Aside from the Chicago Blackhawks and their fans, referee Stephen Walkom must be the happiest person in the United Center on Wednesday.
After blowing a play that lead to a go-ahead goal dead in the third period, Walkom got to wipe some sweat off his brow after Brent Seabrook scored the OT-winner to give the Blackhawks a 4-3 series win against the Detroit Red Wings. Let’s chat about it.
- Does a Blackhawks win make that disallowed goal more of a footnote or will hockey fans point to it as one of the all-time blunders anyway?
- The Red Wings might have given up a 3-1 series lead, but they still pushed the Blackhawks within a goal of being eliminated. Still, some wonder if Detroit is finally fading after all these years of dominance. Should GM Ken Holland rebuild in any form? If so, how much?
- Are you impressed with Corey Crawford and/or Jimmy Howard after this second-round series? Neither netminder was a hockey household name, yet both acquitted themselves masterfully.
- Seabrook has generated a lot of criticism lately. Will that huge goal get people off of his back?
- Both conference finals feature top seed vs. fourth seed matchups with high-profile teams. Which series are you looking forward to the most?
- So, who do you got: the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Blackhawks or the defending champion Los Angeles Kings?