Patrick Sharp

Early in their history the Philadelphia Flyers were pretty good about keeping their best players in orange and black, then the 1991 NHL Entry Draft took place and the Flyers went after Eric Lindros.

Last week, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they had signed forward Patrick Sharp to a five-year, $29.5 million extension. Sharp was set to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2011-2012 season. This new contract will pay Sharp an annual salary of $5.9 million.

The Vancouver Canucks could not have been happy that Chicago and Dallas both lost their last regular season games. Those two losses ensured that the Canucks would face the Blackhawks in the first round of the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Chicago Blackhawks got some much-needed jolts in their crucial 4-3 victory over St. Louis Wednesday night.

Jolt one was the unexpected return of Patrick Sharp.

Jolt two was the Skate Of God, with Marian Hossa playing the role of Diego Maradona.

Jolt three was the captain snapping home the game winner in overtime.

In my last post, I laid out five reasons why the Chicago Blackhawks would repeat. It might have come off as a little far-fetched, but that's how it was supposed to be. I was only laying out ideal situations of everything. 

That doesn't mean those five points weren't true. I believe everything I wrote, but that doesn't mean I can't see reality. I am a huge fan, and I love and want to see my favorite team achieve. 

Tuesday's night 3-0 loss to the already playoff-bound Boston Bruins was rather tough to watch, but it needs to be forgotten. The Blackhawks still remain on the edge of the playoff race, sitting in the last playoff spot in the Western Conference at eighth.

Tension has certainly risen to a new level in Chicago after the Blackhawks lost a key game to the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night.

It was a game between two teams that are in a heated battle to earn one of the lower seeds into the playoffs, and it certainly felt and seemed like it was a playoff game.

The standings have gotten even closer, and the fears that this Blackhawks team will be the first since the Hurricanes of five years ago to not make the playoffs after winning the Cup the year before are turning real.

The Chicago Blackhawks' 2-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks was a tough loss for fans to swallow for many reasons. The 'Hawks fell to eighth place in the Western Conference behind Anaheim and one point in front of Calgary.

You need to have a deep, reliable bench if you are going to win a fantasy hockey league, because star players are falling faster than Nicolas Cage’s value in Hollywood.   

Everyone knows how crucial draft picks are in building a winning team.

But not every high draft pick turns out to be a stud or a superstar.

Sometimes, teams strike gold and find a player drafted in the third, fourth, fifth or even ninth round who turns out to be a great player in the future.

The Detroit Red Wings are a team that have built winners on late-round draft picks and lately many other teams are starting to find their diamonds in the rough.

This slideshow ranks the top 25 players in the last 10 years to be drafted late (95th and later).