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!

You never want to blow a 3 goal lead but when you are playing one of the top teams in the league, you’ll take it. The playoff bound Chicago Blackhawks did just that on Wednesday night with a 6-5 OT shoot-out win over the San Jose Sharks.  The Blackhawks blew a 4-1 lead before fighting their way back, eventually winning with shoot-out goals by Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. 

Chicago came out strong in the 1st period, building a 3-1 lead on goals by Havlat, Byfuglien, and Ladd.  By the end of the 2nd period things were tighter as the Sharks pulled within a goal at 4-3.  The back and forth would continue in the 3rd period with the Sharks’ Joe Thornton tying the game at 5-5 with just over two minutes left in regulation.

The win for the Blackhawks left them alone in 4th place in the Western Conference and 2nd place in the division.  The playoff starved Blackhawks are certainly looking forward to making a run at the Stanley Cup this year. Chicago Blackhawks playoff tickets are now available.

At 32-15-8 the Chicago Blackhawks are a true contender in the Central Division trailing the Detroit Red Wings by just 10 points for 1st place.  The Blackhawks put on another fine display in their 5-3 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.  Trailing 3-2 going in to the 3rd Chicago scored the next three to take the lead and the win. Kane, Bolland and Toews scored the final three goals for the Blackhawks. 

The Lightning built their lead on a hat trick by Steven Stamkos.  The Blackhawks opened the scoring in the 1st period with a goal by Duncan Keith.  Toews scored his first goal of the game for Chicago in the 2nd period.

Upcoming Home Games for Chicago Blackhawks:
Blackhawks vs Wild 2/22
Blackhawks vs Penguins 2/27
Blackhawks vs Kings 3/1
Blackhawks vs Ducks 3/3
Blackhawks Tickets & Schedule

The Chicago Blackhawks are on their best run in 27 years. Chicago has won their last seven games, and are 8-1-1 in their last ten. If they can win their post-break game against Philadelphia, they will go for the Blackhawks franchise record against the Minnesota Wild on December 28th. Led by right wing Patrick Kane, the Blackhawks are making at run at the division lead. The New Years Day matchup against the Detroit Red Wings may have a lasting effect on who wins the Central.

Chicago Blackhawks Tickets and NHL Winter Classic Tickets are available now!

Despite a slow and sloppy start to last night’s game against the Dallas Stars, the Chicago Blackhawks were able to turn it around in the second half of the game, eventually winning 6-3.  Dallas got it going early, scoring the first goal and outshooting Chicago 10-1 at one point.  Brenden Morrow got the lone first period goal for the Stars at the 7:37 mark.  The Blackhawks were able to tie it up at the end of the first on a wrist shot by Patrick Kane.

The Blackhawks would play a more involved and intense game in the second period.  They took their first lead of the night on Ben Eager’s second period goal assisted by Dave Bolland.  A Stars’ power play goal by Mike Modano would even the score at 2 apiece just one minute later.  Near the end of the second period, Chicago rookie Kris Versteeg broke a 3-3 tie with a power play goal.  Chicago would hang on to this lead for good adding two goals in the third period from Martin Havlat and Patrick Kane.

The Blackhawks will play their next four on the road before returning to the United Center on 12/3 to host the Anaheim Ducks.  Chicago Blackhawks tickets are available for all 2008-2009 games now.

The Boston Bruins finally got on the winning side of a shootout when they beat the Chicago Blackhawks last night at the United Center.  P.J. Axelsson got the winning goal in the OT shootout to seal the 2-1 win for Boston.  The win puts the Bruins at 7-1-0 in their last eight games, good for a first place tie with the rival Buffalo Sabres.  The Blackhawks who have also been playing superb hockey had their winning streak snapped at four.

There was very little offense to speak of in this matchup last night. There was no scoring until 19:06 of the second period when Marco Sturm scored a power play goal for Boston. The Chicago Blackhawks tied the game in the third period on a goal by Jonathan Toews.

The Bruins will host the Montreal Canadiens on 11/13. They then travel to New York to play the Rangers and Toronto before returning to the TD Banknorth Garden to host the Buffalo Sabres on 11/19. Bruins tickets are available for all remaining games.

The Blackhawks play their next two at home. On 11/14 they host the St. Louis Blues and on 11/16 they welcome in the San Jose Sharks. Chicago Blackhawks tickets are available for both of these games.

The 6-3-3 Chicago Blackhawks are anxious to play some hockey on Sunday. Since their 6-2 win on Monday night, Chicago has had five days off.  They’ll play the Calgary Flames on Sunday 11/8. Monday’s win over the Avalanche was the third straight for the Blackhawks who have had no trouble putting the puck in the net lately. The Blackhawks have outscored their opponents 15-7 in the last three games.

The Blackhawks will play their next four games at home. After hosting the Flames on Sunday the Boston Bruins will come in on Wednesday 11/12.  Blackhawks tickets are available for all upcoming home games.

The Chicago Blackhawks got their fifth win of the year in a 4-3 shoot-out with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Blackhawks started the 3rd period with a 2-1 lead on 1st and 2nd period goals by Patrick Sharp and Brent Seabrook. The Blue Jackets continued to pressure the Blackhawks and were able to score twice in the 3rd. Havlat would add the 3rd goal for Chicago on a power play.

Overall the Blue Jackets hammered the net with shots, shooting on goal 51 times. Huet’s 48 stops were the most in his NHL career. Jonathan Toews was the lone goal scorer in the OT shoot-out securing the win for Chicago.

Chicago Blackhawks tickets are available for all remaining games at the United Center. Check out some upcoming Blackhawks games below.

Chicago Blackhawks Upcoming Games:
Blackhawks vs Avalanche 11/3
Blackhawks vs Flames 11/9
Blackhawks vs Bruins 11/12
Blackhawks vs Blues 11/14
Blackhawks vs Sharks 11/16

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have curbed their usually hectic touring schedule for the past two years. 2008 however is shaping up to be a big year for the group. A Summer tour is now in the works with dates set from May through August with dates covering most of North America. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers tickets are set to go onsale a day after the band plays the Super Bowl XLII Halftime show. Demand for this tour is expected to be great especially on the heels of their Super Bowl appearance and the 2007 release of the Peter Bogdonovich directed documentary of the band, “Running Down A Dream”. 

Dates that have been confirmed for the 2008 Tom Petty Tour are  listed below. Joining Tom Pettty & the Heartbreakers on this tour will be special guest Steve Winwood. Winwood is scheduled to open for the band throughout the tour. Ace Ticket already has Tom Petty tickets available for several stops on this 2008 tour.

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 2008 Tour Schedule

May 30- Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, MI
May 31- The Palace of Auburn Hills, Auburn Hills, MI
June 03- Air Canada Centre, Toronto, ON
June 05- Wachovia Center, Philadelphia, PA
June 08- Nissan Pavilion, Bristow, VA
June 10- Post-Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, PA
June 11- New England Dodge Music Center, Hartford, CT
June 13- TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA
June 14- Tweeter Center, Mansfield, MA
June 17- Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
June 18- Prudential Center, Newark, NJ
June 21- Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center, Darien Center, NY
June 22- Blossom Music Center, Cuyahoga Falls, OH
June 25- Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
July 02- United Center, Chicago, IL
July 03- Verizon Wireless Music Center, Noblesville, IN
July 08- Riverbend Music Center, Cincinnati, OH
July 09- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Atlanta, GA ****
July 11- Charlotte Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Charlotte, NC
July 12- Walnut Creek Amphitheatre, Raleigh, NC
July 15- BankAtlantic Center, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
July 16- St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, FL
July 19- TBD, Denver, CO ****
July 20- Quest Center Omaha, Omaha, NE
July 22- Sprint Center, Kansas City, MO
July 23- Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
August 07- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Maryland Heights, MO
August 09- MTS Centre, Winnipeg, MB
August 11- Pengrowth Saddledome, Calgary, AB
August 12- Rexall Place, Edmonton, AB
August 15- The Gorge, George, WA
August 16- The Gorge, George, WA
August 20- Jobing.com Arena, Glendale, AZ ****
August 22- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Irvine, CA
August 23- TBD, San Francisco, CA ****
August 26- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre, Selma, TX
August 27- American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
August 29- Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, Woodlands, TX