A Stanley Cup First, Reichel’s Future, Return of the King, and Other Blackhawks Bullets

Hey so how about those college football games yesterday, eh? And the Bears looked great! Lots of exciting action. Meanwhile, the hockey world remains relatively quiet. The good news: we’re only a few days away from September when the fun really begins. Let’s take a look at some of the hockey conversation happening out there today.

  • In a sport that, frankly, would benefit from more diverse representation, we had a wonderful first on Saturday. Nazem Kadri took the Stanley Cup to a mosque in London, Ontario.
  • If you followed any of the replies to tweets like the ones from TSN or Amrit Gill below or other Muslim hockey players/fans it is clear how important this moment was for that community — which should make this an important moment for the hockey community. Inclusion makes the game better, and this first will hopefully make others believe they can achieve what Kadri did this year.
  • Yesterday we discussed what Blackhawks fans should hope to see from top prospect Lukas Reichel in the coming season. He did a really nice job in Rockford last year, especially on the offensive side of the ice. But what role will he have in Chicago (or Rockford) this year?
  • Ben Pope at the Chicago Sun-Times shared a really good piece about Derek King staying with the Blackhawks as an assistant coach.
  • Last year wasn’t what anyone wanted from the Blackhawks. And this year will probably get worse. But I have a feeling players are going to want to play for this coaching staff a heck of a lot more than the previous one, and think it was a great decision to bring King back as an assistant.
  • Marco D’Amico joined Matthew Ross on TSN 690 in Montreal and talked about the Kirby Dach trade for a bit on Sunday morning. He claims it was largely about Dach’s struggles at the dot. And that might be a significant contributing factor to the trade. But the second part of this tweet — the new front office wanting a reset — is the reality.
  • https://twitter.com/MatthewWords/status/1563863597972951040

  • Earlier this week we dropped our updated top 20 prospects in the Blackhawks’ organization with the World Juniors giving us some more games to consider. Which prospects are you most excited about this coming season?
  • Finally, we’re still hyped about Justin Fields’ performance last night in the Bears’ preseason finale.
  • 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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