An exciting two weeks of Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver came to a close on Sunday, and as the athletes head home from Canada, the United States delegation will return having won more Olympic medals than any nation in a winter games ever has -- 37 total, (9 gold, 15 silver and 13 bronze). A number of those medals now hang around the necks of some of our local Chicago Olympians: more ›

It was a thrilling gold medal game as Team Canada defeated Team USA in the men's ice hockey final 3-2 in overtime. The game also had a distinct Blackhawks flavor: Jonathan Toews scored the opening goal for Canada and Duncan Keith was credited with an assist on Canada's second goal, giving them a 2-0 lead. But Team USA came back as Ryan Kesler deflected in a Patrick Kane shot for USA's first goal. Kane was credited with an assist. He'd get another assist on Zach Parise's game-tying goal with less than 25 seconds left in the third period. But it would ultimately be Canada's triumph as Sidney Crosby scored the game-winner 7:40 in to the OT period. Still, Seabrook, Duncan, and Toews will return with gold medals, Kane with a silver, and all four re-teamed and focused on one ultimate goal: the Stanley Cup. The 'Hawks, who will also be rejoined by Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky who played for Team Slovokia, get back in action tomorrow night at the New York Islanders (6 p.m., CSN). more ›

The Bulls didn't have quite enough gas to get by the Pacers last night, falling 100-90 in Indianapolis. It was a close game early, but the Pacers used a 12-3 run in the second quarter to stretch out their lead to seven at the half and never looked back. Derrick Rose had 27 points to lead the Bulls (31-28) while Luol Deng scored 13 points and pulled down 18 rebounds. The Bulls get tonight off before welcoming the Atlanta Hawks to town tomorrow night (7 p.m., WGN). more ›

Four Blackhawks will be battling for gold when Team USA takes on Team Canada in a highly anticipated rematch tomorrow. Patrick Kane scored two goals less than 2:30 apart in Team USA's 6-1 route of Finland. USA scored all six goals in the first 13 minutes of the game before cruising the rest of the way. Meanwhile, all five 'Hawks in the Canada's 3-2 win over Slovokia in the other semifinal were conspicuous by their silence. Marian Hossa, who's had a fantastic tournament, and Tomas Kopecky will try to help Team Slovokia rebound to take the bronze when they face Finland (tonight, 9 p.m., MSNBC) while Duncan Keith, Jonathan Toews, and Brent Seabrook will take the ice with Team Canada tomorrow against Kane and Team USA in a heated battle for gold (Sunday, 2 p.m., NBC). more ›

Speaking of graffiti, check out this legal example. The Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games commissioned Chairman Ting to provide some digital graffiti for a project in the Athlete's Village. more ›

All six Olympic Blackhawks advanced to tomorrow's semifinal round of the men's ice hockey tournament. First up, Patrick Kane and Team USA topped Switzerland 2-0 to advance to tomorrow's semifinals where they'll take on Finland (2 p.m., NBC 5). Next up, a still-ticked off Team Canada crushed Russia 7-3. Both Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith were credited with two assists each while Brent Seabrook made the box score thanks to two minutes in the penalty box. That trio of 'Hawks advance to the semis to take on Tomas Kopecky, Marian Hossa and the rest of Team Slovokia after they upset Sweden 4-3. Kopecky netted what would be the winning goal and Hossa contributed three assists in the big win. It'll be the Battle of the Blackhawks (8:30 p.m., CNBC) for a shot at the gold medal. more ›

Team Canada steamrolled Germany 8-2 in yesterday's men's hockey qualifier to advance to the quarterfinals. While none of the three Blackhawks on the team scored any of Canada's eight goals, two did lend a helping hand. Duncan Keith had a pair of assists and Jonathan Toews also was credited with an assist in the blow-out victory. But there's little rest for Canada as they have to bounce right back and play Russia tonight in the quarterfinals (6:30 p.m., CNBC). Meanwhile, Patrick Kane and Team USA get an afternoon affair with Switzerland in their quarterfinal match-up (2 p.m., NBC 5). more ›

• A disturbing update to last week's NIU shooting.
• A Cook County judge rejected a motion by the Chicago Teachers Union to block the closing and consolidation of a pair of local schools.
• Tammy Duckworth has ever-so-politely withdrawn her name from consideration to run for Lt. Governor.

The Washington Wizards derailed the Bulls' four-game win streak last night with a 101-95 victory over Chicago. The Bulls led by as many as 12 points late in the first half and by 10 at the half, but the Wizards rode a 14-2 run to start the second half to take the lead back early in the third. The Bulls managed to trim a large late Wizards lead down to just one point with 1:55 to go but couldn't take the lead back. Derrick Rose led the Bulls with 22 points. Next up for the Bulls are the Pacers tomorrow night (7 p.m., CSN). more ›

The USA men's hockey team made all the headlines with their big 5-3 victory over home-ice favorites Team Canada last night in the final preliminary game for both teams. While Patrick Kane had a quiet night for Team USA, all three Canadian Blackhawks got in on the action. Jonathan Toews was credited with two assists while Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook were each credited with one. The victory means Team USA gets a bye into Wednesday's quarterfinals while Team Canada has to take part in tomorrow's playoff qualifier round. And later today, Team USA's women's hockey team, including Plainfield native Lisa Chesson, takes on Sweden in the semifinals. more ›

Chicago's Shani Davis wasn't able to skate away with another gold medal but he did earn the silver in the men's 1500m speed skating race to go along with his earlier gold medal. Daivs finished with a time of 1:46.10, just .53 behind Mark Tuitert of the Netherlands. more ›

The Bulls won their third straight game last night - and their fifth in six games - beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 100-94. It was a close game throughout with the Bulls trailing by three at the half. But the team broke it open with an 11-2 run to start the fourth quarter to pull ahead for good. Kirk Hinrich led the team with 20 points and Derrick Rose followed with 19. Luol Deng also contributed with 18. Now 2 games over .500 at 28-26, the Bulls remain in second place in the division and sixth place overall in the Eastern Conference. If the playoffs started today, they'd find themselves in a first-round playoff rematch with the Boston Celtics. They hope to keep the winning streak rolling when they play host to the Philadelphia 76ers tonight (7 p.m., WGN). more ›

The Bulls didn't stop wheeling and dealing once they shipped off John Salmons. Later in the day on Thursday, they traded away Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats for Flip Murray, Acie Law and a protected, future first-round draft choice. The first year for the pick would be 2012. But Coach Vinny insists the team will continue to focus on this season - with the Bulls tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference - and not on the big free agent market coming up this summer. The team has freed up around $18 million in an attempt to go after some of the big fish this summer, including LeBron James or Dwyane Wade. The Trib's K.C. Johnson takes his best guess at the Bulls' new depth chart. more ›

Naperville native Evan Lysacek won the gold medal in the men's figure skating competition last night at the Winter Olympics. It was the first U.S. gold in the event since Brian Boitano won gold at the Calgary Olympics in 1988. Lysacek entered the night in second place behind Russia's Yevgeny Plushenko but Lysacek skated a near flawless performance to edge Plushenko by just over a point in the final standings. It's the second straight night that the Olympics featured a golden Chicago flavor following Shani Davis' gold medal on Wednesday night. If you missed it, NBC has full video of Evan's performance available here. more ›

The Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday night with Opening Ceremonies a prelude to two weeks of sporting events on ice and snow. Given our own chilly climate, it's no surprise that a number of local athletes will be representing Illinois as well as the United States. And given the flat lands of the Midwest, it's also no surprise that nearly every single one of them will be donning skates during their competitions -- the local delegation includes seven hockey players, six speed skaters, three figure skaters/ice dancers, and a bobsledder. more ›

While Team USA won't announce their 2010 Winter Olympic men's hockey team until Friday (during the annual Winter Classic), several other countries have already announced their rosters and a slew of Blackhawks will be taking to the ice in Vancouver for a shot at Olympic gold. First, Team Slovokia named Marian Hossa and Tomas Kopecky to their 2010 squad. And today Team Canada named a trio of Blackhawks - Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook - to their team. more ›