User:StarScream1007/sandbox

=Other Sandboxes=
 * User:StarScream1007/sandbox/AW
 * User:StarScream1007/sandbox/JT
 * User:StarScream1007/sandbox/Template7

=Gears=

Setting
The Gears of War series takes place on a fictional Earth-like planet called Sera. Human civilization develops on Sera and endures a millennium-long global conflict that leaves humanity on the brink of extinction. Sera's leaders eventually broker an era of peace that ushers scientific advancements and a cultural renaissance. However, humanity quickly surpasses the energy provided by fossil and nuclear fuels. Sera's scientists discover Imulsion, a naturally-occurring substance that could be refined and processed into a potent energy source. Imulsion solves Sera's energy crisis and but ultimately creates great economic disparity. Nations with direct access to Imulsion prosper, while other nations fall into economic turmoil.

Sera is balkanized into two warring factions: the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and the Union of Independent Republics (UIR). The two parities become engaged in a fierce 79-year conflict to control Sera's Imulsion deposits that devastates both sides. Millions of humans perish during the strife, which became known as the 'Pendulum Wars'. The COG forces gain the upper-hand by launching the 'Hammer of Dawn', a system of satellites capable of delivering precise orbital-to-ground laser strikes. The COG use the Hammer of Dawn to decimate a UIR naval vessel and force the UIR to surrender. The two factions quickly reach an armistice that heavily favored the COG.

Meanwhile, the Locust Horde, a reptilian a race of reptilian humanoids, are preparing to invade Sera's surface world. The Locust Horde reside in subterranean cities, where they are fending off the Lambent, a contingent of Locust that have been mutated by Imulsion. The Locust believe the Lambent to be a severe threat to their existence and plan on over-taking the surface world to continue their civilization. The Locust forge an alliance with other subterranean creatures and launch a surprise attack on Sera's human cities. The Locust invasion, known as emergence day, occurs merely six weeks after the COG-UIR peace treaty.

Both the COG and UIR forces are already heavily depleted from their 79-year conflict and cannot contest the Locust offensive. The Locust Horde quickly overwhelm most of humanity's military forces, and the surviving humans retreat to Jacinto Plateau. The COG reluctantly use the Hammer of Dawn to destroy their own cities in order to halt the Locust Horde's advance. The scorched-Earth tactic destroys a majority of Sera's cities and population. The COG continue running military operations out of Jacinto, while other humans, known as Stranded, wander through Sera's charred ruins.

Plot
The first Gears of War title is set 14 years after the Locust emerged and attacked Sera's human population. Humanity is fighting in a losing war against the Locust Horde. The COG army devises a last-ditch offensive to destroy the Locust Horde with 'lightmass bombs', weaponized forms of Imulsion. Marcus Fenix, a disgraced veteran, is reinstated into the COG army, to supplement to COG's depleted ranks. Fenix joins his best friend, Dominique 'Dom' Santiago, on a mission to map the Locust Horde's tunnel network in preparation for the bombing. However, their unit is ambushed by Locust Ground forces and sustain heavy casualties. Fenix and Santiago regroup with two other survivors, Augustus Cole and Damion Baird, and continue their mission.

Fenix leads Santiago, Baird, and Cole through Sera’s ruins, where they battle the Locust until reaching the planet’s underground mining facilities. They attempt to map the Locust’s tunnel network, but soon discover it is larger than initially anticipated. Baird discovers a complete map of the Locust Horde’s tunnel network in Fenix’s father’s old laboratory. The COG deploy a train carrying the Lightmass bombs, but it is quickly intercepted by the Locust Horde, led by General RAAM. Fenix and Santiago defeat RAAM and successfully damage the Locust Horde’s subterranean network.

The first sequel to ‘’Gears of War’’ reveals the Lightmass bombs merely crippled the Locust Horde. Chairman Prescott, the leader of the COG Forces, deploys soldiers into the depths of Sera to fight the Locust Horde directly. The Locust Horde, led by newly appointed general Skorge, ambush the COG Forces before they can reach the Locust’s underground stronghold. Most COG soldiers are either killed or captured, but Fenix and only a handful of his allies survive the descent. Fenix is reunited with Santiago, Baird, and Cole, who discover the Locust Horde is using a massive work-like creature to destroy the subterranean foundation of COG cities until they collapse into the planet’s depths. Fenix thwarts their plans by killing the worm-like creature.

Fenix and Santiago continue venturing through Sera’s tunnel network until they uncover a massive Locust City. They quickly learn the Lambent, a sect of Locusts who have been mutated by Imulsion, are laying siege to the city. Fenix and Santiago use the diversion to confront the Locust Queen and defeat Skorge. They return topside to Jacinto but find their stronghold under attack by the Locust Horde. The duo devise a plan to destroy Jacinto’s foundation with a Lightmass bomb, and use the ensuing collapse and surge of seawater to destroy the Locust Horde and Lambent Forces. Baird and Cole arrive to support Fenix, but lose the Lightmass Bomb to a massive Lambent creature. Fenix uses the Hammer of Dawn to destroy the creature, which explodes and causes Jacinto to collapse.

As Gears of War 3 Begins, the COG has disbanded. Chairman Prescott has disappeared, whilst the remainder of humanity either live on isolated islands or on aircraft carriers.

Draft 2
The Gears of War series is set on Sera, a fictional earth-like planet. Several decades before the first ‘’Gears of War’’ game, nations battled each other for control of Imulsion, a potent energy source that resided deep within their planet’s crust. The lengthy conflict gave way to two major factions, the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and the Union of Independent Republics (UIR). The two factions were locked into a stalemate until the COG launched the ‘Hammer of Dawn’, a satellite equipped with a powerful laser, and used it to bombard several UIR military targets. The UIR quickly surrendered and allowed the COG to become the dominant faction on Sera.

Within only months of the armistice, Sera’s cities are attacked by the Locust Horde, an alliance of reptilian humanoids and various hostile creatures, who emerged from the planet’s underground. The COG forces are quickly overwhelmed by the Locust Horde’s advance. The COG Forces use the Hammer of Dawn to bombard Locust-occupied cities, resulting in the destruction of much of Sera’s human population as well. The surviving humans either retreat to the Jacinto Plateau, the COGs final stronghold, or live in Sera’s charred ruins as ‘stranded’.

During this initial conflict with the Locust Horde, Marcus Fenix, the protagonist of the first trilogy, led an unauthorized military mission to rescue his father, Adam. Fenix was unable to recover his father and faced a court martial upon returning to base. He received a life sentence for abandoning his duty, and his post. Fenix is left in prison, while the COG Forces continue to wage war against the Locust and retake Sera.

The first Gears of War title takes place 14 years after these events. Fenix is reinstated in the COG army due to a shortage of Special Forces operatives and rescued by his best friend, Dominic Santiago. He is assigned to ‘Delta Squad’ and tasked to map the Locus Horde’s underground network so the COG can deploy an Imulsion-powered weapon, known as the Lightmass bomb. The Locust Horde, led by General RAAM, intercepts Delta Squad and massacres a majority of their operatives. Fenix forms a makeshift squadron with the survivors, Damon Baird, Augustus Cole, and Santiago, and leads them into Sera’s depths. After mapping the tunnel network, Fenix and Santiago board a train carrying the Lightmass bombs. They defeat General RAAM and successfully deploy the bomb into Locust’s tunnel network.

The Lightmass bombs were expected to destroy Locust Horde, but instead only crippled their offensive capabilities. As ‘’Gears of War 2’’ begins, The COG Forces are preparing to deploy several soldiers into Sera’s depths to assault the Locust directly. Their convoy is attacked by the Locust Horde enroute to the drop-site, and only a handful of soldiers survive the descent into Locust’s tunnels. Fenix and Santiago are among the survivors, and rally with their compatriots to press into the Locust Horde’s territory. They soon discover the Locust are using a massive worm-like creature to destroy several COG cities. Fenix and Santiago team up with Cole and Baird, who work together to destroy the worm and thwart the Locust Horde’s plans.

Santiago wanders deeper into the caverns and discovers a prison w

Draft 3
The Gears of War series takes place on Sera, a fictional Earth-like planet. Humanity's population sporadically grows and demands more energy provided by fossil and nuclear fuels. Sera's scientists discover Imulsion, a naturally occurring substance that can be refined into a potent energy source. Control over Imulsion deposits leads a fierce 79-year civil war between the Coalition of Ordered Governments (COG) and Union of Independent Republics (UIR). The COG win the conflict by launching the Hammer of Dawn, a satellite carrying a destructive Imulsion-powered laser, and decimating several UIR military targets. Peace on Sera is short lived. Only weeks after the COG and UIR armistice, a race of creatures known as the Locust Horde emerge from Sera's depths and begin assaulting human cities. The ensuing surprise offensive, referred to as Emergence Day, overwhelms the already battle-worn militaries of Sera. The COG are left with no choice but to raze their own cities with the Hammer of Dawn to stop the Locust Horde's advance. The ensuing scorched earth tactic destroys much of Sera's cities and human population. The COG continues to operate out of the capital city of Ephyra and cities on the plateau, such as Jacinto, while the surviving humans, known as "Stranded", are left to wander through Sera's charred ruins.

The first Gears of War trilogy is set 14 years after Emergence Day and focuses on protagonist Marcus Fenix. The COG launch a last-ditch offensive to destroy the Locust Horde with the Lightmass Bomb, an Imulsion-powered explosive. Marcus previously led a touted military career with the COG, but was imprisoned for leading a failed unauthorized mission to save his father, Adam. Marcus is reinstated into the COG forces in a mission to map the Locust Horde's tunnels in preparation for the Lightmass Bomb offensive. Marcus is joined by his best friend, Dominic Santiago, and two fellow COG soldiers, Augustus Cole and Damon Baird. Marcus' former love interest, Anya, provides military intelligence and navigation. The four soldiers succeed in mapping the Locust Horde's tunnel network and deploying the Lightmass Bomb. The explosions severely cripple the Locust Horde but fails to eliminate them entirely. Marcus, Dom, Cole and Baird join the COG on another offensive, which sees the four deployed into Sera's underground to directly combat the Locust Horde. They discover a new threat, the Lambent, which consists of Locust Horde members mutated by Imulsion. The Lambent are aggressively encroaching on the Locust Horde's territory, forcing the faction to relocate to Sera's the surface. Marcus devices a plan to quell both threats by sinking Jacinto. The COG and Stranded are evacuated before Marcus successfully sinks Jacinto, flooding and drowning a majority of the Locust Horde.

The COG disband following the fall of Jacinto. The remaining humans are scattered across Sera, with Marcus and his allies living on a helicopter carrier at sea. Marcus learns that his father is still alive and living on a top-secret island, Azura. Marcus, Dom, Anya, Cole and Baird split-up to secure supplies and submarine needed to reach the island. While searching for fuel, Marcus and Dom are ambushed by the Lambent. Dom sacrifices himself to cut-off the Lambent's attack and allow his allies to escape. Marcus and the survivors arrive on Azura where they battle the remnants of the Locust Horde. They find Adam, who reveals he created a device capable to neutralizing the Locust, Lambent, and all Imulsion. Adam also reveals he infected himself with the Lambent contagion to develop the weapon. The Imulsion countermeasure vaporizes all Lambent, including Adam, and crystallizes the Locust. Marcus kills the Locust Queen Myrrah and dedicates her demise to his fallen friends, family, and comrades.

Gears of War 4 and Gears 5 are set 25 years after the original Gears of War trilogy. The human population recovers after the Locust conflict, and the COG is reestablished. Humanity is aided by robotic constructs created by Baird. Marcus and Anya have a son, James Dominic "JD" Fenix, but Anya dies due to complications from childbirth. Marcus, along with many humans, grow disillusioned with the COG's authoritativeness and live in the wilderness as "Outsiders". JD and his best friend Del Walker join the COG army despite Marcus' disproval, but desert after they are ordered to execute political dissidents. JD and Del become outsiders and live in a village with Kait, where the three conduct raids on COG outposts for supplies.

Humanity encounters a new foe, the Swarm, who are comprised of mutated members of the Locust Horde. The Imulsion countermeasure launched at the end of the Locust conflict did not entirely eradicate the Locust Horde, but instead caused them to enter a cocooned metamorphic state. The Swarm devastate the Outsider's village and kidnap Reyna, Kait's mother. JD, Del, Kait recruit the help of Marcus, who embark on a mission to save Reyna. The four battle the Swarm while also being pursued by COG. They finally reach Reyna, but learn she has been integrated into the Swarm's hive-mind. Kait frees her but her mother is grievously wounded after the separation. Reyna gives Kait a necklace bearing the insignia of the Locust Queen Myrrah. JD, Del, Kait, and Marcus rejoin the COG to help humanity defeat the Swarm. Kait, plagued by visons of the Swarm, ventures to a secret research facility to learn more about the Locust Horde and Swarm. She uncovers that Reyna was the daughter of Myrrah, who was a human test subject used to create the Locust Horde. Kait fears she will become the next Swarm queen and instead uses a machine in the facility to permanently separate herself from the hive-mind. She instead inadvertently resurrects Reyna, who is reborn as the queen of the Swarm and continues Myrrah's mission to crush humanity. Reyna launches an assault on the new COG capital, but Kait, with the assistance JD, Del, Marcus, Baird, and Cole thwart the attack. Kait vows to kill queen Reyna before she can attack again.

=Blackhawks= The Blackhawks fell to the bottom of the Central Division with the third-worst record in the entire NHL as the 2022–23 trade deadline approached. Captain Jonathan Toews missed 29 games while recovering from Long COVID, while Patrick Kane was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for a conditional second-round draft pick. The Blackhawks also dealt Jake McCabe, Sam Lafferty, and Max Domi for future draft capital. The team finished last in their division with the second-worst record in the NHL. The Blackhawks announced they would not re-sign Toews or Kane who were set to become free agents after the season.

Gallery
=Templates=

=Resident Evil=

Draft 2-23
The early Resident Evil games focused on the Umbrella Corporation, an international pharmaceutical company that secretly develops mutagenic viruses to further their "bio-organic weapons" (BOW) research. The company's viruses can transform humans into mindless zombies while also mutating plants and animals into horrifying monstrosities. The Umbrella Corporation uses its vast resources to effectively control Raccoon City, a fictional midwestern American city. In the original Resident Evil, members of an elite police task force, Special Tactics and Rescue Service (STARS), are lured to derelict mansion on the outskirts of Raccoon City. The STARS team is mostly decimated by zombies and other BOWs, leaving only a handful of survivors, including Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Albert Wesker. Chris and Jill explore the zombie-infested mansion and uncover a secret underground Umbrella research facility. Wesker reveals himself to be a double agent for Umbrella and betrays his comrades. However, Wesker is seemingly murdered by a Tyrant, a special BOW that is the culmination of the Umbrella Corporation's research.

Chris and Jill escape the mansion, but their testimony is ridiculed by Raccoon City's officials due to Umbrella's influence. Meanwhile, a separate viral outbreak occurs in another Umbrella research facility underneath Raccoon City. Most of the city's residents are infected and become zombies. Resident Evil 2 introduces two new protagonists, Leon S. Kennedy, a rookie police officer and Claire Redfield, the younger sister of Chris. Chris and Leon arrive in Raccoon City amidst the chaos of the viral outbreak. Leon is aided by Ada Wong, a corporate spy posing as an FBI agent, while Claire rescues Sherry Birkin, the daughter of two prominent Umbrella researchers. At the same time, Jill makes her escape from the city in Resident Evil 3. She is pursued by a new Tyrant, Nemesis, who is deployed by Umbrella to eliminate all surviving STARS members. The U.S. Government destroys Raccoon City with a missile strike to sterilize the viral outbreak. Leon, Claire, Sherry, Ada, and Jill escape the city before its eradication. Claire continues to look for her brother Chris, whereas Leon is recruited to work for the U.S. Government. Resident Evil 4 is set six years after the Raccoon City incident and focuses on Leon as he tries to rescue the U.S. President's daughter from a cult in Spain.

A government investigation into the Umbrella Corporation reveals its involvement in the disaster and leads to the company's dissolution. Despite the downfall of the Umbrella Corporation, the company's research and BOWs proliferate across the black market and lead to the rise of bioterrorism. Chris and Jill establish the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (BSAA) to combat these ever-growing threats on a global scale. Wesker is revealed to be alive and in involved in the development of new potent viral agents and BOWs. In Resident Evil 5, Wesker seeks to unleash a highly mutagenic virus that will infect all of humanity. Chris and the BSAA confront and kill Wesker in Africa before he can fulfill his mission. Resident Evil 6 features Chris and Leon meeting for the first time in the video game series. The two work separately to triage bioterrorist attacks in the United States, Eastern Europe, and China. They are assisted by Sherry, Jake Muller, Wesker's illegitimate son, and many members of the BSAA and U.S. government. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard and Resident Evil Village introduce a new protagonist, Ethan Winters, who becomes entangled in a bioterrorism incident while searching for his missing wife. He encounters Chris and the BSAA, who help him rescue his wife and defeat Eveline, a powerful BOW. Ethan, Mia, and their newborn daughter, Rosemary, are relocated to Eastern Europe but are abducted by a cult. Ethan ultimately sacrifices himself to destroy a fungal colony being weaponized by bioterrorists and save his family.

Design
Wesker was created by Kenichi Iwao, who was recruited by Shinji Mikami to work on the original Resident Evil midway through its development. The other main characters were originally intended to be cyborg police officers. Iwao discarded the idea and completely redesigned the characters and the game's backstory. Iwao envisioned Wesker's as a former special forces member that possessed exceptional intelligence and physical prowess with a cold demeanor that matched his narcissistic personality. Mikami suggested making Wesker a traitor who betrays the protagonist. Despite Wesker's apparent death in the first Resident Evil, Iwao always intended to bring Wesker back into the series. Wesker's original voice actor, Pablo Kuntz, revealed Capcom's staff gave him limited direction and he did not fully understand the game's plot. He reflected on his experience stating, "I know the acting was slightly over-the-top, but you know, the more we played RE1, the more the voices seemed to harmonize with everything the gameplay offered."

His character was subsequently voiced by Ricahrd Waugh in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. Waugh's performance of Wesker was influenced by George Sanders, partially his role as Shere Khan in The Jungle Book. Waugh wanted to give his character a "precise and inhuman" speech pattern which he accomplished by never using contractions and speaking with a deliberate tone. Waugh reprised his role in Wesker's Report, a fictional documentary detailing Wesker's backstory, as well as Resident Evil Zero and Resident Evil 4. Waugh provided voice recording for Wesker in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, but they were replaced by another voice actor's recordings.

Peter Jessop voiced Wesker in 2002 Resident Evil remake. D. C. Douglas voiced Wesker in Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles, Resident Evil 5, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles, Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, and Resident Evil Zero HD Remaster. Douglas was instructed by Capcom's staff to keep his performance for Wesker in Resident Evil 5 closer to the character's previous voice actors. He described his inspiration for Wesker's voice as "an amalgamation of Peter Jessop, Richard Waugh, and the spirit of an irritated David Bowie." Douglas added more emotions in his performance, as Wesker becomes increasingly unhinged throughout the game.


 * https://www.eurogamer.net/as-resident-evil-turns-25-its-loremaster-digs-into-the-first-games-many-secrets
 * https://www.polygon.com/2019/1/21/18187446/resident-evil-2-history-capcom-hideki-kamiya
 * https://www.crimson-head.com/interviews/kenichi-iwao
 * http://gaming.moe/?p=1380
 * https://www.pcgamer.com/you-can-only-imagine-my-surprisehow-the-original-voice-actor-of-resident-evils-most-iconic-villain-discovered-he-was-in-the-game-25-years-later/
 * https://www.projectumbrella.net/richard-waugh-interview-project-umbrella.html
 * https://web.archive.org/web/20110227071224/http://helldescent.com/2011/01/25/albert-weskers-d-c-douglas-completely-and-globally-saturates-us-in-interview/
 * https://www.destructoid.com/wesker-in-resident-evil-5-former-voice-actor-explains-his-bowie-replacement/

V2
"'I imagined that he was in a special forces setting. Unmarried with no siblings, but was born into an ordinary American middle-class family. However, he was already too formed and believed the world to be worthless. He was a genius with scant feelings. He enjoyed ordinary family vacations, even displayed excellent grades in sport, but his heart was always cold and he was acting to blend himself into society. He was a clear-headed but tragic individual lacking human emotions. The only way he could live was to self-affirm his intense elitism.' — Kenichi Iwao on designing Wesker's character" Wesker was created by Kenichi Iwao, who was recruited by Shinji Mikami to work on the original Resident Evil midway through its development. The main characters were originally intended to be cyborg police officers. Iwao discarded the idea and completely redesigned the characters and the game's backstory. Iwao envisioned Wesker as a former special forces member that possessed exceptional intelligence and physical prowess with a cold demeanor that matched his egotistical mindset. Iwao's co-workers suggested making the character a traitor who betrays the protagonist. The game's designers ultimately developed Wesker into the commander of the protagonists' elite police task force, who is secretly employed as a virologist for the Umbrella Corporation. His drive to develop viral agents is a central plotline in the Resident Evil series. Wesker is seemingly killed in the finale of the first Resident Evil game, but Iwao intended to bring the character back in future installments. Despite Wesker's apparent death, Iwao always intended to bring him back into the series. He returned to the series after a two-game hiatus in Resident Evil – Code: Veronica. Wesker, in Resident Evil 5, develops a superiority complex, leading him to believe that humanity is inherently unfit for survival. He is ultimately killed at end of game by Chris Redfield and Sheva Alomar. Despite speculation about his survival following the release of the Resident Evil Netflix series, which delves into his backstory and personal experiments with human cloning,  director Masachika Kawata confirmed that Wesker is indeed dead.

Wesker is depicted as a white male with blonde hair in the video games and movies. He consistently wears dark clothes and his iconic black sunglasses, which conceal his unnatural glowing eyes. Wesker sheds his human appearance during the finale of Resident Evil 5 when he infects himself with the highly mutagenic Uroboros virus. The early concept sketches of his Uroboros mutation differed significantly from the final version. In the initial design, his combat style would have relied solely on his mental powers to manipulate Uroboros. This concept was shaped by the one-on-one battle between Wesker and Chris, without a co-op partner. However, with the addition of Sheva as a co-op partner, adjustments were made to bolster Wesker's abilities and provide him with additional make-shift weaponry for the final boss battle.

https://news.capcomusa.com/lets/browse/resident-evil-20th-anniversary-the-evolution-of-wesker

https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/08/27/resident-evil-code-veronica-x

https://www.crimson-head.com/articles/residentevil5-beta

https://www.crimson-head.com/podcast/eric-bailey

https://www.relyonhorror.com/articles/rehorror-counting-dimensions-side-characters/

v3
=Danny=

Danny Wirtz is an American businessman who is the owner and chairman of the Wirtz Corporation, a diversified business conglomerate, known for owning the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He is the son of Rocky Wirtz, and inherited the Wirtz Corporation from his father, who died in 2023. Wirtz is the fourth generation of the family to own the Blackhawks.

Biography
Wirtz grew up in Winnetka, Illinois. He hails form a long line of businessmen. His father, Rocky Wirtz, his grandfather Bill Wirtz, and great-grandfather Arthur Wirtz were all entrepreneurs who owned the Chicago Blackhawks.

Wirtz went to high school at Loyola Academy, where he played hockey and won a state championship as a senior in 1995. he then attended Boston College. Upon graduation, Wirtz wished to pursue a career in music, entertainment, and marketing. He became more involved in his family's business following his grandfather's death in 2007.

Danny assisted in operating many of Wirtz Corporation's holdings, including Breakthru Beverage and Wirtz Realty and banking interests. He eventually became vice president of the Chicago Blackhawks and alternate Governor to the NHL, while also serving as active advisor for the Blackhawks. He became the interim president of the Chicago Blackhawks following the dismissal of John McDonough in April 2020. Wirtz became the chief executive officer of the Blackhawks in December.

Wirtz became the owner and chairman of the Wirtz Corporation in July 2023 following his father's death. In one of his first moves as chairman, Wirtz purchased the Chicago Steel of the USHL.

Wirtz, and his wife, Anne, have two daughters: Rosemary and Juniper.

Wirtz’s official tenure as the Blackhawks’ CEO started on a tumultuous note. The organization was the subject of an internal investigation stemming from claims that a former video coach sexually abused a prospect during the 2009–10 NHL Stanley Cup playoffs. The accuser, Kyle Beach, sued the Blackhawks organization for failing to properly handle his claims or file a formal police report. The investigation noted that neither Wirtz nor his father Rocky had any knowledge of the sexual assault at the time. Many former players, coaches, and executives were also interviewed. The two remaining front office executives from the 2009 season, including Vice President of Hockey Operations Stan Bowman, resigned, and the organization was fined $2 million by the NHL. The Blackhawks started the 2021 season with a ten-game losing streak, resulting in the dismissal of head coach Jeremy Colliton. The team did not recover and finished the season with the sixth-worse record in the NHL. The Blackhawks’ home sellout streak came to an end on October 24, 2021 after 535 consecutive games due to the team’s losing record and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Blackhawks also performed poorly on the ice by losing their first ten games of the 2021–22 NHL season. The team did not recover and finished the season with the sixth-worst record in the NHL. The Blackhawks' sellout streak came to an end on October 24, 2021, after 535 consecutive games, due to the team's losing record and the COVID-19 pandemic. Kyle Davidson, the Blackhawks' new general manager, committed to rebuilding the team during the 2022–23 NHL season and traded star players for draft capital. The team also did not re-sign either Patrick Kane or Jonathan Toews, who were cornerstones of the previous dynasty. The team finished with the third-worst record in the NHL, but still won the NHL Lottery.

Player profile
Kane is regarded as one of the best American-born players of all time. His success is attributed to his vision, accurate shooting, deceptive stick handling, and high hockey IQ. Kane uses these skills to anticipate how hockey plays will develop and then positions himself to generate offensive opportunities for himself or his teammates. He also leverages his skating and stick handling to generate space for better opportunities to pass or shoot. Pavel Barber commented on Kane's elusiveness, "They call him 'The Waterbug' because he's so good at entering the zone, just weaving, and cutting through and setting up." Kane is also regarded as a "sniper" due to his accurate wrist shot as well as a playmaker for his passing skills. Kane reflected, "I love scoring for the fans, for the team, for myself. That's not to say that I won't pass if I see a teammate in a better scoring position. But I like to score."

He is an offensive-minded forward. Despite his elite goal scoring and playmaking abilities, Kane has been considered a liability on defense. He practiced generating takeaways and playing defense during his later years in Chicago. Coach Joel Quenneville enticed Kane to play two-way hockey by telling him, "You're at your best when you have the puck, and we need you to play [defense] if you want to get the puck back from the other team." An analytical model rated Kane as one of the worst defensive forwards in the NHL during the 2023 season.

Kane is also known for his eccentric goal scoring celebrations. He performed a "heartbreaker" celebration after scoring the series-winning goal against the Los Angeles Kings in 2013, which would later be performed by Connor Bedard after scoring an over-time game-winning goal against Slovakia in 2023. Kane performed a goal celebration in 2014 after scoring the game winner, where he pretended to use a payphone. In 2015, he raised his hands and began shouting "Showtime" after scoring a highlight-reel goal against the Minnesota Wild in the playoffs.

Kane chewed his mouth guard while skating during his early years in the NHL. On his game-used mouth guards was auctioned for $4,000 dollars at a Blackhawks charity auction, while another is showcased in the Hockey Hall of Fame. Other American-born skaters, including Clayton Keller, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk have also followed suit and chewed their mouth guards while playing.

https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/longread/patrick-kane-leader-by-example

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports-saturday/2019/9/14/20860982/patrick-kane-blackhawks-statistics-goal-scorer-analysis-doing-what-defenses-dont-expect

https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/ct-spt-blackhawks-patrick-kane-rosenbloom-20180411-story.html

https://www.nbcsports.com/nhl/news/nhl-power-rankings-top-american-born-players-right-now

https://thehockeynews.com/news/fischler-report-why-patrick-kane-is-the-all-time-best-american-player

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/skills-coach-pavel-barber-breaks-nhls-top-10-stickhandlers/

https://www.espn.com/blog/craig-custance/insider/post/_/id/68

https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/a-farewell-to-patrick-kane/

https://thehockeywriters.com/kane-greatest-american-born-nhl-player-all-time/

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/sports/hockey/rangers-kane-nhl.html

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-greg-wyshynski/blackhawks-star-patrick-kane-won-swagger-back--nhl.html

https://archive.ph/d0vSv

https://archive.li/5hxjK

https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/the-greatest-patrick-kane-goal-celebration-gif-of-all-time-202505262.html

https://www.cbssports.com/nhl/news/for-patrick-kane-its-showtime-all-the-time/

https://www.nhl.com/blackhawks/news/tools-of-the-trade-mouthguards/c-4245

https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/21387120/nhl-most-ridiculous-items-hockey-hall-fame

https://chicago.suntimes.com/blackhawks/2014/12/17/18604695/patrick-kane-has-defense-on-his-mind-as-he-fights-scoring-slump

https://sports.yahoo.com/nhl-rangers-patrick-kane-pending-free-agent-to-be-sidelined-months-hip-resurfacing-223839374.html?src=rss

https://thehockeywriters.com/grading-rangers-blockbuster-patrick-kane-trade/

https://nationalpost.com/sports/hockey/nhl/patrick-kane-taking-his-play-to-a-new-level-for-soaring-blackhawks

https://zonecoverage.com/2023/wild/anybody-but-patrick-kane/

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/895763-chicago-blackhawks-how-patrick-kane-has-reinvented-his-game

https://lastwordonsports.com/hockey/2023/06/03/new-york-rangers-offseason-grade-patrick-kane/

https://archive.li/vCzSC

https://www.pjstar.com/story/sports/nhl/2017/03/08/jonathan-toews-patrick-kane-lines/22003854007/

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nhl/news/patrick-kane-trade-grades-blackhawks-rangers-star-winger/ymeik2bvbeuplbc5wotd0b2z

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/how-the-blackhawks-made-patrick-kane-get-defensive-214008699.html

=JR= Rolfe attended the Rolfe attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia where he studied filmmaking. While in college, Rolfe met several friends that became collaborators in future projects, including Mike Matei, Kyle Justin, and Brendan "Bootsy" Castner. He graduated from the University of the Arts with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 2004. He worked as film editor for corporate safety and instructional videos after graduating, but quit in 2007 following the success of his Angry Video Game Nerd web series.


 * P055: Back injury and lingering pain as result of car accident.
 * P141: Worked at Wawa.
 * P142: Met Kyle Justin.
 * P162: Met Mike Matai in 2001 at party.
 * P180: Depression after being dumped, suicidal, created AVGN.
 * P185: Corporate video editor / instructional and safety.
 * P206: Wedding video editor.
 * P206: Craig / ScrewAttack.

=Refs=