Jun 11, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of the Stanley Cup Final logo on the ice during media day in preparation for game one of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

I know, I know.  This is a Chicago Bears site.  So what the heck am I doing posting Blackhawks stuff on a Bears blog.  Well, first of all, it’s my site and I’ll post what I want to.  Second, it’s rare that a Chicago team plays for a championship, so I’m throwing my support and civic pride behind our Blackhawks.  If you don’t want to read; no hard feelings.  There are plenty of Chicago Bears notes on our home page.  Dive in and enjoy.

In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to kick off the Stanley Cup Final by casting the 2013 Chicago Blackhawks with Chicago Bears players.  If you’re not an avid Hawks fan, it might help you understand who’s who by mapping the Hawks to a comparable Bears player and have some fun along the way.  Here we go:

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Is it a pick or a scratch?

Late last week, we learned that Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler married on-again, off-again, back on-again fiance Kristin Cavallari at a “secret” Tennessee wedding.  My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, but the other 150 guests celebrated with the happy couple.

In today’s day and age, there are no secret wedding and thanks to the UK’s Daily Mail, we have some leaked photos to share.  (more…)

Happy Memorial Day from Bear Goggles On.

I just wanted to relay a quick story about patriotism and the Chicago Bears.  If you’re a regular reader of this site, you know that my friends and I go to a Bears road game each year; we’ve been doing so since the mid-90′s.  2001 was no different than the handful of years prior.  When the schedule came out in April, my friends and I exchanged e-mails and phone calls to figure out where we would go.  Atlanta.  Atlanta on October 7, 2001 would be the site of the trip.  The game tickets were purchased, airfare and hotel secured.  We were ready to go.  Then 9/11 happened.

I’ll fast forward through the 9/11 drama and how it brought us as a nation closer together in a way I had never experienced.  The trip would go on, with a little more trepidation than in years prior.  Air travel just wasn’t the same. (more…)

Soldier Field set to host City Hockey Classic played on February 17, 2013 (Photo via Yahoo! Sports)

Move over Chicago Bears, Soldier Field will be playing host to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2014.  The rumors have been swirling around for some time now, but it’s been made official early on Wednesday as the NHL announced expansion of their outdoor game package beyond the Winter Classic.

The Chicago Blackhawks will host the Pittsburgh Penguins at Soldier Field on March 1, 2014 at 7PM, so it will be prime time viewing.

“Our fans and our teams love outdoor games,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “The Chicago game, at Soldier Field, will be a match-up of two recent Stanley Cupchampions at a landmark stadium.”

This won’t be the first trip outdoors for the Blackhawks.  They hosted the Detroit Redwings at Wrigley Field back on January 1, 2009.  This won’t be the first hockey action that Soldier Field has seen either.  Earlier this year, the home of the Chicago Bears hosted the Hockey City Classic in which Notre Dame faced Miami University and Minnesota played Wisconsin.

With the recent lockout, the NHL is trying to bring back the fans and is adding several of the popular games to the outdoor docket, calling it the 2014 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series.  The rest of the games int he series haven’t been made official yet, but here’s a look at the full rumored schedule:

* Jan. 1: Winter Classic at Michigan Stadium, Red Wings vs. Maple Leafs

* Jan. 25: Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Kings vs. Ducks

* Jan. 26: Yankee Stadium in New York, Rangers vs. Devils

* Jan. 29: Yankee Stadium in New York, Rangers vs. Islanders

* Mar. 1: Soldier Field in Chicago, Penguins vs. Blackhawks

* Mar. 2: BC Place in Vancouver, Senators vs. Canucks

I like the matchups in Yankee Stadium leading up to the hype of Super Bowl XLVIII to be played in New York/New Jersey on February 2, 2014.  I think an outdoor game played in LA is doomed from the start.

With the regular season records of the Blackhawks and Penguins, this matchup could be a re-match of the Stanley Cup Finals.  The Bears head to Pittsburgh this season and will face the Steelers in Prime Time on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 of the upcoming NFL season, so it looks like we’ve got a little rivalry brewing with the Steel City.

There’s a new mayor around town and his name is Urlacher.  No, not former Chicago Bears linebacker Brian; his little brother Casey was elected mayor of the Chicago suburban town of Mettawa Illinois.  Urlacher won handily:  (more…)

The calendar is about to turn to April and that means the NFL draft is right around the corner.  I mean just a few weeks away!  It’s also about the time that the results of the Wonderlic Test start to leak.  We’ve all heard of Morris Claiborne’s 4 and Frank Gores 6 or Harvard graduate Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 48 and want to see how we would compare.  Well fear not, now you can!  (more…)

I know that this is a Chicago Bears site, but there are a few things that are undeniably true every March:

1. If you’re more than a decade removed from your college days, you’re probably dusting off your old college gear to root for your alma mater.

2. It is the only time of year when it is socially acceptable to end a sentence with “baby.”  Example: “You’ve gotta love the Illini baby!”  ”Pass the pepper baby!”  Damn you, Dickie V.  Damn you baby!!!

3. Everyone is a college basketball fan for a few days.

So jump into the action.  Here’s a link to FanSided’s printable bracket and join the fun.

Our friends at SI.com are running a HUGE Bracket Challenge, so print out the FanSided bracket and let your magic 8-Ball do the rest.  If you can go perfect and no one else does, you’ll be a million dollars richer.  Not too shabby for a free tournament.

So whether you’re jumping into the office pool, looking to claim a million bucks or just want to make some “investments” jump into the mix and have some fun.

What do you think?  Who do you think is going all the way?  Post your Final Four in the Comments, unless of course you don’t want to give away your secrets.

Let the MADNESS BEGIN!!!

Keep up with all the latest NCAA tournament action at Busting Brackets and FanSided and use the Hashtag #FSMadness.