The NHL All-Star Game, as is the case with the rest of professional sports’ mid-season clashes, is often derided as being a meaningless exhibition that people take way too seriously, but for those fans that can appreciate the fun that the players have with it, it is actually a cool spectacle.

The SuperSkills competition, which precedes the All-Star Game that will take place tomorrow at 3pm on NBC Sports Network, is taking place tonight in Ottawa, and two Chicago Blackhawks, Marian Hossa and Patrick Kane, are taking part in the festivities.

Hossa did a decent job (ie not getting injured) in the Fastest Skater competition, and he also performed well in the Accuracy Shooting, winning his heat against Daniel Sedin. It was Kane, however, who stole the show and won the Shootout Competition with this nifty little homage to Superman:

While it may not have been factually accurate (Clark Kent did not wear glasses while in his Superman costume), it was still neat to see Kane pull the shot off, even scoring on the play. In the interview after he won, the Ottawa PA system was playing the tune “Superman” by Eminem in his honor, which may have been even cooler.

Perhaps Kane’s success in this event could translate into him being a little looser when the team embarks on their post-ASG nine game road trip. We’ll have to wait and see.

Patrick Sharp has been out of the Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup for the past four games, but it hasn’t slowed them down one bit. Buoyed by performances from guys up and down the roster, the Hawks have been scoring goals, playing solid defense, and most importantly, picking up points. This weekend was no different, as they got a point yesterday against the Detroit Red Wings, a team with an insane home record this season, and they did it again Sunday night as they took down the San Jose Sharks 4-3 at the United Center.

The Hawks have gotten seven of a possible eight points since Sharp went down, and to get three against two of the best teams in the West shows positive signs for a team whose depth was a huge question mark only a season ago. Dave Bolland, Jonathan Toews, Viktor Stalberg, and Andrew Shaw all scored goals for the Hawks in this one, and Corey Crawford, despite some struggles early in the second period, made 21 saves en route to the victory.

As opposed to yesterday’s effort that saw the Hawks only really play a solid 20 minutes against the Wings, they looked a lot more consistent in this game. They made it a point to constantly put shots on net against former Chicago goaltender Antti Niemi, and they got a ton of traffic to the front of the net as well. In all, they ended up with 40 shots in the game, and that extra traffic directly led to several of their goals.

Toews’ tally in the second period came on a rush that saw Niemi misplay a puck behind the net, and when Stalberg’s aggressive forecheck prevented the Sharks from snagging the puck, Patrick Kane found Toews streaking to the net, and he got an easy tap-in to give Chicago a 3-2 lead. Following that early in the third, Shaw was on the rush with Marcus Kruger and Marian Hossa, and when Kruger put a shot on net, Shaw not only put a rebound effort on Niemi but kept following it until he tapped a loose puck into an open cage. It was a testament to the validity of the Hawks’ philosophy of taking lots of shots and being physical in front, and the two points they got were well earned.

Kane also had a better game than he had Saturday in Detroit, getting several good opportunities and even contributing in a surprising way to the Toews goal alluded to earlier. Kane was skating up ice, and he surely had noticed that the Sharks’ defenders had been collapsing on him all night long. In response, Kane hit a nice chip-shot into the corner instead of trying to bulldoze through the defenders, and the end result was the Toews goal. It was an underrated play that lots of guys make, but with a guy who has puck-handling skills like Kane does, the hockey IQ displayed on that one was heartening for fans to say the least.

The only reason San Jose was able to stay close was their uncanny ability to tip pucks in front. On several instances, pucks were redirected right in front of Crawford, and on one play in particular on a shot by Patrick Marleau, two different Sharks redirected the same shot. The puck didn’t end up going in, but it was reflective of the good positioning of the Sharks’ players near the goal area, and disrupting those opportunities is something that Chicago will need to work on moving forward.

The Hawks will have a couple of days off after playing a ton of games recently, and they will next take to the ice Wednesday night against the Buffalo Sabres. The game starts a little earlier than usual for a home game, with a 6:30pm puck drop on NBC Sports Network.

With that, here are Sunday’s Three Stars:

Third Star: Patrick Kane

Kane’s efforts have to be recognized, especially because of that smart dump-in of the puck on the Toews goal. In addition, Kane took a lot more initiative on the offensive side of things in this one, taking five shots and looking way more aggressive than he has in recent weeks. He’s way overdue for a goal, but if he keeps getting chances like he did in this one, he’ll put one in sooner rather than later.

Second Star: Viktor Stalberg 

Stalberg has seemingly turned his game up a notch in recent weeks, and he had another great one on Sunday. In addition to his goal late in the first period, it was his aggressive forecheck behind the Sharks’ net that allowed the puck to squirt free to Kane, who fed it to Toews for his score. Oh yeah, he also had four takeaways and six shots on goal. For right now at least, the Hawks’ top line appears to be set in stone, a real departure from the way Joel Quenneville usually does business.

First Star: Andrew Shaw

One glance at Shaw’s stat line is enough to tell you how stupid good of a game he had. Not only did he score a huge insurance goal in the third period, but he also had five total shots on goal, three hits, and won all six of the face-offs he took, including two against an elite center in Joe Thornton. His 17 minutes on the ice were incredibly productive, and when you consider that he was a fifth round draft pick in 2011, the enormity of his contributions has been mind-boggling. Add in the selections of Brandon Saad (who looked good in his stint with the club earlier in the year) and Mark McNeill (universally considered a steal by the Hawks in the first round), and the 2011 Draft Class could be providing depth for this team for a long time to come.

In comprising a ranking of the Top 10 National Hockey League (NHL) General Manager’s (GM’s), I assessed the GM’s by a series of factors:  Overall performance – cumulative and trending; drafting and development; trades and acquisitions; capology – the ability to efficiently manage their respective salary cap; variable factors – ownership, organizational legacy, the situation they’ve inherited.

So, this list is not linearly-related to the team’s current record or whether they recently won the Stanley Cup as so many rankings of this type tend to do.

With that, here are the rankings of NHL GM’s:

1)  Ray Shero (Pittsburgh Penguins) – Sure, inheriting a team that possesses the NHL’s premier player in Sidney Crosby and one of its other elite players in Evgeni Malkin may appear to be walking into a foolproof situation, but Shero has proven to be the NHL’s best GM by what he’s been able to do in the face of adversity.  Last season, Crosby and Malkin were both lost for the season within a week of each other (January, 2011); however, while most observers considered the Pen’s season to be finished, Shero made a series of stellar acquisitions for the playoff push: acquiring James Neal and Matt Niskanen for Alex Goligoski and acquiring Alex Kovalev for a conditional 7th round pick.  Shero has been able to deftly make acquisitions and draft and develop young players in lieu of often being right up against the NHL’s salary cap.  And while Penguins ownership is far more stable than was the case in the early 2000s, Shero has proven time and time again that he in one of the NHL’s greatest executive minds.

2)  Mike Gillis (Vancouver Canucks) – Similar to Ray Shero’s situation, possessing the Sedin twins may appear to be idiot-proof, but Gillis has proven to be a GM that makes solid, albeit methodical moves.  Gillis as hired as the ‘Nucks GM at the end of the 2007-2008 season and immediately made his mark by resigning key players such and the Sedin twins, Alex Burrows and Roberto Luongo.  He then made a series of trades designed to improve the overall team’s fortunes, most notably his trade of two forward prospects to the San Jose Sharks for defensemen Brad Lukowich and elite Power Play (PP) specialist Christian Ehrhoff.  Gillis has also made solid moves by acquiring via Free Agency (UFA) Dan Hamhuis and Manny Malhotra, as well as shoring up resigning goaltending prospect Cory Schneider who has not only teamed with Luongo to make the NHL’s top goaltending  tandem but has taken the mantle of the ‘Nucks starting netminder in light of Luongo’s struggles early in the season.  Justly, Gillis was rewarded for his stellar efforts, becoming the second recipient of the NHL General Manager of the Year award for 2010-2011.

3)  Ken Holland (Detroit Red Wings) – Some may question whether Holland should be placed much higher than this, given that he’s been at the helm of the closest semblance of a NHL dynasty since the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s as the Red Wings have won three Stanley Cup championships during his regime as General Manager.  The reason for being ranked slightly lower than Red Wings faithful would prefer is due to their downward trend since their Stanley Cup title in 2008, having been runner-up the following season then having been eliminated in the 2nd round the past two seasons.  Much of this downward trend is attributed to having an aged – the NHL’s oldest (average age) – salary cap-strapped team. However,Holland has deftly continued his penchant for drafting and developing a young core of players, a feat even more remarkable considering their usual drafting towards the end of the 1st round of the NHL draft.  But with current young stars such as Jimmy Howard and potential NHL stars in waiting such as Justin Abdelkader, Darren Helm, Jakub Kindl and Tomas Tatar, the potential fall from the NHL’s elite may be somewhat mitigated once the NHL’s best defenseman of his generation, Niklas Lidstrom, decides to retire.

4)  Peter Chiarelli (Boston Bruins) – While this pick as one of the top NHL GM’s might appear weighted due to the Bruins winning the 2011 Stanley Cup, Chiarelli’s adept decision-making has cemented himself as one of the NHL’s elite executives.  Chiarelli made his initial mark by obtaining elite blueliner Zdeno Chara from the Ottawa Senators and acquired via trade the following Bruins’ stalwarts:  Andrew Ference, Rich Peverly, Tuukka Rask and Nathan Horton.  But it was the Bruins’ inability to match the Toronto Maple Leafs’ offer sheet for Phil Kessel that may have proven to be one of Chiarelli’s greatest moves or perhaps gifts.  In failing to match the Leafs’ offer, the Bruins were awarded the rights to the 2nd overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry, which the Bruins used to select Tyler Seguin who has established himself as one of the NHL’s elite young talents in just his second year in the NHL.  This inability to match the Leafs’ offer sheet allowed the Bruins the right to the Leafs’ 1st round selections in both the 2010 and 2011 NHL Entry drafts as well as the Leafs’ 2nd round selection in the 2010 draft, which has also produced solid NHL prospects in Dougie Hamilton and Jared Knight.  Chiarelli now possesses a solid mix of veterans and young talent as well as one of the NHL’s elite goalie tandems in Rask and the ageless wonder, Tim Thomas who won the Conn Smythe trophy in the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs and two Vezina trophies, in 2009 and 2011.

5)  Paul Holmgren (Philadelphia Flyers) – Over the summer, Flyer fans were trying to talk themselves off of the ledge as Holmgren was thought to have lost his mind by trading his leading goal-scorer over the past three seasons in Jeff Carter for Jakub Voracek, of the Columbus Blue Jackets first round (8th overall pick) in Sean Couturier and the 68th overall pick in the draft and former Captain Mike Richards for elite prospect Brayden Schenn, Wayne Simmonds and a 2nd round pick in the 2012 entry draft.  Before you do question Holmgren’s sanity, do realize that the Flyers were a cap-strapped team in need of obvious cap relief, an elite goalie, something that has hampered the team in previous seasons and depth in their development system. In doing so, Holmgren has changed the look, image and direction of the Flyers into a young team with an edge and firepower and a franchise goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov, all while maintaining an solid defensive corps, one who has been able to withstand the devastating loss of Chris Pronger, its new captain and leader.  However, it appears that the Flyers are now even more playoff-ready than the squad that challenged the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2009-2010 Stanley Cup finals.  Holmgren is, as they say, as dumb as a fox.

6)  David Poile (Nashville Predators) – Ranking Poile this high makes a great deal of sense when you consider one aspect: no NHL GM does ‘more with less’ than Poile has during his regime as the Preds GM.  Be it having their roster decimated with UFA defections, the Preds continue to thrive under Poile having made the Stanley Cup playoffs in 6 of their past 7 seasons.  The Preds overcome all of these obstacles by deft drafting and development, particularly with defensemen and goaltending.  Names like defensemen Shea Weber and Ryan Suter and goaltenders Pekka Rinne and Anders Lindback, and former Preds stalwarts like Dan Hamhuis, Chris Mason, Dan Ellis, Tomas Vokoun, Poile has cornered the market on the concept that stellar defense and goaltending is the key to NHL success, especially while working with a limited payroll.  If there has been a possible weakness in Poile’s career as an executive, it has been in obtaining elite talent on the forward lines.  However, in drafting and developing future NHL forward stars in Colin Wilson, Patric Hornqvist and Craig Smith and acquiring solid forward line talent in Mike Fisher and Sergei Kostitsyn, Poile appears to have successfully addressed that area of weakness.

7)  Doug Wilson (San Jose Sharks) -Wilson has been at the helm during the Sharks’ greatest years of success, opening his regime by making one of the most lopsided trades in recent memory, acquiring current Sharks captain Joe Thornton from the Boston Bruins for Marco Sturm, Brad Stuart and Wayne Primeau.  If Wilson stopped there, he would have cemented a legacy for a solid GM ranking, but Wilson has mostly made solid trades – Dan Boyle, Dany Heatley and Niclas Wallin – and UFA acquisitions – Rob Blake and goalies Antti Niemi and Antero Niittymaki – as the Sharks have ascended from a team with a penchant for early round departures to making it to the Western Conference finals this past season.  This off-season, Wilson acquired via trade premier offensive defenseman Brett Burns, Martin Havlat and a 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft from the Minnesota Wild in separate trades, trading away Devin Setoguchi, Dany Heatley, Charlie Coyle and their 1st round pick in the 2011 draft.  While the Sharks have established themselves as one of the premier Western Conference teams and a consistent President’s Cup contender, both Wilson and the Sharks will only be judged on post-season glory.

8)  Dale Tallon (Florida Panthers) – If there was an award for catching “lightning in a bottle, twice” Tallon would be its first recipient.  The former Blackhawks GM built the Blackhawks from perennial doormat to eventual Stanley Cup champions in 2010, although Tallon was not at the helm to witness or take credit for it due to a situation in which NHL Player’s Association (NHLPA) claimed the Blackhawks did not submit offers to their restricted free agents (RFAs) before the deadline.  Tallon was able to sign all of their restricted free agents to resolve the situation, although at a cost of millions.  Tallon was able to resurrect Blackhawks franchise around by drafting young stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, with acquisitions – Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg – and with UFA signings – Marian Hossa, Brian Campbell and John Madden.  As a result of the situation regarding the RFAs, Tallon was demoted to the position of Senior Advisor for the remainder of the season although, as recognition of his stellar efforts, Tallon’s name was engraved on the Stanley Cup trophy.

Before the Blackhawks’ historic Stanley Cup title run, Tallon took the GM position with the moribund Florida Panthers.  He quickly made his mark at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by drafting 13 players including Erik Gudbranson and Quinton Howden in the first round of the draft, the later via a trade with the Canucks.  Tallon then spent the entire next regular season lowering the Panthers overall salary cap and keeping only two holdovers from the pre-lockout era Panthers.  Then during the UFA signing period in July, 2011, several new players were signed to contracts including, Scottie Upshall, Tomas Fleischmann, Sean Bergenheim, Marcel Goc, Matt Bradley, Ed Jovanovski, and Jose Theodore. These signings came on the heels of trades to acquire players Kris Versteeg, Tomas Kopecky, and Brian Campbell, all of whom were members of the 2010 Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup winning roster.  The result of this overall has allowed the Panthers to ascend to the third position in the Eastern Conference standings, proving that “lightning in a bottle” is no accident when it comes to one of the NHL’s most brilliant minds.

9) Don Maloney (Phoenix Coyotes) – Maloney’s position on this list is the embodiment of the phrase “thriving in the face of obstacles”.  The Coyotes seem to make the NHL’s headlines but it’s for all of the wrong reasons, primarily the team’s filing of bankruptcy in 2009 and their continued mounting losses and threats of the team being relocated.  However, in the face of these obstacles, Maloney has built the Coyotes into a consistent Stanley Cup playoff participant.  Maloney built the Coyotes struggling on-ice product by relying on their drafted talent such as Peter Mueller and Martin Hanzal to make the team successful as opposed to using free agency. Maloney then acquired Radim Vrbata from the Chicago Blackhawks to provide the team with more offense.  But it was Maloney’s acquisition (via waivers) of goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov from the Anaheim Ducks that turned the fortunes of the ‘Yotes’ from perennial doormat to playoff contender.  Maloney then hired former Dallas Stars’ head coach Dave Tippett, resulting in the first 50-win season in the franchise’s history, earning Maloney the recipient of the NHL’s first-ever GM of the Year award in 2010.  Even with the defection of Bryzgalov and the continued uncertainty of where the franchise will end up, the Coyotes remain competitive in the Western Conference standings.  Thus, Maloney merits consideration with the NHL’s top executive minds.

10)  George McPhee (Washington Capitals) – McPhee has been at the helm of the Capitals since the 1997 season.  When he arrived to the Caps, they were looking to turn around their long-storied history of being a regular season juggernaut, only to fold in the playoffs. Things started off great, as McPhee engineered the club’s first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals in his first season. The team has played well under the general management of McPhee, having won six Southeast Division championships (1999–2000, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009-10 and 2010-11), had seven 40-or-more win seasons (1997–98, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10 and 2010–11) and a franchise record 121-point season (2009–10).  This was accomplished via a fire sale – the 2003-04 season in which McPhee and Capitals owner Ted Leonsis made the decision to scrap the team’s current lineup in order to dump salaries and begin a youth movement for the team resulting in drafting 1st overall pick Russian phenom Alexander Ovechkin in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft – and an overall rebuild – building the team via players they had homegrown in their own farm system – Niklas Backstrom, Karl Alzner, John Carlson, Mike Green and Alexander Semin.  And although the Caps and McPhee have enjoyed stellar regular season success, it is the Capitals continued lack of post-season success that has eluded both parties and has frustrated the masses at theVerizonCenter.  But McPhee’s efforts have certainly put the pieces in place to change the Capitals’ Stanley Cup playoff fortunes.

Some sporting events have momentum swings that seem to occur in nearly every minute of action, but the tilt between the Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks was not one of those events.

Through the first 40 minutes of Saturday afternoon’s matinee between the Red Wings and Blackhawks, there was little doubt as to who the better team was on the ice. Sure, the Hawks got a huge break when Wings goaltender Jimmy Howard flipped a puck from behind the net directly to Andrew Shaw, but the Wings were the class of the Central for those 40 minutes, outshooting Chicago 29-11 and outscoring them 2-1. As soon as the third period started, however, it became a hockey game.

The Blackhawks managed to fire off 16 quality shots at Howard in the third, but he managed to stop all of them until Jonathan Toews won a face-off against Pavel Datsyuk (no small feat) coming off an icing, and Marian Hossa fired a puck off of Nicklas Lidstrom to score the game tying goal with only 52 second remaining.

The tide swiftly turned the other way, however, as Detroit scored late in the overtime frame to win 3-2 after outshooting the Hawks 9-0 in the extra session. Todd Bertuzzi is the one who netted the rebound off a high shot by Valtteri Fillpula for his second goal of the afternoon, and he ensured that the two teams would both have gotten four points in the three games the two teams have played against each other this season.

If one is to be honest about the effort that the Blackhawks put forth in this game, they probably should not have been in it to the very end. Not only did they get hideously outshot through 40 minutes, and not only did they get a gift goal off an incredibly bizarre choice by Howard (one that left head coach Mike Babcock with a look of “incredulous anger and sheer shock”, as one reporter’s notes described it), but they also left Corey Crawford out to dry for nearly the entire game. He stood on his head in a big way, and he made some incredible saves at key moments throughout the proceedings. If there was any doubt as to whether or not Crawford was back all the way from his early season struggles, it was dispelled with the way he played in this game against a serious contender for the Stanley Cup.

It was also appropriate that the Hawks’ second goal of the game went to Marian Hossa, because he was arguably the catalyst for the team’s third period surge. His ability to hold onto the puck despite the Red Wings throwing bodies at him left and right helped keep a slew of possessions alive for the Blackhawks, and it was his shot from the point that ended up deflecting off Lidstrom and into the Wings’ goal.

There were some serious negatives for the Hawks in this game as well, however. Nick Leddy continued his recent run of poor decision making, with a poor attempt to cycle the puck along the boards in the defensive zone nearly leading to Detroit snatching the lead back with just seconds left in regulation. He also pinched in hard on a play near the blue line in the third period, and the resulting breakaway just about cost the Hawks a momentum killing goal. Fortunately for Chicago, Crawford bailed out the young defenseman, but that doesn’t change the fact that GM Stan Bowman has to address the need for a veteran presence in that second defensive pairing at some point soon.

In addition to Leddy’s poor play, there has been the continuing matter of the play of Patrick Kane. He has only scored three goals in his past 26 games, and he has looked almost afraid of the puck at times. That being said, his puck-handling has been very sloppy as well, and he has been passing up a lot of open shots. He still is one of the leading assist getters on the team, and while that has been the primary source of points in his career, he needs to take more initiative in the offensive zone, and he needs to do a better job of protecting the puck if he is going to continue to receive the bulk share of the minutes among forwards.

Overall, the game was a good one for the Red Wings, but the Blackhawks have got to put up a better effort through a full 60 minutes. Their final push was fantastic to watch and it was great that they got a point, but the Wings showed why they will be a tough out come playoff time with their solid physical effort, as well as their consistent offensive attack. The Hawks will need to get off to a hot start tomorrow night against San Jose, because the odds of being able to generate that kind of third period push on the back-end of a back-to-back are slim.

“Greg from Lemont” is an ex-baseball player, who’s becoming the next sports blog viral video star.

The Chicago Blackhawks fan was given a chance to play “Shoot The Puck,” an period intermission goal shooting contest during Hawks home games at the United Center. The formula is simple: a kid, really hot chick, and adult white guy (sometimes celebrity). Rinse and repeat. The hot girl always gets cheered, the kid and the celebrity can get cheered or booed, the adult white guys always gets booed. But this isn’t about the shooting competition; it’s about Comcast SportsNet Chicago reporter Sarah Kustok, and what she was told by Greg.

I do enjoy publishing stories on people from my hometown becoming stars.

Greg missed his hockey shot, and he also fired a romantic shot telling Sarah Kustok  “I love you,” “you’re so beautiful,” and “you’re so pretty” at center ice of the Blackhawks vs. Minnesota Wild game last night. And by hometown, I mean Sarah Kustok. Watch the video below

To learn a lot more about Kustok, and see more pics of her, go to my exclusive in-depth interview of Kustok in 2010

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.

You may have seen the video of a hockey fan telling the sideline reporter “how pretty she is” and how he loves her“…that’s Sarah Kustok

Paul M. Banks has an exclusive discussion with Comcast Sports Net’s Sarah Kustok.

You’ve undoubtedly seen the DePaul graduate on TV covering the Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago Bulls. She’s had the opportunity to cover a lot of high profile playoff games in multiple sports, and after the jump she’ll tell us all about her amazing experiences, as well as her own backstory.

PAUL M. BANKS: We can start by discussing our shared roots: Palos/Orland Township, about an hour southwest of Chicago. You had a very accomplished prep career in the SICA conference at Carl Sandburg high school. Please tell our readers about your athletic achievements…

SARAH KUSTOK: I thoroughly enjoyed every bit of my experience at Sandburg High School and feel proud to have been a part of teams filled with so many reputable coaches and unforgettable teammates. These days I’m not sure many care to hear me relive the glory days of some of the athletic achievements I was fortunate enough to earn during high school, but I will say that winning a State Championship in volleyball my junior year and taking 4th Place in State for basketball my sophomore year were by far the greatest achievements. All the individual accolades were special but none as important as those I was lucky enough to share with my teammates and friends.

PMB: Well, being an Amos Alonzo Stagg High School alum, I could probably do without hearing some Sandburg glory stories. Kidding of course, but rivalries are rivalries. So, later at DePaul, your basketball career earned you a permanent place in the Blue Demons’ record book. How did those collegiate experiences prepare you for your gig now at Comcast Sports Net? Also please tell us about your work with Fox and ESPN prior to your assuming the Comcast position…

SK: The years I spent playing basketball at DePaul have been – and still continue to be – such an integral part of developing my character and attitude towards my television career and everyday life. In my job, as well as what so many others face in other careers across the board…the ability to chase after dreams…strive to be your best self…never be satisfied…learn how to fall, fail, and always pick yourself up…soak up the amazing moments along with the challenging ones…never ever give up…whatever it is that fuels passion in your heart, make it happen. I think though more than anything, it helped me to realize that no matter what goals you do or do not reach, sharing experiences in this life with family, friends and those you love is what the adventure is all about.

And…to go through every step between being a DePaul basketball player to this position at Comcast SportsNet is one that was an adventure in itself. It involved taking time out to be an assistant coach for Doug Bruno at DePaul…working my way from a production runner for ESPN’s college football and basketball games to reporting from the sideline and being a color analyst…doing various free-lance and fill-in sports anchor work for Fox here in Chicago…sideline reporting for the Chicago Fire…and many many other great opportunities as well. Needless to say, I couldn’t be happier than where I’m at right now.

PMB: Yep, going into this field is a pretty sweet gig. I certainly love my job too. Today, you’re a Chicago celebrity due to your reporting at CSN, and you had some national exposure doing NHL work for Versus. Do people often come up to you in public, and if so, what do they bring up?

SK: You are very kind to call me a Chicago celebrity (I still believe I have a long ways to go!), but when people do come up to me in public, it is an absolute pleasure to hear their thoughts on the teams of this great city and all the work we do at CSN. As with any interaction, you never know what you’re going to get…funny, surprising, inspiring, and everything in between! I just hope that when I do get a chance to talk with people they leave with a smile.

PMB: When people ask you where you’re from and about your background, how do you usually describe Chicago, and Orland Park-Palos Park?

SK: No doubt I’m biased but I’ve traveled quite a bit and I still believe that Chicago is the best city there is! Orland Park included…my parents still live there so I visit all the time. It’s a wonderful place.

PMB: I couldn’t agree more! (although I would swap Orland Park with Palos Heights) It would take something really special and unique to get me to leave this town. And your brother Zak, one of the most accomplished QBs in Northwestern history. How was life growing up with him, and what’s he been up to you after football?

SK: I was the luckiest. I believe I have learned more, laughed more, risked more, and become more than I ever could hope for because of him. He not only was patient enough to always let his little sister tag along with him, but has been my biggest supporter and best friend through it all. These days, Zak is in spinal device sales with NuVasive and lives in Chicago with his wife, Nicole.

PMB: I’m guessing you’re aware of the two Facebook pages dedicated to you- any comment? How many thousands of Twitter followers do you have?

SK: I think I might be one of the last people around that isn’t on Facebook…or Twitter for that matter! One of these days I’ll catch up with the pace of technology. It is really special though that people are kind enough to start a page. I assume that means if I do join Facebook they would be my friends I hope!

PMB: Finally, if Hollywood made a movie of your life, the actress playing you would be…

SK: Well, now we’re really stretching our imaginations…but as long we’re pretending…I’d say Charlize Theron. She’s my favorite.

After going largely unscathed on the injury front for the first half of the season, the Chicago Blackhawks have been getting bitten by the bug in a big way in recent weeks. You have Marcus Kruger out with a concussion (although he is skating now and should be back soon), Daniel Carcillo down with a knee injury that he sustained on his incredibly stupid hit on Tom Gilbert against Edmonton, and Steve Montador just came back from the injured reserve list. Although those guys are all supporting characters in the narrative the Hawks have written so far, one of the prime time players is going to have to be replaced with an understudy for a while.

After leaving Sunday night’s game against the Red Wings with an undisclosed injury, forward Patrick Sharp will miss the next 3-4 weeks with an upper body injury, with most reports indicating that it involves his left hand. That is a relief to fans who saw him seemingly hit his head on the ice when he went down, but it still means that the Hawks will be without a guy who is on pace to score 40 goals this season for almost a month. With that startling realization in mind, and with the knowledge that the team has lost its last four games, is it time for Stan Bowman to pull the trigger on a deal?

Before getting into what Bowman should be willing to give up, it would be helpful to know exactly what kind of wiggle room he has to work with under the NHL’s salary cap. Because of his off-season shedding of the contract of Brian Campbell, as well as his decision to sign cheap free agents rather than give raises to guys like Troy Brouwer and Tomas Kopecky, Bowman has the Hawks poised in good shape to add a contract, with $5.2 million in cap space available. He deliberately left this flexibility on the books this year so that the team could address any needs, but it might finally be time that some of those needs are becoming too big to ignore.

To most observers, the Hawks’ biggest needs at the moment are a second line center and a second-pair defenseman, both of which aren’t exactly cheap but can be found for a decent price. Bowman has shown a propensity for pulling off clever trades before, sending Cam Barker to the Minnesota Wild for Nick Leddy and Kim Johnsson. Johnsson provided some great help for the Hawks down the stretch as they won the 2010 Stanley Cup, and Leddy has been a great asset on the team’s power play.

Even with that ability to be a trade savant, Bowman still can’t afford to take too much of a risk here. This team, gutted by trades and free agents fleeing after that Cup victory, suffered last season because of a lack of depth and a lack of grit, but this year’s team has really shown to have both of those qualities. Trading a youngster or two wouldn’t be the end of the world, but if Bowman starts toying with the idea of moving NHL ready talent and draft picks, then he’s going a step too far in terms of what is actually needed.

With Sharp’s injury, the need for a second line center may seem like the logical place to start, but there is a strong argument to be made to start on the defensive side of the puck. Leddy has been solid this year, and Niklas Hjalmarsson has had a better season than he did a year ago, but truthfully, Leddy should probably be moved to the third defensive pairing to lessen some of the pressure that he is experiencing. He has been missing a lot of assignments on defense, and he seems a little too overeager to jump into a play offensively, and he has gotten burned because of both of those tendencies. Bringing in a steadier hand on defense would help the Hawks enormously on defense, and it would give Leddy more space and less pressure to develop.

In addition to the need for defense being a fairly pressing concern, there are also possibilities of filling the hole left by Sharp with talent that is already on hand. Brandon Pirri is still available down in Rockford, and Andrew Shaw has been given some time at center by Joel Quenneville during his call-up. In addition, Ben Smith has been recalled from Rockford, so he could shift to the wing and Patrick Kane could go back to center, despite calls from Hawks fans to avoid that.

All in all, an injury that is going to cost a player a month of action is not a reason to demolish all of the cap room that you have built up for emergency purposes. The fact of the matter, however, is that the Hawks do need some type of a spark, but they would be better off getting it on the defensive side of the puck. Look for Bowman to work his magic on the phones with other GM’s, but if he overreacts and does something unexpected, it could have dire consequences for a team looking to be a serious contender this season.

With Friday’s 4-0 loss at the hands of the Colorado Avalanche, the Chicago Blackhawks reached the 41-game mark of their season, meaning that half their campaign has come to an end. While the old adage of “time flies when you’re having fun” certainly can apply to a big chunk of those games, the same cannot be said about the way the Hawks ended this stretch of schedule.

Despite being only one point out of the lead in the Central Division, the Hawks have been reeling as of late, dealing with injuries to players like Marcus Kruger and Steve Montador and also losing three games in a row, at least two of which would have been deemed winnable just by looking at the schedule. Falling to the Oilers, Flyers, and Avalanche may not be a season killer by any stretch, but it certainly doesn’t bode well for a team that is going to be getting into a very road-heavy portion of their schedule in the coming weeks.

With that quick recap of where the team is mentally at this point out of the way, here is an evaluation of the way the team has played on the ice overall over the past 41 games, and what it could tell us about the way they could finish the season.

Offense: A-

Unquestionably the strength of the Hawks this season, their offense has been bolstered by some tremendous production from their usual suspects. Jonathan Toews is well on his way to a Hart Trophy caliber season, with 22 goals and 19 assists, and Marian Hossa is having a tremendous season as well, racking up 42 points (17 G, 25 A). Both Patricks are racking up points as well, with Patrick Sharp scoring 19 goals and dishing out 20 assists, and Patrick Kane is leading the team with 27 assists.

The only thing that is really keeping this team from being the league’s best offense is their propensity to go for an extra pass instead of taking a shot, which has been the hallmark of the Joel Quenneville theory on offense in his time in Chicago. When they are putting pucks on net (they are fifth in that category in the NHL), they are nearly unstoppable.

Defense: C

Alas, this team hasn’t shown a great deal of balance between their offense and defense, and that has to be disconcerting for those who picked this team to go far in the playoffs in 2012. Despite allowing the 10th fewest shots on goal in the league this season, the Hawks are 19th in goals against, allowing 2.9 goals per game so far. This has been a testament to the goaltending not quite being up to snuff at times (more about this later), but it is more so an indictment of the quality of scoring chances that they are giving up.

One of the Hawks’ biggest problems in this area has been their inability to get shutdown defense from either of their bottom two pairings. Nick Leddy, who has been very solid on offense, has been getting a lot of pressure put upon himself as he has been paired with Niklas Hjalmarsson on the second pairing, and he has made quite a few mistakes in the process. As a whole, the Hawks have been losing guys on the rush and in front of the net on power plays, and that has complicated matters for both Corey Crawford and Ray Emery.

Power Play: B

The Hawks’ power play has seen more ups and downs within 41 games than the relationships of the Kardashians have (it’s painful to make that comparison, but it’s completely accurate), but for the most part, it’s been pretty solid. They are currently in the middle of the pack in converting with the man-advantage, scoring on 17.8% of their chances. Hossa has been the main guy doing the scoring, with seven tallies to his credit, and Duncan Keith has dished out 10 assists on the man-advantage to lead the club.

As it is with the team’s 5-on-5 offense, the main drawback of their power play unit has been their inability to take shots when they are open to them. There are tons of shots that are being taken with a guy directly in front of the shooter, but they are also taking extra passes and failing to get good quality chances because of it. They are going to have to adjust their mentality in that area if they are going to continue to score well, and they’ll need better production from their second PP unit as well.

Penalty Kill: C

Just like pretty much every other area of the team, the Hawks’ penalty killing group has been inconsistent to say the least. They are just as capable of going six games in a row without allowing a power play goal to allowing five in a two game stretch (they have done both this season), and that inconsistency has led them to near the bottom of the league, ranking 26th with a 78.5% success rate.

The root cause of most of the problems in this area of the ice has been the team’s inability to clear traffic in front of their net. They have also been losing assignments on the ice due to an overeagerness to follow the puck instead of staying on their assignment. Those repeated breakdowns allow guys to skate in unopposed to the middle of the ice, and from there it’s simply a matter of sniping a shot home. They need to improve on their responsibility in a big way if they are going to continue improving in this area.

Goaltending: B-

The Hawks’ goaltending, one of their biggest strengths last season, has been as inconsistent as any other area. While both Emery and Crawford have done a respectable job in keeping pucks out of the net with the defense struggling in front of them, there has still been plenty to question. Both keepers have been unable to show good rebound control, with Emery being an especially egregious offender in this area.

In addition, Crawford has had several games in which he simply looked disinterested, and while it has to be hard to bail out his defense as often as he does, he has to step up his game more often than he has. He is the team’s primary goaltender, and his penchant for giving up soft goals at random intervals this season has been disturbing to say the least.

Overall: B

The Blackhawks’ inconsistency hasn’t kept them from being one of the top teams in the NHL all season, and there is something to be said for that. They have played well a lot this season, but it is absolutely right to question whether or not that inability to put out a consistent 60 minute effort every night will have an adverse effect on the team’s chances of making serious noise in the playoffs.

If Stan Bowman can get a defenseman to put on the team’s second defensive pairing and bump Leddy down to lessen some of the pressure on the youngster, and if they can pick up another solid center so that Kane and Sharp can stay out on the wing where Quenneville prefers them, then this team could very well go deep into the spring, and perhaps have another parade route to plan down Michigan Avenue.

After Sunday night’s loss to the Edmonton Oilers, some of Chicago fans’ attention was focused solely on the largely lackluster effort by the Blackhawks, especially on the power play. They were unable to capitalize on several key opportunities, including a lengthy four minute power play when Jonathan Toews was caught in the face with a high stick, and that contributed greatly to their downfall.

What some other fans, and most of the national media who commented on the game, was focused on was the illegal hit that Hawks forward Daniel Carcillo laid on Edmonton defenseman Tom Gilbert. Carcillo, who missed the season’s first two games while serving a suspension and also was suspended this year for an illegal hit, has been suspended indefinitely by the league. That suspension may not even begin at any point soon, because Carcillo may be out for the long term regardless because of a knee injury that he suffered on the play.

Here is the offending video, just in case you haven’t seen the “Carbomb” in action:

Obviously, Carcillo is going to be facing a lengthy suspension because of both his status as a “repeat offender”, but also the vicious nature of the hit. Gilbert clearly was not in possession of the puck at the time of the hit, and the league has usually considered players to be in a vulnerable position when they are skating up to the end boards. Both of those factors will play against Carcillo, but only his meeting with Brendan Shanahan will clear that matter up.

The bigger issue in this situation is what the Blackhawks intend to do about their troubled winger. Long known as a guy with a penchant for destruction from his time in Phoenix and Philadelphia, Carcillo came to town with a ton of baggage, but with a ton of upside. He was a guy who was capable of delivering a big hit just as much as delivering a goal or assist, and he was a needed addition to a Blackhawks team that was incredibly soft last season.

In only 28 games this season (besides the two suspensions he also missed six games with a concussion), Carcillo has scored twice and has dished out nine assists. This is thanks largely to the fact that Joel Quenneville puts him out on the ice frequently with players like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, but the fact remains that Carcillo is capable of producing offensively, and that enables Quenneville to be flexible with where he slots him.

On the downside, however, Carcillo has shown some incredibly poor judgment this season. Both of the hits that he was suspended for were downright deplorable, and he is drawing some comparisons for his lack of hockey acumen to Penguins forward Matt Cooke, the standard bearer for the phrase “dirty player”. Cooke has received several suspensions for his hits, including a 10-game ban and the first round of the playoffs last season after he hit Ryan McDonagh in the head.

Comparisons to Cooke are not what someone wants on their resume, but that’s exactly where Carcillo has landed himself with his foolish behavior. The Hawks would be well off to, whether in public or private, deliver Daniel an ultimatum should he return to the ice this season (a big if with how vague the coaching staff has been about his injury status): if you get into trouble with Shanahan again this season, we will send you to Rockford and forget about you. Period.

A competitor like Carcillo would not want to be sent into exile in such humiliating fashion, but that very well could be the only way to get through to him in this situation. He has shown that suspensions and negative press will not deter him from failing to use his brain on the ice, so the Hawks need to raise the ante in a big way if they are to be taken seriously in their efforts to keep him in check. He is worth it to keep around just because of his physical ability and his soft hands with the puck on his stick, but that value only goes so far when it comes to the type of hits he keeps delivering.

If they fail to act, and Carcillo gets into trouble again, then they themselves might be the targets of some of the negative ink that their forward is getting. With the way that John McDonough and the gang have sold this team as a fun-loving group of regular Joes, that might be the biggest fear of all for the organization.

How has “Hockeytown U.S.A.” never hosted a NHL Winter Classic? The Detroit Red Wings are one of the game’s most legendary brands and franchises. With the exception of the Montreal Canadiens, no team has a richer history and more iconic logo on their sweater.

Of course, Montreal hasn’t hosted the game either, but first things first. The Wings have the perfect venue with a track record of success for hosting outdoor hockey, exactly what the January 1 NHL event.

And that venue, Michigan Stadium, home of the Wolverines of college football, also recently got lights just in case the league wants to move the event to prime time.

Yes, the perfect scenario is right outside the Detroit suburbs. The Winter Classic is not like the Super Bowl or the NCAA Final Four where they book the location multiple years in advance. It’s only four years old and its future locations are very much up in the air.

So Detroit “you only get one shot! Do not miss your chance cuz opportunity comes once in a life time.”

Michigan Stadium hosted the Wolverines versus the Michigan State Spartans in the “Big Chill at the Big House” in college hockey last year. which drew a record 104,000 fans.

And that’s college hockey. The Wings could easily draw 115,000+! Just give them an oponent like the Canadiens or Toronto Maple Leafs. Another originial 6 team where hockey is a way of life would be required to fill seats.

None of their central division foes qualify. St. Louis isn’t successful enough, Nashville and Columbus are way too young and the Chicago Blackhawks were in the dark ages for too long.

You might first be inclined to have a 2009 Winter Classic rematch in Ann Arbor, but that’s a bad idea. The Hawks overrate themselves as a franchise; especially now since they won a cup and are selling out the joint. However, decades of horrible mismanagement and the dinosaur of disallowing home games on television has left them with a fan base pretty miniscule when compared to Detroit, Montreal and Toronto.

Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports

A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.