Seriously?

A quick read about a hockey fan who is a little too passionate.

Expert analysis on Blackhawks playoff chances

Some interesting videos from ESPN's hockey experts regarding the young Chicago Blackhawks and their chances of playoff success.

Because in this class, I think we all like sportz.

Enjoy.

Blackhawks look razor 'Sharp' in Sunday matinee

Could it be the beginning of a run? Are the Blackhawks heating up down the home stretch prior to the playoffs? It's wishful thinking, but I'll take any positives these days.

At the United Center Sunday afternoon, Chicago ended a five game winless drought by dispatching the Los Angeles Kings 4-1.

The best news? The return of forward Patrick Sharp. In his first game since going down with a knee injury on Feb. 14, Sharp scored twice and tallied an assist.When Sharp was injured, he was the leading the team in points. In the 16 games he was away, the Blackhawks went 8-7-1.

Obviously, his return should be a huge boost for a team that has stumbled for much of the second half of the season. In the second half of the season alone, the Blackhawks are 15-12-3. In 31 games, they have accumulated 32 points out of a possible 62.

Not the most reassuring stats as the playoffs near. But as was stated earlier, the 4-1 drubbing of the Kings was just what this team needed, and the return of Patrick Sharp will be great for the offense.

The win against the Kings happened at just the right time, as the next four games could be a buzz-saw for Chicago. With consecutive games against the San Jose Sharks, New Jersey Devils, Vancouver Canucks, and Montreal Canadians, there will be no time for an "off night."

Stay tuned.

Blackhawks help make history

The Blackhawks fell to the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night by a score of 3-1.

In the process, New Jersey goalie Martin Brodeur set a new all-time NHL record with 552 wins.

Along with helping the opposing goalie set an NHL record, the Blackhawks third straight loss has dropped them into a tie with the Vancouver Canucks for fourth in the Western Conference.

The Blackhawks are 3-6-1 in their last 10 games. Vancouver is 7-2-1 in their last 10, and if things continue the way they are, Chicago can say goodbye to home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

Blog Challenge: Sports Video Games

I have loved video games since I was a little kid. To be specific, sports video games. The seed was planted with NFL Football 94 Starring Joe Montana.


It was the first of many sports video games I spent countless hours playing.

My favorites inlcude...


Ken Griffey Presents Major League Baseball not only holds its own against pretty much every baseball game ever made, it might just do the same against any sports game. Creative player names, awesome music, players blowing bubbles with their gum while at the plate; what's not to like?

Insert any NHL video game here. Hockey games are a blast; always have been, always will be. My favorite though? NHL 2005. I played it non-stop.


I never played much Fight Night until I paid attention to boxing. But after only a few rounds of this game, it was hard to put the controller down. Especially against a buddy, this game gets intense.


The original NFL Blitz, the shortlived MVP Baseball series, NCAA Football, this list could go on for a long time. The point is, sports video games have always been a part of my life and are a lot of fun.


What I want to know is what is your all-time favorite sports game? Any console, any sport, any and every game. Which one, in your eyes, tops them all? Be sure to defend your answer. I want to know what makes it the best.

And since it's time for March Madness, I figured I would share this. An interesting bracket-style tournament that tried to determine the best sports game of all-time.

Doesn't smell like team spirit...

Much like the season, asking folks around Iowa City their thoughts on the men's Iowa-Michigan Big Ten Tournament game was like pulling teeth.

The almost unanimous response was, "I didn't know there was a game today."

And when informed that there was indeed a game today, optimism was not all that apparent.

"I think we'll lose," Jessica Zuerner said. "One of my friends is a team manager and he's not optimistic. He doesn't like to talk about it."

A 15-16 season of inconsistent basketball isn't the only thing keeping people from watching the game. On this Thursday before spring break, midterms are in full-swing.

Jimmy Hummel, hidden in a dark corner of the Main Library, said he likes basketball but doesn't care about the game. "I have four midterms today."

The sentiment on Iowa basketball and the current apathy of today's game seems to reflect the mindset of fans all season long.

But all hope is not lost.

Pat Quinn, a junior at the University of Iowa, feels Iowa has a chance.

"Iowa has a lot to prove and they have a lot of momentum coming from that Penn State win."

"They have a shot. It's a big game," Quinn said. "It's going to be close."

Last year, as an eight seed, Iowa fell to ninth seeded Michigan in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament, 55-47.

Tip-off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today as Iowa will once again open tournament play against the Michigan Wolverines. Iowa went 1-1 against Michigan this year, including a 70-60 OT win at home less than a month ago.

The 10th seeded Hawkeyes are 5-13 in Big Ten play, with a 15-16 overall record. Michigan holds a 9-9 Big Ten record and is 19-12 overall.

Hey! Look at what's happening in the East.

The West isn't the only conference that has an air-tight playoff race.

Three teams (Florida Panthers, New York Rangers, and the Pittsburgh Penguins) are tied at 76 points in the East for playoff seeds six through eight. The Montreal Canadians are sitting in the fifth spot with 77 points while the Carolina Hurricanes lurk in ninth (one spot away from postseason play) with 75 points.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the New York Rangers were both involved in what they considered "must-win" situations today, with playoff hopes on the line. Both teams played very tough opponents and after excruciatingly exciting hockey games, both teams emerged victorious.

Pittsburgh defeated the Washington Capitals 4-3 after a shootout, keeping their own playoff hopes alive and stopping Washington from overtaking the New Jersey Devils for second place in the Eastern Conference.

In what could conceiveably be a first round matchup in the playoffs, the New York Rangers held on to beat the Boston Bruins, who currently reside atop of the Eastern Conference, 4-3.

Puck heads can't ask for anything more. A month of hockey where for eight or so teams, every win is absolutely critical, and a single loss could mean expulsion from the top eight of their conference.

Stap in, and enjoy the ride.

Good test for the Hawks

vs.

Tomorrow at noon central on Comcast Sportsnet, the Chicago Blackhawks travel to Boston for a Saturday matinee against the Bruins.

Both teams are almost certainly playoff bound.

The Blackhawks (36-17-9) have been firmly entrenced in fourth in the Western Conference for the majority of the season and are looking at home-ice advantage in the playoffs.

The Bruins (42-14-9) are atop the Eastern Conference with 93 points on the season (one point behind league leaders San Jose and Detroit).

This is high quality, playoff-esk hockey and should be a good road test for the young Hawks as the postseason nears.

What trades will affect my playoff picks?

In an earlier post (Feb. 3), I wrote about the mess at the bottom of the Western Conference. At that time, five teams (Dallas, Minnesota, Edmonton, Columbus, and Phoenix) were tied for the final three playoff spots. Vacuver was one point back of these teams, in 11th place. Over a month has passed since that post, and not a lot has changed in the playoff race.

Seeds six through eight are Columbus (70 pts.), Edmonton (68 pts.), and Nashville (68 pts.). Anaheim (68 pts.), Dallas (67 pts.), and Minnesota (65 pts.) are on the outside looking in, in spots nine through 11 respectively. Vancuver has played well and is holding down (for now) the fifth seed with 74 points.

On Feb. 3 I wrote that come playoff time, seeds six through eight, in no particular order, would be held by Dallas, Edmonton, and Minnesota (I also wrote "the Canucks are cooked," and decided to "cast off," Columbus. My bad. But at least I got Phoenix's absence from the postseason correct.).

The trade deadline was yesterday, and as I was reading through "winners and losers" articles regarding trades teams made, I wondered if any trades had been made that might help make my picks become a reality. Lets take a look.

Well, the Stars were on fire when I picked them to make the playoffs. They had won four straight (the next day it became five straight). They also dropped trouble-maker Sean Avery (now a NY Ranger). But since Feb. 5 they have gone 6-8, and before beating the Sharks on March 3 had dropped five straight. They are riddled by injuries and didn't make any moves at the trade deadline. Unless they get the ship turned around quickly, they will not be making the playoffs. This pick does not look promising right now.

After the trade deadline, Edmonton should be a better team offensively. They picked up Patrick O' Sullivan (14 goals, 23 assists, 31 points in 62 games played) from L.A. and Ales Kotalik (13 G, 19 A, 52 GP) from Buffalo. They sent Erik Cole back to Carolina though, although most feel the loss won't mean much. Burnside and Lebrunn picked them as "trade deadline winners." Sounds good to me. I think this pick stays good.

Minnesota's outstanding goalie Niklas Backstrom, who's name had popped up more than once in "will they or won't they" trade talk, was resigned. So he's staying put in Minnesota. They still have no offense though (28th in scoring), and they did nothing to address this at the trade deadline. Star right winger Marian Gaborik is scheduled to come back from an injury sometime soon, but will he be able to help haul Minnesota out of 11th place and into the top eight? Hopefully he does, or else this pick is doomed as well.

So at the moment, it looks as though I'm slated to get one of my three picks right. Not only that, but two teams (Vancuver and Columbus) I said wouldn't even be a factor are looking better than ever and are actually ahead in points, if only by a couple.

Both those teams made moves at the trade deadline that should only widen the gap between them and teams struggling to get into playoff contention.

Stay tuned, as the race for the Stanley Cup, like the weather, will really began to heat up over the next month.

Post trade-deadline report and what it means for the Blackhawks

The trade deadline came at 3 p.m. and the Blackhawks waited until the final minutes to make a move.

In what was described as a "fruitful day," by GM Dale Tallon, the Blackhawks dealt defensemen James Wisniewski and center Petri Kontiola to the Anaheim Ducks for veteran center Samuel Pahlsson, minor league defensemen Logan Stephenson, and a conditional draft pick.

Pahlsson won a Stanley Cup with Anaheim in 2007 and fills the need at center for the Blackhawks. Hopefully he'll be able to help on the powerplay and win more faceoffs (he ranks in the top 20 in faceoff wins).

I like this move. Wisniewski, although a good defensemen, is coming off an ACL injury and hasn't played much at all (2 goals and 11 assists in 31 games played).

Pahlsson brings a veteran presence to the youngest locker room in the league. His experience in the playoffs and knowledge of what it takes to win a Cup will be crucial for the rest of the team come the postseason.

Pahlsson has been sidelined since Jan. 31 with mononucleosis. Tallon addressed this, saying that he is ready to come back in a week or two, and that the rest will only beneift the team during the last stretch of the season.

Video press conference coverage can be found here.

Trade Deadline @ 3 p.m. tomorrow

3 p.m. tomorrow is the NHL trade deadline. Rosters will be set and the final push for the playoffs will begin.

In late January, prior to a stretch of eight straight road games, Blackhawks GM Dale Tallon said that his decision to make roster moves would be based on the success of the road trip.

The "stretch" had the Blackhawks playing on the road in 13 of 15 games, going 10-5 in that span. So now the question becomes...do they make a move?

Names that have been thrown out there are Stanley Cup winning (injured now) goalie Nikolai Khabibulin, experienced winger Martin Havlat, and I've heard Dustin Byfuglien as well.

Tallon has said before that if he makes a move, it will not be for a costly "rental player." He is focused on the long-term success of the franchise. And I, as a fan who has witnessed chronic mediocrity and dissapointing season after dissapointing season, am fine with this decision.

This youthful bunch is a solid foundation for what could be a dynasty in years to come.

Still though, I crave postseason hockey for the Blackhawks (this is all but a given now), and even then, I still want to see a nice run at the Cup. I know I know I'm getting greedy, but once the ectasty of success hit my lips, I couldn't get enough.

I'm pretty excited to see what happens tomorrow. Will the Blackhawks make a move and fill the need for an above average center? Will they trade the "Bulin Wall?" (I'd be fine with Huet in the playoffs, the man has been on fire lately).

Also, check out #5 in Burnside's "five things" blog from ESPN.com to get an idea of what happens in the league offices on trade-deadline day to make sure everything is on the up and up?