The Bulls have been winners more than losers lately but the Atlanta Hawks were too much for a banged up Bulls squad last night, besting Chicago by a 116-92 final. Joakim Noah and Luol Deng were both out of the lineup and Derrick Rose left the game for a spell early on after banging his knee with one of the Hawks. Rose would return to lead the Bulls with 24 points - Brad Miller added 15 and Taj Gibson had an 11-13 - but it wouldn't be enough as the Bulls trailed by double-digits after the first quarter and never really made a game of it. It's the first stretch of consecutive losses for Chicago since losing three straight to start the month of February (they then won 8 of their next ten games). The team continues the current homestand on Thursday against Memphis (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

Blackhawks Fall To Phoenix more ›

Break up the Bulls! Led by Derrick Rose, the Bulls overcame a 40 point night by Atlanta star Joe Johnson and came away winners 101-98 in overtime. The Hawks led for much of the first half but the Bulls fought back in the second, including a 10-1 run early in the fourth and another late push to even up the game at 92-92 at the end of regulation. Atlanta took an early lead in overtime but the Bulls quickly caught up and took a lead they wouldn't relinquish. Rose had 32 points to lead the Bulls while Luol Deng scored 21 and pulled down 11 rebounds. The Bulls try to roll a turkey when the Kings come calling on Monday (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

We've lost count of the number of overtime games the 'Hawks have already played this year but at least this one came out another winner as Dustin Byfuglien scored in overtime to give the 'Hawks a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers. The Rangers got on the board first halfway through the first period and the score remained 1-0 until Jonathan Toews netted a power play goal late in the third to tie the game up and force overtime. The 'Hawks got off an impressive 41 shots on goal, even more astonishing given New York only had 18; Huet had 17 saves in the winning effort. The 'Hawks travel to Buffalo for tomorrow night's game (6:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Predators Thrash 'Hawks more ›

The Bulls lost their third straight game and fourth out of five as they were clipped by the Hawks 129-117. Ben Gordon led the Bulls with 33 points and Derrick Rose added 27, but it wasn't enough as the Hawks simply outpaced the Bulls, led by Joe Johnson's 41 points. The Bulls hung tough but, like in Miami, they couldn't finish in the fourth period despite shooting 54.4 percent from the field. Andres Nocioni is getting frustrated with the Bulls' recent play, saying, "It's personal, you know? Everybody needs to step up. Everybody needs to take the challenge. It's energy, attitude and that's it.'' more ›

Seems we're not the only ones who have trouble finding sports stories newsworthy enough to cover this time of year. With the Bears' season over, the Bulls and Hawks dwelling near the cellar, and the start of spring training still a couple weeks away, these are cold days for Chicago sports fans. more ›

The Bulls are 14-21 as we near the half-way point of the season, and a crummy record seems to be reflective of a crummy locker room. The league suspended Joakim Noah for a game for shouting at assistant coach Ron Adams on Friday, and his teammates unanimously voted yesterday to suspend him for another game. He watched the Hawks bitchslap the Bulls from a chair behind bench, in street clothes. more ›

In a day packed with college football bowl games, the coolest televised sporting event on New Year's Day had to be watching the Buffalo Sabres and Pittsburgh Penguins play an NHL game outside in Buffalo, in front of over 71,000 fans. It brought the game back to its roots, played outside on frozen ponds and lakes throughout the Midwest and Canada. Now imagine that same game outside, only featuring two of the NHL's "Original Six." With the Black Hawks roaring back from the brink of irrelevance in the months after Bill Wirtz's passing, playing hockey in a sold-out Soldier Field, for example, would be the capper on an impressive resurrection. more ›

The Tribune's "Clout Street" blog is reporting that Governor Blagojevich, whose probably still feeling like the most badass father on the planet after scoring free Hannah Montana tickets for his daughters, will not call lawmakers back to Springfield until January 2nd, effectively putting to rest any speculation that a transit funding deal will get hammered out by year's end. more ›

The Blackhawks benefited from the return of Martin Havlat on Wednesday night. Havlat, who had missed 22 games due to a shoulder injury, scored Jjust 43 seconds into his return to action on a backhander to the upper-left corner of the net to give the Hawks a 1-0 edge on the Tampa Bay Lightning. He would go on to score again in just 12 seconds into the second period, scoring off a shot from the... more ›

In a surprising move, John McDonough resigned as Cubs president on Tuesday to become president for the Blackhawks. Isn't that like if Da Mere were to resign so that he could fill a vacancy on the water reclamation district board of trustees? McDonough had spent nearly 25 years with the Cubs organization, working his way up the marketing org chart before landing atop the front office when Andy MacPhail resigned following the 2006 season. McDonough's... more ›

For the first time in a long while, Chicago is seeing success from both the Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) and the Chicago Wolves (AHL). The Wolves are off to a 13-1-1 start, giving them the best winning percentage in the league--which should come as no surprise to their faithful fans. On the other hand, it is a surprise that after a quarter of the season, the Blackhawks aren't breaking their fans' hearts. The Hawks have skated... more ›

The Blackhawks are three games into their 2007-2008 NHL Campaign, and so far it looks like it could be another tough year for hockey fans here in Chicago. They've yet to find a way to sound the horn on power plays--hell, they've have had trouble scoring at all, with just four goals in three games, none while having the man advantage. No surprise though as the Hawks have been the worst in the NHL on... more ›

It's still sunny and warm outside, so it's hard to believe the NHL has taken the ice again in preparation for a new season. Last year, Chicagoist made our yearly mistake of getting excited about the offseason moves and preseason successes of the Blackhawks, only to be let down once again. So this year we have vowed not to analyze the preseason too carefully and instead to wait to see how the Blackhawks look when... more ›

While the Bears have known for weeks now that they'd be hosting their first playoff game, they finally know their opponent. The Bears will host the Seattle Seahawks at noon on Sunday following Seattle's miracle win over the Dallas Cowboys. When the Bears and Seahawks faced off in Week 4, Chicagoist was jumping off our couch in excitement as the Bears trounced the 'Hawks 37-6. But does that October win give any indication of how... more ›

Peter Bondra saw his first minutes with the Blackhawks and helped propel them to a 3-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Bondra, a sixteen-year veteran of the NHL, signed with the Blackhawks on Sunday and was suited up for Tuesday night's game. Chicagoist was excited to see his contract was based on performance. Bondra earns $500,000 for showing up but can earn an additional $1 million in performance-based incentives if he produces for the... more ›

Denis Savard can make Blackhawks history with a victory at Minnesota on Tuesday night. On Saturday night when the Blackhawks came from behind to defeat the Nashville Predators 4-3 in OT, Denis Savard became only the second Blackhawks coach to win his first three games as head coach, the first being Sid Abel (1952-53 season). No Blackhawks coach has ever won their first four games as coach of the team. Prior to Savard's promotion the... more ›

It's that time of year when the 'Hawks and Bulls are evicted from the United Center by the tigers and elephants, along with the clowns and the rest of the Ringling Bros. Circus. more ›

The Bulls tricked the Miami Heat and treated their fans to a 42-point blowout of the defending NBA Champs, on the same night the champs hung their banner and received their rings. Is the 108-66 victory a sign of things to come for the Bulls' 2006-2007 season? Maybe... After two straight playoff appearances, but also two straight first-round eliminations, the Bulls are poised to compete for the Eastern Conference title this season. We're not saying... more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks' locker room has looked more like a triage unit as of late. The Hawks suffered some concerning injuries over the weekend. more ›

Chicagoist is not advocating the mass quantity purchase of aluminum foil to build your own Stanley Cup just yet. We are, however, encouraged to see the Blackhawks start their regular season off on a positive note, building on a successful pre-season by winning their season opener against a tough Nashville Predator team. ESPN calls the Predators "The Thinking Man's pick" to represent the Western Conference in this year's Stanley Cup. more ›

Over the weekend, the Blackhawks reduced their roster to 22 by sending seven players down to the AHL Norfolk Admirals in preparation for the start of the 2007 regular season. The 22-player roster includes 14 forwards, 6 defensemen and 2 net-minders. For those playing at home, the players shipped out were Michael Blunden (F), Brandon Bochenski (F), Dave Bolland (F), Jonas Nordqvist (F), Dustin Byfuglien (D), Danny Richmond (D), and James Wisniewski (D). more ›

Last week, we brought you the great news that Chicago was named the #1 Sports City by The Sporting News. TSN is holding a ceremony prior to Wednesday's White Sox - Yankees game at U.S. Cellular Field to honor our fair city. more ›

It's just about that quietest period of the sports year, that point between when the Bears season ends and the Cubs and Sox report to Spring Training. Especially in these years where the Bulls and Hawks are nothing special. Yeah, there's the Super Bowl coming up but when it's Pittsburgh against Seattle, how much pre-game hype can one handle? For us, it's basically a one-day event. more ›

It’s a rare occurrence when the Sports and Arts and Entertainment departments of Chicagoist find their beats overlapping. But with the White Sox in the playoffs, there’s a sports tie-in to be found anywhere. more ›

The Blackhawks join the rest of the NHL in their return to the ice tonight after losing the entire 2004-2005 season to labor strife. In the opener, the Blackhawks face the Anaheim Mighty Ducks at the United Center. A lot has changed, both for the NHL and the Blackhawks. The Hawks have a new GM in Dale Tallon, a new coach in Trent Yawney and many new faces on the roster. Their biggest signing was... more ›

With the NHL's new labor deal finally in place and the league's new financial structure known, teams are busy shopping for new talent. The Blackhawks intend to be active shoppers in coming days. They landed their first big-name free agent with yesterday's announcement that Adrian Aucoin signed with the Hawks for $16 million over 4 years. One of the most sought after free agents, Aucion is a defenseman who spent the past three seasons with the NY Islanders. more ›

In a move that seems akin to re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic, the Blackhawks hired Dale Tallon as their new General Manager today, who fired Hawks Head Coach Brian Sutter within 10 minutes of beginning his new position. Tallon, who had served as former GM Bob Pulford's assistant since Pulford retruned to the GM job for the third time in 2003, had been groomed for this promotion. Director of Player Personnel for the... more ›

According to this month's Chicago Magazine, Comcast is about to debut a new local sports network CSN (Comcast SportsNet Chicago) that will focus on Chicago sports. CSN is apparently set to launch October 1. Yeehaw, sports fans. CSN already has Mid-Atlantic and Philly locations, and they appear to be…well, if not thriving certainly existing. The website looks a little familiar, and all the swooshy backgrounds look like the SportsCenter supernova thingie, but that's probably the point. more ›