2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	2008–09
Year:	2008
Team:	Chicago Blackhawks
Conferencerank:	4th
Divisionrank:	2nd
Record:	46–24–12
Homerecord:	24–9–8
Roadrecord:	22–15–4
Goalsfor:	264
Goalsagainst:	216
Arena:	United Center Wrigley Field (1 game)
Attendance:	22,247 (21,783, 106.2% at UC) Capacity: 20,500 Total: 912,155 (871,337 at UC)^[1] ^[2]
Goalsleader:	Jonathan Toews (34)
Assistsleader:	Martin Havlat (48)
Pointsleader:	Martin Havlat (77)
Plusminusleader:	Duncan Keith (+33)
Pimleader:	Ben Eager (161)
Winsleader:	Nikolai Khabibulin (25)
Gaaleader:	Nikolai Khabibulin (2.33)

The 2008–09 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 83rd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. Prior to the start of the season, the Blackhawks announced that 20-year-old center Jonathan Toews would serve as the team's captain for the 2008–09 season, thus making him the 3rd-youngest player to earn that distinction in the NHL.^[3] Their regular season began on October 10, 2008, against the New York Rangers and concluded on April 12, 2009, against the rival Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks played in the Winter Classic, an outdoor game, against the Red Wings at Wrigley Field on January 1, 2009. The team succeeded in making the 2008–09 playoffs with a 3–1 win over Nashville on April 3 after missing the 2007–08 playoffs by three points.

Pre-season

The Chicago Blackhawks had a busy offseason following the 2007–08 regular season. In late April, a few weeks after the season concluded, the Blackhawks announced that they were entering a three-year partnership with WGN (720 AM); they previously aired games on WSCR (670 AM). This coincided with a previous announcement that the team would air up to twenty games on WGN's TV affiliate.^[4] The club also brought back announcer Pat Foley to do the play-by-play announcing for all television broadcasts.^[5]

The Blackhawks made a "huge splash" on the first day of free agency by signing defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet.^[6] Campbell's $57.12 million contract was the largest in team history.^[7] Along with Campbell and Huet, the Blackhawks signed three other free agents, while losing three to other teams. Long-time Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman joined the organization in late July as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations.^[8] The Hawks also added Rockford IceHogs head coach Mike Haviland as an assistant coach, and signed former Colorado Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville as a scout.^{[9] [10]}

On July 16, 2008, the NHL announced that the Blackhawks would host the second outdoor NHL Winter Classic on January 1, 2009, at Wrigley Field against the rival Detroit Red Wings.^[11] The game will be the 701st meeting between the two clubs, and the Blackhawks will wear uniforms similar to those they wore during the 1936–37 season.^[12]

The team also announced that they intended to retire jersey number #3 in honor of defensemen Pierre Pilote and Keith Magnuson. Hockey Hall of Famer Pilote spent thirteen seasons with the Hawks, winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman on three occasions. Magnuson accumulated over 1,400 penalty minutes in eleven years with the team. Magnuson was the president of the Blackhawks Alumni Association before he died in an automobile accident in 2003.^[13]

2008 Pre-season game log: 5–1–2 (Home: 3–0–1; Road: 2–1–1)
	Date	Opponent	Score	OT	Decision	Arena	Attendance	Record	Recap
1	September 23		4–3				18,752	1–0–0	W1
2	September 26		4–3			United Center	18,034	2–0–0	W2
3	September 28		4–3			United Center	18,425	3–0–0	W3
4	September 29	@ Columbus Blue Jackets	7–1		Huet		10,508	3–1–0	L1
5	September 30	@ Minnesota Wild	3–2	OT	Crawford		18,064	3–1–1	OTL1
6	October 2	@ Dallas Stars	4–3	SO	Niemi		15,142	4–1–1	W1
7	October 3		7–4		Huet		N/A	5–1–1	W2
8	October 5	Colorado Avalanche	4–3	OT	Huet	United Center	18,053	5–1–2	OTL1

Season events

The Chicago Blackhawks opened the season against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on October 10, 2008. After winning only one of their first four games, the Blackhawks fired head coach Denis Savard. Shortly afterwards, they promoted scout Joel Quenneville as his replacement.^[14] In 147 games as coach, Savard posted a 65–66–16 record.

In December, an anonymous Blackhawks fan submitted an email to Mike Ross of XM Radio's NHL Home Ice, which revealed that the team had interrupted their travel schedule to attend the wake of general manager Dale Tallon's father.^[15] The team voted to delay their flight to Chicago during a six-game road trip in order to travel to the wake, which was in Northern Canada.^[16] The team reached the wake on two buses, and surprised Tallon, who was unaware of the team's plans.^{[16] [17]} Ross was shocked that no media outlets had initially reported the story, and commented, "Its amazing that such a good story can be found nowhere on the internet, and not even mentioned in the Chicago papers. Had one of the Blackhawks got into a fight and punched some drunken loser in a Toronto bar it would be plastered all over papers and the television."^[16] The story eventually garnered much attention from various media outlets in the following week, including ESPN, Yahoo! Sports and Deadspin. MSNBC's Keith Olbermann commended the team's actions, by naming them the "best persons in the world" for the week.^{[17] [18]}

On December 28, 2008, the Blackhawks set a franchise record nine consecutive wins.

Division standings

Conference standings

Schedule and results

Legend:

2008–09 Game log
October: 4–3–3 (Home: 4–0–2; Road: 0–3–1) Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 1 October 10 4–2 18,200 0–1–0 0 L1 2 October 11 4–2 18,277 0–2–0 0 L2 3 October 13 3–2 SO Huet 21,712 0–2–1 1 SOL1 4 October 15 4–1 Khabibulin United Center 20,522 1–2–1 3 W1 5 October 18 4–3 SO Khabibulin 19,150 1–2–2 4 SOL1 6 October 19 4–2 Huet United Center 21,193 2–2–2 6 W1 7 October 22 3–0 Khabibulin United Center 21,168 3–2–2 8 W2 8 October 25 6–5 SO Khabibulin United Center 22,690 3–2–3 9 SOL1 9 October 27 3–2 Huet 18,568 3–3–3 9 L1 10 October 31 5–2 Khabibulin United Center 21,212 4–3–3 11 W1
November: 6–3–3 (Home: 2–1–2; Road: 4–2–1) Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 11 November 1 4–3 SO Huet 14,680 5–3–3 13 W2 12 November 3 6–2 Khabibulin United Center 21,142 6–3–3 15 W3 13 November 9 6–1 Huet United Center 21,169 7–3–3 17 W4 14 November 12 2–1 SO Khabibulin United Center 22,092 7–3–4 18 SOL1 15 November 14 St. Louis Blues 4–3 OT Khabibulin United Center 22,260 7–3–5 19 OTL2 16 November 16 6–5 Huet United Center 21,181 7–4–5 19 L1 17 November 18 @ Phoenix Coyotes 3–2 SO Khabibulin 14,682 8–4–5 21 W1 18 November 20 @ Dallas Stars 6–3 Khabibulin 18,027 9–4–5 23 W2 19 November 22 5–4 OT Khabibulin 19,474 10–4–5 25 W3 20 November 26 @ San Jose Sharks 3–2 OT Huet 17,496 10–4–6 26 OTL1 21 November 28 1–0 Huet 16,994 10–5–6 26 L1 22 November 29 5–2 Huet 16,147 10–6–6 26 L2
December: 10–1–1 (Home: 5–0–0; Road: 5–1–1) Pts. 21 Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 23 December 3 Anaheim Ducks 4–2 Huet United Center 21,574 11–6–6 28 W1 24 December 6 @ Detroit Red Wings 5–4 SO Huet 20,066 11–6–7 29 SOL1 25 December 7 Phoenix Coyotes 7–1 Huet United Center 21,217 12–6–7 31 W1 26 December 10 2–0 Huet United Center 21,614 13–6–7 33 W2 27 December 12 @ Colorado Avalanche 4–3 Khabibulin 17,569 14–6–7 35 W3 28 December 14 Columbus Blue Jackets 3–1 Huet United Center 21,379 15–6–7 37 W4 29 December 16 @ Edmonton Oilers 9–2 Khabibulin 16,839 16–6–7 39 W5 30 December 19 @ Calgary Flames 3–2 OT Khabibulin 19,289 17–6–7 41 W6 31 December 20 @ Vancouver Canucks 3–1 Huet 18,630 18–6–7 43 W7 32 December 26 5–1 Khabibulin United Center 22,712 19–6–7 45 W8 33 December 28 @ Minnesota Wild 4–1 Huet Xcel Energy Center 18,568 20–6–7 47 W9 34 December 30 @ Detroit Red Wings 4–0 Khabibulin Joe Louis Arena 20,066 20–7–7 47 L1
January: 7–6–1 (Home: 3–3–1; Road: 4–3–0) Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 35 January 1* Detroit Red Wings 6–4 Huet 40,818 20–8–7 47 L2 36 January 4 Calgary Flames 5–2 Khabibulin United Center 22,146 21–8–7 49 W1 37 January 6 @ Phoenix Coyotes 6–0 Huet Jobing.com Arena 14,651 22–8–7 51 W2 38 January 8 @ Colorado Avalanche 2–1 Khabibulin Pepsi Center 15,174 22–9–7 51 L1 39 January 10 @ Nashville Predators 4–1 Huet 16,802 22–10–7 51 L2 40 January 11 Nashville Predators 3–1 Khabibulin United Center 21,666 23–10–7 53 W1 41 January 14 4–1 Huet United Center 21,684 24–10–7 55 W2 42 January 16 New York Rangers 3–2 OT Khabibulin United Center 22,624 24–10–8 56 OTL1 43 January 17 @ St. Louis Blues 2–1 OT Huet Scottrade Center 19,250 25–10–8 58 W1 44 January 19 Minnesota Wild 4–1 Khabibulin United Center 21,320 25–11–8 58 L1 45 January 21 St. Louis Blues 2–0 Huet United Center 22,299 25–12–8 58 L2 46 January 28 @ Anaheim Ducks 3–2 Khabibulin Honda Center 17,193 26–12–8 60 W1 47 January 29 @ Los Angeles Kings 5–2 Huet Staples Center 18,118 26–13–8 60 L1 48 January 31 @ San Jose Sharks 4–2 Khabibulin HP Pavilion at San Jose 17,496 27–13–8 62 W1 2009 NHL Winter Classic
February: 7–4–1 (Home: 1–1–1; Road: 6–3–0) Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 49 February 3 @ Edmonton Oilers 3–1 Huet Rexall Place 16,839 28–13–8 64 W2 50 February 5 @ Calgary Flames 5–2 Khabibulin Pengrowth Saddledome 19,289 29–13–8 66 W3 51 February 7 @ Vancouver Canucks 7–3 Khabibulin General Motors Place 18,630 29–14–8 66 L1 52 February 11 3–1 Khabibulin 14,029 30–14–8 68 W1 53 February 13 @ St. Louis Blues 1–0 Huet Scottrade Center 19,150 30–15–8 68 L1 54 February 14 Dallas Stars 6–2 Huet United Center 22,704 31–15–8 70 W1 55 February 17 5–3 Huet 15,431 32–15–8 72 W2 56 February 19 4–0 Huet 16,133 33–15–8 74 W3 57 February 21 @ Dallas Stars 3–1 Huet American Airlines Center 18,584 34–15–8 76 W4 58 February 22 Minnesota Wild 2–1 Huet United Center 22,443 34–16–8 76 L1 59 February 24 @ Nashville Predators 5–3 Huet Sommet Center 15,075 34–17–8 76 L2 60 February 27 5–4 OT United Center 22,689 34–17–9 77 OTL1
March: 6–7–2 (Home: 6–4–1; Road: 0–3–1) Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 61 March 1 Los Angeles Kings 4–2 Niemi United Center 21,386 35–17–9 79 W1 62 March 3 Anaheim Ducks 3–2 OT Huet United Center 21,619 36–17–9 81 W2 63 March 7 @ Boston Bruins 5–3 Huet 17,565 36–18–9 81 L1 64 March 8 Colorado Avalanche 5–1 Niemi United Center 22,121 36–19–9 81 L2 65 March 11 3–2 SO Huet United Center 21,513 37–19–9 83 W1 66 March 13 Columbus Blue Jackets 5–3 Huet United Center 22,176 37–20–9 83 L1 67 March 15 4–2 Khabibulin United Center 22,140 37–21–9 83 L2 68 March 17 3–2 Khabibulin 17,625 37–22–9 83 L3 69 March 18 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 4–3 OT Huet Nationwide Arena 15,190 37–22–10 84 OTL1 70 March 20 Edmonton Oilers 5–4 SO Khabibulin United Center 22,151 37–22–11 85 SOL2 71 March 22 Los Angeles Kings 4–1 Khabibulin United Center 21,629 38–22–11 87 W1 72 March 25 San Jose Sharks 6–5 SO Khabibulin United Center 21,812 39–22–11 89 W2 73 March 27 New Jersey Devils 3–2 OT Khabibulin United Center 21,617 40–22–11 91 W3 74 March 29 Vancouver Canucks 4–0 Khabibulin United Center 21,673 40–23–11 91 L1 75 March 31 4–1 Huet 21,273 40–24–11 91 L2
April: 6–0–1 (Home: 3–0–1; Road: 3–0–0) Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Record Pts Recap 76 April 1 St. Louis Blues 3–1 Khabibulin United Center 21,548 41–24–11 93 W1 77 April 3 Nashville Predators 3–1 Khabibulin United Center 21,628 42–24–11 95 W2 78 April 5 @ Columbus Blue Jackets 1–0 OT Khabibulin Nationwide Arena 15,957 43–24–11 97 W3 79 April 7 @ Nashville Predators 4–2 Khabibulin Sommet Center 17,113 44–24–11 99 W4 80 April 8 Columbus Blue Jackets 4–3 SO Khabibulin United Center 21,536 44–24–12 100 SOL1 81 April 11 @ Detroit Red Wings 4–2 Huet Joe Louis Arena 20,066 45–24–12 102 W1 82 April 12 Detroit Red Wings 3–0 Khabibulin United Center 22,376 46–24–12 104 W2

Playoffs

See also: 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs.

• For the first time since 2002, the Blackhawks qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.^[19]
• For the first time since 1996, the Blackhawks advanced to the Stanley Cup Semi-final.^[20]
• For the first time since 1995 the Blackhawks advanced to the conference finals.^[21]

2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Western Conference Quarterfinals vs. Calgary Flames (5)]] – Blackhawks won series 4–2 Game Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Series Recap 1 April 16 3–2 0:12 OT 22,478 1–0 W1 2 April 18 Calgary Flames 3–2 Khabibulin United Center 22,514 2–0 W2 3 April 20 @ Calgary Flames 4–2 Khabibulin 19,289 2–1 L1 4 April 22 @ Calgary Flames 6–4 Khabibulin Pengrowth Saddledome 19,289 2–2 L2 5 April 25 Calgary Flames 5–1 Khabibulin United Center 22,563 3–2 W1 6 April 27 @ Calgary Flames 4–1 Khabibulin Pengrowth Saddledome 19,289 4–2 W2
Western Conference Semifinals vs. Vancouver Canucks (3)]] – Blackhawks won series 4–2 Game Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Series Recap 1 April 30 5–3 Khabibulin 18,630 0–1 L1 2 May 2 @ Vancouver Canucks 6–3 Khabibulin General Motors Place 18,630 1–1 W1 3 May 5 Vancouver Canucks 3–1 Khabibulin United Center 22,659 1–2 L1 4 May 7 Vancouver Canucks 2–1 02:52 OT Khabibulin United Center 22,682 2–2 W1 5 May 9 @ Vancouver Canucks 4–2 Khabibulin General Motors Place 18,630 3–2 W2 6 May 11 Vancouver Canucks 7–5 Khabibulin United Center 22,687 4–2 W3
Western Conference Finals vs. Detroit Red Wings (2)]] – Blackhawks lost series 4–1 Game Date Opponent Score OT Decision Arena Attendance Series Recap 1 May 17 5–2 Khabibulin 20,066 0–1 L1 2 May 19 @ Detroit Red Wings 3–2 05:14 OT Khabibulin Joe Louis Arena 20,066 0–2 L2 3 May 22 Detroit Red Wings 4–3 18:08 OT United Center 22,678 1–2 W1 4 May 24 Detroit Red Wings 6–1 Huet United Center 22,663 1–3 L1 5 May 27 @ Detroit Red Wings 2–1 03:58 OT Huet Joe Louis Arena 20,066 1–4 L2 Legend:

Player statistics

Goaltenders

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining Blackhawks. Stats reflect time with the Blackhawks only.
^‡Traded mid-season
Bold/italics denotes franchise record

Awards and records

Milestones

Regular season
Player	Milestone	Reached
	1st NHL goal 1st NHL point	October 15, 2008
	500th game	October 27, 2008

Transactions

Trades

July 1, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks Conditional 2nd-round pick in 2009 or 2010 – Bradley Ross	To Calgary Flames Rene Bourque
July 17, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks Tim Brent	To Pittsburgh Penguins Danny Richmond
July 24, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks Pascal Pelletier	To Boston Bruins Martin St. Pierre
September 12, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks 2nd-round pick in 2010	To Montreal Canadiens Robert Lang
October 2, 2008	To Dallas Stars Doug Janik	To Chicago Blackhawks Claimed off waivers
October 3, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks Joakim Lindstrom	To Anaheim Ducks Claimed off waivers
October 7, 2008	To Anaheim Ducks Joakim Lindstrom	To Chicago Blackhawks Claimed off waivers
October 8, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks Doug Janik	To Dallas Stars Claimed off waivers
	To Chicago Blackhawks Conditional 7th-round pick in 2010	To Dallas Stars Doug Janik
December 9, 2008	To Chicago Blackhawks Jimmy Sharrow	To Vancouver Canucks Conditional 7th-round pick
January 10, 2009	To Chicago Blackhawks Adam Pineault	To Columbus Blue Jackets Mike Blunden
March 4, 2009	To Chicago Blackhawks Samuel Pahlsson Logan Stephenson Conditional 4th-round pick	To Anaheim Ducks James Wisniewski Petri Kontiola

Free agents

Player Former team Contract terms 8 years, $56.8 million 4 year, $22.5 million 1 year, $600,000 1 year, $525,000 1 year, $500,000

Player New team Tampa Bay Lightning Buffalo Sabres Atlanta Thrashers

Draft picks

The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was hosted at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 20–21, 2008. With the 11th pick in the first round, the Blackhawks selected Kyle Beach from the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Blackhawks drafted seven players (five defensemen and two forwards) in five of the seven rounds. All of the prospects were returned to their junior or professional league by the end of training camp.

Round		Player	Position	Nationality	College/junior/club team (league)
1	11		(LW)		Everett Silvertips (WHL)
3	68 (from Toronto via NY Islanders)	Shawn Lalonde	(D)		Belleville Bulls (OHL)
5	132	Teigan Zahn	(D)		Saskatoon Blades (WHL)
6	162		(D)		Brynas IF (Elitserien)
6	169 (from Ottawa)	Ben Smith	(RW)		Boston College (Hockey East)
6	179 (from Dallas via Los Angeles)	Braden Birch	(D)		Oakville Blades (OPJHL)
7	192	Joe Gleason	(D)		Edina High School (USHS-MN)

See also

• 2008–09 NHL season

External links

• Chicago Blackhawks official site
• Regular season statistics
• Season schedule and results

Notes and References

1. Web site: NHL Attendance – 2009. 2009-01-20 . ESPN.com. 2009-01-20.
2. This figure includes attendance totals from the 2009 Winter Classic.
3. Web site: Blackhawks name Toews captain for upcoming season. The Sports Network. 3 November 2008 . 22 May 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110522201812/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=243725. dead.
4. News: Blackhawks and WGN Radio Announce 3-Year Partnership. Chicago Blackhawks. 2008-04-30. 2008-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20080501192247/http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=362064. 2008-05-01. dead.
5. Web site: Blackhawks Announce Return of Broadcaster Pat Foley. Chicago Blackhawks. 2008-06-16. 2008-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20080702210627/http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=366084. 2008-07-02. dead.
6. News: Blackhawks sign free agents Campbell, Huet. CBC.ca. 2008-07-01. 2008-11-02.
7. News: Chicago Blackhawks sign highly coveted defenceman Brian Campbell. The Canadian Press. 2008-07-01. 2008-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20080803172331/http://thehockeynews.com/articles/16950-Chicago-Blackhawks-sign-highly-coveted-defenceman-Brian-Campbell.html. 2008-08-03. dead.
8. Web site: Hockey Hall of Famer Scotty Bowman Joins Blackhawks . Chicago Blackhawks . 2008-07-31 . 2008-11-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080819230050/http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=379233 . 2008-08-19 .
9. Web site: Blackhawks Add Mike Haviland To Coaching Staff . Chicago Blackhawks . 2008-07-23 . 2008-11-02 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20080826094022/http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368910 . 2008-08-26 .
10. News: Dreger. Darren. Darren Dreger. Dreger: Quenneville Finds Spot with Hawks. The Sports Network. 2008-09-26. 2008-11-02.
11. Web site: Rosen . Dan . 2008-07-16 . Blackhawks, Red Wings meet in the great outdoors . https://archive.today/20090118210509/http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=368489 . dead . 2009-01-18 . . 2008-07-17.
12. Web site: Blackhawks and Red Wings To Sport Retro Jerseys Outdoors. Chicago Blackhawks. 2008-10-25. 2008-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20081029041232/http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=388610. 2008-10-29. dead.
13. Web site: Blackhawks To Retire #3 In Honor of Magnuson and Pilote. Chicago Blackhawks. 2008-07-18. 2008-11-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20080826110502/http://blackhawks.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=368759&page=NewsPage&service=page. 2008-08-26. dead.
14. Web site: Blackhawks fire Savard after four games . TSN.ca . October 16, 2008 . 2008-10-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20081019085020/http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=252791&lid=headline&lpos=topStory_nhl. 19 October 2008 . live.
15. News: Greg . Wyshynski . The Funeral Burgers: Blackhawks' story a holiday gift to hockey . 2008-12-12 . . 2008-12-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081219224705/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_daddy/post/The-Funeral-Burgers-Blackhawks-story-a-holiday?urn=nhl%2C128796 . 19 December 2008 . live .
16. News: Mike . Ross . Story of Blackhawks compassion . 2008-12-08 . . 2008-12-25 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081219231212/http://nhlhomeice.com/wp/?p=1073 . December 19, 2008 .
17. News: Greg . Wyshynski . Christmas Gift: Dramatic reading of Blackhawks' uplifting email . 2008-12-24 . . 2008-12-25 .
18. News: Kieth . Olbermann . 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for **December 11, 2008** . 2008-12-11 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20090211001758/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28194785/ . live . 2009-02-11 . 2008-12-25 .
19. News: Adam . Jahns . A look at Hawks' 10 most memorable moments . 2009-05-29 . . 2009-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090601093807/http://www.suntimes.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/1597630%2CCST-SPT-10hawk29.article . 1 June 2009 . dead .
20. Web site: Blackhawks advance for first time since 1996. 2009-04-27. 2009-04-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20090428173512/http://espn.go.com/chicago/teams/recap?gameId=290427003&sport=nhl. 28 April 2009 . dead.
21. Web site: 'Hawks win a wild one, advance to West finals . May 11, 2009 . NHL.com . 2009-05-12 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090515095917/http://www2.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030246 . May 15, 2009 . live .