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Just heard this mentioned on the radio. Sounds like a Chicago insider thinks they’re taking a look at our pick. I found this https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/blackhawks-and-canucks-linked-in-monster-draft-day-trade Possible way to move cap and pick up a 2nd along the way? Edit: This appears to be the source. The Blackhawks aren’t optimistic about their chances to move up from their second first-round pick at No. 19. Even if the Blackhawks package the No. 19 pick and a second-rounder or two, that probably isn’t enough for a team to budge from a top-15 selection. The Vancouver Canucks might be the only team that could make sense. It’s no secret the Canucks are trying to get out of a few contracts this offseason. If the Blackhawks took on one of those contracts and packaged a first- and second-round pick, maybe that would entice the Canucks to trade the No. 11 pick. There should be some really good players left on the board at 11 if the Blackhawks could do that. - Scott Powers

A Random Hockey Story - To Touch the Conference Trophy or Not A 2017 article, a bit lazy today as I wasn't in the "make a GDT thread" mode ... still an interesting read. For the first time in franchise history, the Clarence S. Campbell trophy, the trophy awarded to the winner of the NHL’s Western Conference, will be inside Bridgestone Arena. It’s funny how in the NHL, winning the conference is not a big deal. In the MLB and NFL, teams go nuts after winning their conference playoffs. Baseball players toss on goggles and spray Bud Light (ew) in each other’s faces. NFL players bask in the glory of their accomplishments. NHL players? Well, who cares about the conference? Everyone knows the real prize is the Stanley Cup. This mentality has, ever since 1997, bred a superstition of whether or that one should not touch the conference trophy. Why celebrate when the job isn’t done yet? Initiated by the 1997 Philadelphia Flyers, more and more team captains have refused to touch their conference trophies because the real prize was yet to be won. In fact, since the lockout, not one Western Conference winner has touched the Clarence S. Campbell trophy. Yet, for all the superstition, does not touching the conference trophy lead to better results? No. Does not touching the Clarence S. Campbell trophy give the Western Conference the highest chance of winning the Stanley Cup, purely from a superstition-karma standpoint? No. If (knock on wood) the trophy is awarded Monday night, should the Nashville Predators touch it if they want the statistically best blessings from the hockey gods come the Stanley Cup Finals? Maybe. The Cold, Hard Facts The first team to engage in this superstition was the Philadelphia Flyers who decided to avoid touching the cup a convenient twenty years ago. Below are the Stanley Cup Finalists of those last twenty years. Key: Blue: Lost, did not touch the conference trophy. Red: Lost, touched the conference trophy. Green: Won, did not touch the conference trophy. Yellow: Won, touched the conference trophy. There are some key things to note here. First, the tradition of not touching the conference trophy has grown significantly over time. The winner of the Western Conference has not touched their trophy since Calgary touched it and lost in 2004. Meanwhile, the Eastern Conference has touched the Prince of Wales trophy, the award given to the Eastern Conference champions significantly more than the west has touched the Clarence S. Campbell trophy. Nevertheless, if both teams don’t touch their trophy, or if both do touch it, what are the likely outcomes? The Western Conference crushes the Eastern Conference when both sides match each other in either touching or not touching their conference trophies. When both conference winners mirror the other’s actions, the west has a 8-3 record. In particular, the Western Conference dominates in years in which both teams have refused to touch their conference trophies, stockpiling a 5-2 record off the heels of the Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings. So how do the conferences fair when one team touches the cup and the other doesn’t? First and foremost, when one team doesn’t touch the cup, that team is actually more likely to lose. When one team touches the cup and the other does not, the touching team is 5-3. Myth debunked. Furthermore, the Eastern Conference has gotten the better of the Western Conference here. When the Eastern Conference winners touch the Prince of Wales trophy and the Western Conference winner does not touch the Clarence S. Campbell trophy, the east is 3-2. That is the Eastern Conference’s only winning record when splitting these numbers. Therefore, statistically, the Eastern Conference has the best odds of winning the Stanley Cup when they touch the Prince of Wales trophy. Therefore, all things considered, the Western Conference winners have the best chance of winning the Stanley Cup if they match whatever action the Eastern Conference does. Furthermore, if the Western Conference winner is crowned on Monday night (knock on wood), the winning team would behoove themselves to touch the Clarence S. Campbell trophy to deny the Eastern Conference winners of their 3-2 record in years when they touch their trophy and the west does not. However... An article based on the analysis of a superstition couldn’t be complete without, well, superstition, right? Were the Clarence S. Campbell trophy be awarded on Monday night (knock on wood), it would go to the Nashville Predators. Despite the numbers saying that they should touch the Clarence S. Campbell trophy, there are compelling reasons why not. The two last teams to touch their conference trophy and lose were the 2010 Philadelphia Flyers, coached by Peter Laviolette, and the 2007 Ottawa Senators, on which Mike Fisher played. Red flags? Red flags. Source: https://www.ontheforecheck.com/2017/5/21/15671384/to-touch-or-not-to-touch-a-statistical-analysis-of-hockeys-conference-trophy-superstition ************************ NOW FOR THE GAME DAY THREAD ************************************ Overview The Chicago Blackhawks are challenging Columbus and San Jose as "who can suck the hardest and grab the 1/4 - 1/5 chance at winning the Bedard Sweepstakes". The Canucks were trending that way, much to the delight of Team Tank but the treads of Team Tank have blown right off the sprockets giving certain CDC members the vapors resulting in hilarious posts before, during and after each game ... so much so that me thinks that Team Tankers think Aquaman may randomly come across their post(s), come to his senses, fire his entire management team and put said CDC Team Tank purist in charge of his $1.2B franchise ... but I digress. Still, the Choke Cup is up for grabs today. Chicago has sold the farm, their assets, the kitchen sink and the soul of the franchise yet can't seem to find their way to the bottom fast enough. Is this team ripe for the pickings, you bet, but then no team can be taken lightly in this league, even if they would be challenged to compete in the AHL, IHL, BCJHL or even in a game of pick-up street hockey. Hence, we have the Choke Cup - an award I, and most of the Canucks faithful here, dearly hope the Canucks don't win. Canucks D have been hit with an injury bug to their 5/6/7/AHL defenders that Tocchet the Rocket has playing at NHL calibre level (again much to the shagrin of Team Tank). We wish them a speedy recovery. In the meantime, Honker has stepped in and dragged the entire D-core to respectability with a solid 2-game outing. Will this continue, HELL YES, says the Magic 8-ball. Honker and Huggy are munching minutes giving the rest of the D an opportunity to settle into a resemblance of an NHL D - Myers for some reason has started to play close to his contract expectations the last little bit which bodes well for trading him in the off-season, not for a bag of used pucks and stale hot dog buns (Team Tankers wish to get rid of him for anything) but for some reasonable return, once his SB has been paid ... but I digress again. Chicago is playing to stay comfortably in the 1 - 4 worst team in the league having read the various Team Tank threads here and indeed are sending out interview request for top management level positions to our well known Team Tankers who seem to have the pulse on how to build a winning franchise. Chicago is fielding a solid AHL draft team so this should be a gimme ... oh the Ides of March though. Current Records Vancouver Canucks are rocketing upwards and onwards with a record of 72 GP with 33-34-5 good for a total of 71 points - 20 shy of a wild card spot. Goals for are 246 with goals against of 265, the gap is closing nicely. Chicago Blackhawks are rocketing to Hades with a record of 72 GP with 24-42-6 good for a total of 54 points (no banana yet for worst team). Goals for are 177 with goals against of 258. Rocket-68 prediction (I am 0 - all time on this): Delia in net, Canucks win 5-2 with Miller having a beast of a game and Lenny Kravitz scoring his first goal as a Canuck. Media As always in person is the best, so go buy a ticket followed closely by swilling beer at your favorite watering hold while throwing chicken bones at the TV every time the opposing teams scores. If neither are an option, then we have: TV: NBCSCH (USA), Sportsnet Pacific Radio: Sportsnet 650 Matchup Info Our beloved Canucks have a 99-99-22-7 (W-L-T-OT) all time against the 'Hawks scoring 624 for with the 'Hawks loading 706 goals into the 'Nucks net. The Canucks have an all-time PP% of 19.6 and a PK% of 81% against the Blackhawks Jonathan Toews, Seth Jones, Anders Bjork and Tyler Johnson each have 13, 4, 2, 2, 2 against the Canucks all time respectively Fun Fact: Dennis Hull, Jim Pappin, JP Bordeleau and Stan Makita each have 18, 15, 14, 12 goals against the Canucks all time respectively Anthony Beauvillier, Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, Tanner Pearson and OEL each have 3, 3, 3, 3, 2 goals against the Blackhawks all time. Fun Fact: Daniel Sedin, Henrik, Todd Bertuzzi, Stan Smyl have each have scored 24, 16, 13, 12, 12 goals against the Blackhawks all time. See below for @-DLC- response for more Matchup Info (she beat me to it, LOL, but needs to be acknowledged in the co-authoring of relevant information. Thank you -DLC- for help on the last minute GDT. By the Numbers Teams Add to injuries (graphics to follow): Guillaume Brisebois, Christian Wolanin, Noah Juulsen Da Udder Dudes *********************** NOW FOR SOME FUN STUFF ********************************************* Line Brawl between Chicago and Vanouver - Bieksa lays a beat down on Eager White Towel Moment and the start of the march to 1982 Finals Top 10 Blackhawks / Canucks Moments in 2011

Media TV: SportsNet, Hulu+ (USA) Radio: Sportsnet 650 Overview Boston will forever be my least favorite team but for a long time Chicago was up there. While my hatred of them has faded I still routinely watch a certain goal as it reminds me of better times for this franchise. But it's been far too many years since then and now both franchises sit out of the playoffs. Hopefully tonight we'll see some future stars for the Canucks in McDonough, Hirose and McWard although the lack of Hughes (if confirmed) will be a mammoth challenge for the scraped together defence. MATCH-UP INFO Tonight marks the third and final meeting between the Canucks and Blackhawks this season: Jan. 24 (5-2 W @ VAN), Mar. 26 (4-2 W @ CHI), and Apr. 6 (home). Vancouver is 88-83-22-7 all-time against the Blackhawks, including 54-31-15-1 at home. The Canucks are 7-2-1 in their last 10 games against Chicago (4-1-0 in their last five). J.T. Miller leads all active Canucks skaters in career points against the Blackhawks with 15 (2-13-15) in 19 games. Brock Boeser has 12 points (4-8-12) in 12 career games against Chicago. Elias Pettersson has 11 points (4-7-11) in 11 career games against Chicago. Andrei Kuzmenko has four points (2-2-4) in two career games against Chicago. Tyler Myers leads active Canucks skaters in career games played against the Blackhawks with 29 (1-8-9 in those 29 GP). Thatcher Demko is 2-1-0 with a 1.35 goals against average and a .953 save percentage in three career games against Chicago. Collin Delia is 2-0-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .911 save percentage in 2 career games against Chicago. QUICK NUMBERS Elias Pettersson has 21 points (9-12-21) in his last 16 games and is three points away from breaking 100 this season. J.T. Miller has 20 points (8-12-20) in his last 14 games. Andrei Kuzmenko has 16 points (9-7-16) in his last 15 games. Quinn Hughes has 12 points (2-10-12) in his last 10 games. Brock Boeser has seven points (4-3-7) in his last six games. The Canucks are 16-11-4 since Rick Tocchet took over as Head Coach on January 22. Stats Line-ups (TBD) (Thurs morning practice) (From morning practice) Previous 2022-23 Games TANK FOR BEDARD BOWL STANDINGS

Blackhawks trade 2023 19th pick ( From TBL ) 2024 2nd round pick ( From Van ) Colin Blackwell Canucks trade 2023 11th pick Tyler Myers Conor Garland

It's sad to see how the NHL makes claims about supporting LGBTQ+ on one hand, and then lets players and teams poke holes through the support with the other hand. Latest story: The Chicago Blackhawks Refused to Wear Pride Jerseys and Wore New Uniforms Representing ''Hockey is For Everyone'' https://www.hawksinsider.com/The-Chicago-Blackhawks-Refused-to-Wear-Pride-Jerseys-and-Wore-New-Uniforms-Representing-Hockey-is-For-Everyone-207857 Over the past month there's been plenty of debate and a little bit of controversy over the NHL "Hockey Is For Everyone" campaign when it comes to their "Pride Night's." It all started when Philadelphia Flyers defenceman Ivan Provorov refused to participate in the team's warm-ups due to refusing to wear the Flyers' Pride Night Jerseys. Then the New York Rangers and New York Islanders both decided as a team not to participate in the Pride night Jerseys. Well it looks like the Chicago Blackhawks have decided to make a change to their Pride Night. Instead of wearing any rainbow jerseys, The Chicago Blackhawks wore Black History Month warmup jerseys as part of Hockey is for Everyone. Rangers’ Pride Night about-face created same mess it tried to avoid By Mollie Walker January 28, 2023 By veering from their promoted plan to wear Pride-themed jerseys for their annual Pride Night on Friday at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers turned what was otherwise a beautiful celebration of inclusivity into a story about the organization. It’s ironic that the reversed decision to forgo the special warm-ups and tape was presumably made to avoid a public relations mess. Instead, that’s exactly what has happened. After making a public promise that the team would don the rainbow colors of the Pride flag “in solidarity” with the LGBTQ+ community, and then walking back on it, what did the organization think would happen? There were fans who purchased their tickets to see themselves represented on the ice, and they were left disappointed. The Garden and the Rangers have been hosting Pride Night for seven years. In the past, the whole team has sported the Pride-themed warmup jerseys and wrapped their sticks in rainbow tape, which is why it was so peculiar that the Rangers chose not to go through with it this time. There is no question that the backlash the Flyers received over their Pride Night on Jan. 17, when defenseman Ivan Provorov refused to take warmups in the team’s custom jersey while citing his Russian Orthodox religion as the reason, influenced how the Rangers’ handled the event. Since then, NHL fans have been hyperaware of how their teams have chosen to go about it. The Rangers should’ve seen this coming from a mile away. Still, the Rangers made a choice, and that choice slighted members of the LGBTQ+ community. Following suit with many other NHL teams that have made harmful decisions in recent years, the Rangers made zero acknowledgement and took zero accountability for their actions. “Our organization respects the LGBTQ+ community and we are proud to bring attention to important local community organizations as part of another great Pride Night,” the Rangers said in a statement. “In keeping with our organization’s core values, we support everyone’s individual right to respectfully express their beliefs.” Two players separately told Post colleague Larry Brooks and me that there were no team discussions about sporting the pride-themed jerseys and tape. They did not know why they didn’t wear them. Brooks also reached out to the NHL’s deputy commissioner and chief legal officer, Bill Daly, to see if teams had been advised not to proceed with their original Pride Night plans in the aftermath of Provorov’s refusal. Daly said no and that each club is entitled to proceed as it sees fit. So if it wasn’t the players and it wasn’t the league, then it appears the decision must have come from higher up in the Rangers’ organization. Broadway star Michael James Scott, who is gay, sang a goosebump-inciting rendition of the national anthem. Andre Thomas, the co-chair of NYC Pride and Heritage of Pride, participated in the ceremonial puck drop. Fans received a Pride-themed fanny pack, while the pinwheel ceiling and panels on the outside of the Garden were illuminated in the rainbow colors. The Rangers have also promised to make a charitable contribution to the Ali Forney Center, a New York-based agency dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ homeless youths. The center assists more than 2,000 youths per year through a 24-hour Drop-In Center, which provides more than 70,000 meals annually, medical, and mental health services through an on-site clinic, and a scattered-site housing program. Much was done right, but the Rangers completely overshadowed that by not following through on the part that spoke the most volume. To see your favorite players wear something that represents who you are means something to LGBTQ+ fans. The fact the players did not wear the warmup jerseys also prevented the Rangers from auctioning them off and donating the proceeds to LGBTQ+ causes. More to the point, the Rangers allowed themselves to misstep out of fear of a repeat of the Provorov situation, and instead called into question the sincerity of all their actions. New York City is one of the most diverse places in the world, which should not be forgotten. The Rangers wore warmup jerseys designed by New York-based Ecuadorian artist Mar Figueroa for Hispanic Heritage Night on Oct. 20. They wore camouflage military-themed warmups on Nov. 13 for Military Appreciation Night. Feb. 8 will be Black Heritage Night. They’ll probably wear a special warmup for that, too. It’s a shame that Pride Night was treated differently. https://nypost.com/2023/01/28/rangers-made-an-absolute-mess-with-pride-night-about-face/ https://www.foxnews.com/sports/rangers-walk-back-wearing-lgbtq-themed-warmup-jerseys-pride-night https://www.outkick.com/new-york-rangers-pride-night-lgbtq-jersey-stick-tape-statement-reaction/

HIGHLIGHTS FULL REPLAY | Andrei Kuzmenko's 1-0 Goal FULL REPLAY | Vitali Kravtsov's 2-0 Goal FULL REPLAY | J.T Miller's 3-0 Goal

HIGHLIGHTS FULL REPLAY | Phillip Di Giuseppe's 1-1 Goal FULL REPLAY | Elias Pettersson's 2-1 Goal FULL REPLAY | Elias Pettersson's 3-1 Goal FULL REPLAY | Brock Boeser's 4-2 Goal

Let the victim blaming begin, again. I do note that Shaw has had multiple concussions, perhaps he has CTE.? https://www.msn.com/en-ca/sports/nhl/former-blackhawks-forward-andrew-shaw-kyle-beach-put-himself-in-a-bad-situation/ar-AA1bE5Xj?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=2656123f39224d37907d25fa906db349&ei=9 " Amember of the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty has finally spoken up about the Kyle Beach situation, but what he had to say will not sit well with many. In an appearance on the Raw Knuckles podcast on Wednesday, former Blackhawks forward Andrew Shaw shared his thoughts on the sexual abuse scandal that has stained the reputation of the 2010 Stanley Cup champions. "I have nothing bad to say about Kyle but it's a shame something like this had to go that far when it could've been nipped in the bud pretty quick, from upper management and HR; it should have nothing to do with the players and the coaching staff," Shaw said. "As a 20 year old, I would've never put myself in the situation Kyle was in. "Obviously, I don't know what was going on with Kyle, but he put himself in a bad situation." The conversation started with host and former NHL enforcer Chris Nilan expressing his disdain for how former Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville was punished for his role in the scandal. "I think they [expletive] that guy, the NHL," Nilan said. "I think it's so wrong he's out of the game right now, or that he even had to sit out a year. "That's a management thing and management run the show there, and they tell the coach, 'here's the deal, you focus on this team winning the Stanley Cup, you players don't say a word about it and just focus on winning.'" Beach, the 11th overall pick of the Blackhawks in the 2008 NHL Draft, filed a lawsuit in May 2021 alleging sexual assault at the hands of former Chicago video coach Brad Aldrich during team's Stanley Cup run in 2010. According to an investigation into the matter by law firm Jenner & Block, Blackhawks management met and decided not to address the incident until after the playoffs, after which the club's human resources director gave Aldrich the option to resign or be terminated. Quenneville has said he never knew of the allegations, but according to the Jenner & Block report he was at the aforementioned meeting. Beach told TSN "there’s absolutely no way (Quenneville) can deny knowing it." Quenneville also wrote a favorable evaluation of Aldrich following the season after the video coach had already resigned despite being aware of the allegations against him. https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FCpcEeEXoAcIeDo?format=jpg&name=small Quenneville and former general manager Stan Bowman stepped away from their respective jobs when news of the lawsuit broke. Quenneville will reportedly meet with Gary Bettman following the playoffs to review his status with the league. While Shaw was not with the Blackhawks when they won the Cup in 2010, he did play — and live — with Beach in their time together with the Rockford Icehogs, Chicago's AHL affiliate. "I lived with Kyle in Rockford, he was great to me, he helped me pay rent in my first two months, and he paid for my groceries for a couple weeks until I got a paycheque in me," Shaw added. Shaw would go on to win the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015. He played in 544 career NHL games over 10 seasons split between Chicago and the Montreal Canadiens, accumulating 116 goals, 247 points and 573 penalty minutes. The Belleville, Ont., native retired in February 2021 after doctors advised him to stop playing due to an accumulation of concussions in his career.