NHL Chicago

Apparently, Blackhawks' GM Dale Tallon woke up this morning and swore to himself that he wouldn't go to bed tonight without a salary cap situation on his hands. After inking Cristobal Huet to a $5 million cap hit earlier today, he went ahead and picked up the most sought after defenseman on the market today by inking Brian Campbell. Campbell didn't come cheaply though, as it's going to take an eight-year deal worth a whopping $7.1 million per season to get him into black and red next year.

Campbell's a great pickup for the 'Hawks and he's a great offensive player and point man, but $7.1 million a year for a guy that's a bit of a defensive liability is a real indication of just how wild the market is running today. Plus, Campbell's already 29, so he'll be 37 at the end of this deal. The Blackhawks are getting a great player, but they're getting him at a high cost.

The other thing worth noting is that Chicago is now over the cap after the additions of Huet and Campbell. They're going to have to dump someone soon, and best bets are probably Nikolai Khabibulin. I don't know who's going to want a goalie with Khabibulin's price tag that plays like he has recently, but if Tallon can convince people that Havlat is healthy, he might make a nice consolation prize to whoever loses the Marian Hossa derby.

Back in May, it looked like plans to bring the NHL Winter Classic to New York's Yankee Stadium were in jeopardy thanks to some infrastructure problems.

Then, last month, the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the league was all but ready to announce that the game would be coming to Wrigley Field in 2009.

Now the story has taken yet another turn. As reported by Rob Yunich at Random Reality Thoughts, NHL Vice President Bill Daly, appearing on XM Radio's Hockey This Morning, said that it was "safe to assume" that the league would be making an announcement about the Winter Classic being held at either Yankee Stadium or Wrigley Field.

Huh?

Looks like somebody threw a wrench in the works, eh?

At this point, I guess it's "safe to assume" that the two cities are now in the midst of a competition between one another for a chance to host the game. When you think about it, it's a heck of a turnaround for the NHL -- just three years ago the league was heading out of a devestating lockout, and now two of America's biggest cities are competing for the right to host an outdoor hockey game being held on New Year's Day?

Whatever else you want to complain about these days when it comes to the NHL, the Winter Classic isn't one of the things you'd want to carp about.

As I was watching Chris Chelios skating the Stanley Cup around the ice at Mellon Arena last night, I couldn't help but wonder: Was this the last we'd see of the 46-year old defenseman? After playing in 15 of Detroit's first 16 playoff games, Chelios was injured at the tail end of the Western Conference Finals with Dallas, and was a healthy scratch for all six games against Pittsburgh.

Well, wonder no more.

While Chicago is known as America's Second City, come New Year's Day 2009, it'll be #1 in the eyes of the NHL.

Why do I write that? According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the league is expected to announce that the next NHL Winter Classic will be awarded to Chicago, where the Blackhawks will host the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field.

The choice has to be seen as something of a darkhorse, as the early word on the 2009 game had it being played in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium between the Rangers and the Bruins or at Beaver Stadium in Pennsylvania between the Flyers and the Penguins. Word that all was not well with the plans to bring the game to Yankee Stadium surfaced just recently, after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman mentioned that there were a number of issues regarding construction at Yankee Stadium that might no be able to be overcome.

In any case, awarding the game to Chicago and the Blackhawks has to be seen as a nod to the fact that hockey is finally on the comeback trail in that city after what seemed like an inevitable slide into irrelevance. But now, thanks in part to co-Calder candidates Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, things are looking up in Chicago.

One thing is for certain about the 2009 game: Tickets are going to be far more dear. The capacity at Ralph Wilson Stadium, host of the inaugural Winter Classic, was just under 74,000. Wrigley, which was home to the Bears between 1921 and 1970, seats just over 41,000. I'm sure the folks at eBay are very excited at the prospect.

What's it like to be 19 and one of the world's top athletes? I'm guessing that Patrick Kane, center for the Chicago Blackhawks, has a pretty good idea. Just a few days back Kane was named NHL Rookie of the Year by The Sporting News, and he made an appearance on Sporting News Radio to talk about the honor.

Which was where Kane, who has traveled pretty extensively as a member of various U.S. national teams, got sidetracked onto a topic most athletes generally don't talk about: Where to find the best looking women:

Remember those days following the Winter Classic, when the greatest wave of positive P.R. hockey has seen since Mario returned from cancer was cresting? When everyone wanted to know who and where was next: Penguins and Flyers in Happy Valley? Hockey on the Frozen Tundra? Any combination of the New York teams at Yankee Stadium? In hindsight, the NHL actually made a shrewd decision in choosing not to rush its commitment to future installments of the Winter Classic, using the All-Star Game to announce the next slate of European games and keeping its options open for New Year's Day 2009 and beyond.

Meanwhile, the idea of outdoor hockey continues to be a topic of conversation in NHL cities. Like in Chicago, where there's a full-on hockey revival occurring. According to the Sun-Times, a recent municipal government decision could kick-start a potential week-long hockey festival at Soldier Field that would include a Blackhawks' game:

A Chicago Park District panel recommends that a new contract to manage Soldier Field go to SMG, which made a pitch of hosting an outdoor Blackhawks hockey game at the lakefront stadium. "I know SMG and the Blackhawks have been talking about trying to do an outdoor game," said Park District Supt. Timothy Mitchell. "I know the Hawks are interested and they're going to work with the NHL to see if that's something we can do in the near future."

Mitchell said the district would like the hockey plan to include a college contest and a way to allow people to use the rink for pleasure skating in a week-long event. "We think there would be a great interest in citizens skating inside Soldier Field between the colonnades," said Mitchell.

Blackhawks president John McDonough downplayed the urgency of the talks with SMG, calling them "informal" and "on a what-if basis." (He was also careful to bring Wrigley and U.S. Cellular fields into the discussion as well.) But as Kenn.com points out, it's a credit to McDonough that this discussion is even happening -- out of the box thinking and imaginative promotion weren't exactly the late Dollar Bill's bag, baby.

Ever since Chicago coach Denis Savard uttered the words "Commit To the Indian" in his frustrated tirade last week, the phrase has taken on a life of its own. From two competing Cafe Press sites to MSM attention on the phenomenon to a battle over whether this is a culturally insensitive catchphrase or simply a culturally insensitive catchphrase that will replace the Blackhawks' current slogan, which appears to be a celebration of Communism of some kind.

I covered this situation over on Deadspin this morning -- where, in case you were unaware, I'm writing the hilarious (and occasionally NSFW) NHL Closer every weekday morning -- and interviewed one of my favorite Blackhawks fans, Mr. Miller from Wirtzsucks.com Blackhawkzone.com about the slogan, which I believe is absolute marketing gold. I mean, it's "Beware the Penguins" without the crappy beer endorsement. One of Miller's comments that didn't make the cut spells out the hockey history vs. political correctness debate quite well:

I think any momentum that it might foster will soon be cut down by the PC crowd. White people who have no reason to be involved will take it upon themselves to "speak for" some Indian group claiming it's offensive or racist. That said, McDonough acknowledged that it's been getting some decent conversation within the organization. But I think Savard clearly was echoing the idea that the symbol on the front of the uniform is much more important than the name on the back. And in a blue-collar town like Chicago, that especially holds true.

The "McDonough" is team president John McDonough, who told the Chicago Tribune he was amazed "how much life" the slogan has been given by Blackhawks fans. A Tribune online poll showed strong support for "Commit To the Indian" as of Tuesday afternoon. I hope the team gives the fans what the want: A formidable, tradition-laden motto for a rejuvenated franchise. Read Savard's comments yesterday about honor and commitment, and you'll see why the PC police need to turn off their sirens.

The meteoric rise of Jonathan Toews from just another first round draft pick to NHL star continues on a rapid pace. Along with helping the Hawks with his offensive prowess and l33t puckhandling moves (20 points in 24 games), the 19-year old Toews has shown a maturity level far above that of the average young punkard. For this, Toews has been rewarded and been named an alternate (Assistant) captain, getting a nice shiny 'A' to stick on his uniform.

"There's been a lot of talk that maybe I could be part of that leadership group down the road, that I have maybe some of those qualities, and to get compliments like that is a huge honor considering the experience we have in this locker-room," Toews told the Arlington Heights Daily Herald on Monday.

While many fans and pundits wonder why a young kid would be 'burdened' with leadership responsibility, Toews' on-ice play has shown us that he's already a leader, in that regard. Giving him an 'A' should help Toews' further develop his leadership skills, as well as give him an extra boost to ensure that his effort level does not start to slide as the season progresses.

Heck, if Toews continues to play as well as he has and keep progressing as rapidly as he's done in the first quarter of this season, the kid may very well be a captain in the near future.

The NHL, having an inferiority complex rivaled by only the average reader of OK! Magazine, constantly feels the need to trumpet any little business milestone as if the rest of us have a stake in how much money the NHL owners rake in. Are fans supposed to be happy if the NHL takes in more revenues?

Back to my original point: The NHL isn't hesitating to blow its own horn and announce "W00T, we had a record November, baby!"

The National Hockey League posted record attendance for the month of November, attracting 3,367,547 fans to 199 games for a per-game average of 16,922. The per-game figure eclipsed the previous November high of 16,818 set during the League's successful re-launch season in 2005 and was 2.3% ahead of last season's 16,538.

Ah, selective statistics, anyone? Notice how the NHL doesn't say that this was PAID attendance? Notice how the NHL didn't tell you that this wasn't the best November TOTAL they've ever had? No mention of low TV ratings, or revenues earned, etc ...

Over at The Globe and Mail, our pal James Mirtle crunches the numbers like a Christmas walnut, and the data shows that the overall average for this season is actually down 162 seats per game. Basically, for all intents and purposes, attendance is pretty much flat, and there's no real reason for any celebration or panic.

The real 'positive' that could be gleaned from the data is that Chicago, New Jersey, and New York (Long Island) have gained attendance. The NHL definitely needs three of their biggest markets to put more butts in the seats.

Maybe it's the fact that he's finally earning some of the biggest contract in Blackhawks' history that's given me Nikolai Khabibulin on the brain. Or maybe it's the press room coffee run that's currently being completed before tonight's tilt at the Verizon Center between the Hurricanes and the Capitals.

You see, there was a point in Khabby's career when the goalie would guzzle cups -- sometimes pots -- of java before and during a game -- a practice that stopped in Tampa Bay when he adjusted some bad habits and got into Stanley Cup shape. He switched from coffee to sports drinks while with the Bolts; one of the reasons for the lifestyle change was a simple equation: Caffeine plus an athlete with a propensity for dehydration equals bad news for a guy like Khabibulin, who has battled dehydration as far back as the 2002 Winter Olympics for Russia. If he's not the NHL's Most Dehydrated Player, he may be at least the League's Most Dehydrated Goalie -- a trend that continues in Chicago as he tries to turn around his luck with goalie coach Stephane Waite. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Khabibulin hasn't been able to explain why, because he has paid the price for both of those hard-earned victories. He experienced dehydration in both and had long intravenous treatments immediately after leaving the ice. "He lost 12 pounds against Detroit and probably about nine [at Calgary]," [Coach Denis] Savard said. "Khabby takes a lot of fluids. He has this purple drink he takes between shifts. He's always been like that. It's not unusual."

Here's what is unusual about Khabibulin, according to Hockey Blog in Canada: He's one of the few goalies to have escaped "The Graveyard" of the Phoenix Coyotes with his career still intact two years later. Brent Johnson's the other lucky soul; Darcy Wakaluk, Sean Burke, Brian Boucher and Curtis Joseph are among the victims. Enjoy it while you can, Ilya...