Chicago Blackhawks

Morning Chirps: Ehlers Speculation, Hart Trophy Winner Leaked?

Published

1 week ago

June 9, 2025

Happy June 9^th to all you Chicago Blackhawks fans! I remember where I was 15 years ago, do you? The Stanley Cup Final resumes tonight, and the Edmonton Oilers could be without a key forward. An assist was added to a historic goal over 45 years after it was scored. And we have a mystery on our hands: Was the Hart Trophy winner leaked, or is someone really good at doctoring photos? All this and more in today’s Morning Chirps!

Blackhawks Chirps

Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff says draft prospect Porter Martone is a guy every team hates to play against. You can read our Blackhawks Draft Profile of Martone, one of the options for the third overall pick.
Speaking of the NHL Draft Combine, the great Chris Peters of FloHockey shared his notebook with some top performers and measurements for those of you obsessed with height and weight.
On the latest episode of The Chris Johnston Show, Johnston said the Blackhawks and Carolina Hurricanes could make a lot of sense for free agent forward Nikolai Ehlers. In my opinion, the 29-year-old forward is the second-best option after Mitch Marner. Ehlers would be cheaper, and likely wouldn’t demand a seven-year contract.
June 9 is a memorable day in Blackhawks history. In 1965, the Blackhawks selected defenseman Pat Stapleton from the Toronto Maple Leafs in the NHL Intra-League Draft, which the league used before waivers. He scored 41 goals and 327 points in 545 career games in Chicago. His 286 assists are still the seventh-most among defensemen in team history.
In 1984, the Blackhawks made a meaningful trade when they sent goaltender Bob Janecyk and their first, third, and fourth-round picks in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for the third overall pick and a fourth-rounder. The Blackhawks used that first-round pick to draft Eddie Olczyk. On a side note, the Kings used that fourth-round pick to select future Hall of Fame Major League pitcher Tom Glavine.
In 1988, head coach Bob Murdoch was relieved of his duties after just one season. He was replaced with Mike Keenan, whom the Philadelphia Flyers had recently fired. Keenan led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup Final three years later.
Fifteen years ago today, the Blackhawks ended their 49-year championship drought with a 4-3 overtime win over the Flyers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. They held a 3-2 lead heading into the third period thanks to goals by Dustin Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp, and Andrew Ladd. Scott Hartnell’s second goal of the night, with 3:59 left in regulation, sent the game into overtime. Over four minutes into the extra frame, Patrick Kane scored one of the most memorable overtime goals in NHL history. Captain Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after scoring seven goals and 29 points during the Blackhawks’ 22-game run to their first Stanley Cup since 1961.

NHL Chirps

The Oilers and Florida Panthers were on the practice ice Sunday ahead of tonight’s huge Game 3. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch told reporters that forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins will be a game-time decision due to an undisclosed injury. He didn’t miss any playing time during Game 2.
Alan Greenberg of Florida Hockey Now breaks down how much offense the Panthers are getting from their defensemen, including former Blackhawks Seth Jones and Gustav Forsling.
During Elliott Friedman’s hit on SN590 in Toronto, he speculated that Neil Graham, Jay Woodcroft, Glen Gulutzan, Gerard Gallant, and Todd Nelson are all candidates for the Dallas Stars job. He also said the team could surprise us with an “off the board” pick.
In this extraordinary story from the New York Post’s Michael Leboff, Hartford Whalers goaltender John Garrett was given credit for a secondary assist on Gordie Howe’s final NHL goal 45 years later. Better late than never!
Finally, a photo of Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck with the Hart and Vezina Trophies was going around social media. Nowadays, these sorts of things need to be taken with a grain of salt. We’ll find out on Thursday if this picture was legitimate or if it was the work of somebody with far too much time on their hands.