If you’ll indulge me just a little bit this morning.
Today, September 9th, is me and my wife’s wedding anniversary. It’s been four years of marriage, and in October, it’ll be 13 years that we have been together. We met and started dating in high school, stayed together long-distance through college, moved-in together shortly after in Milwaukee, then moved to Chicago and eventually got married. Now this October will not only be 13 years together, but it is also when we will welcome our daughter into the world. It’s an incredible journey we have been on and I cannot wait to see what is next in life for us.
4 years ago today, I was lucky enough to marry the most amazing woman on the planet ❤️ pic.twitter.com/tSNqSZxc7o
— Mario Tirabassi (@Mario_Tirabassi) September 9, 2021
• Ok, on to the hockey because I know that is what you came here for.
• With the season just over a month away, the Blackhawks announced their plans for Single-Game ticket sales yesterday. Along with that information, they announced a slew of promotion nights and special honors and ceremonies for the 2021-22 season.
Blackhawks Announce Ticket Sales Date, Retirement Ceremonies for 2021-22 Seasonhttps://t.co/XEZWS8Z7Gc
— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) September 8, 2021
• Tickets go on sale at Noon CT on Tuesday, September 14th and there will be various retirement celebrations throughout this season for recently retired Blackhawks like Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw, and Niklas Hjalmarsson, as well as a night to honor the retiring Pat Foley at the end of the season. Check out the full info above.
• Out with the old and in with the new, right? Malcolm Subban has a new mask on the way for the 2021-22 season with the Blackhawks, and it is a full tribute to Blackhawks great Tony Esposito, who passed away in August.
New mask, who did?
Check out Malcolm Subban’s new #Blackhawks mask with a tribute to the late Tony Esposito
(📸 IG: rescustom, covetedmask) pic.twitter.com/Hb0zocUvGg— Bleacher Nation Blackhawks (@BN_Blackhawks) September 8, 2021
• Such an awesome mask and a great honor to the late Tony-O. Now the question is, will Subban be wearing that mask in Chicago or Rockford this season?
• From current Blackhawks goalie gear to future Blackhawks goalie gear, 2020 second-round pick Drew Commesso is joining Bauer Hockey officially as he heads into his second year with Boston University.
https://twitter.com/BN_Blackhawks/status/1435763753245609984?s=20
• And speaking of Commesso, he ranked highly on the 2021 Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Pyramid, which you should totally check out if you haven’t yet! Ok, last time, I swear.
• It’s been relatively quiet on the lawsuit front for the Blackhawks recently, but that doesn’t mean that it’s going away anytime soon.
“John Doe,” the former Blackhawks player who’s suing the team over alleged sexual misconduct by Brad Aldrich in 2010, says: “It has been a long road to get to this point. A lot of ups and downs, riding the rollercoaster of emotion.” – w/ @ChristyGutowsk1 https://t.co/5SEupQhtjC
— Phillip Thompson (@_phil_thompson) September 9, 2021
• From the Chicago Tribune’s Phillip Thompson and Christy Gutowski, the former Blackhawk known as “John Doe 1” talks about his journey from the incidents to now. Highly recommend checking it out.
• In news around the league, Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby will miss the next six weeks after undergoing a “wrist procedure” and will likely keep him out for the start of the regular season.
Penguins captain Sidney Crosby underwent a successful wrist procedure today.
Crosby will miss the start of training camp and is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks.
Full details: https://t.co/Vi8y0UWzQF pic.twitter.com/rT2emh9pE4
— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) September 8, 2021
• That six-week span is significant because it would mean that Crosby will miss the Penguins hosting the Blackhawks on October 16th…
If the six-week prognosis for Sidney Crosby's recovery holds true, he will miss four games:
Oct. 12 @ Tampa Bay
Oct. 14 @ Florida
Oct. 16 vs. Chicago
Oct. 19 vs. Dallas— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) September 8, 2021
• Damn. Why does it always seem like Crosby is, for some reason, missing games against the Blackhawks?
• Here’s a fun fact that might win you a free drink in a bar bet: Which team does Sidney Crosby have his worst career +/- rating against? The Answer: Chicago (-12 in 15 games)
• In St. Louis Blues news, former Captain and Blues legend David Backes signed a one-day contract with the team after spending the past five seasons away from the club with the Boston Bruins and Anaheim Ducks, and announced his retirement.
We've signed David Backes to a one-day contract.
Now that @dbackes42 is a Blue again, he has some news to share. #stlblues 👇 https://t.co/9ptjo8uAsj
— St. Louis Blues (@StLouisBlues) September 9, 2021
• After 15 seasons in the NHL, Backes retires having played 965 games, 727 of those with the Blues. He also played in 82 career Stanley Cup Playoff games in his career, 49 with St. Louis. In his career, Backes played the second-most regular season minutes against the Blackhawks. Factoring in playoff minutes, he played the most time against the Blackhawks than any other opponent in his career. A long-time thorn in the side of Chicago, he had an incredible career and want to wish him well in his retirement.
• How about some hockey and wrestling cross-over content?
We on some old school Cincinnati Gardens shit in this Mfer pic.twitter.com/YZcuOXCHOB
— Jon Moxley (@JonMoxley) September 8, 2021
• AEW’s Jon Moxley rocking a modified Cincinnati Cyclones style t-shirt, circa 1990-1992 in the old ECHL, which was at that time called the East Coast Hockey League. Honestly, that’s a sick shirt.
• That will do it for today. Hope you all have a good Thursday and a good first day of the NFL season!
I dunno about you, but Justin Fields looks ready to me.
📸: Fields’ IG | https://t.co/KXgIYtmGBk pic.twitter.com/H4jyxhm0mO
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) September 9, 2021
• 🐻⬇️