Do the Blackhawks Actually Have a Chance? posted by Jeff Ponder

Remember that Flyers – Bruins series last post-season?  The Blackhawks have it fresh in their memories.

After being down in the series 3-0, the eighth-seeded Chicago Blackhawks have made the series very interesting, winning the last two games in convincing fashion.  After winning game four 7-2, the Blackhawks flew into Vancouver and stole game five, 5-0.  Not only are the Blackhawks staving off elimination, they are chasing Vezina trophy-finalist Roberto Luongo from between the pipes.

After giving up six goals on 28 shots in game four, Luongo was pulled from his net and was replaced by backup Cory Schneider.  Luongo was even more dreadful in game five, letting in four goals on 12 shots, resulting in being taken out of the game yet again.  Luongo’s GAA in these two games is well above 5.00 and his overall GAA has skyrocketed from 1.67 after the first three games to 3.67 overall. 

So the question remains; can the Blackhawks continue this offensive onslaught and steal the next two games away from Vancouver?

Anything is possible in today’s NHL.  In addition to the memorable Flyers – Bruins series are the many upsets that have ensued since the lockout.  From Edmonton’s amazing Stanley Cup Final run in 2006 to Montreal’s miracle ride to the Conference Finals last season, history is showing that the Blackhawks cannot yet be counted out of this series.

Let’s not forget Blackhawk history, either.  The Hawks have won the past two series with the Canucks; don’t think that Luongo doesn’t remember that. 

Blackhawks sign Marian Hossa to 12-Year, $62.4 Million Contract posted by Jeff Ponder

Goodbye Martin Havlat, hello Marian Hossa.

The Blackhawks have made it two years running with big off-season acquisitions now.  Last year the Hawks grabbed defenseman Brian Campbell and goaltender Cristobal Huet, and now the team has brought in possibly the biggest name in the free-agent market with Marian Hossa. 

Marian has lost in the Stanley Cup finals for the past two years, maybe making this signing tainted.  But Hossa adds speed and craftiness to an already skilled Blackhawk lineup.  Hossa had 40 goals for the rival Red Wings last season, along with 71 points.  His 10 power-play goals are something to behold, along with the 8 game-winning goals he added.

This is a good deal for the Hawks, but the better deal may have been to bring Martin Havlat back.  Havlat would probably want a shorter contract and may have even asked for less money.  He played great for Chicago all season in 2008-09, but his injury problems in the past was probably what made Hawks GM Dale Tallon decide to take Hossa.Continue reading "Blackhawks sign Marian Hossa to 12-Year, ..."

Inbound link contest winner announced! posted by Earn Money Blogging

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

The whole purpose of this contest was to get our bloggers networking with other webmasters and to start to build up their inbound links which will help their traffic.  Even a few links can help you with the search engines as they will see you as more of an authority on your topic the more inbound links you have.

To learn more about marketing your blog check out this post: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html#my_faq_2971

Marija's blog can be found here.  If you're a Knicks fan, check it out: http://www.newyorkknicksnews.com/marijak

The original post announcing the contest can be found here: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

And if you're not already signed up with Google AdSense and making money from your blog, check out our Revenue Share FAQ page: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html

Inbound link contest - Win $100! posted by Earn Money Blogging

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

We're going to impose some restrictions on the types of links you can get so please see below for the full list of links that do NOT count.

To get started simply go to Google and find other websites and blog that are about the sports and teams that you write about. Email the website owner and ask them for a link by explaining that you think your blog would be a good resource for their readers. Or offer to write a guest post for them with your by-line and URL at the bottom of the article. Or offer to exchange links with them by writing a quick write up of their site and a reciprocal link back to them. Some webmasters will be happy to add you to their blog roll even if you don't give them a link back (which is ideal) but some may want you to link back to them - you can easily do this with a quick blog entry on your blog about their website.

To learn more about inbound links and marketing your blog in general check out this post: