Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Taming The Wild

     Yesterday, the Blackhawks defeated the Wild 4-1, pulling ahead to a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Semifinals.  Jonathan Toews kicked off the scoring with a goal 11 minutes into the game.  After a 2nd Period goal by Brandon Saad, Minnesota's Cody McCormick scored with 2 minutes elapsed in the 3rd.  After a near miss by Minnesota that would have tied the game at 2 goals apiece, Bryan Bickell and Brandon Saad each chipped in a goal apiece to run the score up to 4-1 Blackhawks.  And that's how the score stayed throughout the rest of the game, with the final result putting the Hawks up 2-0 against the Wild.

     Some may wonder what has been behind the team's sudden resurgence?  Well ESPN's Craig Custance has theorized that falling into the 0-2 hole against the Blues has spurred the team on to a new effort.  Since that happened the Blackhawks have now won 6 games in a row, so Craig very well may have a point.  Game 3 of the Series against the Wild is in Minnesota tomorrow night.  Till then,

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 



Chicago 365 Playoff Central: 5 wins down, 11 to go!

     On Friday night at the United Center, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals.  The game started off strong, with the Hawks entering the Third Period up 2-0.  Then the Wild's offense got going, and they scored 2 goals in the first 7 minutes of the period to tie up the score 2-2.  After a mild scare, the Blackhawks got their act together.  Over the next 10 minutes, Patrick Kane scored 2 goals to make the score 4-2 in the favor of the home team.  And then 30 seconds later, Bryan Bickell chipped in with his 4th goal of the playoffs to make the score 5-2.  No more scoring occurred, and the Hawks wound up winning the game by a final score of 5-2.  Except for that brief period at the start of the third period, the Hawks were in command of this game, which made for an exciting and confident start to this playoff series.

     The series continues today with Game 2, commencing at 2 PM.  Stay with Chicago 365 for continuing updates on the Blackhawks as they quest to become the first team in 16 years to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.

GO HAWKS!!!!!!!!!!

 

 



Chicago 365 Playoff Central: We have an opponent!

     With the late-breaking results of last nights Game 7 between the Wild and the Avalanche becoming official, the Chicago Blackhawks will be squaring off against the Minnesota Wild in the next round of the playoffs.  The action starts tomorrow night at 8:30 in the United Center.  Even better, the Blackhawks have home ice for the Series this time.  Things are looking good, let's keep it up!

GO HAWKS!

 

 

 

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: The Running(out of town) of the Bulls and The Waiting Game

     For those of you who missed my updates on Facebook last night, I regret to inform you that the Chicago Bulls fell to the Washington Wizards in Game 5 last night, losing the series 4 games to 1.  The First Quarter didn't go so well for the Bulls, and they ended the Quarter down by 8.  However, they closed out the half strong, going on a 26-17 run in the Second to end the half tied with Washington.  They once again stumbled in the Third, being outscored 11-20.  Finally, the Fourth Quarter loomed, and with it the final chance for the Bulls to save their season.  They put up a valiant final push, actually outscoring the Wizards 17-15 in the Quarter, but the clock ultimately ran out on both the game and the Bulls' season, with the team falling to the Wizards by a final score of 75-69.  After persevering through a season where they lost both Derrick Rose and Luol Deng, they finally went as far as they could.  Good job Bulls, and best of luck for next season.

     Meanwhile, the wait continues for the defending champions.  Game 7 between the Avalanche and the Wild commences tonight, and the team will be eagerly awaiting the result.  If Minnesota wins, we get home ice.  If Colorado wins, they do.  Regardless, all will be revealed by the end of tonight.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Hole? What hole? Oh, THAT hole...

     The last time I updated you on the performance of the Blackhawks, things were looking pretty grim.  The Hawks were down 0-2, and dark skies were forming over the defending champs' hopes for a repeat.  Then the Chicago Blackhawks actually remembered that they were the Chicago Blackhawks, and proceeded to hammer the Blues over the next 4 games to seal up the series in six games, adding an exclamation point by scoring 4 goals in the 3rd period of the clinching game.  Jonathan Toews added to his already illustrious resume by scoring his 23rd career postseason goal.  As for who they will face in the second round, that's still to be determined, as the Minnesota Wild forced a Game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche, which will be played tomorrow night.  The Hawks will play the winner of that game in the second round.  As for the result of the second round, history should give Hawks fans comfort here.  In the past 5 years(ever since they returned to the playoffs), the Hawks have made it through the second round unscathed.  Moreover, the Blackhawks have only suffered one second-round defeat since 1982.

     Of course, the playoffs have not been nearly as kind to the other tenant of the United Center, with the Bulls taking the momentum from their win on Friday and wasting it with a loss yesterday, putting them into a 1-3 hole and facing elimination tonight at the United Center. On Sunday, they played in Washington and lost by a score of 98-89.  The Bulls have said and done all the right things since then, but now is the time to put the talk away and show the proof in the pudding.  There is only one way for the Bulls to do that and save their season.  And that one way is for the Bulls to win.  Tonight.  One game at a time.

Still Swift after 50 years

     In the 1960s, the sprawl that came of the Baby Boom was still being felt, leading to a mass exodus to the suburbs. It was at this time that a group of different bodies came together to try something out. A new transit idea that involved linking outlying suburban areas with existing cities using limited-stop rapid transit. That idea was put into motion in 1964, when the Chicago Transit Authority inaugurated service on the Skokie Swift. Running from North Suburban Skokie, this route connected to the rest of the CTA at the northernmost point of the Red Line, at the Rogers Park-based Howard station. The line became a success, pioneering such features as a large park-and-ride lot, drop-off areas, and integration with local bus services. In 1993, the Skokie Swift was renamed the Yellow Line as part of the transition to a color-coded naming system.

     This past Saturday, ceremonies were held at the 2 year old Oakton station to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the line. Dignitaries were present, speeches were given, and attendees were given the chance to ride a special demonstration train which consisted of old 4000 series cars that would have been the ones in operation when the line was founded.

Chicago 365 Playoff Central: Bring on the Bulls!

     After the first two games of this playoff season in Chicago have been Blackhawks losses, the future gives us some hope, as the Bulls take on the Washington Wizards starting tonight at the United Center.  After starting off the year with Derrick Rose making his triumphant return, Rose was lost again for the year before Christmas.  Since then, the team has battled through his absence and made it back into the playoffs.  Tonight, the first step begins with the NBA playoffs.  We'll be back with updates and a recap. 

GO BULLS!!!!!!!!!