The fourth of July saw two American-born players sign with the same American hockey franchise for very large sums of American money. The Minnesota Wild were able to acquire former New Jersey Devils forward Zach Parise and Nashville Predators defenseman Ryan Suter for $98 million to each. Not bad work if you can get it.
The Chicago Blackhawks were interested in both players, though it appears they didn't come very close to landing either. Though Chicago GM Stan Bowman said Parise was made an "really impressive offer" by the 'Hawks, the forward himself went on record to say it came down to the Devils and Wild.
Either way, the good news for Blackhawks fans is that the Wild and Vancouver Canucks are in the same division. Having another team to beat up on the Canucks is never a bad thing.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage on the Blackhawks' offseason, head over to Blackhawks blog Second City Hockey. And for more news and notes from around hockey, visit SB Nation's NHL news hub.