Hawks vs. Canucks, football vs. hockey...

a little more about the Chicago Wolves: Committed Indians wonders if Chris Chelios, who plays for them now, could somehow return to the Blackhawks if Sopel and Barker were traded. I'm going to say that's unlikely...(Third String Goalie features Chelios' 1991-92 Blackhawks jersey today because "on this date in 2006, Chris Chelios passed Phil Housley as the all-time leader in games played by an American born player when he skated in his 1,496th game...")

oh, and the hat I mentioned, worn the next day in Chicago's Loop. here, I bring together my love of cute winter hats, hockey, public transportation, and not smiling in photos:

 

 ...so I got back from the diner Sunday and had an hour I could have watched the Bears-Eagles game, but didn't. nothing against football, but I have trouble getting into a sport where there are so few games that every one becomes such an event (and dominates the news all week, news space that could be used to discuss, I don't know, hockey?). also, it's been years since I've seen football in person and I never entirely learned the rules (look, do you expect me to fill up my ladybrain with the rules of more than one or two sports? I can't, not when I need to be able to remember things like which trains use F40PH locomotives).

anyway, Blackhawks @ Canucks finally started at 9, their first meet since Willie Mitchell hit Captain Toews and he was out weeks with a concussion. there's other, uh, tension between these teams (sadly, I wasn't paying close attention to the Hawks when the line brawl which included Duncan Keith getting his hair pulled happened, March '09). no major incidents this time except a Ben Eager-Rick Rypien fight, but overall the game was, well, a little chippy:

 

Bryan Bickell got his first goal for the Hawks, but got sent back to the Rockford IceHogs the next day (Hawks salary issues, of course). Antti Niemi got an amazing shutout. I'm not sure how someone other than maybe the Canucks' goalie was a "star" in a shutout game, but here you go. Keith is star of almost every freaking game this season (I'm not complaining).