Former Blackhawk Bob Probert, remembered as one of the toughest enforcers of his era, died on Monday at the age of 45. Probert, who played for both Detroit and Chicago in a 16-year career, complained of chest pains while boating with his family on Lake St. Clair yesterday afternoon. Probert's father-in-law performed CPR until they could get Probert to Windsor Regional Hospital where further attempts to revive him failed. Probert had 384 points scored in 935 regular season games but he's most remembered for his role as enforcer on the ice, a role that led to 3,300 penalty minutes, still fifth most in NHL history. Probert dealt with substance abuse during his career. While with Detroit, he was charged several times with DUI and in 1989 arrested trying to transport cocaine from Canada to the U.S. And he missed the entire 1994-1995 season (already shortened by a lockout) due to a suspension stemming from a motorcycle accident in which police found both alcohol and traces of cocaine in his bloodstream. more ›

'Hawks Lose In Regular Season Finale more ›

The Blackhawks got out to a 2-0 lead over main rival the Detroit Red Wings but a huge five-goal second period from the Wings proved enough to down the 'Hawks by a 5-4 final. First period goals from Duncan Keith and Andrew Ladd gave the 'Hawks an early 2-0 lead. But it all fell apart in the second when Detroit lit Chicago - and Cristobal Huet - up with four goals in the first 10:30 of the period. Huet was pulled in favor of Antti Niemi, who gave up the fifth Detroit goal late in the second. The 'Hawks tried to fight back as Ladd added two more goals in the second - his first hat trick - but it wasn't enough as Detroit held on for the win. The loss means the 'Hawks relinquish first place in the Western Conference to San Jose; they'll try to bounce back Wednesday against the L.A. Kings (7:30 p.m., CSN). more ›

Blackhawks Shutdown Red Wings Again more ›

The Blackhawks are on another roll having won four straight now after shutting out the rival Detroit Red Wings last night 3-0. Duncan Keith scored a power play goal early in the first period to put the 'Hawks in front. Brian Campbell and Dustin Byfuglien added goals late in the second to add to the lead. The 'Hawks outshot the Wings 35-20 with Cristobal Huet getting the shutout victory in net. They hope to keep the winning streak going win San Jose skates into the United Center Tuesday night (7 p.m., VS). more ›

Missed opportunities and a stellar performance by Chris Osgood spoiled the Blackhawks' return to our fair continent, losing their first game in regulation of the season to the Red Wings in Detroit, 3-2. It wasn't for lack of trying. Continuing the season's trend, the Hawks once again outshot their opponent (34-23). Their aggressiveness led to a 1-0 lead early in the second period, as the Wings turned the puck over trying to clear their zone, and Kris Versteeg passed to Patrick Sharp, who was just hanging out, whispering sweet nothings into Osgood's ear. The Hawks' previously perfect penalty kill faltered midway through the second as Niklas Lindstrom's shot deflected off John Madden's skate and past Cristobal Huet (0-1-1). With less than five minutes to go in the period, the Red Wings added a goal by Kris Draper and then a power play goal by Johan Franzen just over ninety seconds later. Versteeg cut it to 3-2 with a power play goal halfway through the third, but it wasn't enough to overcome Osgood's dominance, a disorganized five-on-three opportunity in which the Hawks managed just one shot, and shuffled lines and new faces due to their spate of injuries (latest news: Ben Eager was put on injured reserve prior to the game). The Hawks (1-1-1) make their United Center season debut this Saturday as they take on the Colorado Avalanche (2-1-0). more ›

Things got ugly yesterday as the Red Wings and even with Martin Havlat back in the lineup after the nasty hit he received in Game Three Friday night, the Blackhawks looked terrible as the Wings whipped the young 'Hawks 6-1 to take a 3-1 series lead. Things began looking bleak right away when Marian Hossa scored a short-handed goal for the Red Wings in the first; Detroit would add two more - including one off a power play following a controversial penalty on Matt Walker at the end of the first period - before the 'Hawks got on the board, courtesy of a Toews power play goal. But just four minutes later - less than halfway through the second period - the Wings had added two more goals to put the lead at 5-1. One more goal in the third period gave the Wings the final 6-1 tally. With the Bulin Wall still sidelined with an injury, Cristobal Huet got the start in goal, but didn't fair well, giving up five goals while stopping 21 shots; Corey Crawford even saw action, stopping 6 of 7 shots he faced. The scary part? The Wings did this without either Nicklas Lidstrom or Pavel Datsyuk, both of whom sat out with injuries. For the series (so far), the Wings have outscored the 'Hawks by a total of 17-9. Game Five is Wednesday night in Detroit. more ›

Good Lord it has been far too long since the Chicagoist office has been buzzing with this much excitement over the 'Hawks in mid-May. It all starts today at 2 p.m. as the Blackhawks and Red Wings finally start their tussle for a shot at the Stanley Cup. The Blackhawks have been off for much longer than the Wings so here's hoping they don't have to shake off rust because they won't have the time. The Red Wings won the season series 4-2, but the first two losses were shoot out losses and the Blackhawks finished out the season with back-to-back wins. It may not be much, but it may be enough to give the young 'Hawks some confidence. Let us know in the comments how you think the series will go and be sure to follow us on Twitter where Benjy will be tweeting and discussing the game with readers. more ›

With last night's Detroit victory over the Anaheim (Mighty) Ducks, the stage is set for one hell of a Western Conference Finals series. It's the Blackhawks versus Red Wings for a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals and damn, we're excited. Here's how the schedule shakes out: more ›

The Chicago Blackhawks concluded the regular season with 3-0 shutout victory over the Detroit Red Wings on Sunday. 'Hawks goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin was in top form, denying all 37 shot attempts by Detroit. Andrew Ladd and Jonathan Toews both scored in the first period to provide early offense for Chicago, and Dave Bolland added a power-play goal in the third to make the the Blackhawks' lead insurmountable. Chicago finishes the season with 104 points, good for sixth best in the league, and will be hosting the Calgary Flames in the first round of the playoffs. The Blackhawks won all four contests versus the Flames in the regular season and will look to continue their dominance when the puck drops at 7:30 on Thursday. more ›

The NHL announced today that the Chicago Blackhawks would be one of four teams opening the 2009-2010 season in Europe as part of a special series. The 'Hawks will head to Helsinki, Finland to take on the Florida Panthers in a two-game "home and home" series while the Detroit Red Wings and St. Louis Blues will tangle in a pair of games in Stockholm, Sweden. Not so coincidentally: Finland and Sweden are the top two countries in terms of non-North American visitors to the NHL's website. While the Panthers have never played a game outside of North America in their existence, the 'Hawks have skated on the other side of the pond before. In September 1992, the Blackhawks and the Montreal Canadiens faced off in a pair of exhibition games at London's Wembley Arena. It will be the third straight year the NHL has opened a season overseas. more ›

A few days after this year's Winter Classic, and the ratings are in. The prognosis? Good. Very good. Better than last year, in fact. It earned the NHL's best overnight ratings in 13 years and increased 12 percent over last year's game.

This year's outdoor game between the Blackhawks and Red Wings earned a 2.9 overnight rating and a 6 share. Each overnight ratings point equals about 735,000 TV homes. Last year's game featuring the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres had a 2.6 overnight rating and 5 share...In Chicago, Thursday's game drew a national high of an 11.8 rating and 21 share, with Detroit second at 10.5 and 21.

AP Photo/M. Spencer Green