Building the 2015 Chicago Blackhawks: An Interactive Timeline

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The Chicago Blackhawks are a modern-era dynasty, winning the Stanley Cup three times in six years. The journey started way back in 2002, when the team selected defenseman — and future Conn Smythe Trophy winner — Duncan Keith in the NHL Entry Draft.

Solid drafting has been the key to Chicago’s success. Of the 25 players who suited up for the Blackhawks in the 2015 playoffs, 12 were drafted between 2002 and 2013, while seven were acquired in trades and six others were signed as free agents.

For more detail on how this dynasty was crafted, plus a recap of how every player contributed to the ‘Hawks latest championship, check out this interactive timeline. ■

An interview with Michael Rigitano, creator of the Bottle Cap Stanley Cup

Alternate_Headline_ImageBlackhawks fans are a passionate bunch, so it takes something above and beyond your typical jersey or face paint to stand out in this sea of red. But lifelong ‘Hawks fan Michael Rigitano is anything but typical. After the team won the Stanley Cup in 2010, he exceeded the normal boundaries of fandom and descended into something much deeper. On a dare, he built a life-size replica of Lord Stanley’s Cup — using bottle caps. Many, many thousands of bottle caps.

Since then, the Bottle Cap Stanley Cup has had a life of its own. Rigitano — a college student who also teaches children and adults how to play hockey — and his trophy were guests at the United Center and have appeared on TV, on the radio and in newspapers around Chicago. His creation helped raise money for breast cancer research at a Chicago Steel (USHL) game. The NHL even arranged for the “Cap Cup,” as he calls it, to be photographed with the real deal.

I spoke with Rigitano to learn what drove him to undertake such a monumental task.

Sal Barry: I’m going to just cut right to it — why did you make a replica of the Stanley Cup out of bottle caps?

Michael Rigitano:. I was working in a bar in 2010. It all started with a ten dollar bet that I couldn’t make a Stanley Cup out of bottle caps. I ended up winning that money. Continue reading “An interview with Michael Rigitano, creator of the Bottle Cap Stanley Cup”

Puck Junk Podcast #4 – June 2, 2015

…with your hosts, Sal Barry & Tim Parish. Plus special guest Justin Godfrey.


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In Podcast #4, Sal, Tim (The Real DFG) and special guest Justin Godfrey preview the 2015 Stanley Cup Finals, which start Wednesday night. Here’s a breakdown of the episode:

  • We talk about the Chicago Blackhawks, including a wrap-up of their series against the Anaheim Ducks, and their prospects of beating the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Finals (0:01 to 18:34)
  • Sal is then joined by Justin Godfrey, who blogs about the Tampa Bay Lightning on his website, The Hopeful Chase. Justin gives us a rundown on what to expect from the Bolts (18:35 to 28:48).

No card talk this week — because it’s the Cup! (And because Sal doesn’t have the dough to buy a box of Masterpieces yet.)

Who do you think will win the Stanley Cup this year? Leave a comment and tell us which team will win it all and why.


PODCAST INTRO AND ENDING MUSIC CREDITS:

“Boop Rock Jingle’” Tony Bullard (tonybullard.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/