Grieving Chicago police officers direct their anger at CPD’s second-in-commandFran Spielmanon August 11, 2021 at 12:02 am

Chicago police officers upset with Mayor Lori Lightfoot over her reform policies are also directing their anger at the Chicago Police Department’s second-in-command.

First Deputy Police Supt. Eric Carter infuriated officers gathered Saturday night at the Cook County medical examiner’s office to give their slain colleague, Ella French, a final send-off.

Ignoring a sacred ritual, Carter impatiently declared: “We don’t have 20 minutes for this s—.” He demanded the Chicago Fire Department ambulance bearing French’s body be taken directly into the medical examiner’s office, skipping the Emerald Society’s traditional playing of bagpipes.

“We’re not waiting on the bagpipes. Go ahead and get the vehicle inside,” Carter is heard saying on a recording.

“Take it all the way inside. Do not stop.”

Former Chicago Police Supt. Garry McCarthy said the time-honored ritual tied to the line-of-duty death of a Chicago police officer is “sacred.” For the department’s second-in-command to ignore it is not only a sacrilege, it’s an “inexcusable” affront to the rank-and-file officers Carter is assigned to lead, he said.

“When Cliff Lewis got killed and his fiancee came to the hospital, I took her into another room and I sat her down and explained to her what had occurred. And she completely lost it. When I say lost it, she was basically rolling around on the floor,” McCarthy said Tuesday.

“You know what I did? I was on the ER floor of Christ Hospital rolling around with her trying to hold onto her and comfort her. The sensitivity of an officer being killed. The handling of the family. The handling of the body. It’s kind of sacred.”

Asked about Carter ordering the process to be sped up, McCarthy said, “There’s always enough time. Let’s put it that way. If we had to wait two or three days, I would have done it.”

Asked whether Carter can regain the respect of rank-and-file officers, McCarthy said, “It would be a stretch to think that they would want to get behind a leader who doesn’t respect something that sacred.”

Ald. Anthony Napolitano (41st) has served the city as both a firefighter and police officer. His Far Northwest Side ward is home to many Chicago police officers.

Napolitano acknowledged Carter was under enormous stress on the night French was killed and her partner was seriously wounded. But, he said, that’s no excuse for his cavalier behavior.

“Give them just that respect at that time, which those officers needed because this is what creates that post-traumatic stress that they go through constantly in this war zone of a city that we have. To take that away from them in that moment was wrong,” Napolitano said.

“I hope it was just a miscalculation or something done in error. But the way that was presented, the way that looks, that is just terrible. You don’t do that to your soldiers at all.”

CPD spokesman Don Terry was asked whether Supt. David Brown agrees with the way his top deputy handled situation at the medical examiner’s office.

“No comment beyond reminding you of what an emotionally difficult and painful night that was — and continues to be — for everyone involved,” Terry wrote in an email to the Sun-Times.

The mayor’s office declined to comment.

Lightfoot is facing her own political backlash after a Saturday night traffic stop in West Englewood left French dead and her partner fighting for his life after being shot by one of the men in the stopped car.

The mayor was told repeatedly that the wounded officer’s father, a retired Chicago police officer himself, didn’t want her on the floor of the University of Chicago Medical Center where his son was being treated in the intensive care unit. But Lightfoot ignored his wishes and got a tongue-lashing from the father.

Shortly after, Lightfoot walked out into the hallway and suffered a final indignity. Officers gathered to pray for French and her wounded partner turned their backs on the mayor as she approached.

Grieving Chicago police officers direct their anger at CPD’s second-in-commandFran Spielmanon August 11, 2021 at 12:02 am Read More »

So hoppy to be back!on August 11, 2021 at 12:24 am

Chicago’s Art and Beer Scene

So hoppy to be back!

So hoppy to be back!on August 11, 2021 at 12:24 am Read More »

Tony Esposito, Blackhawks’ all-time winningest goalie, dies at 78Ben Popeon August 10, 2021 at 10:52 pm

Tony Esposito, a legend in Blackhawks history as the franchise’s all-time winningest goalie, died Tuesday after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

He was 78.

“From his arrival in the Windy City in the late 1960s through an illustrious playing career and decades as a franchise icon, Tony left an indelible mark — both on the ice and in the community — over the next 52 years,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

“Beyond the individual awards…it was Esposito’s style, charisma and heart that endeared him most to hockey fans, not only in Chicago but across the NHL.”

Esposito won 418 games across 15 seasons with the Hawks, starting in 1969 and lasting until his retirement in 1984. Seventy-four of those wins were shutouts, which also stands as a franchise record.

He was a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (in 1970, 1972 and 1974), a five-time NHL All-Star (in 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 and 1980) and also earned the Calder Trophy as a rookie in 1970.

“Tony was one of the most important and popular figures in the history of the franchise,” Blackhawks chairman Rocky Wirtz said in a statement. “Four generations of our family…were blessed by his work ethic as a Hall of Fame goalie, but more importantly, by his mere presence and spirit. Likewise, four generations of hockey fans grew to love Tony.”

Named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1988, Esposito — fondly known as “Tony O” — remained involved with the Hawks organization in recent years, becoming an official team ambassador in 2008. His No. 35 is retired and hangs in the United Center rafters.

“‘Tony O’ was a fierce competitor who also took great pride in being an entertainer, whether it was with his pioneering butterfly style during his playing days or interacting with fans across the League as one of this game’s great ambassadors,” Bettman said. “The hockey world will miss him greatly.”

Tony Esposito remained involved with the Blackhawks into recent years, including this 2017 Blackhawks Convention appearance.

Esposito — who grew up alongside his older brother and fellow NHL legend Phil Esposito in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario — remains the all-time Goals Against Average leader at Michigan Tech, where he won the NCAA hockey championship in 1965.

But he bounced around several minor leagues early in his career and arrived in Chicago without much initial fanfare. Wirtz, in his statement, recalled claiming Esposito off waivers from the Canadiens for a mere $25,000 payment.

That quickly changed. Few goalies have ever produced a better season than Esposito did in 1969-70: a 38-17-8 record, .932 save percentage, 2.17 GAA and 15 shutouts.

That spectacular performance established him as a Hawks centerpiece of the 1970s. He helped the team reach the Stanley Cup Final the following season and do so again two years later, playing in total 99 career postseason games — in addition to 873 career regular-season games — with the Hawks.

His off-ice kindness and humility further cemented his reputation in the city.

“If you were a new player in Chicago, Tony and [his wife] Marilyn always made you feel welcome and comfortable,” Wirtz said. “Rookies were invited to their home for countless dinners, and when the Espositos held their annual Christmas party, everybody associated with the Blackhawks was there.”

Esposito is survived by Marilyn as well as two sons, Mark and Jason, and two grandchildren.

“[Tuesday] is a sad day for the Blackhawks and all of hockey. But with his wonderful family, let us celebrate a life well-lived,” Wirtz said. “Tony Esposito’s banner will be part of the United Center forever, as will his legacy as a superstar, on and off the ice.”

Tony Esposito, Blackhawks’ all-time winningest goalie, dies at 78Ben Popeon August 10, 2021 at 10:52 pm Read More »

Brothers charged in fatal shooting of Chicago police officer denied bailStefano Espositoon August 10, 2021 at 11:47 pm

Even as Chicago Police Officer Ella French lay dying, her body camera continued recording her accused killer standing astride her and holding a handgun, a Cook County judge was told Tuesday.

And Emonte Morgan later told investigators in a videotaped statement that he “thought he might have shot the girl and a boy cop,” Assistant State’s Attorney James Murphy said during Morgan’s bond hearing at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

Judge Arthur Willis ordered Morgan, 21, held without bail, saying the evidence suggested he “callously” shot French in the head and critically wounded her partner during a traffic stop Saturday night in West Englewood.

In a separate court hearing Tuesday, Judge Charles Beach ordered Morgan’s brother, 22-year-old Eric Morgan, held without bail for his alleged involvement in the same incident.

Both courtrooms were packed with Chicago police officers. And afterward, dozens of Cook County sheriff’s deputies lined the hallways, many saluting as the Chicago police officers filed out.

Saturday’s incident unfolded about 9 p.m. in the 2200 block of West 63rd Street when French and two male officers pulled over a gray SUV for having expired license plates, Murphy said.

There were three people in the SUV. Eric Morgan was driving, his brother was in the back passenger seat and an unnamed woman was sitting in the front passenger seat, Murphy said.

French, 29, approached Eric Morgan and asked him to hand her his keys and get out of the car, which he did, Murphy said. The woman passenger also stepped out of the car.

Emonte Morgan, who prosecutors referred to as “Monty” in their written proffer, got out too, but with a drink and cellphone in his hands.

“He refused repeated instructions to set the items down,” Murphy said. “He began physically jerking his arms away from the officers.”

Eric Morgan then fled on foot, pursued by one of French’s fellow officers. French’s other partner then struggled with Emonte Morgan near the car, Murphy said. One of the body cameras “captured a semi-automatic handgun” in Emonte Morgan’s waistband.

Then at some point, Emonte Morgan “fired multiple shots, striking both French and [the other officer],” Murphy said.

The officers fell to the ground. Their cameras kept recording.

“[Emonte] Morgan is seen on the video emerging from the passenger compartment holding a gun in his left hand,” Murphy said. “He is seen looking around while standing above the officers.”

The officer who’d chased Eric Morgan, upon hearing the gunshots, returned to help his fellow officers, Murphy said. Emonte Morgan then fired at the approaching officer, apparently missing him. The officer opened fire and struck Emonte Morgan in the abdomen, prosecutors said. Emonte Morgan also suffered a gunshot wound to his left tricep. Despite being shot, Emonte Morgan was able to pass his handgun to his brother, who was later captured nearby by civilians, Murphy said.

Investigators recovered three .22 caliber spent cartridges near the SUV. Testing confirmed those cartridges came from a handgun found near Eric Morgan, Murphy said.

The brothers both gave videotaped statements, Murphy said.

Emonte Morgan admitted to “possessing a gun in the front of his waistband. He further admitted to pulling out the gun and indicated he that he thought he might have shot the girl and a boy cop,” Murphy said.

In denying bail, Willis said Emonte Morgan had “callously” shot at the officers whose weapons, prosecutors said, were holstered before Emonte Morgan opened fire.

Emonte Morgan, left, and Eric Morgan are charged in the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French. — Emonte Morgan, left, and Eric Morgan

Beach noted that Eric Morgan, rather than fleeing the scene after the shootings, took “possession of the very weapon that was allegedly used to kill” French.

“I don’t think electronic monitoring will make the community safe in this particular case,” Beach said. “He’s shown a propensity to flee. He’s shown a propensity to commit crimes in other states.”

The wounded officer, 39, remains in critical condition at the University of Chicago Medical Center with a bullet lodged in his brain and gunshot wounds to his right eye and right shoulder, prosecutors said.

Emonte Morgan, who was taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, is charged with first-degree murder of a peace officer, two counts of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, aggravated unlawful use of a weapon and unlawful use of a weapon by a felon. Eric Morgan is charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, unlawful use of a weapon by a felon and obstruction of justice.

In an emailed statement, State’s Attorney Kim Foxx called French’s death “a tremendous loss.”

“The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office stands with the Chicago Police Department and the families of those officers in their time of mourning,” the top prosecutor said. “As to the two offenders who we have now charged, we will prosecute these cases to the fullest extent of the law.”

FOP President John Catanzara said it was “inexcusable, ridiculous” that Foxx wasn’t present at Tuesday’s bond hearings. He was also upset that no one from the CPD’s top brass was there either.

Foxx was unable to attend the hearings because she was meeting with FBI Director Christopher Wray and other “law enforcement partners,” according to Risa Lanier, the interim first assistant at the state’s attorney’s office.

A Chicago police officer wears a blue and black band on her badge as she walks into the Leighton Criminal Courthouse to attend the Tuesday bond hearings for two brothers charged after the fatal shooting of Chicago Police Officer Ella French.

Brothers charged in fatal shooting of Chicago police officer denied bailStefano Espositoon August 10, 2021 at 11:47 pm Read More »

On a horrible night, a police dispatcher’s heroism shines throughCST Editorial Boardon August 10, 2021 at 11:20 pm

If there was a bright spot in the senseless, difficult night last weekend that left police officer Ella French dead and her partner seriously wounded, it was the actions of an emergency dispatcher who brought calm, order and help during the critical moments after the shooting.

A 10 minute clip of police radio transmissions the night of Aug. 7 shows the dispatcher taking command of the situation following the shooting at 63rd Street and Bell Avenue.

“Two ambulances, two ambulances needed for two officers down, two officers down . . . six-three and Bell. I want a perimeter set up three blocks north, south, east, west of that location,” he says urgently.

Over the few next minutes, the dispatcher relays suspect descriptions, calls for a helicopter search and tells an officer to give Officer French chest compressions as a squad car rushes her to the hospital.

He even had the presence of mind to suggest taking the wounded officers to better-equipped University of Chicago trauma center, rather than nearby Holy Cross Hospital.

We’re not shy about taking city officials and employees to task on these pages whenever we feel they’ve fallen down in the job.

But here’s a city worker who appears to have done an exemplary job under the toughest circumstances. We couldn’t let it go unnoted here.

‘I got my job’

An army in blue rushed to the West Englewood neighborhood intersection minutes after French and her partner were shot during a traffic stop.

Emonte Morgan, 21, and his brother, Eric Morgan, 22, were charged with killing French and critically wounding her partner. A judge Tuesday ordered the two held without bond.

Emonte Morgan allegedly opened fire on the officers during a traffic stop. He, in turn, was shot in the abdomen and left arm.

But in a hectic search for suspects and emotions rising among responding officers, the dispatcher became an important hub, relaying information to help capture the shooters and keep the wounded officers alive.

“OK, listen to me: Take that damn vest off right now and start compressions,” he told the officers in a squad car set to take French to the hospital. “Start breathing, whatever we got to do. Start it now. While you’re driving, the officer in the back with her, take the vest off and start compressions now.”

At another point during a flurry of directions given by the dispatcher, an officer radios-in asking for a canine unit to assist in the search.

“I got my job — do yours. Take care of my officers out there,” the dispatcher said.

When officers at the scene of the shooting decided to use their squad cars to take their wounded comrades to the hospital, the dispatcher orders eastbound 63rd and 55th streets blocked off to allow clear passage for the 5 mile trip.

“The [wounded] male officer going to the ER — bring him through the emergency room,” he tells police at the hospital. “And the other female officer [French], please get her in there, guys, make it quick. Be safe getting there, but make it quick.”

The dispatcher’s voice breaks with emotion — momentarily — when an officer at the hospital relays French’s condition.

“Shot in the head between the eyes, both officers unresponsive,” he says. But he quickly recomposes himself, and tells officers at 63rd and Bell to secure the crime scene.

Chicago at its best

In a statement Tuesday, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications said it was “incredibly proud of the actions taken by our 9-1-1 dispatchers” that night and would acknowledge their professionalism at a later date.

“Our focus right now,” the statement continued, “is with our Chicago Police Department family and the families of both officers.”

We won’t name the dispatcher either for now, out of respect for the preferences of the police department.

But on a night when the worst of Chicago was on display, one dispatcher’s actions represented our city at its best.

Send letters to [email protected].

On a horrible night, a police dispatcher’s heroism shines throughCST Editorial Boardon August 10, 2021 at 11:20 pm Read More »

Galesburg man who burned Minneapolis store amid 2020 riots before moving on to Chicago gets nearly 9 years in prisonJon Seidelon August 10, 2021 at 11:06 pm

A federal judge handed a downstate Galesburg man a hefty prison sentence of nearly nine years Tuesday for burning down a Sprint store during the 2020 riots in Minneapolis before moving on to Chicago, where he was arrested, prosecutors said.

The sentence falls just 10 months short of what prosecutors called for last month, when they wrote in a court memo that Matthew Lee Rupert, 29, “drove over 400 miles to exploit an aggrieved community for fun.” They wrote that he “packed a duffle bag full of artillery-shell fireworks, but apparently forgot his signs protesting the death of George Floyd.”

Rupert’s lawyer, Jordan Kushner, later asked for a five-year sentence and accused prosecutors of overstating the case. He wrote that “Mr. Rupert takes responsibility for setting a fire, but such destruction was not part of any prior plan.”

“Mr. Rupert like many others got caught up in the mob,” Kushner wrote. “It is not an excuse, but it is still a fact which accurately explains that he did not come to Minneapolis for the purpose of causing serious physical destruction.”

Rupert pleaded guilty to arson in April, admitting he posted a roughly two-hour video to Facebook Live on May 29, 2020, in which he could be seen encouraging violence against law enforcement, damaging property, breaking into buildings and looting businesses in Minneapolis.

The fireworks that prosecutors say Matthew Rupert brought with him to riot in Minneapolis.

His plea agreement says he could be heard on the video declaring, “We came to riot!”

Eventually, Rupert can also be seen asking for lighter fluid and entering a boarded-up Sprint store, according to the plea deal. It said he entered a back room of the store, knocked boxes into a pile on the ground and sprayed them with lighter fluid. A juvenile Rupert brought along with him from Galesburg then lit the pile on fire at Rupert’s direction, according to the document.

The resulting fire totaled the store, according to the feds. Liberty Mutual, which insured the property, had paid nearly $4 million to repair the building and replace lost rental income as of July, and Sprint lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory, they said.

Rupert moved on from Minneapolis to Chicago as rioting and looting began to break out here on May 30, 2020. He did so even though someone warned him on Facebook that in Chicago, “they just dont pull out guns they use them,” records show. But Rupert was soon arrested after violating the curfew Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced in response to the unrest, records show.

Galesburg man who burned Minneapolis store amid 2020 riots before moving on to Chicago gets nearly 9 years in prisonJon Seidelon August 10, 2021 at 11:06 pm Read More »

Durbin: Murder of CPD Officer Ella French shows need to boost punishment of gun ‘straw purchasers’Lynn Sweeton August 10, 2021 at 10:14 pm

In a Senate floor speech Tuesday, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said the murder of Chicago Police Officer Ella French — with a weapon purchased in Indiana — adds urgency for Congress to increase the punishment of so-called straw purchasers and make it more than a “paperwork” crime.

And in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland Tuesday, Durbin wrote about the need to “address firearms trafficking into the Chicagoland region, particularly from northwest Indiana. Officer French’s murder has highlighted the urgency of this task.”

Straw purchasers use their clean criminal records to buy guns and illegally put them in the hands of people who aren’t supposed to have them.

“For years, I’ve been fighting to toughen our laws against straw purchases,” Durbin said. “Right now, straw purchasing is treated, listen to this — as a federal paperwork violation for lying on a federal gun purchase form. Charges are rarely brought and when they are the sentences are often just a matter of months. That needs to change.”

Durbin, the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, with Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Me., in April introduced The Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act of 2021, which boosts penalties for anyone with having “reasonable cause” to suspect the person the straw purchaser is handing off the weapon to may use it in a crime.

Punishment could go as high as 25 years in prison for a straw purchaser whose weapon ends up being used in a violent crime.

“We need to take this type of gun trafficking seriously. It’s time for us to stop treating straw purchases like a paperwork misdemeanor,” Durbin said.

The killing of French in a routine Saturday night traffic stop in West Englewood — where her partner was critically wounded — presents a specific tragic example of exactly the situation Chicago officials have been highlighting for years.

While the city has long prohibited the sale of firearms, weapons flowing to criminals from Indiana, other states and Chicago’s suburbs make the city’s ban ineffective.

On Monday, federal prosecutors filed criminal charges against Jamel Danzy, 29, of Hammond, who allegedly acted as the so-called straw purchaser of the handgun used in the weekend shooting.

The Indiana man is being held in federal custody pending a detention hearing set for Wednesday. He is charged with conspiracy to violate federal firearm laws.

Prosecutors could face an uphill battle in seeking Danzy’s detention, despite the fatal result of his alleged crime. They will need to convince a judge that he is either a danger to the community or a risk of flight.

During a brief court hearing Monday, prosecutors signaled that part of their argument could hinge on an additional straw purchase allegedly made by Danzy. He allegedly admitted to federal agents that he had purchased a different gun for his cousin, who he also knew was a convicted felon.

Meanwhile, Danzy’s lawyer quickly pointed out Monday that Danzy has no criminal history. Normally that would count in a defendant’s favor, but the feds could also argue he used that lack of criminal history to commit his alleged crime.

DURBIN TUESDAY LETTER TO GARLAND

In his letter to Garland, Durbin wrote, “The straw purchase that led to Officer French’s death is a call to action for the Justice Department’s Strike Force.”

On July 22, Garland came to Chicago to announce the formation of strike forces to crack down on gun trafficking and straw purchases. During that visit, Garland identified Indiana as a key source of illegal guns in the Chicago area, and he said Chicago-based U.S. Attorney John Lausch had been in touch with his counterparts there and in other crucial areas as part of the new initiative.

Shortly after that, a federal judge handed down an eight-month prison sentence in what the feds called a “case study” in the problem. Federal prosecutors say Eric Blackman — a man with no criminal history — bought a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol for someone who was underage in August 2019 from a licensed firearms dealer in Oak Forest.

Prosecutors said that gun was ultimately linked to a Dec. 22, 2019 mass shooting on the South Side injuring 13 people in the 5700 block of South May Street.

Durbin: Murder of CPD Officer Ella French shows need to boost punishment of gun ‘straw purchasers’Lynn Sweeton August 10, 2021 at 10:14 pm Read More »

The Justin Steele era has officially begun for the CubsRussell Dorseyon August 10, 2021 at 10:35 pm

When the Cubs built their championship core, the team chose to build around a group of homegrown position players, filling their rotation needs via trades and free agency. Because of that, the challenge in recent years has been developing homegrown starting pitching.

The Cubs have begun their next chapter post-World Series core and it’s their homegrown pitching that could help expedite their rebuild as they enter this next phase.

Justin Steele burst onto the scene earlier this season as a member of the Cubs’ bullpen and after impressing as a reliever, the young southpaw forced his way into the team’s rotation plans.

“Getting lefty in the rotation is fun,” pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “Get some new weapons and some new scouting reports. … For him in particular, I think he’s done everything he needed to do to kind of show us his ability to be a starter and get stretched out.”

Steele took the mound for the first time as a starter in the big leagues on Tuesday against the Brewers and started his path to what the Cubs hope is a permanent spot in their future rotation.

“It means the world to me to get out there and start for the Chicago Cubs,” Steele said after the game. “Something I’ve been dreaming of my whole entire life. When it’s finally here and it’s happening, it’s just a true blessing.”

In the most anticipated start by a Cubs rookie starter since Adbert Alzolay made his debut in 2019, Steele didn’t look overwhelmed by the moment, showing the same poise that made him one of manager David Ross’ go-to guys in the bullpen.

The Cubs’ left-hander was thrown right into the fire against the first-place Brewers and quickly got into a rhythm and got weak contact, inducing seven groundballs in the first and second inning and cruised through his first three innings of work.

“I was calm and composed,” Steele said. “I felt really good out there. Felt good to be back at Wrigley and pitching again.”

Things came to a screeching halt for Steele in the fourth inning after an extended bottom of the third. He allowed a homer to Willy Adames, double to Eduardo Escobar and two-run homer to Avisail Garcia before getting his first out of the fourth.

But he was able to get himself back on track without allowing any more damage. Steele finished his outing with a scoreless fifth inning. He allowed three runs on five hits with a walk and a strikeout over five innings.

I thought he threw the ball really well,” Ross said. He started off really nice. Got a lot of groundballs, a lot of movement on his pitches. … I think it was nice for him to settle in and still give us some outs. Things happen quick, especially here sometimes and he settled in nicely and definitely locked back in. It was nice to see.”

Steele, along with Alzolay, presents the Cubs with an interesting possibility for what their short and long term future looks like. While both are in their first full season in the big leagues, the two 26-year-olds are entering their prime years and for the first time in a long time, provide the Cubs with a vision of homegrown arms in their staff years to come.

“We [have been] pitching in the same rotation for four years in a row,” Alzolay said. “So for me, it’s gonna be special having one of my best friends next to me in the rotation.”

The Cubs’ final two months won’t have much barring on the team’s future, but Steele’s development at the major-league level will be something worth watching. Regardless of the results from Steele’s first start, his growth becomes a priority.

“Each time I go out there, I’m trying to prove something,” Steele said. “I’m trying to show that I can be a part of this up and coming [group]. That’s why we’re here. We’re here to win championships. So I’m gonna do whatever I can to be a part of that and each time I take the mound I’m going to show it.”

The Justin Steele era has officially begun for the CubsRussell Dorseyon August 10, 2021 at 10:35 pm Read More »

Chicago Blackhawks: Tony Esposito was an all-time greatVincent Pariseon August 10, 2021 at 10:44 pm

TORONTO, ON - APRIL 1: Tony Esposito #35 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL game action on April 1, 1981 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images) — TORONTO, ON – APRIL 1: Tony Esposito #35 of the Chicago Blackhawks skates against the Toronto Maple Leafs during NHL game action on April 1, 1981 at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Graig Abel/Getty Images)

It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we discuss the life of Tony Esposito. The Chicago Blackhawks announced that one of the all-time great players in Tony has passed away after a short fight with cancer. He was 78 years old. Not only was he one of the great goalies of his time, but he was also one of the great human beings of his time. Rock Wirtz, the owner of the Blackhawks, reflected on that in his statement following Esposito’s death.

The Blackhawks have a lot of great players in its franchise’s history and Esposito is right there. His number 35 has been retired by the Blackhawks for a long time now. You can see it flying at the United Center any time you go there.

When we say he was a great goalie, we mean that he was a legendary goalie. He was a five-time All-Star, a Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie, and a three-time recipient of the Vezina Trophy as the league’s top goaltender. He went 423-306-152 in his career and had 76 shutouts. He had a 2.93 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. All of these achievements landed him in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

He was an incredible talent that got to play on the world’s greatest stage for 16 years. He played his first season with the Montreal Canadiens and then the next and final 15 with the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks were a last-place finisher the year before Esposito came to town and he helped them turn everything around.

The Chicago Blackhawks will surely miss Phil Esposito as he was truly a legend.

Players like this are always instrumental to a foundation of a franchise. As the Blackhawks near their 100th anniversary as an organization, Esposito will clearly be recognized as one of its greatest players. It is sad to think about the fact that he won’t be there to see it.

Whenever a player like this leaves us we often find it hard to think of what to say without the usual polite cliches. In this case, we can remember Esposito for being a literal legend in the Chicago sports scene and how he acted in the community. If humanity had a Hall of Fame, he would make that one too.