The Hawks blew another big lead yesterday in losing to the Washington Capitals 4-3 in overtime. Even though the team got a point out of the contest, they should have been able to close the deal, particularly since the Caps were without the services of Alex Ovechkin.

In the past two weekends, the Blackhawks have led Detroit 2-0 after 1, the Flyers 2-1 with just over 2 minutes left to go in regulation, and the Caps 3-0 after 2. The results? Detroit won 5-4 in regulation, the Flyers won 3-2 in regulation, and the Caps won 4-3 in overtime. WTF???

I know teams can’t win every game, but the Hawks have looked downright awful in the past month or so. Fortunately, their record doesn’t reflect how badly they’ve played. But it shows in the standings, where Vancouver and Phoenix are now within striking distance of that second seed in the Western Conference. At the rate the team is playing now, I’d lay better odds on mesothelioma life expectancy after long-term exposure to asbestos than on the Blackhawks “life expectancy” in the playoffs. If the playoffs started today, Chicago would get bounced in the first round.

One thing these recent losses prove is that the Hawks don’t merely have a goaltending problem. Nearly every aspect of their game is suffering: defense, puck control, power play, offense, coaching. It’s getting out of hand.

Let’s hope they turn it around heading into April and the postseason.

What a terrible way to lose! The Blackhawks gave up 2 goals in the last 2:04 of regulation time to the Philadelphia Flyers, and got skunked out of at least a point in the process. It really looked like Chicago was going to pull out a gritty win, their first in Philadelphia in 13 years, but it wasn’t to be. Two defensive breakdowns in the final two minutes cost them the game. Usually, I’m quick to point out goalie Cristobal Huet’s flaws, but those goals weren’t on him. Both were odd-man rushes that he really couldn’t do anything about.

In the grand scheme of things, losing this game to the Flyers doesn’t matter much. But it does continue a pattern for the Hawks of giving up leads. They need to tighten up on defense if they want to make any kind of splash in the playoffs.

Time to forget about this game. The Hawks come right back and play the Caps in what might be a Stanley Cup Finals preview.

(Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

I’m still in shock over the moves the Chicago Bears made on the first day of free agency. Known for being tightwads, the organization actually loosened the purse strings to splurge on DE Julius Peppers, RB Chester Taylor, and TE Brandon Manumaleuna. The total tab for the three players runs in excess of $100 million, with the bulk of that salary going to Peppers.

I haven’t watched much of Peppers, but have heard various things about him not giving 100 percent on each snap. I hope that doesn’t happen here in Chicago. Also, I have to wonder how much he has left in the tank. He’s 30 years old, and has a lot of wear and tear on his body/knees already. Will he be able to last through his entire six-year contract? Will he put forth maximum effort, or will he be satisfied with his $40+ million of guaranteed money and worry more about buying Ferrari parts to pimp his ride than getting after the quarterback. Who can say.

The guy I’m most looking forward to watching is Chester Taylor. I thought he was awesome as Adrian Peterson’s backup in Minnesota, and I think he’ll do well in Chicago. He will give the Bears some much-needed depth at running back (or even as a starter if he beats out Forte). Either way, Forte-Taylor or Taylor-Forte is a much more potent combo than Forte-the other AP-Garrett Wolfe.

Between the new OC, DC, and these free agents, this is shaping up to be a whole different team. I can’t wait until training camp starts!

Before the Blackhawks game against the Islanders the other night, the four Olympic medal winners on the team had a chance to show off their hardware. Patrick Kane won silver with team USA, while Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith won gold with team Canada. I love this picture and only wish that Tomas Kopecky and Marian Hossa could have won bronze with team Slovakia. That would have been a perfect ending for the Olympics!

And what can you say about Kane and Toews? These guys are the heart and soul of the Blackhawks for sure. Toews was voted best forward in the tournament and opened a lot of eyes with his play. Much has already been made about how Kane was able to increase lean muscle mass on his frame over the summer and is now able to fend off checks a lot better than last year. He proved just how strong he is by controlling the puck an awful lot and creating tons of offense for his line while notching two assists in the gold medal game.

Now it’s time for the Hawks to focus on winning the Stanley Cup. I don’t know if the goaltending is up to the task, but wouldn’t it be sweet if this is the year???

(Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Well, the result wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, but the game was very entertaining. Canada ended up winning the gold medal 3-2 in OT when Sidney Crosby flicked a wrist shot through Ryan Miller’s five-hole. The US was a bit sloppy on that shift, and had a chance to clear the puck out. Oh, well. Silver is still pretty good, I guess.

On a brighter note, I was thrilled to see the Blackhawks do so well in this game. Patrick Kane assisted on both USA goals, while Jonathan Toews scored a goal and Duncan Keith had an assist for Canada. Until that Crosby goal, a Hawk had a hand in every goal of the game.

Congrats to Team Canada, especially Toews, Keith, and Brent Seabrook.

(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

I ordinarily don’t like the Olympics. It’s boring (curling? biathlon?) and it messes up the regular television schedule. But I am planning on watching the USA vs Canada men’s hockey game tonight at 7pm — mostly just because the matchup features four Blackhawks: Patrick Kane on Team USA, and Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook on Team Canada.

The Canadians are favored to win, but after they had trouble dispatching the Swiss, I could see an upset for Team USA — particularly if goalie Ryan Miller is at the top of his game. This is just the preliminary round of the tournament, of course, so no medals involved yet, but it should still be a good game.

So did any of you watch Tiger Woods’ first official public statement and apology about his affairs? I missed the live airing, but plenty of places are posting video clips of the event. I used to be a Tiger fan, but I have to admit that the whole smarmy incident of last Thanksgiving and all the info that subsequently came out has left a very bad taste in my mouth. He seems a bit disgusting now…

Anyway, here’s a video clip of Tiger’s statement, courtesy of CBS News: