Hairyducked Idiot

Worse soft goal on the biggest stage of their lives: Michael Leighton or Robert Green?

Green for US MVP!

Now BUNKER!!!! (just kidding)

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Then again, if we can keep possession like this against the other team teams, Howard shouldn't be a factor.

And Howard is hurt :(

hahahaha, way to keep the momentum after that Altidore chance. Starting to feel slightly more optimistic, though. US can carry the possession for long periods, and when they do they've got a chance to create something.

Terrible backline says what?

I still can't believe how far our first touch has come in the last decade or so since I started watching, especially the midfield.

Let's do this! Woo! And woo to the Blackhawks for getting us through to the World Cup so seamlessly. Don't see how the US can do this. The back line weakness is just unacceptable against a team like England. If we can keep it to something like a 2-1 loss, that's a positive toward advancement.

I'm kind of psyched about this, actually. They shed some peripheral players, stock up on picks and prospects and still have a competitive team next season. Then they emerge into the 2011 offseason with the Toews/Kane bonus hit off the books and the cap likely up a few more million. Seabrook will need his raise then, but that's it.

Oh noes, they needed six whole games. A .667 winning percentage is loserville USA!

I find it hilarious to read other teams' message boards in reaction to wins. I don't post, but I read. Heck, I thought it was hilarious to read the Cardinals fans reacting to Cubs message boards posts during the 2007 sweep.

excellent analysis or wishful homerism? It doesn't seem to account for the reported $4.5 million cap hit next season from Toews and Kane's bonuses. If that report is true, you can add everything they lost up there (and he didn't include Madden, a UFA) plus one from each group of Sharp/Versteeg and Niemi/Hjarlmarsson.

Huet was amazing for the first half of the season. The Blackhawks are not a No. 2 seed without him, and without that the whole playoff season may look very different. Booing him was wrong.

No chance Bolland goes anywhere. The organization is heavy on wingers and light on centers. Byfuglien had some of my favorite Blackhawks moments of all time this playoffs. His taunting of Vancouver fans was legendary. But if this is cold calculation time, he's not that good and very overvalued right now. Time to sell high.

Factoring in that $4 million, I think we need to do the following: Waive Huet to the minors (it's assumed Rocky will do that, but nobody knows for sure) Trade Versteeg and Byfuglien Trade Sopel or hope he retires Pray nobody offers Hjarlmarsson more than about $3 million on an offer sheet, and let him go if they do Get a super, duper cheap third/fourth center to replace Madden Choose between Niemi and Ladd. I'd rather have Ladd, but I suspect they'll choose Niemi. Fans of other teams will crow at all they've lost until next April when the Blackhawks are still fighting hard with Detroit for the division and a very high seed, then going deep into the playoffs, because really the stars are more important than the depth.

There are like a dozen, decent, veteran goalies on the FA market this season. You could get one for less than a million, I bet, and let both Niemi and Huet go. I keep reading contradictory things about the bonus cushion cap hits. If this article is correct: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/globe-on-hockey/blackhawks-exceed-salary-cap-by-millions/article1601162/ Then we are facing total capocalypse this offseason and it'll get pretty ugly if we can't move someone like Campbell.

I'm not crying, I'm excited. They are going to have to dismantle some of the peripheral parts of the team, which on an emotional level sucks because I'd love for all these guys to be Hawks for life. But from a hockey standpoint, they won't miss a lot of these guys that much. You'll still have Toews taking 1/3rd of your faceoffs, you'll have Kane and Hossa wreaking havoc on every power play, you'll have Keith and Seabrook eating up 25-28 minutes a night and shutting down the other team's top lines. The rest is just gravy. Your best players are way more important than your depth in this league. And in the meantime, we are going to load up. We're going to be dealing several good young hockey players and I'm expecting a huge haul in return. As long as this organization continues to prove it can draft and develop good young hockey players, we are set for a long time, because we're going to just keep reloading. We'll spend the next two or three seasons in the "pack" of 6-8 teams that might win the Cup, maybe win another one or two, and then in a few years we'll have another perfect storm: 1) Some of the cap headaches will have cleared up 2) A few more young players will have emerged 3) the core will hit their primes (Toews is freaking 22. I just can't believe that) 4) The cap will have gone up along with league revenue. When that happens, expect them to make a huge free-agent splash and load up for another season or two like this one, where we are just flat-out the best team in the league and favored to win the Cup. Right now, I feel like it's about 50/50 that we win at least one more Cup in the next 5-6 years.

Do we need to start the offseason thread so I can talk about this stuff and not annoy the people who just want to bask in the glow in the parade today? (Not that I'm not basking too). Talking to other teams' fans on message boards, it feels like Niemi has got some serious "Cup-Winning Goalie" pixie dust and may be signed to a strong offer sheet. If that's the case, I really hope the Blackhawks take the 1st and 3rd picks, laugh all the way to the draft, and sign one of the many, many decent UFA goalies out there to a really cheap deal and save the cap space for forwards.

I have a blanket rule that says I must take anyone's side over Steve Stone in any argument, ever.

Five game-winning goals in one playoff season ties Byfuglien for 4th all time.

Can the Cubs start focusing now? I'm pumped for the offseason. Blackhawks will be busy!

Yes. Fantastic. I think besides the obvious ones, his taunting of the Vancouver fans might be my favorite moment of the playoffs. What a fantastically d-baggy team.

Been alt-tabbing between work and this. Did I get a glimpse of Byfuglien holding a pro-wrestling style belt?