We talked about the very bad Blackhawks, what is wrong with them, and what needs to change.  You can forward to the interview at the 1:00:00 mark.

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn (Minus Maya) In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” is joined again by staff writers Ray Napientek and Juliana Nikac to talk about the current state of the Blackhawks.

• The Blackhawks are 2-4-2 after losing to the Flyers, Thursday night.
• Kirby Dach recalled from Rockford and played 3 games thus far.
• Connor Murphy injured against the Vegas Golden Knights
• Aleksi Saarela sent to Florida for Ian McCoshen
• Mario Tirabassi gives us another award-winning #Warpigs report.
• Gate, Ray and Juliana discuss the last 6 games and the state of the Blackhawks.
• We also discuss Corey Crawford, Robin Lehner, Brendan Perlini, Brandon Saad, and much more
• We wrap with the Rinkrat PuckBag segment where we discuss #HongKongClassic jerseys.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 3 – The more things change, the more they stay the same appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “Double J” are joined by staff member and Chicago Steel head writer  Ray Napientek to talk about the first two games of the Blackhawks regular season.

• The Blackhawks lay an egg in Prague.
• Some roster moves happen, including Carl Dahlstrom moving to balmy Winnipeg.
• Mario Tirabassi gives us another award winning #Warpigs report.
• The three old guys talk about the Blackhawks loss to San Jose.
• We also discuss Corey Crawford, Robin Lehner, Brendan Perlini, Erik Gustafsson, Dominik Kubalik and much more
• We wrap with Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 2 – The regular season begins appeared first on The Rink.

Boqvist finished the preseason with one goal and one assist in three games. His goal was of the highlight reel variety against the Capitals on Sept. 16. The move is not surprising and probably best for his long-term development, as The-Rink’s Mario Tirabassi outlined last week.

The Blackhawks were able to send him to Rockford, rather than back to the OHL, as per the NHL European transfer agreement. The agreement states that since Boqvist was drafted out of the SHL, he can play in the AHL at 19 years old. This will allow them to easily move Boqvist up and down as they please for the duration of the season and get him pro experience, unlike this year’s first round pick, Kirby Dach, who will need to be returned to the WHL if he does not make the regular season roster, per the CHL transfer agreement with the NHL.

Aleksi Saarlea was acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on June 24 shortly after winning the Calder Cup with the affiliate Charlotte Checkers and after the Blackhawks drafted his younger brother, Annti Saarela, in the fourth round (123rd overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. He also finished second on the Checkers in regular season scoring with 54 points (30 goals, 24 assists), and fourth in playoff scoring with 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 17 games. Saarela finished the preseason with one goal in two games.

The moves have the Blackhawks’ roster set at 28 players and will need to be trimmed down to 23 by opening night.

EDIT – The Blackhawks placed forward John Quenneville on waivers, with the intention of sending him to Rockford, as well.

The Blackhawks travel to Boston to face the Bruins on Saturday and then take a trans-Atlantic flight to Germany Saturday night to face Eisbaren Berlin of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga in an exhibition game on Sunday.

The post Blackhawks send Boqvist and Saarela to Rockford prior to European trip appeared first on The Rink.

It was clear to most that Stan Bowman was envisioning a future goaltending battery of Lehner and Collin Delia. Many fans and media members, though, continue to hang on to the delusion that Corey Crawford is ageless and unaffected by at least two major concussions. As a result (and to my surprise), there have been mentions of potentially extending Crawford when his contract is up July 1, 2020.

This would prove to be a huge mistake.

I should not have to preface this, but I have been a huge Crawford apologist for years. Ever since he arrived on the scene in 2010–11, I was a vocal leader of the Crawford support group and fought the good fight for No. 50. I felt like he never truly got the recognition he deserved, even after winning two Stanley Cup championships. People would poke holes in his accomplishments because Scott Darling, Ray Emery and Antti Raanta played well behind him. While Raanta has been a good NHL starter, none of those backups were able to go on and accomplish what Crawford has done with the Blackhawks.

This was because Crawford was quite simply a better goalie.

I love the guy, but this is the time to start planning for life without him as the Blackhawks’ primary starting goalie.

No smart general manager commits to a 35-year-old athlete with a history of serious head injuries, especially when they just signed a younger (and better) player. This would just be nostalgia clouding basic common sense. I have seen people attempt to bring up that Tim Thomas had success at a later age. Thomas was an anomaly. You are better off betting that lightning will strike the same tree twice.

Thomas did not even make the Bruins full time until he was 31 years of age. His last truly successful year was in 2011–12 when he was 38 years old. He burned hot and bright for seven seasons, but faded away quickly. Crawford, on the other hand, took over the Blackhawks crease at 25 years of age, which means he has six more seasons of wear and tear on top of his concussion problems.

No goalie in the modern NHL has been re-signed at the age of 35 and had long term success. It just does not happen. While Crawford had a decent season last year, until he was injured again, his statistics were considerably lower than the “top 10” goalie that everyone remembers. He was playing behind a very porous defense, but his even strength save percentage (.913) was the lowest of his career and his overall save percentage (.908) was below league average. It could be argued that he will start a steep decline in ability soon, if he has not begun already.

There is this strange “walking on eggshells” mentality surrounding Crawford that also complicates the situation. We have heard things like “I have not talked to Corey about the goaltending situation,” which is highly unusual. Each of the past two summers, it has been widely reported that no one from the organization, short of Jimmy Waite, has had any contact with Crawford. He just simply disappears. He was a guest at the 2018 fan convention, but that was largely a public relations stunt to keep fans from mass panic since he had not been seen nor heard from for the equivalent of a full-term pregnancy. I cannot put my finger on the issue, specifically, but this is not normal behavior between an organization and one of their alleged leaders.

Seriously, though, who is running this Mickey Mouse operation? Corey Crawford or Stan Bowman?

Shifting gears, Bowman just signed a very successful, considerably younger goalie to a $5 million contract in July and (despite the nonsense the public has been spoon fed) it was not to be Corey Crawford’s backup. Lehner is in Chicago to audition for the starting spot next fall and he deserves every chance to seize the opportunity. Like Crawford, he did not blossom until his mid-20s, which means he is in the prime of his career rather than riding off into the sunset. Lehner proved that he could be an NHL starter in Buffalo, and followed it up by proving he could be a top-tier level netminder with the Islanders last season. He has that Scott Darling “feel good” comeback story and comes with a high pedigree. He is primed and ready for the Chicago spotlight. This is not some unproven fringe AHL kid. This guy has 275 NHL games and 101 wins to his credit. Why is everyone completely dismissing this? The only two possibilities are ignorance or denial.

Also lost in this whole situation is my guy, Collin Delia. There is no question that he is ready to be, at minimum, an NHL backup. He is young, affordable and now long overdue. Is he ready to be a full-time starter? Probably not. He has paid his AHL penance and deserves an honest shot at being and NHL player for a full season, though. If not, then send him somewhere that he can get an honest shot, instead of this shroud of uncertainty. Wasting this kid’s potential because the organization cannot make up their mind is borderline criminal.

In short, unless Robin Lehner spirals into some kind of Anton Forsberg–type downfall, Stan Bowman needs to find a way to extend Lehner before he hits free agency and start preparing everyone for a Lehner-Delia duo to start the 2020–21 season. Corey Crawford has been a warrior and will go down as a Blackhawks legend, but his expiration date has been approaching for quite some time.

The post ANALYSIS: Time for the Blackhawks to focus on the Robin Lehner era appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host “Gatekeeper” is joined by staff members Mario Tirabassi, Aaron Goldschmidt, Eric Andrews, Juliana Nikac and Ron Luce to talk in-depth about Blackhawks prospects.

• The Blackhawks sit at 2-1-1 with two preseason and an exhibition game remaining.
• Roster is not finalized but is starting to shape up.
• We take a long look at the six prospect tiers and why the writers rated players the way they have.
• Don’t miss the hot takes.
• We wrap with Rinkrat PuckBag segment.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Season 3, Episode 1 – Prospect tier wrap special appeared first on The Rink.

Congrats on a wonderful career, Wardo!

Proud we got to be a part of it. pic.twitter.com/AoiXUchvLx

— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 28, 2019

Ward was drafted by Carolina in the first round of the 2002 entry draft (25th overall). He played for the team from 2005 until 2018, when he signed a one-year free-agent contract to play for the Blackhawks.

His career stared with a whirlwind performance in the 2006 playoffs, as he backstopped the Hurricanes to a surprising Stanley Cup championship, while also collecting the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs’ most valuable player. He had a solid career, but was never able to recapture the magic of that 2006 Canes playoff run. In the 2008–09 season, Ward set single-season Hurricanes records for wins with 39, shutouts with six, winning-streak with nine games and the single-game record for saves with 57. He finished his playing career in Chicago last season with the Blackhawks, putting up a 16–12–4 record, 3.67 goals against average and .897 save percentage.

For his career, Ward played in 701 NHL regular season games, had a record of 334–256–88 and had a 2.74 career goals against average. He only qualified for the playoffs in two of his 14 seasons but amassed a 23–18 record and 2.38 goals against average in 41 games played.

The post BREAKING: Former Blackhawks goalie Cam Ward retires appeared first on The Rink.

Winger Dylan Sikura and recently acquired center John Quenneville both signed identical two-year $1.5 million contract extensions. The deals are both two-way deals this coming season ($700,000 NHL/$250,000 AHL) and transition into one-way deals ($800,000) for the 2020–21 season, which simply means that if they are sent to Rockford this coming season their salaries will drop to $250,000.

Sikura was a bit of a disappointment for Chicago this past season, and has yet to score a single NHL goal despite his eight assists. He was a crucial part of the Rockford Icehogs ,as their second leading scorer, with 35 points (17G, 18A) in 46 games.

The 6-fott-1, 194-pound Quenneville was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on draft weekend for John Hayden to help fill out the center depth in the Blackhawks organization. He is a former first round draft pick in 2014 and was also a crucial part of his AHL team, the Binghamton Devils, tallying 39 points (18G, 21A) in just 37 games last season.

Both players are expected to compete for NHL spots this season in training camp.

Dylan Sikura

John Quenneville

The post BREAKING: Blackhawks re-sign Sikura and Quenneville appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the NHL draft, what is upcoming and much more!

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn (Minus Maya) In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

If you have not checked out previous videos please take a look:

Highlight video of Victor Ejdsell
Highlight video of Dominik Kahun
Highlight video of Lucas Carlsson
Highlight video of Jacob Nilsson
Highlight video of Kevin Lankinen
Highlight video of Adam Boqvist

In the second video this spring, feature writer Jeff Osborn worked long and hard to bring you a highlight video of one of the Blackhawks’ top forward prospects, Dominik Kubalik.

The 6-foot-2, 187-pound Czech-born left wing had a breakout year in the the Swiss National League with HC Ambrì-Piotta (25 goals, 32 assists) in 50 games, where he was also the team’s top scorer. He continued his success in the Swiss Cup playoffs, scoring five points (four goals, one assist) in three games. He also played in the 2019 IIHF World Championships, scoring 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 10 games. On January 24, 2019, Kubalik’s rights were acquired by the Blackhawks from the Los Angeles Kings for a fifth-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

EDIT – On 5/29, The Blackhawks announced they had officially signed Kubalik to a one-year $925,000 entry level contract

Please enjoy our highlight reel, share with your friends on social media and feel free to let us know if you enjoy this kind of content.

You can find all of our video material or our exclusive YouTube channel.  Please subscribe to be notified as each of our new videos are released.

The post Chicago Blackhawks prospect spotlight: Dominik Kubalik (VIDEO) appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts “Gatekeeper” and “JJ” are joined by staff writer Ray Napientek to chat about the few things abuzz in Blackhawks speculation.

• Blackhawks potential suitors for Ilya Mikheyev
• Kris Versteeg returns to Rockford
• Derek King named Rockford head coach
• Mark Eaton discussed Hawks defensive prospects
• Just what IF the Blackhawks draft Bowen Byram?
• Kane officially a nominee for Ted Lindsay Award
• Don Granato and the Blackhawks mutually part ways
• A little Chicago Steel talk at the end
• We answer some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 52 – School’s out for Summer appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by NBC  Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis to talk about this dead-man-walking week for the Blackhawks.

• Mario Tirabassi has a lengthy #Warpigs report
• Where do the Blackhawks go with defensemen?
• Where do the Blackhawks look for depth scoring?
• Gate looks to fire up the Erik Gustafsson fan club
• How realistic is this Kevin Hayes stuff?
• We examine many different trade and free agent scenarios
• We have a new review (thanks “The Cyto”)
• We answer some listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 50 w/ NBCSN’s Charlie Roumeliotis appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by surprise guest Mark Lazerus, formerly of the Chicago Sun-Times and currently of The Athletic, as the Blackhawks roll into the final ten games of the season.

• We open up with the statistical breakdown of the week.
• What kind of player are the Blackhawks rumored to go after in the offseason?
• Mario Tirabassi gives us a War Pigs report.
• We open up with Laz about the great Erik Gustafsson
• Are the Blackhawks a playoff team?
• The unrealistic “wish” that will never die, Artemi Panarin
• We talk about reality of the “vocal minority” on Twitter and dealing with them
• We answer some listener and reader questions
• We wrap up with some random Blackhawks fodder.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 48 w/ The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn goes solo and is joined once again by NHL Radio Blackhawks Correspondent Al Cimaglia to discuss the suddenly hot (again) Blackhawks.

• Blackhawks sign draft pick Philipp Kurashev this week
• Rockford signs college free agent Dylan McLaughlin today
• Dylan Sikura and Brendan Perlini talk
• Who do Gate and Al think the Blackhawks may target this summer
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 47 w/ Al Cimaglia appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the fall back down to earth, Coach Colliton, what they need this summer, the goaltending and much more!

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn (Minus Maya) In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by The-Rink NCAA expert Aaron “A-A-Ron” Goldschmidt and convene to talk about the Blackhawks west coast road trip.

• Once again, we start off with the positives (we know, we’re shocked too)
• What happened on the road trip?
• Suddenly the mainstream media is reporting some very familiar sentiments
• John has some Blackhawks rumors!!
• The NBCSN poll.
• Evan Miller gives us an indy report
• Ward hurt, Delia recalled
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 46 – Fading Slowly Away appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel wrap up an uneventful Blackhawks trade deadline.

photoshop creation by @Wm_J_Lepetomane on Twitter

• The Blackhawks drop 2 to division rivals.
• Are we happy with Stan Bowman standing pat?
• WHY DID UNT DA HOCKS TRAYD FER DAT STONE AN DA BRED GUY?
• Corey Crawford is back but, once again, temper expectations
• Are we now the Statler and Waldorf of the Official Stan Bowman fan club?
• Our homage to the Daily Herald’s John Dietz.
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 45 – Trade Deadline Wrap appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by returning Rinkcast guest Tyler Cameron aka Justin Lowe from www.HockeyBuzz.com to talk about the Blackhawks latest streak and the trade deadline.

• The triumphant return of the Warpigs report with Mario Triabassi.
• Let’s start off with some positive thoughts.
• The Blackhawks made a small trade.
• We go through Tyler’s bold and not-so-bold predictions.
• Crawford might be back soon, now what?
• Carl Dahlstrom hate?
• Gate brings up Jesse Puljujärvi, as a wild swing
• We wrap up by answering some listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The Rinkcast is brought to you by the Overtime Podcast Network

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 44 w/ Justin Lowe from HockeyBuzz appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the recent winning streak, where to go with the goaltending, and what they need to do to stay the course.

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn And Maya In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by the great Forklift from www.HockeeNight.com to discuss what is going on with this Blackhawks franchise and their 5 game winning streak.

• • Fork tells some HockeeNight history, has many quips in the middle and a tells a few stories at the end.
    
  • Has the 5 game winning streak made a difference in where the Blackhawks should be looking long term?
  • Why these silly theories are just that; silly theories.
  • Erik Karlsson and Artemi Panarin.
  • We answered some great listener and reader questions

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 43 w/ Forklift From HockeeNight appeared first on The Rink.

We talked about the recent offensive explosion, where to go with the goaltending, what to take from coach Jeremy Colliton, and what the future may hold.

If you’d like to listen to the entire show (and we highly suggest it) check it out right here:

The post Rink On The Air: Gate Talks Blackhawks With Shawn And Maya In The Morning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “Double J” Jaeckel are joined by NHL Network Radio Blackhawks correspondent Uncle Al Cimaglia to discuss what we can expect from this Blackhawks franchise.

• • There is actually some positivity (contrary to some beliefs)
  • More “Gus”. (We know, we’re sick of it too)
  • We cover the Blackhawks from stem to stern with Uncle Al for almost an hour!
  • NCAA head writer Aaron Goldschmidt comes on to discuss his much maligned Patrick Kane trade article
  • We answered some great listener and reader questions

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 42 w/ Al Cimaglia appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel are joined by HockeyBuzz Blackhawks writer Tyler Cameron aka Justin Lowe to discuss the team’s return to earth.

• • The Blackhawks trade Jan Rutta and a pick to Tampa for Slater Koekkoek and a pick
  • The roast of Erik “future Norris Trophy winning Defenseman” Gustafsson
  • We discuss some draft ideas
  • Who should and shouldn’t the Blackhawks target via trade or free agency?
  • The Panarin thing will not go away.
  • Some goalie talk
  • We answered some great listener and reader questions

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 41 w/ Justin Lowe appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to talk about the  Blackhawks and their happenings over the holidays.

• Our Indy Fuel beat writer Evan Miller gives us the first Indy Fuel report.
• The Blackhawks lose to Boston in the 2019 Winter Classic.
• Blackhawks trade Manning and Norell to Edmonton for Caggiula and Garrison
• Where does Caggiula fit in the lineup?  Does anyone get sent down or waived?
• Goalie talk with the Gatekeeper
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a new year gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

New for 2019, the Rinkcast is also available on YouTube

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 40 – Winter Classic appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn, John Jaeckel and The Rink Feature NCAA Writer Aaron Goldschmidt get together to talk about the latest developments in Blackhawks land heading into the holidays.

• Corey Crawford is out with another serious concussion
• Marcus Kruger joins him as the walking wounded increase
• Collin Delia, Dylan Sikura, Carl Dahlstrom and Luke Johnson all get recalled
• The Gustafsson delusions
• Addressing the Panarin nonsense again.
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

As a special holiday gift, we close out with “On My Side” from The-Rink friend and huge Blackhawks fan Patrick Judge with his bandmates in Demon Hunter.

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 39 – Injuries Aplenty appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to talk about the Blackhawks’ sinking ship.

• The Blackhawks have officially dropped to last place and lost 8 in a row.
• Blackhawks recall Dylan Sikura and Carl Dahlstrom, while sending down Alexandre Fortin
• Warpigs Report from Mario Tirabassi
• Early take-a-ways from the Schmaltz/Strome trade appear even
• Who needs to stay and who needs to go?
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

As a special perk, listen to Jeff talk with the Shawn and Maya in the Morning about the Blackhawks at the 2:33:00 mark, from Wednesday morning:

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 38 – Taking On Water appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to talk about the big trade that happened Sunday night.

• Blackhawks make a trade featuring Nick Schmaltz, Dylan Strome, and Brendan Perlini
• They then go out and lose 8-3 to the Vegas Golden Knights
• Who should the Hawks attempt to trade?
• What are the latest rumors?
• The Blackhawks power play is epically bad
• We answered some great listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 37 – Schmaltz Ya Later appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together to chat about the first six games of the Jeremy Colliton era.

• BREAKING: The-Rink will be covering the Chicago Steel of the USHL!
• In a special segment, Gate and Aaron Goldschmidt talk to David Eckert from Blue White Illustrated and The Daily Collegian about Penn State center and Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt
• What about that Brandon Saad / William Nylander trade speculation?
• Can Dylan Sikura save the organization?
• Positive stuff about Jeremy Colliton.
• We spend a good hour focussing on some great listener and reader questions

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 36 – Colliton Away appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together with The Rink Rockford Icehogs Head Writer Mario Tirabassi to talk about the Blackhawks firing Joel Quenneville and his assistants, then promoting Jeremy Colliton.

• Joel Quenneville out, Kevin Dineen out, Ulf Samuelsson out.  Jeremy Colliton in, Barry Smith in, Don Granato stays, Jimmy Waite stays.
• Derek King takes over in Rockford while Sheldon Brookbank stays there as an assistant.
• We dissect yet another awkward press conference in Blackhawks lore.
• Mario give us more insight into Coach Colliton.
• Very in-depth talk about the move, what led up to it, what the future could hold.
• We spend a good hour focussing on some great listener and reader questions

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 35 – Quenneville Fired appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get “very dude” and discuss the Blackhawks success, and their failures with Rink staff writer Marc-Louis Paprzyca.

• The Blackhawks go 2-2.  Impressive wins vs Columbus and Anaheim, but pretty bad games vs Tampa Bay and Arizona.
• Corey Crawford is back, and looks surprisingly well.
• Anton Forsberg heads to Rockford.  What do they do with all these goalies?
• Some good discussion about Alexandre Fortin
• Gustav Forsling and Connor Murphy will be back, then what?
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.
• Also, Let’s talk a little about #SmokingNickSchmaltz (You heard it here first!)
  

  photoshop creation by Marc-Louis Paprzyca @pappy_hour

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 34 w/ Pappy Hour appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the unexpected Blackhawks success, and discuss the newest, most robust NHL salary cap website, PuckPedia, with its founder, Hart Levine.

• The Blackhawks lose to the Wild and beat the Blues……both in overtime.
• Fans will be happy to hear that we point out several Blackhawks positives
• The Blackhawks are also, technically, undefeated and winless…in regulation.
• The newest saga with Brandon Saad
• Will Corey Crawford play Thursday?
• What is PuckPedia, and why is it different than all the others?
• We discuss things like the complexities of LTIR and IR with Hart.
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions…
• ….and a trolling review.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 33 w/ PuckPedia appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the start to the Blackhawks regular season.

• A new podcast review from JDofNations
• 2-0-1 is about as good as it gets for the start of the season
• Is it sustainable?
• The Corey Crawford inaccuracies.
• Toews is back, Kahun looks good
• Alex Fortin makes his NHL debut as we record
• Chris Kunitz stinks and so does the powerplay
• John is always wrong and ruins everything, maaaaaan
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 32 – Parade Planning appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the Blackhawks pending start of the regular season with Rink Rockford Icehogs writer Mario Tirabassi .

• Blackhawks finish the preseason
• The Corey Crawford saga continues
• The opening night lineup, what are our thoughts?
• What happens now?
• We have added a “@Pappy_Hour” to The-Rink’s coverage
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

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Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 31 – Season Preview appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel discuss the Blackhawks start to training camp and first preseason game with Rink prospect writer Aaron Goldschmidt .

• Blackhawks lose to Columbus with a very young inexperienced roster
• Not a lot of positives in preseason game one
• The Corey Crawford injury and situation, and how the team finally released the official injury
• The team announces that injury reports will be more specific
• The defensemen still look bad and the outlook got no better with reports of Murphy and Rutta injuries
• We play rapid fire game with your host your Aaron Goldschmidt
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 30 – Season 2 Begins appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel are joined by NBC Sports Chicago’s Charlie Roumeliotis for a 2 hour extravaganza to talk about the dog days of the Blackhawks summer with Rink writers Mario Tirabassi and Aaron Goldschmidt .

• Mario has a sit down with Rockford head coach Jeremy Colliton
• Back with this Troy Brouwer talk, and other PTO potenials
• A whole bunch of defensive prospects.
• Aaron talks NCAA prospects.
• Charlie unloads a prospect HOT TAKE!
• Will Quenneville be around all season.  If not, who will be?
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.
• And lastly, John battles Charlie in a heated battle of the Hair Wars (Gate still wins the beard wars)

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 29 w/ Charlie Roumeliotis appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel get together in this short and sweet episode to discuss the scraps of Blackhawks news.

• What is a Puckpedia?
• John McDonough, Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks circus are still peddling the snake oil
• The Blackhawks convention ends, mercifully
• The we talk a little about the big hammer, John Scott, and his brand new podcast “Dropping The Gloves with John Scott”
• What is all this Artemi Panarin nonsense?
• RIP, Stan Mikita
• What upcoming guests might be joining us soon?
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

thanks to @Wm_J_Lepetomane on Twitter for this fine creation

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 28 (Farewell to Stosh) appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John Jaeckel are joined by Rink prospect expert Eric Andrews to wrap up Blackhawks Prospect and Development Camp.

• The Blackhawks trade Marian Hossa’s contract, Vinnie Hinostroza and Jordan Oesterle for some prospects and the corpse of Marcus Kruger.
• What about Tobias Enström?
• Stan Bowman has another virtually useless press conference regarding trades and Corey Crawford full of more fluff, empty words and lisp service
• Lots of prospect talk but did any really stand out?
• RIP, Ray Emery
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

thanks to @Wm_J_Lepetomane on Twitter for this fine creation

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Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 27 (Prospect Camp) appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn is joined by Rink writers Mario Tirabassi and Aaron Goldschmidt to wrap up the draft and free agency.

• The Blackhawks draft plenty of players, but make no moves. #LoseForHughes (Shout out to Sean White)
• Free agency hits and the Blackhawks barely register on the scale.  Is this a #SilentRebuild? (shout out to John Jaeckel)
• Stan Bowman has another virtually useless press conference full of more fluff, empty words and lisp service
• The Corey Crawford saga is still no closer to being answered
• Seems like a lot of doom, gloom and #RinkRage
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

thanks to @Wm_J_Lepetomane on Twitter for this fine creation

Please subscribe, rate this episode, and even write us a review. Reviews will be read on the air.

Also, Please help spread the word to more #RinkRats and visit our sponsor www.PUCKHCKY.com. Use the discount code “THERINK” for 10% off all orders.

The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 26 w/ The Rink Staffers appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com host Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and co-host John Jaeckel throw together a last minute episode to address the recent insanity following the end of the NHL season.

Happy Fathers Day to all the wonderful fathers out there!

• The “terrible” Michal Kempny is now a Stanley Cup Champ
• The Blackhawks sign Jacob Nilsson, Andreas Martinsen, and Henri Jokiharju
• Corey Crawford is actually alive, ALLEGEDLY
• Then things get interesting as they talk about:
  • Suggestion of a Brandon Saad buyout
  • Talk of a trade involving Marian Hossa for Scott Darling
  • Talk of a trade involving Brandon Saad for Justin Faulk
• We wrap up the episode with some great listener/reader questions.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 24 appeared first on The Rink.

The-Rink.com co-hosts Jeff “Gatekeeper” Osborn and John “JJ” Jaeckel reconvene after John’s bout with the black plague.  They are joined by lead The-Rink.com Rockford Icehogs writer Mario Tirabassi to talk about the Blackhawks slowly fading season, and the Icehogs more promising season.

• Back to back Jeff Glass starts vs Calgary.
• We follow-up John’s article about the Blackhawks bungling the goalie situation.
• More talk on just what the Blackhawks “should” do. Will they?
• Connor Murphy sits again while Brandon Saad has been banished to the fourth line.
• Mario gives a very comprehensive Rockford Icehogs update.
• Jeff, John and Mario tease some in-depth content coming out this week on The-Rink.com.
• Wait until you hear the lineup of future Rinkcast guests.
• And, as always, some great listener questions.

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The post The Blackhawks Rinkcast – Episode 14 appeared first on The Rink.