Stanley Cup Controversy, NHL Enters the NFT Game, Chicago Completes Front Office Leadership, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Hoo boy, did we ever get a game last night! After a couple of blowouts in Games Two and Three, the Avs and Lightning treated us to a second overtime finish in the Stanley Cup Final. And there was drama!

  • Nazem Kadri returned from injury and made his presence felt in the most significant way possible. He scored the OT GWG on a gorgeous goal, beating Andrei Vasilevskiy in a way that felt reminiscent of Patrick Kane’s disappearing Cup-clinching goal in 2010.
  • With the racist attacks and threats on social media Kadri dealt with earlier in these playoffs and the injury suffered in the last series, it’s hard not to feel good for the kid making the play of his life to win the biggest game for the Avalanche franchise in more than 20 years. But… it wasn’t without a little (LOT) scrutiny.
  • After the game, Tampa head coach Jon Cooper wasn’t happy. In fact, he only took one question in his postgame press availability and walked away emotionally after providing this answer.
  • Why was he mad? It appeared the Avs had six men on the ice when Kadri scored the goal.
  • Well, it also appeared the Bolts had six men on the ice (check the tape). And, as Twitter tends to do, we were reminded that Tampa may have had seven(!) skaters on the ice last year against the Islanders in one of their playoff wins. So… puck don’t lie?
  • Pierre LeBrun at The Athletic had a nice piece early Thursday morning about Kaner’s phone blowing up last night after Kadri scored a goal he didn’t realize was in.
  • Have you played around on NBA Top Shot at all? It’s wildly popular and people are still throwing money at it. Now, the NHL is getting into the NFT game with a new deal that will begin next season. Sean Shapiro has a good breakdown of the why, and how much money is involved.
  • With all of the coaching news around the NHL, we provided an update on all of the hires this morning. There are still four vacancies in the league, including the Blackhawks.
  • Also, ICYMI, the Blackhawks, announced the completion of their hockey operations leadership group on Wednesday afternoon. Meghan Hunter becomes just the fourth female assistant general manager in NHL history. We have all the promotions and roles for you.
  • The OT GWG from Kadri wasn’t the only NHL controversy this week. The Professional Hockey Writers Association released their ballots from the NHL Awards yesterday, and there were a few folks whose mentions weren’t likely as kind as they would have liked. Scott Powers does a terrific job covering the Blackhawks at The Athletic, but he left Roman Josi off his Norris ballot. How? And he wasn’t alone in having his receipts brought up yesterday. We do appreciate the transparency, however.
  • Finally, Happy Draft Day to our Bulls fans out there. We’ve had great coverage of the rumors and scouting reports of the prospects who might be on the Bulls’ radar in the weeks leading up to tonight’s draft. Enjoy tonight, hoops fans!
  • written by

    Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association and is the author of two books about the Blackhawks: "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/Instagram/Threads at @The1Tab

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