The Chicago Blackhawks will reportedly be one of the most prominent suitors for this summer’s top free agents. A former member of the coaching staff is getting a new gig, and the Stanley Cup Final begins tonight!
Blackhawks Chirps
- For the second season in a row, Rockford IceHogs fans voted goaltender Drew Commesso as the Player of the Year.
- Shayna Goldman and Murat Ates of The Athletic did an excellent write-up on Winnipeg Jets forward and pending free agent Nikolaj Ehlers. They list the Blackhawks as one of the teams that should be interested in him.
- Speaking of top free agents, Chris Johnston reported that the Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes are expected to make the biggest offers to Mitch Marner, money-wise. All these reports need to be taken with a grain of salt. One insider says Vegas, another says Los Angeles. It’s best just to let it all play out and not wring your hands with every report or guess.
- On this date in 1963, Billy Reay was named the Blackhawks’ new head coach. He remained behind the Blackhawks’ bench for the next 13 seasons, taking them to three Stanley Cup Finals and only missing the playoffs once. He is the franchise’s all-time leader for the most regular-season games coached (1,012) and wins (516). Reay was the leader in playoff games and wins until Joel Quenneville came along.
- In 1995, the Blackhawks fell 2-0 behind the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals after a 3-2 loss at the Joe Louis Arena. They took a 2-1 lead into the third period thanks to goals from Chris Chelios and Tony Amonte. Doug Brown tied the game eight minutes into the final frame before Kris Draper scored the game-winning goal with less than two minutes to play.
- Fifteen years later, on June 4, 2010, the Philadelphia Flyers evened the Stanley Cup Final at 2-2 by beating the Blackhawks 5-3 in Game 4. The Blackhawks were down 3-1 after the first period, with Patrick Sharp netting his ninth goal of the playoffs. Dave Bolland and Brian Campbell scored in the third period to bring the Blackhawks to within a goal, but Jeff Carter’s empty-net goal sealed the deal for Philadelphia.
- On June 4, 2013, the Western Conference Finals shifted to Los Angeles, with the Kings scoring a 3-1 victory in Game 3. Bryan Bickell had the lone goal for the Blackhawks as Justin Williams and Slava Voynov scored before Dwight King iced the game with a late empty-net tally.
- Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, June 4: Brandon Manning
NHL Chirps
- The Athletic’s Thomas Drance reported that former Blackhawks assistant coach Kevin Dean will join the Vancouver Canucks coaching staff under Adam Foote.
- Drance also reported that there has been no progress in contract talks between the Canucks and former Blackhawk Pius Suter. The pending free agent scored a career-high 25 goals this past season and earned votes for the Selke Trophy.
- Frank Seravalli reported on Daily Faceoff Live that the Dallas Stars are still considering a coaching change after Pete DeBoer’s disastrous handling of their final game.
- The Flyers signed Noah Cates to a four-year, $16 million contract extension following his best NHL season.
- The Stanley Cup Final finally starts tonight with the long-awaited rematch between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said forward Connor Brown is a game-time decision with an illness. This is an upgrade from missing the last two games against the Stars after being hit in the head by Alex Petrovic.
- Finally, enjoy this Stanley Cup Playoffs recap by my pals at What Chaos!
