The Chicago Blackhawks and Los Angeles Kings were tied at 1-1 heading into the third period last night at the United Center. The Hawks then came out strong for the next ten minutes, tacking on three more goals to solidify the win and coast from there.  Chicago handled LA offensively with 10 shots on goal to their two in the final period.

John Madden started off the festivities, knocking in the initial goal just over a minute into the second period.  Anze Kopitar answered for the Kings soon after to tie it up, which was then followed up by Troy Brouwer, Jonathan Toews, and Andrew Ebbett’s game changing scores in the third.

The biggest factor in last night’s contest was how teams responded to power play opportunities.  The Kings were given the one-man advantage twice but failed to score each time.  The Blackhawks from their three chances earned two goals. “I’ve always said the power play can win you a game and penalty killing can lose you a game. And tonight, it lost us a game,” said Kings coach Terry Murray. “The Blackhawks brought their work boots. They got a couple-goal lead and played prevent defense.”

Chicago is now set to host the Colorado Avalanche Wednesday at 8:30 PM. Blackhawks tickets are available now!

Longtime comedian Robin Williams will be kicking off his 2009 “Weapons of Self Destruction Tour” starting September 30th at the Indiana University Auditorium in Bloomington, IN.  From there he will be touring several U.S. major cities including Chicago, Louisville, Oklahoma City, Atlanta, Hollywood, Orlando, Detroit, Washington, and Atlantic City. Since the 1970’s Williams has been performing stand-up and has not slowed down one bit.  His most memorable tours include “An Evening with Robin Williams” in 1982, “Robin Williams: At The Met” in 1986, and “Robin Williams LIVE on Broadway” in 2002.

Williams is certainly looked to as a legend in the comedy world. He has not only achieved success live on stage for many years, but has also been featured on the big screen for quite some time.  His debut film was “Can I Do It ‘Till I Need Glasses” in 1977.  Since then he has appeared in over 65 major motion pictures.  His latest movie was “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” with Benn Stiller and Owen Wilson, which hit theaters in May of this year.  He is currently working on movies that should be released by 2010 titled “Old Dogs” with John Travolta ”and Wedding Band” 

Don’t miss your opportunity to see one of the best comedians ever! Tickets to Robin Williams “Weapons of Self Destruction Tour” are available now!

U2 opened up the North American leg of their 2009 tour this weekend in Chicago with shows on 9/12 and 9/13.  The set lists from both shows were very similar to set lists from the earlier European dates.  The band is still playing 7 tracks from their newest album with hits from their entire catalogue mixed in.

U2 will be in Foxboro, MA on Sunday 9/20 and Monday 9/21 at Gillette Stadium.  U2 tickets are available for these and all 2009 tour dates.

U2 Set List 9/12/09

Breathe
No Line On The Horizon
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Beautiful Day
Elevation
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Stuck In A Moment (You Can’t Get Out Of)
Unknown Caller
Unforgettable Fire
City of Blinding Lights
Vertigo
I’ll Go Crazy If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight (Remix)
Sunday Bloody Sunday
Pride (In The Name of Love)
MLK
Walk On
Where The Streets Have No Name
One
Bad
——–
Ultraviolet
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Minnesota Timberwolves recent draft pick Ricky Rubio is still not sure if a deal can be worked out for him to play in the NBA this season.  DKV Joventut Badalona (his professional team in Spain) still has him under contract for two more seasons, but has offered a $6.6 million buyout option.  Under NBA rules teams can conduct a buyout for no more than $500,000. 

Timberwolves president David Kahn assures fans that they are doing everything they can to improve the situation.  “I believe we kind of know what the parameters are and I think that we have a chance,” said Kahn. “I wouldn’t even begin to state the percentage toward that chance of this being accomplished this season versus next season or even two seasons. It’s still very problematic.” Rubio is currently training with the Spanish national team, and hopes to join the NBA as soon as possible.  After meeting with the Rubio family in Spain, Kahn insisted that Ricky’s single issue preventing him from joining the Wolves is this buyout.  Jonny Flynn is currently expected to run the show at PG for Minnesota this season.  Their first notable pre-season test is set for Friday, October 16th against the Chicago Bulls.

Minnesota Timberwolves regular season tickets are available now!

The European leg of U2’s 360 Tour is approaching its end with just 5 dates left all in the UK.  U2 opened its 2009 tour in Barcelona, Spain on June 3o and have played 11 cities to date including 3 shows in their home town of Dublin, Ireland.  After they wrap up in Europe on 8/22 the band will have 3 weeks off before the North American debut of the tour on 9/12 at Chicago’s Soldier Field (see full North American schedule below).

U2 has been getting rave reviews so far with some really great set lists. They play about 7 tracks from their new album which is fine with fans given how well the songs fit into U2’s live shows. Every set list so far has seen ‘Breathe’, ‘No Line on the Horizon’, ‘Get On Your Boots’, ‘Magnificent’, ‘Unknown Caller’, ‘I’ll Go Crazy, If I Don’t Go Crazy Tonight’ and ‘Moment of Surrender’.

U2 Tickets are still available for all North American dates. Check them out now!

U2 2009 North American Tour Schedule:

Comprised of Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Queens of the Stone Age singer and guitarist Josh Homme, and former Nirvana and Foo Fighters drummer/guitarist/singer Dave Grohl; Them Crooked Vultures has been working on a studio album together for three years. Billboard.com confirms that the group has been booked to play the Lollapalooza aftershow at the Metro on August 9th. Tickets go on sale this week, but expect demand to be high! The band has also hinted at European festival dates and a North American tour along with the release of their debut album.

Sign up to be notified as soon as Them Crooked Vultures tickets are available.

Chicago White Sox pitcher Mark Buehrle got a World Series ring with his team in 2005, but he cemented his sole place in baseball history over the past week. Burhrle threw the 18th perfect game in MLB history. The left-hander completely silenced the Tampa Bay Rays, though he needed a hilight-reel catch from DeWayne Wise to clinch it. Burhrle continued his dominance in his next start. The first seventeen Minnesota Twins batters were retired, breaking a record set by the Giants’Jim Barr in 1972 and tied by teammate Bobby Jenks in 2007. “I’m not into the whole attention stuff,”Buehrle told the Chicago Sun Times’ Joe Crowley. Burhrle is humbled to be mentioned among some of the greatest names in baseball after making his bit of history. Though the White Sox would lose the second game, the team seems to have gotten a major morale boost from the lefty’s amazing feat.

Chicago White Sox tickets are available now!

The Chicago Blackhawks have reportedly signed Marion Hossa to a 12 year $62.8 million contract. The 30 year old phenomenon is going to his fourth team since 2008 but with a 12 year deal he should be around long enough to get accustomed to life in Chicago. The Blackhawks are a good young team that just got better. Hossa himself is no stranger to good clubs coming off back to back years of Stanley Cup Finals appearances with the Penguins in 2008 and the Red Wings in 2009. The Blackhawks are hoping that in his next Finals appearance Hossa might finally get his chance to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup.

The news will no doubt cause quite a stir in Chicago. Although not available yet, you can count on Chicago Blackhawks tickets selling quite well for the 2009-2010 season.

Boston sports teams playing long games is becoming a common occurrence, and Thursday night was no exception. The Celtics played a close game that went all the way to triple overtime. Despite a playoff career-high 51 point effort by Ray Allen, the Celtics fell short. Both Glen Davis and Paul Pierce were fouled out for the conclusion of the game, and both teams appeared to be severely  fatigued. Second-year Bulls center Joakim Noah forced a steal and a dunk(with a foul) that helped Chicago to put the Celtics away in the 3rd OT.  “This series is a lot of fun for the fans, the people of Chicago, the people of Boston,” Noah told the AP’s Andrew Seligman. “It’s a lot of fun for us, too, playing in environments like this on the big stage. It’s special to be part of this, and I know that it’s a series people will be talking about for a long time.”

The Series returns to Boston on Saturday for a decisive game 7.  Last year, the Celtics were taken to the brink in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks, though that team also featured a healthy Kevin Garnett.

Boston Celtics Playoff Tickets are available now!

U2’s 2009 360 Tour is selling out at record pace.  The band sold out three shows today in Boston, Chicago and New York.  In response U2 is added shows in each of those cities, hitting Soldier Field in Chicago on September 13, Gillette Stadium in Boston area on September 21 and on September 25 they’ll play their 2nd night at Giants Stadium.  U2 is expected to hold fan club pre-sales on Tuesday for the new dates.

Although the primary sales sold out for all U2 shows, U2 tickets are still available for all dates. Check out U2 tickets for shows in your area now.