CHICAGO -- Entering this season, the Chicago Blackhawks had accomplished their "One Goal" organizational credo by winning the Stanley Cup twice in four years.
They fell one goal short of playing for it again this season, losing in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final on a goal by Los Angeles Kings defenseman Alec Martinez. That abruptly ended the reign of the defending Stanley Cup champions with a 5-4 loss.
Less than two days later, the Blackhawks reassembled at United Center to sum it all up by looking back at what happened and forward to next season.
"We lost in the conference finals to the Red Wings five or six years ago and that was treated more as a celebration," left wing Patrick Sharp said Tuesday. "It felt good to get that far. This year it feels pretty disappointing. I feel like we all felt we should still be playing. It's a disappointing time."
It's time for two fan favorites who once starred for the Rangers to go head-to-head in a bubble hockey showdown for off-ice supremacy at the NHL Powered by Reebok Store. That's exactly the type of entertainment forward Ron Duguay and defenseman Jeff Beukeboom provided Friday afternoon.
Duguay, who warned Beukeboom prior to faceoff that he owned a bubble hockey table at home, came away with a 5-4 victory. The event was made extra special when longtime Rangers anthem singer John Amirante sang the Canadian and U.S. national anthems.
"If the Rangers reach the Stanley Cup, we'll have a rematch," Duguay said afterward.
Introducing the new official NHL App, available for iPhone, iPad and Android smartphones and tablets. A host of new features and improved functionality are available across all platforms, including a redesigned league-wide scoreboard, expanded news coverage, searchable video highlights, individual team experiences* and more. The new NHL App on your tablet also introduces new offerings such as 60fps video, Multitasking** and Picture-in-Picture.
*Available only for smartphones
** Available only for suported iPads