“Off-season” gives the impression of a time for rest, but that’s far from true when you are one of the most talented franchises in the National Hockey League and the reigning Stanley Cup Champion team. Summer 2013 was anything but dull for the Chicago Blackhawks, from the Cup-winning game to record-breaking parade crowds, saying good-bye to a few good Hawks and signing big checks to others, the draft, some hideous Team USA sweaters, right up to training camp, it’s been an eventful summer for the Hawks.
There was a lot of action this summer, but just in case you missed it, here is your Chicago Blackhawks Summer 2013 Summary from Just Puckin’ Around:
The Cup. (Monday, June 24, 2013)
Seventeen seconds were all that separated Bryan Bickell’s game-tieing goal from Dave Bolland’s game-winning goal. With only 59 seconds to realize exactly what had just happened before it was official, Chicago was bringing home Lord Stanley.
Which led to this.
And a lot of this.
The Parade. (Friday, June 28, 2013)
Record breaking numbers of Blackhawks fans clad in red sweaters flooded the streets of Chicago and Grant Park for the parade and rally. Arriving at the gates before sunrise and sprinting past some of my slower fellow fans I was able to get a spot at the “front” of the crowd.
WATCH it on vine.
Corey Crawford was the real treat of the rally, making standing around, packed like sardines in 80-degree weather wearing a heavy hockey sweater totally worth it. As tradition, Patrick Kane handed off the Blackhawks belt to the MVP of the playoffs, and what came out of Crow’s mouth was pure poetry…
Montador and Olesz Buyouts. (Thursday, June 27, 2013)
Blackhawks announce it will use compliance buyouts on defenseman Steve Montador and left wing Rostislav Olesz.
Brandon Saad 2013 NHL All-Rookie Team. (Saturday, June 29, 2013)
Brandon Saad was among the three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy to be named to the 2013 NHL All-Rookie Team.
Saad finished his 2012-2013 season with 10 goals and 17 assists in 46 games.
Blackhawks trade Bolland and Frolik. (Sunday, June 30, 2013)
Approaching the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft, the Blackhawks traded away forward Dave Bolland to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for 51st and 117th overall selections in the 2013 draft, as well as a fourth-round pick in the 2014 draft.
The day wasn’t over before the Hawks also said good-bye to Michael Frolik, trading the forward to the Winnipeg Jets for 74th and 134th overall selections in the 2013 draft.
Blackhawks re-sign Bickell. (Sunday, June 30, 2013)
Bryan Bickell’s contract extends another four years with the Chicago Blackhawks. The 27 year-old forward earned his stay on the Hawks roster after a fantastic season with a career-high 17 points (9G, 8A) in 23 playoff games and 23 points (9G, 14A) in the regular season.
The Draft. (Monday, July 1, 2013)
The Chicago Blackhawks select eight players in the 2013 National Hockey League Entry Draft:
Forwards:
- Ryan Hartman (30th overall)
- John Hayden (74th overall)
- Tyler Motte (121st overall)
- Luke Johnson (134th overall)
- Anthony Louis (181st overall)
Defensemen:
- Carl Dahlstrom (51st overall)
- Robin Norell (111th overall)
- Robin Press (211th overall)
Blackhawks Re-Sign Leddy. (Wednesday, July 3, 2013)
Defenseman Nick Leddy signs a 2-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
“We are pleased to announce that Nick will remain a core member of our organization,” said Vice President/General Manager Stan Bowman. “Over the course of the past three seasons, Nick has shown continuous development and we think he will be essential to our long-term success.”
Handzus and Rozsival Re-Sign with Hawks. (Friday, July 5, 2013)
Two of the first Blackhawks to hoist the cup above their heads re-sign contracts with the Chicago franchise. Forward Michal Handzus has agreed to a one-year contract with the Blackhawks and defenseman Michal Rozsival has agreed to a two-year deal.
Emery to Philadelphia. (Friday, July 5, 2013)
After 2 seasons and a Stanley Cup Championship, goaltender Ray Emery has parted ways with the Chicago Blackhawks, signing with the Philadelphia Flyers as a free agent.
Emery previously played with the Flyers in the 2009-2010 season.
The Return of Khabibulin. (Friday, July 5, 2013)
The last time Nikolai Khabibulin wore a Blackhawks sweater was 2009. Now he’s ready to once again suit up in the red and black for another go.
The seasoned goaltender has agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks.
The “Bulin Wall” posted a 4-6-1 record in 12 appearances with the Edmonton Oilers during the 2013 season, noting a 2.54 GAA and a .908 Sv%.
Stalberg to Nashville. (Friday, July 5, 2013)
Viktor Stalberg has signed a 4-year contract with the Nashville Predators worth $12 million.
Kruger Gets Two-Year Deal. (Friday, July 12, 2013)
RFA Marcus Kruger agrees to a 2-year deal with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Kruger registered 13 points, (4G, 9A) including two game-winning-goals in this past season.
The Stolkholm, Sweden, native has earned 39 points (13G, 26A) in his career 125 games with the Chicago Blackhawks from 2010 to 2013.
2nd Line Center Position Open.
The Blackhawks begin their search for a player to fill the open 2nd line center position. Many names have been thrown into the mix during prospect camp including leading AHL point-score, Brandon Pirri.
Pirri, 22, played all 76 games with the Rockford IceHogs in 2012-2013, notching 75 points (22G, 53A).
While Pirri did not participate in the Blackhawks prospect camp, he will certainly be strongly considered during the Blackhawks training camp.
(Hey! Check out this interview I did with Brandon Pirri and Jeremy Morin: WATCH VIDEO.)
NHL Players Get “Go Ahead” for Sochi. (Friday, July 19, 2013)
“The National Hockey League Players’ Association (NHLPA) and the National Hockey League (NHL) announced today that an agreement has been reached with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure participation of NHL players in the upcoming 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.
NHL players will be available to the 12 participating IIHF Member National Associations for the men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament (February 12-23, 2014). This will mark the fifth consecutive time dating back to Nagano 1998 that NHL players have participated in the Olympics. More than 120 NHL players are expected to compete for their respective nations in Sochi.”
5 Blackhawks to Team Canada. (Monday, July 22, 2013)
Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Corey Crawford, and Patrick Sharp were called up to Team Canada’s Orientation Camp along with 42 other Olympic hopefuls.
Toews, Keith, and Seabrook were a part of Canada’s 2010 gold medal-winning team.
3 Blackhawks to Team USA. (Monday, July 22, 2013)
Patrick Kane, Nick Leddy, and Brandon Saad were among the Blackhawks to receive an invitation to Team USA’s Orientation Camp.
Kane was a part of Team USA’s silver medal-winning team in 2010.
Blackhawks Extend Quenneville’s Contract. (Friday, July 26, 2013)
Head Coach Joel Quenneville has been given a 3-year contract extension which will run through the end of the 2016-2017 season.
Quenneville is entering his sixth year as head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks, with two Stanley Cup Championships under his belt. Coach Q was a finalist for the 2013 Jack Adams Award.
Blackhawks’ Terms With Teravainen. (Thursday, August 22, 2013)
Blackhawks’ first round (18th overall) pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Teuvo Teravainen, has agreed to a 3-year contract with the Chicago franchise.
Teravainen, currently playing with Jokerit in SM-Iiiga, Finland’s top professional league, will likely spend one more year overseas before making the jump to the States.
Team USA Unveils Ugly Sweaters. (Tuesday, August 27, 2013)
Team USA unveiled their sweaters for the 2014 Sochi Olympic Games to less than enthusiastic reviews. These poor “sweaters” have an overly simplistic and yet somehow gaudy design. Clad with a “USA” crest that makes me want to go buy a pair of K-Swiss tennis shoes, matte stars on the shoulder pads and FAKE lacing, this thing looks more like an oversized soccer jersey than anything.
Jonathan Toews doesn’t look too pleased with Team Canada’s sweaters either in this leaked photo:
Crawford Gets A BIG Contract. (Monday, September 2, 2013)
Blackhawks goaltender, Corey Crawford, earned himself a 6-year contract extension through the end of the 2019-2020 NHL season worth $36 million.
He was pretty happy.
But there were plenty out there wagging their fingers at the Blackhawks, calling it a bad play on the Hawks part to prematurely invest so much time and money into a goaltender who only has only just begun to come into a consistent stride between the posts. Only time will tell, but if Crawford can match and improve upon his growth this past season, he’ll be worth it.
Hjalmarsson Terms. (Wednesday, September 4, 2013)
Niklas Hjalmarsson agreed to a 5-year contract extension with the Blackhawks.
Hjalmarsson was a member of both the 2010 and 2013 Stanley Cup Championship teams, earning a career 56 points (9G, 47A) in regular season games and 17 points (1G, 16A) in the postseason with the Blackhawks since 2007.
Bowman Contract Extension. (Wednesday, September 11, 2013)
Vice President and General Manager Stan Bowman became the youngest GM in NHL history to win a cup title in 2010, doing it again in 2013 the Blackhawks decided to reward the 40 year old Bowman with a two-year contract extension.
Blackhawks Training Camp Begins. (Wednesday September 11, 2013)
The Chicago Blackhawks 2013 Training Camp opened on September 11th at the University of Notre Dame. The Hawks will return to the United Center in Chicago on September 16th for the team’s annual Training Camp Festival.
A full roster of training camp participants is available here.
The Blackhawks will open their preseason match-ups on September 17th at 7pm CT when they host former division rival, the Detroit Red Wings.
Congratulations. You’re officially caught up.
Just Puckin' Around 