The Detroit Red Wings were successful last night in winning the 2009 Western Conference title and eliminating the Chicago Blackhawks.  To their credit, the ‘Hawks held on as best they could with Martin Havlat and starting goaltender, Nikolai Khabibulin, knocked out of the lineup but, ultimately, the Wings were just too hot to handle.

Detroit showed their strength as a team when they pulled together to compensate for the absence of star players, Nicklas Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk.  They played a patient, determined game and in the end it paid off.
I have to say that I was impressed with Blackhawks backup …read more

Joel Quenneville had some choice words about the officiating in Game 4 between his Chicago Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings.  Unfortunately, the NHL didn’t see eye-to-eye with the coach and his actions ended up costing him $10,000USD.
His offence?  After a roughing call against defenceman Matt Walker as the first period ended, Detroit scored and extended their lead to 3-0 (they ended up winning the game with a final score of 6-1 and have taken a 3-1 series lead). 
After the game, coach Quenneville said: "I think we witnessed probably the worst call in the history of sports …read more

Wow.  I’m sure the Chicago Blackhawks would like to permanently erase today’s game against the Detroit Red Wings completely from their memory.  It was one of those games where it was almost uncomfortable to watch and I’m not a particular fan of either team.  It was just painful.

Things looked a little promising for the Blackhawks at the start of the game.  Sure, I was concerned when Cristobal Huet was announced as the starting goalie but I was encouraged by the fact that Martin Havlat was in the lineup despite the fact that he took a crushing hit this past week …read more

The Detroit Red Wings beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 1 of the 2009 NHL Western Conference Finals and I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.  The Red Wings had a lot of things going for them last night and it just seemed like the Blackhawks just couldn’t get it together.
Detroit definitely came out pumped and ready.  It’s kind of hard not to be when you have fans like the ones in the Joe Louis Arena.  Octopi were on the ice, people were screaming and the Bulin Wall came tumbling down.  Seriously, Chicago netminder, Nikolai Khabibulin was shaky between the posts …read more

The Detroit Red Wings eliminated the Anaheim Ducks last night and it really was a battle to the finish.  With a final score of 4-3, it wasn’t exactly a runaway victory.  Still the 2008 Stanley Cup Champions have advanced to the next round and it should be interesting to see this well-oiled team comprised of many veterans face off against the youth and vigor of the Chicago Blackhawks.
 
For the first time in the postseason last night, Jonas Hiller showed how human he really is.  He got knocked in the net and, as if that wasn’t bad enough, his helmet …read more

The Vancouver Canucks were eliminated from the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs last night by the Chicago Blackhawks.  Many Canadians (not including me) were saddened by the fact that the last team from Canada was knocked out of the postseason.
The victory can be attributed to the younger Chicago players who played the most important role in winning the high scoring game (final score 7-5).   Budding star, Patrick Kane recorded his first playoff hat trick while Jonathan Toews scored the go-ahead goal in that insane third period.  This is the first time the team will compete in the Western Conference finals since …read more