Chicago Blackhawks: On-ice leadership group is very solidVincent Pariseon September 28, 2021 at 11:00 am

(Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The Chicago Blackhawks don’t have the best leadership in the front office or behind the bench but their on-ice leadership has been outstanding for over a decade. They have their leadership ready to go for this upcoming season and it is a solid group. There are many players that could assume leadership roles but there are some that stick out above the rest.

Of course, we know that the captain is Jonathan Toews. He has been the captain for a very long time and has had some tremendous success. He, as captain, has won multiple individual awards in addition to three Stanley Cups. After all these years, it is clear that Toews is one of the best captains in the history of the National Hockey League.

Throughout Toews’ career, he has mostly had Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook as his alternate captains. Well, Seabrook is retired now and Keith was traded to the Edmonton Oilers during the offseason. Now, it is time for some other people to dawn that “A” on their sweaters every day.

Patrick Kane has had leadership qualities for a few years now. He wasn’t much of a leader early in his career but has been outstanding at it in recent years. He has had the “A” on his sweater for a while now but a lot of it was while either Keith or Seabrook was away. Now, Kane is permanently an alternate captain under Toews.

That second “A” belongs to Alex DeBrincat. He emerged as an outstanding leader in the clubhouse and his play helps assert him to the top of the lineup. DeBrincat is capable of being among the league’s top goal scorers during any given season. 2020-21 was huge for him in his quest to stay consistent. Look for him to have a big year while dawning an “A” on his sweater.

Of course, there will probably be times for different reasons that Connor Murphy wears an A as well. Having three forwards rocking captain letters is interesting so having a defenseman that can do it is nice as well. Guys like Seth Jones, Ryan Carpenter, Calvin de Haan, and Tyler Johnson are great candidates as well.

The Chicago Blackhawks lean heavily on their leadership group to help them win.

With the players listed as captains for this team, it is clear that they are in good hands. With Toews healthy and leading the way, things seem to be good. He and Kane have been leaders for this franchise for a long time regardless of their captain status. It is important for them to bring some of that to the table in 2021-22.

Chicago Blackhawks: On-ice leadership group is very solidVincent Pariseon September 28, 2021 at 11:00 am Read More »

Suburban activist, Chicago lawmaker hope allowing civil suits against illegal gun sellers will ‘send a message’Rachel Hintonon September 28, 2021 at 10:30 am

Gun violence has cost Brenda Mitchell her son, her brother, several close friends and two godchildren.

Those deaths pushed the south suburban University Park woman to work with Purpose Over Pain, Father Michael Pfleger and other activists to combat gun trafficking, straw purchases and seek other ways to “help stop the bleed.”

“Unfortunately, the victims are getting younger and younger, and it’s like, as a humane society, when do we say ‘enough?’ When do we say ‘stop the bleed?'” Mitchell asked.

The suburban activist is supporting legislation that state Rep. Margaret Croke, D-Chicago, plans to file soon.

The North Side Democrat, who sought Mitchell’s opinion on her legislation, hopes her bill targeting straw dealers will act as a “deterrent” to those illegal purchases and transfers of guns.

Croke’s legislation would allow Illinois residents to bring a civil suit against the manufacturer, importer or dealer of a firearm if they, or a loved one, are hurt or killed as a result of the unlawful discharge of a gun in the state.

State Rep. Margaret Croke speaks at a news conference on the North Side in July.Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

Only illegal sales would be targeted under Croke’s legislation. A gun linked to one unlawful injury, would mean that seller could only be sued once, but if the gun is linked to 20 or more shootings, that could mean 20 or more suits against the seller, Croke said.

The lawmaker pointed to news reports on illegal guns being used in shootings in the city as part of her push to file the legislation.

“I don’t see a lot of deterrence when it comes to the straw dealers and the illegal transfer of guns right now,” Croke said. “I see a lot of penalties in the criminal justice system, which I agree with … but I don’t see anything deterring the sale of illegal guns, and I also think Chicago has the opportunity to be a leader on this. … We have an opportunity to lead, for other states to copy this legislation and create a safer environment, safer neighborhoods for our kids and for our families.”

Croke’s measure is also called the Protecting Heartbeats Act, a reference to Texas’ recent legislation that placed a near-total ban on abortions in that state. The controversial Texas law puts enforcement in the hands of private citizens filing civil lawsuits, rather than prosecutors filing criminal charges.

The Chicago-based state lawmaker said she hopes to bring her anti-gun trafficking bill up for a vote during the General Assembly’s veto session, which is slated for six days during the last two weeks of October.

Croke said the point is to hold people accountable in a civil situation for “doing something that is already illegal” and added she’s not going after legal gun owners or Firearm Owner Identification card holders, but rather “people who have decided that they are going to break the law and they are going to sell these guns in order to make a profit.”

A table of guns Chicago Police say officers confiscated is displayed during a news conference at at police headquarters last year. Ashlee Rezin/Sun-Times file

Mitchell said the measure would offer those who’ve lost a loved one to gun violence “a tool, a resource to go after the root, which could send a message” to illegal gun sellers.

But Richard Pearson, the head of the Illinois State Rifle Association, doesn’t think going after manufacturers is the way to curb the gun violence the state is seeing.

Pearson called the measure a “terrible bill” because the state “can’t control” what people do with guns or anything else.

He equated the measure to people suing farmers for accidents after agronomists sell their corn to an elevator that in turn sells the grain to a company that makes alcohol, which is “ridiculous.”

None of the gun laws already on the books in the U.S. will “stop criminal activity, no matter what you do, because criminals want to be criminals,” Pearson said.

“The only thing that has worked in the past is — when you get crime rates to drop — you put more police on the streets, you take the criminals who get caught, and you convict them and you put them in jail for a long time and people decide to stop doing bad stuff, but, until you do that, right now it’s just going the opposite way, like a revolving door,” Pearson said. “It’s a pretty terrible system right now.”

A spokeswoman for Gov. J.B. Pritzker said in a statement the governor “firmly believes we must explore every legal option to protect every life in this state and supports constructive conversations that move us closer to ending gun violence.

“He looks forward to reviewing the bill,” she said.

Mitchell said Illinois typically welcomes “pro common sense gun laws.”

“We’re burying our children, we are burying our potential, and you’re leaving families and communities traumatized by an ineffective view of a person’s Second Amendment rights,” Mitchell said.

Suburban activist, Chicago lawmaker hope allowing civil suits against illegal gun sellers will ‘send a message’Rachel Hintonon September 28, 2021 at 10:30 am Read More »

5 killed, 9 wounded, Monday in ChicagoSun-Times Wireon September 28, 2021 at 9:51 am

Five people were killed, and nine were wounded, in shootings Monday in Chicago, including a man who was fatally shot while completing a food delivery on the Near West Side.

About 8:30 p.m., the 57-year-old man was sitting inside a vehicle in the 1300 block of West Grenshaw Street, attempting to deliver food, when a person walked up to him and fired shots, Chicago police said. The man was struck in the chest and taken to Stroger Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A 31-year-old man was shot to death in Gresham on the South Side. About 6:30 p.m., the man was in the 8800 block of South Throop Street when he was struck by gunfire, police said. He was shot in the head and was taken Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead. He hasn’t been identified.

Minutes prior, a man was fatally shot in West Pullman on the Far South Side. The 27-year-old was in the 200 block of East 121st Street about 6:20 p.m. when someone opened fire, police said. He was shot in the head and was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, where he was pronounced dead.

One person was killed and three others, including a 17-year-old, were wounded in Humboldt Park on the Northwest Side. The group was standing in the 800 block of North Ridgeway Avenue when someone in a dark-colored sedan opened fire about 1:40 a.m. police said. A 34-year-old man was shot in the chest and was taken to Stroger Hospital, where he died. His name hasn’t been released yet. A 17-year-old boy and a 24-year-old man were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds to the legs. Both were listed in good condition. A 39-year-old man was shot in the right leg and was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in good condition.

A man was killed and another was wounded in a shooting during an argument after a card game in Gresham on the South Side. The two men, 35 and 38, were in a home in the 700 block of West 77th Street about 12:45 a.m. when the older man shot the younger man several times, police said. The 35-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. He hasn’t been identified yet. The 38-year-old was shot in the left arm and was taken to the hospital in good condition and was in custody.

Five others were wounded in shootings citywide.

Ten people were killed, and fifty-eight others were wounded in shootings last weekend in Chicago.

5 killed, 9 wounded, Monday in ChicagoSun-Times Wireon September 28, 2021 at 9:51 am Read More »

1 killed, 3 wounded, in shooting in Park Manor: policeJermaine Nolenon September 28, 2021 at 8:44 am

A woman was killed, and three others were wounded, in a shooting Tuesday in Park Manor on the South Side.

About 1:30 a.m., two women were sitting in a vehicle and two men were standing near the street in the 6500 block of South Calumet Avenue, when someone approached and fired shots, Chicago police said.

A 27-year-old woman was struck in the head and a 35-year-old woman was struck in the left ankle, police said.

The 27-year-old was taken to the University of Chicago Hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police said. The younger woman was grazed by a bullet on her back and refused treatment.

A 21-year-old man was shot in the ankle, and took himself to the University of Chicago Hospital, in good condition, police said. A second male was grazed by a bullet on his hand and refused treatment.

Area One detectives are investigating.

1 killed, 3 wounded, in shooting in Park Manor: policeJermaine Nolenon September 28, 2021 at 8:44 am Read More »