2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Chicago Blackhawks vs Minnesota Wild

Playoffs! As mentioned the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs start today, the most exciting time of the year, and even though my team the Sabres were out of the running weeks (some say months) ago I still try to watch every game. Until they're out of it, I will be rooting for my adopted team, the Pittsburgh Penguins to win it all. Though I haven't been watching the Western Conference a lot because I'm on the east coast (so I have an east coast bias) but Chicago seems the popular pick, I have a feeling the Blues may make a run this year after learning a lot last year in getting crushed by the kings, as long as their goaltending remains strong.

So to start off the run of playoff match up art is the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild featuring Patrick Kane and Mike Rupp respectively.

Patrick Kane

Mike Rupp

Throw Back Thursday: Art from Tana

Today's Throw Back Thursday is some old and some not so old. I found Tana's work on Istagram, her user ID is "Taninaca", she has a few profile pencil drawings of goaltenders on her Instagram and to qualify as a Thow Back Thursday post the 1st is of former Florida Panthers and current Pittsburgh Penguin goalie Tomas Vokoun. Some of her other sketches, which are all Czech goaltenders, I've posted are Washington Capitals goalie Michal Neuvirth, and Winnipeg Jets goalie Ondrej Pavelec, my personal favorite however is her Vokoun drawing, the detail in the mask and contrast in it really comes through in that sketch, some really nice work.

Tomas Vokoun

Michal Neuvirth

Ondrej Pavelec

SportsNic's Part 4

Here are some more of Kevin's NHL themed SportsNic's from his '09 collection, be sure to click the link on the side bar for more of his SportsNic's in past posts. These are really neat designs and creative use of the teams' logo's. This post includes the Boston Bruins, Anaheim Ducks, Detroit Red wings and Dallas Stars, enjoy!

Throw Back Thursday: Toronto Maple Leafs

Part of this inspiration to do the "Throw Back Thursday" series is that I've been going through all my old sketch books and drawings and have re-discovered a lot of my older drawings to use for it, as well as the submissions I've been receiving. Here are a couple sketches I'm pretty sure I did back in '99 of the Toronto Maple Leafs, featuring sketches done in pen (while I was in school most likely) of Félix Potvin, Mats Sundin and Curtis Joseph.

Félix Potvin & Mats Sundin

Curtis Joseph

Ryan Miller

There's a lot of questions up in the air with the Sabres roster right now starting with is the GM, Darcy Regier, even going to be here? What will be done with Vanek and Miller? Will there be any buyouts (Lenio, Stafford)? Personally I'd like them to keep Miller, I remember the years after Hasek and how long it took to get a quality goaltender that can play consistently, and I look at other teams with that problem. He has several more playing years and can last a re-build of the Sabres for a few years, as long as he would want to stay. So here is another one of my pencil drawings I dug up from a few years ago of Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres.

Ryan Miller

Ryan Miller

Throw Back Thrusday: Jacques Plante

Tom submitted another piece featuring an old school goalie drawing of Jacques Plante as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Jacques Plante in a Maple Leaf jersey isn't the 1st image that comes to mind when I think of Jacques Plante, makes this piece more interesting. Plante is best remembered playing for Montreal and for being the 1st goaltender to wear a mask, play the puck behind the net and several other innovations for the goaltending position, in his later years of his playing days he moved around to quite a few other teams, the Rangers, Blues, Bruins then to his final NHL team the Maple Leafs, he then played for the Oilers shortly (then in the WHA) before finally retiring. so here is Toms artwork of Jacques Plante playing for his final NHL team.

Jacques Plante

Draw the Jerseys: Brian Schuster

I came across Brian Schusters' art work via Instagram, and was toughly impressed with the vast amount of quality pieces on his site. I do admit that the title of his site (Draw the Jerseys) threw me off, I guess I was expecting drawings of various jerseys but after clicking and viewing the art gallery section I was just amazed and shocked because I wasn't expecting the type of art work that was there. He does have artwork for other teams though it's mostly of the Chicago Blackhawks, so if you're a Blackhawk fan, I'm sure you won't be disappointed be sure to check out his site www.drawthejerseys.com and click on the Art Gallery and prepare to be amazed, just a sample of the many great artwork he has there.

Marián Hossa

Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane

Throw Back Thursday: Dwayne Roloson

Well as the Buffalo Sabres team is being dismantled in order to start the rebuilding process, the captain, Jason Pominville was traded to the Minnesota Wild for 2 top prospects and top draft picks. I'd consider that a good trade for both teams, the Wild looking to add a quality player in which they got in Pominville and the Sabres got some good pieces to use for their future. So sticking with the Wild theme for this weeks Throw Back Thursday here is another piece from regular contributor Jim Link, one of his sharpie drawings of Minnesota's former goaltender Dwayne Roloson.

Dwayne Roloson

Evander Kane

The Winnipeg Jets are making a push for the playoffs, they are currently a bubble team with a legit shot to get in unlike some teams that think they have a shot (looking at you Sabres). I would like to see them make it just because I would love to see the Winnipeg fans and area rocking in the playoffs, I would love to be in that building. Here is a piece I did a few months ago of Winnipeg's star Evander Kane.

Evander Kane