The Wolves played 60+ minutes of hockey last night but it just was not good enough. The team remains firmly in fourth place in the western division standings behind the Texas Stars and only three points out of first place occupied by route 90 rival Rockford IceHogs. Three points between first and fourth place, oh yes, the silly season has begun!

File photo, 11/27/2009

The next home game for the Wolves is an unusual Tuesday night game against Peoria. Puck drop is at 7:00 p.m. hockey on a Tuesday night, what could be better?

File Photo

Now it's getting personal, as reported yesterday in Call Of the Wild, Atlanta Thrashers, parent club of the Chicago Wolves, have been unable to reach agreement with Ilya Kocalchuck. General Manager Don Waddell in his statement to the press said " Now we have to turn the page", turn the page, indeed.  In response to Kocalchuck nixing a reported $101 million dollar package Waddell has crafted a deal with the New Jersey Devils for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, prospect Patrice Cromier and a 2010 first round draft pick.

It is 19 year old Patrice Cromier that has a history worthy of note. On January 25th of this year the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League suspended Cormier for 20 games, ending his season.  The suspension was for an on ice elbowing incident on January 17th that left Mikael Tam of the Quebec Ramparts unconscious and convulsing on the ice . Tam was in hospital for two days and has not returned to play.

Patrice Cormier's response to the QMJHL's decision ? " I respect the decision of the QMJHL even if I find it too severe. I deeply regret the circumstances surroundings this event and I wish Mikael Tam a speedy and full recovery."  On Tuesday Cormier's team the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies announced that they would be filling an appeal of the suspension.

Caution both clips contain graphic material.

The first clip is of the January 17th incident. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgwCaxEB6-Y

This clip is of an incident in December involving an elbow to a Swede.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hzeOhL8_9g

In seasons past with blooming of spring flowers we have seen 19 year old prospects fresh from the Major Juniors filling out the ranks of the Wolves to get a chance to strut their stuff for Atlanta.  Players like Artus Kulda, Bryan Little and Angelo Esposito, will we see Patrice Cromier join this years spring bouquet ? Or will he be the Wolves nettle?

Ilya Kovalchuk is gone. The Atlanta Thrashers announced today that negotiations with the star had broken down after the team claims Kovalchuk turned down a $101 million 12 year deal. Thrashers General Manager Don Waddell said in a news conference Thursday night. "Unfortunately we couldn't reach a deal. Now we have to turn the page."

"We want you, our fans, to know that throughout the negotiation process, the Thrashers organization remained committed to offering Ilya a contract that exceeded those of the league's best and highest paid players," Waddell wrote. "If we had met Kovy' ultimate demand, we would have jeopardized our ability to build a competitive team around him," the statement said.

Phil Foley of the examiner.com blogs said the deal came together starting Sunday, as Waddell scouted the Los Angeles Kings v New jersey Devils game. At the time, Foley reports, the Devils weren't interested in Kovalchuk. But Devils GM Lou Lamoriello entered the bidding Monday and quickly outbid the Kings.

The deal fell into place, according to Foley when the Devils agreed to include Cormier. Cormier, 19, captain of the Canadian 2010 World Junior silver medal team, was suspended for the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) following a hit that the league described as "dangerous and intolerable." It was his second notable suspension.

The discussion is that Waddell will try to place Cormier with the Chicago Wolves this season. Waddell said the Thrashers hoped to play Cormier next season, "we look forward to having Patrice join us in the near future," Waddell said in a statement. Waddell told NHL On the Fly that the Thrashers would look at moving Cormier after his junior team was eliminated from the playoffs. A late night e-mail to the American Hockey League to ask if the league will honor the QMJHL suspension has not yet been answered.

The trade comes about a week before the February 12th Olympics trade freeze. The final NHL games before the winter Olympics start happen on February 14th. The NHL will not play during the Olympics. A small trade window will open in March 1-3, after the close of the Olympics.

In action last night against the Abbotsford Heat in Abbotsford, BC, the Wolves won 3-2. The game winning goal was scored by Matt Anderson with just 98 seconds remaining on the clock. The win put the Wolves just one point out of second place in the West Division, two points out of first place with games in hand on two of the teams ahead of them.

The Wolves play the Heat in Abbotsford again tonight, game time is 9:30 Central, with a Comcast carrying the game and the game broadcast over Internet radio and Internet PPV. A win could put the team in a tie for first place in the division.

This submission first appeared in the CenterSquareLedger.com
"I've never seen the balcony open before," Julie Rosenwinkel, a Double Crossers Captain said. "By far it's the biggest sell ever. It's exciting."

The Windy City Rollers attracted their largest crowd ever, 3,977 to Saturday nights season opening. Two matches were played in the four team league.

Rosenwinkel, 34, a Lincoln Square resident and a bartender at Huttenbar, 4721 N Lincoln Ave., Chicago, IL, on the Lincoln Square mall, was pumped. The former Lucy Furr, her roller derby name, helped the Double Crossers triple up on the Hell's Belles, winning the first match of the season 171 - 48.

"I didn't know how to skate" but "someone handed me a flier and said you'll like this," she said.

The Huttenbar regulars are "very supportive," Rosenwinkel said. "A lot of regulars are at the game."

Zoe Trocious, her roller derby name, of the Manic Attackers and a resident of Ravenswood helped her team beat the Fury in a fast, tough match that was not determined till the end with a score of 101 - 83. "I'm proud of our team and proud of myself," she said.

"I'm a new jammer this season," she explained, "I didn't expect to be put out there. Our team has a lot of new people and I didn't expect to win."

The League, with a new traveling team, holds matches each month at the UIC Pavilion. Tryouts for the traveling team will take place next month. The next match is Sunday, February 21 at 6 PM.

The Hamilton Bulldogs took a two goal lead, but saw the Chicago Wolves tie the game, sending it to a shootout. The top team of the Western Conference held the Wolves to just one goal in the shootout for the win over the largest crowd this season at the All-State, 15,532.

The attendance is the largest since April 11, 2009 when the Wolves hosted their final game of the season against the Rockford IceHogs. The attendance trend indicates the Wolves could have a very good year, despite the report by USAToday that minor league hockey teams have lost attendance. Seven of the top ten home crowds in the previous season came after January 1st. The Wolves have an average crowd this year of 7,305 so far this season, compared to 7,316 overall last season.

This article first appeared in CenterSquareLedger

"I didn't believe it at first, I thought it was a joke," Tim Herron remembers, "I was talking one day about baseball cards and we got a call from Miller High Life. They were asking if we'd like to represent the people of Chicago" in a Super Bowl Ad.

Tim Herron is one of four small businesses to receive a free Super Bowl Ad from Miller High Life. Credit: Patrick Boylan

IceHogs players David Phillips, Brian Bickell & Rob Klinkhammer show off their pink hair in support for Breast Cancer.

The IceHogs supported a worthy charity last night in Rockford while beating the visiting Peoria Rivermen 4-2. In support of Breast Cancer research and awareness, everything was pink. Pink ice, pink tape on sticks & players, pink banners & decorations, pink clothing, pink jewelry, and even pink hair.
The Susan G. Komen For The Cure organization received donations of nearly $10,000 last night. IceHogs President/General Manager Mark Bernard presented them with a check for $8,970 and the IceHogs Booster Club donated a check for $1,000.

IceHogs players Brian Bickell, Rob Klinkhammer, David Phillips and Jonathan Carlsson all went above and beyond the call of duty. They showed their support and style by dying their hair various shades of pink. Pink tape was seen wrapped proudly around ends of players' sticks and socks. Even a few players decorated their sticks in a candy striped fashion by wrapping the pink tape up the stick. Tough man Ryan Flinn was seen wearing pink tape around his wrists.

The first period went scoreless and it wasn't until 5:01 in the second period that Jack Skille found the back of the net from a pass from Kyle Greentree and Richard Petiot for Rockford. Later in the second frame netminder Corey Crawford fumbled, letting in a juicy goal by Peoria's Chris Porter at 16:00. Porter was assisted by Ryan Reaves and Cam Paddock. Other goals for Rockford during the game were credited to Kyle Greentree, Jake Dowell. Matt Keith was credited with an empty netter. Jonas Junland had the second goal for Peoria.

Corey Crawford was back in stellar form once again, stopping 27 of 29 shots on goal and earned himself the number one Star of the Game honors. Ben Bishop was in net for Peoria.

Rockford's Akim Aliu was tossed from the game late in the third frame by Referee Kyle Rehman. Aliu did not like a call Rehman made and made his opinions known. Chirping at the ref will usually only get you one thing, a guaranteed early shower. Aliu received a 10 minute Misconduct and a 10 min Game Misconduct for his voiced opinions.

Immediately after the game the IceHogs boarded their sleeper bus and headed for Grand Rapids for a game against the Griffins Saturday evening. The IceHogs return home on February 3rd to take on the Griffins once again at the MetroCentre.

The wait is almost over, Saturday night,the Windy City Rollers will take the floor at the UIC Pavilion at 6:00 for their opening bout.  Tickets are available at the door or through Ticketmaster.  

If you are like many of us remembering roller derby in vague memories of raised tracks and Sunday morning television programs come and see just what the modern sport has turned into.  Real athletes, rules and fun, the perfect cure for a stressful week of work.

Just to get everyone in the derby mood, here are a few highlights from last season.

Making a move.

The penalty box, unlike their hockey counterparts these girls feel no shame.

She is not going to get through that line!

Pile up at the curve.

The outside move.

The girls come around the curves at 25 miles an hour, that's race horse speed.

Contact at high speed hurts!