Since opening on October 9, 1924; Soldier Field hockey happened for the first time in its storied history. 52,000 lucky fans got the chance to be a part of the experience as CCHA rivals 12th-ranked Notre Dame and third-ranked Miami of Ohio began the festivities.
Follow paulmbanksDon’t Underestimate the Chicago Bears
After the dust had settled following the Bear’s third consecutive season opening win at Soldier Field, there was only one thing going through my mind:
“The Bears are WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE!”
But this time, it wasn’t as if Denny Green and the Arizona Cardinals “let us off the hook”.
The Bears couldn’t have had their opening 3 minutes go any worse if they planned to. But the following 45 minutes showed everyone what this team has the potential to do: hang points on people in a hurry, play suffocating defense, and dominate lesser opponents.
People may be quick to point out that the Colts were the worst team in the NFL last year, and that the Bears have gotten out to fast starts before only to flame out when it counts.
But Sunday’s game provided definitive signs to why this success will stick going forward.
Follow paulmbanksIndianapolis Colts open Andrew Luck era against Chicago Bears
Finally.
After such an incredibly turbulent offseason, perhaps the most turbulent one since infamously moving to Indianapolis in 1984, the Indianapolis Colts finally have a real football game to play today, the first one coached by Chuck Pagano and quarterbacked by Andrew Luck.
A new era. A fresh start.
We certainly won’t learn everything about this majorly overhauled roster after its contest with the Chicago Bears at 1 p.m. at Soldier Field. From what we saw during training camp and preseason action, though, can give us a good idea of what areas to watch specifically as the Colts truly enter a brave new post-Peyton Manning world.
Follow paulmbanksChicago Bears season outlook: first quarter
Week 4 of the preseason is upon us. Veterans and rookies alike will anxiously await the announcement of the final roster in the days following the Bears matchup against the Browns.
The roster will make its way from 75 players down to the final 53, and many fringe players will have to put it all on the line this Thursday to earn the right to continue playing on Sundays.
The final roster is not yet set, but it’s safe to say that this year’s team is one of the most talented groups to don the navy and orange uniforms. Even though the NFC North is one of the most feared divisions in the NFL, general consensus still remains that the Bears will be making a deep postseason run.
But every team’s hopes are high at the moment. Everyone still has a 0 in the loss column and 16 games to play.
So I’ve decided to take an in depth look at the schedule and try to justify the hype surrounding the Bears. I too believe the Bears will win at least 10 games, march into the playoffs, and will hopefully be playing on the Sunday in February that matters most. But maybe I’m just blinded by bias.
Follow paulmbanksDenis Savard flourishing as Chicago Blackhawks Ambassador
Denis Savard may not have been the perfect coach for the Chicago Blackhawks (but he was a decent bench boss at the time for the team), but he is currently flourishing as the team’s ambassador. The former center was the biggest star on the team in the 1980s, and his stint as coach in the late 2000s helped revive interest in the team.
He just wasn’t the guy to bring them the Cup. But as ambassador, he’s perfect. And I caught up to him last week as he helped unveil the Hockey City Classic, a college hockey double header between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Miami Red Hawks, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Wisconsin Badgers.
Follow paulmbanksHockey City Classic at Soldier Field: Notre Dame vs. Miami, Wisconsin vs. Minnesota (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Outdoor hockey is coming to Soldier Field for the first time in the venue’s legendary history. On Feb. 17, 2013, Soldier Field will play host to the inaugural Hockey City Classic – an outdoor college hockey doubleheader featuring premier programs: University of Notre Dame vs. Miami University and University of Minnesota vs. University of Wisconsin. Game times will be announced at a later date. The Hockey City Classic will be preceded by two weeks of winter festivities, including:
two days of free public ice skating; youth, high school and adult hockey events; private ice rentals; and much more. The Hockey City Classic is being organized by Chicago-based sports and entertainment marketing agency Intersport, in partnership with Soldier Field and the Chicago Park District.
Follow paulmbanksOutdoor hockey, Hockey City Classic, coming to Soldier Field (PHOTOS, VIDEO)
Outdoor hockey is coming to Soldier Field for the first time in the venue’s legendary history. On Feb. 17, 2013, Soldier Field will play host to the inaugural Hockey City Classic – an outdoor college hockey doubleheader featuring premier programs: University of Notre Dame vs. Miami University and University of Minnesota vs. University of Wisconsin. Game times will be announced at a later date.
The Hockey City Classic will be preceded by two weeks of winter festivities, including: two days of free public ice skating; youth, high school and adult hockey events; private ice rentals; and much more. The Hockey City Classic is being organized by Chicago-based sports and entertainment marketing agency Intersport, in partnership with Soldier Field and the Chicago Park District.
Follow paulmbanksChicago Bears Season Circling the Drain After Loss to Packers
It’s safe to say the Monsters of the Midway are toiling because their 2011 season is certainly in the toilet.
The Chicago Bears didn’t get the Green Bay Packers A-game, or even their B+game, but they still got beat pretty bad. As my colleague in America’s Dairyland points out, it was an ugly penalty and turnover filled slopfest.
The turf at Soldier Field is among the worst in all of sports, but it was so bad yesterday that it necessitated a stoppage in play. The surface is a fine metaphor for the style of the game, and the Bears 2011 season prospects- all of them resemble excrement.
Also resembling excrement is the statistics surrounding the Bears running game and Matt Forte.
Follow paulmbanksGreen Bay Packers Beat the Chicago Bears, But in Ugly Fashion
For some reason, every time the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears meet at Soldier Field, it ends up being an absolutely ugly game that makes fans from each side very frustrated.
The 183rd meeting between division rivals was no different as the Packers (3-0) drudged out a 27-17 victory over the Bears (1-2) in a game which contained 17 total penalties and four turnovers.
Despite the ugly nature of the game, it didn’t stop tight-end Jermichael Finley from having a beast of a game with seven catches, 85 yards and a career-high three touchdowns.
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