The Blackhawks Win ... And People Saw It!

It's the NHL Closer. We pass the mic to the kids at Orland Kurtenblog. Their NHL Closer is written by Canadians for Americans.

• The Blackhawks capped off a nice little weekend for Illinois sports with a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. Even better for residents of Chicago, they actually got to watch it! The game was the first 'Hawks home affair to be televised locally since owner Rocky Wirtz lifted his late father's ban on moving pictures.

Attendance at the United Center? Eight. All Amish.

File it in the bitter-sweet category: rookie Patrick Kane scored his seventh of the season a day after the Chicago Tribune he once "spent a year refusing to wear anything other than a Batman cape and hood," just the latest hazing-related bombshell to rock the hockey world.

For Detroit, the loss marked the end to its nine-game winning streak, though Henrik Zetterberg did manage to extend his point streak to 17 games. Said the Swedish Zetterberg, "Envar suga utom för jag." (Go ahead, translate it.)

• The Colorado Avalanche held on to beat the Wild by a score of 3-2. Peter Budaj put an exclamation mark on the win with a brilliant glove save off Minnesota's Kurtis Foster as time wound down in the third period. Stupid sexy Flanders strikes again.

• We interrupt this NHL Closer to bring you the latest Marty Turco news:

• Recently retired and already jonesing for a massive headache, Eric Lindros has been named the NHLPA's new ombudsman, which means he'll be the one dealing with all the union members' complaints. First order of business for the Big E: the salary cap. The players would like to do away with it and they'd appreciate a resolution by mid-week.