Chicago

Daniel Carcillo's ride with the Chicago Blackhawks came to a tumultuous conclusion Friday with the news that the infamous forward will be undergoing knee surgery to correct a torn ACL suffered in a January 2nd game with Edmonton.

At the beginning of the 2011-12 hockey season, Andrew Shaw was trying to find a spot on the fourth line of the Rockford Ice Hogs. Friday night, Shaw centered two NHL All-Stars.

A year ago at this time, Jimmy Hayes was attending Boston College. On Friday, Hayes played power play minutes in Chicago's 4-0 loss to Colorado at the United Center.

The Chicago Blackhawks have utilized some of their young talent in Rockford in the season's first three months. A trio of forwards may factor into the club's plans as the season wears on.

Marcus Kruger, Ben Smith, Jeremy Morin and Brandon Pirri have all seen action at the NHL level so far. It's a safe bet that one or more of these players are going to contribute to Chicago's fortunes in 2012.

The Chicago Blackhawks are looking for an offensive force on their top-six. Teemu Selanne could be looking for a winner with which to finish out his career.

Is there any way these two forces align before the end of the season?

The Chicago Blackhawks' recent struggles are more than obvious to nearly everyone that watches them on a regular basis.

One can't point their finger at one person or one area that's the cause for the Hawks' recent struggles.  These struggles are, most definitely, a team effort.

Chicago's struggles haven't been solely on the road, but they've been at home as well. And, these struggles occur at both ends of the ice.

The New York Islanders first road winning streak since March was snapped with a 5-4 shootout loss to the Chicago Blackhawks Friday night.

Al Montoya is from Chicago and the Isles goaltender spent $3,800 on tickets for family and friends. 

Montoya made 37 saves on 41 shots in front of his folks, but it wasn't enough. Despite allowing four goals, Kyle Okposo gave plenty of credit to the Islanders goaltender.

The Chicago Blackhawks will be coming home for two games on a higher note than when they left. They just might not have Dave Bolland in the lineup for those games.

The Chicago Blackhawks return from Florida, three points in hand, to take on what has become their most notorious rival in the Western Conference.

(Note to fans: I am from Indiana.  All times are in Eastern Standard Time.)

8:30: CSN coverage shows a girl with a beer.  Nice.  We are off to a hot start.

The Chicago Blackhawks are in a great spot when it comes to the center position.

Stan Bowman says so.

The fact that the 'Hawks skated with 11 forwards in their season opener, a 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars, suggests that Bowman's confidence may be a bit misguided. Tell me again why John Madden isn't worth a phone call, Stan?