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Ahead of their game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday night, the Chicago Blackhawks honored Marian Hossa. His number 81 was sent up into the rafters of the United Center forever and no player will ever wear it again.

In order to receive that honor in any sport, you need to be a legend for that team. Of course, that is exactly what Maian Hossa was for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was a winger that scored as much as anyone while playing some amazing two-way hockey.

He was literally like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane mixed into one player. There are few wingers to ever play the game the way that he did. It was truly sensational to watch for a long time. It is pretty obvious that he is the greatest free agent signing in the history of Chicago sports.

Hossa, after losing in the Stanley Cup final two straight times in 2008 and 2009, finally won the whole thing with Chicago in 2010. After chasing the Cup around for a while, he got a second and a third in 2013 and 2015. It was an amazing run for him.

Marian Hossa is one of the greatest players in Chicago Blackhawks history.

This was a well-deserved honor for him that he earned through all of these amazing accomplishments. He got to enjoy it all with his whole family and some former teammates in attendance.

After his family came out, the six other players that won the Stanley Cup with him all three times (Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Patrick Sharp, and Brent Seabrook) came out to be there for this big moment.

Even the Stanley Cup came out to celebrate this amazing honor. All seven of the players took a picture with the greatest trophy in all of sports.

The entire event was led by Ed Olczyk who is the best at this stuff. He isn’t with the Blackhawks anymore as he is the Seattle Kraken color commentator now but he mad the trip home to Chicago for this amazing night.

Danny Wirtz had some nice things to say up there for one of the greatest players in team history as well. It was good from hear from him as the team is finally honoring one of the true legends of the modern era.

When Hossa got up there to speak, he was incredibly humble which is exactly what you’d expect from him. Most of it was spent thanking all of those who helped him reach this point in his life.

Following all of that, the banner with his number 81 was sent up forever. It was truly a great ceremony that would make any fan of the sport excited.

As Hossa pointed out, it won’t be long before there are some other ceremonies just like it for other guys that were his teammates. That stretch of Chicago Blackhawks hockey during Hossa’s career is the best in team history. Everyone should be so proud.

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The Chicago Bears are a bad football team with a bad roster. That is why they came into the game on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons with only three wins and no chance at the playoffs. They traded most of the stars on their team over the last few months and are looking toward the future.

Justin Fields, however, has been taking some major strides at the quarterback position. He has very minimal help when it comes to his offensive line and weapons on offense and he still makes things happen.

The critiques of him are because of the fact that he appears to be a better runner of the football than a passer. That may be true but it doesn’t mean he is bad at throwing as some suggest. He has made some really nice throws over the last few weeks as well.

We won’t be able to fully judge him until he gets some good protection on the line and better weapons to utilize his skills with. That will come in time. They are sure to have a very good draft pick in addition to lots of salary cap to work with.

The Chicago Bears were unable to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday afternoon.

In this game against the Falcons, they ended up losing a heartbreaker. It isn’t fun to lose but it will be helpful to their draft stock in the grand scheme of things.

The 27 to 24 loss is Chicago’s fourth straight loss but the sixth game in a row that Fields made some very impressive plays to get the offense going. Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney have been pretty good at receiving passes from Fields while the running game has been on fire.

Fields had a solid game here. He went 14/21 with 153 yards and had a touchdown with an interception. He led the Bears in rushing again as well with 85 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown.

Unfortunately, the Bears lost a little bit more than the game here. Justin Fields did exit on the cart with an injury. It isn’t clear if the injury is going to keep him out for any period of time but it is certainly possible.

The Bears have two more weeks before the bye so you have to wonder if they will keep him out through that game and get him fresh for the final few weeks of the season. That might be the best idea for his development if he isn’t feeling good enough to make an impact.

Fields is the most important player in the organization right now but they have to do a better job of keeping him on his feet. This kid has taken some major shots this season and it is a surprise that he has lasted this long without any type of injury. He has clearly dealt with some pain.

This will obviously be the big story surrounding the team all week long leading into their Week 12 matchup with the New York Jets. We can only hope that he is okay.

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It’s the last day of Grabadolandia, a three-day printmaking festival in Pilsen organized by the Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. From 10 AM-5 PM, they are hosting a printmakers fair at the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th) where you can appreciate (and buy!) works from various members of the Pilsen printmaker community. The neighborhood carries a long history of organizing and uniting disparate local communities—Latinx and work class families, as well as students, artists, and more—through printmaking. Join them in celebrating that tradition. Participants include Hoofprint, Marimacha Monarca Press, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, and more. For more information, including a complete list of vendors, check out IGC’s website. (MC)

On this, the final day of the Trans Weekend of Resilience, there will be a candlelight vigil at the Chicago Therapy Collective (5237 N. Clark) to remember trans siblings lost this year. Starting at 2:30 PM, people are invited to make offerings such as pictures, flowers, and cards at the chalk mural wall. Then at 3 PM, there will be a ceremony to celebrate the life and legacy of late Chicago Therapy Collective member (and former Reader staffer) Elise Malary, as well as others lost in Chicago this year. At 3:45 PM, everyone will gather around the fire for a ceremony to inspire connection and healing while imagining a future free of anti-trans violence. (MC)

Palmhouse (619 Howard, Evanston) is debuting its first pro wrestling event as Palmhouse Pro Wrestling. At 4 PM, the bell will ring in matches between Max the Impaler, Hoodfoot, Mateo Valentine, and more. Tickets start at $20 to catch these rising wrestlers “cross the line.” Will you be there—or be square? (MC)

Mercury Theater Chicago’s Venus Cabaret has become a laboratory for new and offbeat musical performance, and tonight is the premiere of The Underground by Austin Lamewona, which is presented in a concert presentation. Brooke Vespoli composed the music (with additional compositions by Maya Stockman) for Lamewona’s tale about a group of musicians who collaborate with a group of poets to open a school for music—only to find that dark government forces are arrayed against their creative aspirations. Lamewona also directs. The show is at 8 PM at the Venus (3745 N. Southport); tickets are $20 at mercurytheaterchicago.com. (KR)

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It’s the last day of Grabadolandia, a three-day printmaking festival in Pilsen organized by the Instituto Gráfico de Chicago. From 10 AM-5 PM, they are hosting a printmakers fair at the National Museum of Mexican Art (1852 W. 19th) where you can appreciate (and buy!) works from various members of the Pilsen printmaker community. The neighborhood carries a long history of organizing and uniting disparate local communities—Latinx and work class families, as well as students, artists, and more—through printmaking. Join them in celebrating that tradition. Participants include Hoofprint, Marimacha Monarca Press, Chicago Printmakers Collaborative, and more. For more information, including a complete list of vendors, check out IGC’s website. (MC)

On this, the final day of the Trans Weekend of Resilience, there will be a candlelight vigil at the Chicago Therapy Collective (5237 N. Clark) to remember trans siblings lost this year. Starting at 2:30 PM, people are invited to make offerings such as pictures, flowers, and cards at the chalk mural wall. Then at 3 PM, there will be a ceremony to celebrate the life and legacy of late Chicago Therapy Collective member (and former Reader staffer) Elise Malary, as well as others lost in Chicago this year. At 3:45 PM, everyone will gather around the fire for a ceremony to inspire connection and healing while imagining a future free of anti-trans violence. (MC)

Palmhouse (619 Howard, Evanston) is debuting its first pro wrestling event as Palmhouse Pro Wrestling. At 4 PM, the bell will ring in matches between Max the Impaler, Hoodfoot, Mateo Valentine, and more. Tickets start at $20 to catch these rising wrestlers “cross the line.” Will you be there—or be square? (MC)

Mercury Theater Chicago’s Venus Cabaret has become a laboratory for new and offbeat musical performance, and tonight is the premiere of The Underground by Austin Lamewona, which is presented in a concert presentation. Brooke Vespoli composed the music (with additional compositions by Maya Stockman) for Lamewona’s tale about a group of musicians who collaborate with a group of poets to open a school for music—only to find that dark government forces are arrayed against their creative aspirations. Lamewona also directs. The show is at 8 PM at the Venus (3745 N. Southport); tickets are $20 at mercurytheaterchicago.com. (KR)

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Everyone knows that although the Chicago Blackhawks got off to a hot start in 2022-23, they are a rebuilding team that has a chance to be very bad this season. Things were always going to be tough against the Boston Bruins who entered Saturday as the top team in the NHL.

It certainly was tough as the Bruins beat the Blackhawks as badly as they’ve been beaten in a long time. Boston showed absolutely no mercy to Chicago on their home ice as they won the game 6-1 at TD Garden.

In the first period, the Bruins went up 1-0 thanks to a goal scored by David Pastrnak. It was a power-play goal that was scored right at the end of the man advantage as the Bruins had a hard time setting up but eventually prevailed.

In the second period, Patrice Bergeron scored to make it 2-0 a little while before Jonathan Toews scored a goal to cut the lead in half. These two have been two of the model centerman in the league for a very long time.

Within the final two minutes of the second period, both Jake DeBrusk and David Krejci scored a goal to get Boston’s lead up to 4-1. David Pastrnak and Taylor Hall then both scored in the third period to get the score to its final of 6-1.

The Chicago Blackhawks had absolutely no chance against the Boston Bruins.

Petr Mrazek was in the net for Chicago and he had no chance. It was kind of sad but the Hawks were outshot 43-18. Nobody ever said that being the goalie of this team was going to be an easy task this season. He isn’t an All-Star goalie by any means but this was far from his fault.

It was nice to see Jonathan Toews at least score a power play goal to keep his great season going. This was his eighth of the season and he still leads the entire NHL with a faceoff-win percentage of 65.09.

Following a tough loss like this, it is not easy to come back from the next day but that is what the Hawks will try to do when they host the Pittsburgh Penguins.

They will be retiring Marian Hossa’s number so it will be a special night at the United Center no matter what happens.

We can only hope that these guys at least are respectable on the big night honoring the former Blackhawks superstar. Saturday night sure wasn’t pretty for this Chicago Blackhawks team but not every game will be that bad.

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

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The Chicago Community Bond Fund, a local group working to end pretrial incarceration and the cash bail system, is hosting its seventh annual end of year celebration. Take stock of the group’s trials and tribulations over the past 365 days while enjoying a panel led by Chicago Black Social Cultural Map, dance performances, a disco-influenced set from singer Akenya, and music from DJ Fre. This event runs from 6-9 PM at Hairpin Arts Center (2810 N. Milwaukee)—though an online option (livestream via Zoom) is available too! Tickets are $20, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. (MC)

If you can’t stand most holiday shows, Annoyance gets it—which is why they’re bringing back their anti-holiday offering, It’s Christmas Goddamnit!, opening tonight at 8 PM at their home theater (851 W. Belmont). The show, directed by Ian Mullen, touches on “family relationships, secret marriages, racist uncles, and neighbors with secrets.” So much to unwrap! Performances are 8 PM every Saturday through 12/17; tickets are $25 at theannoyance.com. (KR)

In music tonight, there are plenty of options! Tenci, Macie Stewart, and Girl K play Sleeping Village (9 PM, 3734 W. Belmont, 21+) at 9 PM. And guitarist Marisa Anderson is at Constellation; Health&Beauty opens (8:30 PM, 3111 N. Western, 18+). Check out our music section for more ideas. (SCJ)

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Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky riffs on the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty, and interviews politicians, activists, journalists and other political know-it-alls. Presented by the Chicago Reader, the show is available by 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays at chicagoreader.com/joravsky—or wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t miss Oh, What a Week!–the Friday feature in which Ben & producer Dennis (aka, Dr. D.) review the week’s top stories. Also, bonus interviews drop on Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays. 

Chicago Reader podcasts are recorded on Shure microphones. Learn more at Shure.com.

Chicago Reader senior writer Ben Joravsky discusses the day’s stories with his celebrated humor, insight, and honesty on The Ben Joravsky Show.

Read More

The Chicago Community Bond Fund, a local group working to end pretrial incarceration and the cash bail system, is hosting its seventh annual end of year celebration. Take stock of the group’s trials and tribulations over the past 365 days while enjoying a panel led by Chicago Black Social Cultural Map, dance performances, a disco-influenced set from singer Akenya, and music from DJ Fre. This event runs from 6-9 PM at Hairpin Arts Center (2810 N. Milwaukee)—though an online option (livestream via Zoom) is available too! Tickets are $20, but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. (MC)

If you can’t stand most holiday shows, Annoyance gets it—which is why they’re bringing back their anti-holiday offering, It’s Christmas Goddamnit!, opening tonight at 8 PM at their home theater (851 W. Belmont). The show, directed by Ian Mullen, touches on “family relationships, secret marriages, racist uncles, and neighbors with secrets.” So much to unwrap! Performances are 8 PM every Saturday through 12/17; tickets are $25 at theannoyance.com. (KR)

In music tonight, there are plenty of options! Tenci, Macie Stewart, and Girl K play Sleeping Village (9 PM, 3734 W. Belmont, 21+) at 9 PM. And guitarist Marisa Anderson is at Constellation; Health&Beauty opens (8:30 PM, 3111 N. Western, 18+). Check out our music section for more ideas. (SCJ)

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