The Stanley Cup Final returns tonight from Raleigh, NC, and I can’t wait to see what happens next after four classic games to start the series. Get caught up with today’s Morning Chirps before tonight's huge game.
Blackhawks Chirps
- The Blackhawks need a bottom-six forward who plays with an edge and can provide some offense. A.J. Greer is a bottom-six forward who plays with an edge and can provide some offense. It seems like a logical match, but there will be a lot of teams checking in on him come July 1.
- Jay Zawaski and I spoke with Brantford Bulldogs play-by-play announcer Reed Duthie about the Blackhawks prospects who have recently played there and Caleb Malhotra on yesterday’s CHGO Blackhawks Podcast.
- On this date in 1969, the Blackhawks made a franchise-altering pick at the NHL Intra-League Draft. They paid $25,000 to claim rookie netminder Tony Esposito from the Montreal Canadiens. The move immediately paid off the following season as he won the Calder and Vezina Trophies with 38 wins and 15 shutouts. Those shutouts are still the NHL rookie record. Tony O still leads the franchise in games played, wins, and shutouts.
- In 1980, the Blackhawks had the third overall pick of the NHL Entry Draft held in Montreal. They used the pick to select future Hall of Famer Denis Savard in his hometown. From there, they took Troy Murray in the third round and Steve Larmer in the sixth. The trio combined for 870 goals and 2.507 points in 2.460 games for the Blackhawks. Now that’s a solid draft class!
- In 1988, Montreal hosted another draft with the Blackhawks holding the eighth overall pick. They drafted Jeremy Roenick, who went on to become a star in Chicago. He spent the first eight seasons of his Hall of Fame career with the Blackhawks, scoring 267 goals and 596 points in 524 games before being traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996.
- In 1992, Darryl Sutter was named the 29th head coach in franchise history, replacing Mike Keenan, who was promoted to general manager.
- In 1995, the Blackhawks’ postseason run came to an end with a 2-1, double-overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Vyacheslav Kozlov’s goal in the second overtime sent the Red Wings to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1966.
- Blackhawks Birthday Roll Call, June 11: Kip Miller
NHL Chirps
- According to Pierre LeBrun, the Carolina Hurricanes nearly made a big upgrade between the pipes. His league source confirmed that they inquired about goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, but the Hurricanes didn’t want to give up a first-round pick to get him. They are two wins away from winning the ultimate prize with Frederik Andersen and Brandon Bussi.
- LeBrun also reported that Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman has gone back to Dylan Larkin’s camp asking to expand his trade list. His three-team list reportedly includes the Minnesota Wild, Vegas Golden Knights, and Florida Panthers. LeBrun says Larkin’s agent Pat Brisson was receptive to the request.
- Peter Laviolette was introduced as the new head coach of the Los Angeles Kings, and he is looking to upgrade their offensive attack.
"Through my experiences, and even just watching the playoffs right now, this is an attack-oriented game, and you have to be willing to move. I do think that we have the personnel here to execute that style and execute that play. Again, it can’t be reckless, but there has to be a plan to attack, and we’ll work on that."Peter Laviolette
- Kevin Kurz reported that while the Philadelphia Flyers own the Toronto Maple Leafs first-round pick in 2027, the Maple Leafs still have the option to transfer it to the Boston Bruins if it's in the top 10. If that happens, the Flyers would get Toronto’s first-round pick in 2028.
- NHL Birthday Roll Call, June 11: Frank Fredrickson, Hec Kilrea, Scott Mellanby, and Derek McKenzie.
