FanHouse BrianCampbell

While the hockey world is debating whether Niklas Kronwall's hit on Martin Havlat should have been ruled interference or charging (or nothing at all), Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Brian Campbell weighed in with his thoughts on the hit, as well as Kronwall's reputation as a physical presence on the ice (hint: he's not a fan).

According to Ansar Khan of Mlive.com, Campbell was one of the most vocal critics of the hit, calling it "gutless all around."

A lot of the talk following last night's Game 2 in Detroit centered around Chicago's Brian Campbell and his turnover, which led to Mikael Samuelsson's game-winning goal, giving the Wings a 3-2 win in overtime and a 2-0 series lead. But it wasn't nearly the first time that Campbell has made a mistake that has cost his team a victory in a playoff overtime. This is actually the third time in this past three years that a misplay by Campbell has led to an overtime defeat for his team.

This incarnation of the Detroit Red Wings, much like those championship versions before it, continues to roll along feeding off the mistakes of its opponents while committing very few of its own. This isn't the most dominant version of the Wings we've seen over the last 15 years, but it's certainly the most savvy.

In the past, the Wings had more stars than they knew what to do with. And this time, in all fairness, they have a lot. But not quite like the past. Nonetheless, the results are about the same.

It's not a death blow by any means, but the Chicago Blackhawks are firmly behind the eight-ball, and they have all the pressure on them.

Tuesday night, a huge mistake by Chicago defenseman Brian Campbell set Detroit up for a game-winning goal. The overtime marker by Mikael Samuelsson put Detroit up 2-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

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After jumping out to a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Final, Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock held a press conference on Monday and fielded a variety of questions from the media. For the most part, it was your typical, run-of-the-mill press conference.

About half way through, a reporter started asking Babcock about how he once joked that he was ready for the salary cap to break up the young talent the Chicago Blackhawks have assembled over the years. In Babcock's mind, he wasn't joking.

The Western Conference Finals brings us one of the classic Original Six rivalries in the NHL, as Detroit and Chicago square off with a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals on the line. The Red Wings are looking to become the first team to repeat as champions since they did it during the 1997 and 1998 seasons, while Chicago is looking to return to the finals for the first time since 1992.

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The NHL cranks up the conference semifinals Thursday night, as Chicago opens their series at Vancouver. With both teams off impressive opening-round victories, who has the advantage? And will we see any hair-pulling theatrics this time around?

The Detroit Red Wings are having their way with the Columbus Blue Jackets in their Western Conference Quarterfinal series, jumping out to a commanding 3-0 lead thanks to a 4-1 win on Tuesday night. Speaking of which, midway through the second period, Detroit's Brad Stuart dished out a crushing (and clean) hit on Columbus' R.J. Umberger.

Brian Burke's acquisition of tough-guy Brad May helped add to some of the intensity and entertainment value in Thursday's Montreal-Toronto game, as the two teams beat the snot out of one other physically, while the Canadiens dominated on the scoreboard, pulling out a 6-2 win. The victory for Montreal is its third in a row, and eighth in its past 10 games.

We've already talked about the penalties and wrestling matches between Mikhail Grabovski and a linesman, so let's talk about the game itself. The Canadiens jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first period, thanks to goals from Sergei Kostitsyn, Maxim Lapierre and Guillaume Latendresse. Jaroslav Halak, making his fourth straight start in goal for Montreal, turned aside 30 shots to pick up his eighth win of the season.

Bruins 6, Senators 4: Boston snapped a brief two-game losing skid on Thursday night with a 6-4 win over Ottawa. The Bruins let a 3-1 lead slip away late in the second period, and then scored three consecutive goals of their own in the third, as Ottawa goalie Martin Gerber had a rather forgettable start in goal, stopping only 16 of 21 shots. Marc Savard scored what proved to be the game-winning goal, while also adding two assists.

Here's a short video reel I shot on Wednesday afternoon in the Chicago Blackhawks locker room immediately following their practice at Wrigley Field just one day ahead of the 2009 NHL Winter Classic. In this clip, you'll see Brian Campbell, James Wisniewski and Kris Versteeg all answering questions about the weather conditions they'll have to endure on gameday, January 1.