Happy Friday to everyone but the sun, who I am not getting along with right now as I type these bullets with my upper body slathered in aloe due to sunburn. I wasn’t sure how I got so burnt yesterday in the pool because I applied plenty of sunscreen before hopping in. Or so I thought. I realized later that instead of using plenty of sunscreen, I mistakenly grabbed the spray can of tanning oil (same brand and nearly identical design on the spray can), and I fried like an egg.
Let’s talk some Blackhawks, and hopefully, next time, I will take a few seconds actually to read what I’m putting on.
The Blackhawks released a video on Thursday that featured CEO Danny Wirtz speaking about the Blackhawks’ efforts to learn and work with Native American partners over the last two years. I’m not going to lie; I kind of felt like there was a new logo coming at the end of this video for a second there.
There is no new logo yet, or even a commitment to one, although I can see it coming down the line. Wirtz laid out new plans to help support their Native American partners in the community. Wirtz announced that the Blackhawks are working with the Sac and Fox Nation’s language department and a Native American app developer to create educational content in their native Sauk language to preserve the language and teach it to future generations.
The Blackhawks are also working with the Sac and Fox education department to create two new four-year scholarships for Sac and Fox high school seniors. One scholarship will be awarded to students based on leadership skills, and the other based on athletic achievements.
The team is also working with artists and curators from the Potawatomi, Ojibwe, and Sac and Fox Nations to create an art exhibit at the Burpee Museum of Natural History in Rockford, Illinois.
Wirtz and the Blackhawks have been and seem to be continually committed to learning not only about their namesake’s history and culture but also to earning the trust and respect of the communities of indigenous peoples in the midwest. Will their efforts be enough to keep them from changing their name and logo in the end? I’m really not sure.
Another Blackhawks 2022 draft pick has been added to Team Canada’s WJC evaluation camp roster:
Paul Ludwinski, who had an impressive week at the Blackhawks development camp last week, joins fellow 2022 Hawks draft picks Kevin Korchinski and Ryan Greene. Nolan Allan, Ethan Del Mastro, and Colton Dach round out the six Blackhawks in camp for Team Canada.
The Blackhawks tweeted a video of coach Kendall Coyne working with the Blackhawks’ prospects at last week’s development camp, and it struck me as very cool how much the players seemed to respect Coyne and her skills and knowledge genuinely. Colton Dach joked about how Coyne embarrassed the kids during a bag skate drill in Rockford last season,
Speaking of prospects, we have a pretty cool story involving the prospects dropping this afternoon, and you’ll want to make sure you catch that one 👀.
Elsewhere in the NHL, the San Jose Sharks have a new head coach. Kevin Weekes, Sheng Peng, and Elliotte Friedman have all reported that David Quinn will become the Sharks’ next head coach on a three-year deal.
Quinn coached Team USA in the 2022 Beijing Olympic Games and previously was the New York Rangers head coach from 2018-2021. Ironically, Quinn’s first win as an NHL head coach came with the Rangers against the San Jose Sharks in 2018. The Rangers were 97-87-25 under Quinn, but three straight missed playoff appearances spelled doom for Quinn in New York.
The Athletic’s Harman Dayal has more on the J.T. Miller contract extension front. Miller’s aren Ryan Bartlett said that he believes there is a “realistic path for an extension with the Canucks,” but also made it clear that the ball is in Vancouver’s court. Vancouver has expressed their desire to retain Miller but has been slow moving on the extension that could cost them upwards of $8-9 million per season.
Johnny Gaudreau penned a heart-felt goodbye to Calgary in the Player’s Tribune. Gaudreau signed a seven-year, $68.25 million contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets after spending the first nine seasons in Calgary.
Luis discussed Matt Eberflus’s task of creating a new culture and identity for the Chicago Bears on Thursday:
Eli on Alex Caruso’s first season with the Chicago Bulls:
That’s it for today!
NEWSLETTER
