulin being a terrible signing at the beginning of last year, and the Blackhawks getting rid of veteran tender Ray Emery, who posted a 17-0-1 record with the team, who knows if this was in the best interest of the Hawks.

New Beginnings

After a heart breaking end to our Stanley Cup Champ repeat journey, the Blackhawks will be returning to the ice September 23rd for the first preseason game against the Red Wings and the first game of the regular season will be October 9th at the Dallas Stars. Many transactions this off-season  with the signing  of Brad Richards, the addition of Kevin Dineen as an assistant coach, and Jimmy Waite as the new goal tending coach.

Now many people might be wondering, "What are the expectations this season?", well to put it simple, this team is still very talented. The Blackhawks have one of the most feared line-ups in the NHL and on paper the Blackhawks appear to have the most talented roster. With that being said, this season looks to be very exciting for the Hawks as they are one of the favorites to win (via Vegas Insider) with a 8/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup (odds are as of September 1st), which is tied with the Bruins and Kings.

Welcome

Hello Blackhawks fans,

I am Matt, one of the creators of this blog, and I would like to welcome you to what we hope to be one of the most popular hockey blogs in the world. Our vision is simple and that is to create a community for Blackhawks fans who are as passionate about the team as we are.

This blog is operated by myself and Chris Bizjack. We will be looking up info about all that is going on in hockey (Mainly Blackhawks related) and we voice our opinion on the matter.

Hockey season will begin in a few weeks and I cannot wait. It is going to be an entertaining season.

Sincerely,
Matt
Co-founder