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Coming into the 2011-12 season, the Chicago Blackhawks seemed like they finally had a guy they could count on in net. They inked Corey Crawford to a three-year extension over the off-season, and the only question was whether Ray Emery or Alexander Salak would back up the talented youngster. As has happened in previous years with Cristobal Huet, Nikolai Khabibulin, Antti Niemi, and Marty Turco, however, the Hawks’ crease was not as solidified as previously thought.
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It wasn’t the prettiest game in the history of the NHL, but that scarcely mattered as Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp scored goals and Patrick Kane picked up two assists in the Chicago Blackhawks’ 3-2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks at the United Center. Kane also picked up the winning shootout tally, and Corey Crawford made 29 saves in the win.
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In contrast to the 2010 off-season, the summer of 2011 was a relatively quiet one for the Chicago Blackhawks. Sure, there were still trades that took place and signings galore, but the attachment that fans felt to the players who had so recently won the Stanley Cup made it more difficult to see guys like Andrew Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien go to other places.
With more fans tuning in to see what the Blackhawks are up to as they prepare for the regular season, which is only 18 days away, The Sports Bank is here to give you a quick and dirty recap of all the moves that the Blackhawks have made since Alex Burrows swiped the puck from Chris Campoli and scored the series winner that sent Chicago home.
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TOP NHL GOALIE FREE AGENTS
There is no real baseball being played right now, despite what Bud Selig wants us to think. There is no action in the NBA or NFL with both locked out and barred from their sport. The only real sport still rolling is the NHL. With the free agency period a little more than a week and a half old, the top players of the class have been signed to the big contracts, the accompanying pieces have been signed, and we have a general sense of what every NHL team’s line ups come this fall. It’s time to take a look at where the top players signed and what more to expect this NHL offseason. To see who the top goalies are and where they went, continue after the jump.
Bryan Vickroy
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The Chicago Blackhawks salary cap mess claimed another big name player Monday. This time it’s the starting goalie on their Cup winning team. The Hawks front office decided to pass on awarding Niemi his arbitration award; and will let him walk.
Instead they signed former Dallas Star Marty Turco.
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