I remember the days as a teen after a hockey game myself and some of my best friends would hang out at one of our parents house, and being huddled around the AM radio listening to the Hawks when they had home games because they were blacked out.

 

We endured trading Jeremy Roenick for Zhamnov, trading Belfour for nothing, giving Chelios away to our arch rivals... not to mention the awful Mike Smith euro era (Mironov, Karpotsev), gifting JP Dumont away just to get rid of the awful Doug Gilmour contract, the Theo Fleury debacle, Brian Sutter choking our drunken player Tyler Arnason... it's endless, the last ten years of Bill Wirtz' life were the worst.

 

As an intern working for the Hawks in 2005, I saw how pathetic the front office was and knew they stood no chance of ever mattering again as long as the old man was alive. I remember CHEERING in my car on the way to work, but fearing that Peter Wirtz would be the successor to the throne.

 

Rocky grabbed this team by the balls, shelled out the cash for McDonough (who turned this city on its hockey head), took the front office from something like 12 employees and gutted the trash, kept the good (Pete Hassen baby!) and now we see a thriving front office of over 30 employees... and that combined with the perfect wave of young talent in Keith, Seabrook, Kane, and Toews has turned into a juggernaut that has no business not being a long successful run.

 

This is a great day my friends.

Edited June 10, 201015 yr by Steve9347

yeah, Kane curled around the back of the net and back towards the benches and started pumping his arms, and I thought to myself "why are the flyers standing still? what is Kane doing? He looks like he scored, but the crowd, announcers, and even the production wasnt acting like he scored? So what the hell is going on?"

 

What a crazy moment, very unforgettable

I didn't see the puck go in, but as soon as I saw Kane go around the back of the net like that I knew it was in. I jumped up and started goin nuts and for about 3 seconds everyone was just lookin at me. I'm glad Kaner didn't make me look like an idiot. I never did hear the announcers or anything because everyone was goin nuts...did they ever say Goal? Poor Doc, the dude goes nuts for every SOG and Kane pulls a fast one on him and ruins his moment to shine.

 

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!! I still can't believe it!!

Edited June 10, 201015 yr by Controlled Chaos

I have now seen all of my favorite professional teams at the top of their games. Bears, Bulls, Sox and now 'hawks! I may now go quietly.

What a moment last night. After all these years where you never think it will happen, it does. Watching all those terrible teams, terrible players, and terrible games.

 

All the games at the Stadium growing up, the raucous crowds, the great rivalries. The anthem. The organ. Guys banging on the back windows.

 

Buying Hawkvision and watching games with my Dad. Going to the bowling alley with him to watch some home games since they had the feed. Listening to games on the radio on school nights. Looking at people like they were idiots when they asked if the game was on TV and replying with "duh, it's a home game."

 

Getting super excited in 02 to go to Games 3 and 4 against the Blues since playoff hockey had been gone for so long. Then watching us get beat in both, and back to being pretty much irrelevant. Last night I was wearing my authentic Mark Bell jersey. Oops.

 

Every year I watch the NHL playoffs like it's my job, and then I get really excited to watch the Finals and see a Cup being presented. It's always something to see, I get chills just seeing other random teams (I'm looking towards you, Tampa) lifting it. What a feeling that must be. It's just such a cool moment to see the hardest trophy in sports to win awarded.

 

It took a while for it to fully sink in. It's like it wasn't actually happening (aside from the whole bizarre ending). Guys with indian heads on their jerseys lifting the Cup? Seriously what the hell is going on?

 

Then Roenick gets on, says what he says and I absolutely lost it. I was that kid crying at the Stadium in 1992 as he raised his arm and saluted the crowd before heading down the stairs, before I watched Mario skate around with the Cup. That guy did everything he could while in a Blackhawks jersey to bring us a Cup. All you could hope was that someday, that'd be us.

 

That really made it come full circle. And you know what JR, I do have a big smile on my face.

 

To all the die-hard fans out there...our time has arrived. We deserved this, and we got it.

 

In the words of Patrick Kane, "I can't believe this just happened, holy crap"

Edited June 10, 201015 yr by IlliniKrush

I love your post, Krush - I can relate to and agree with all of it, except for one small detail:

 

I'm happy the Johnny-Come-Latelys got to enjoy this as well as the die-hards. It takes more than just the "core audience" to make something an event, and the 2009-2010 Blackhawks (especially come playoff time) were one of the biggest, most talked-about events in Chicago sports that I can remember.

It seems like everywhere I went, people were talking Hawks, wearing the gear, singing that awful DOO DOODOODOO song.

This felt as big as the Bears getting to the Super Bowl, as big as 2005. You don't get the kind of buzz the Hawks had/have without the "casual fan" getting on board.

 

So I say THANK YOU to every Hawks fan, new, old, die-hard, bandwagon, newly-in-love or in-love-for now. This belongs to EVERYONE.

Savor it, because this may never happen again.

 

Edited June 10, 201015 yr by The Critic

As an on and off Blackhawks fan (I remember watching them getting their ass kicked by the Blues way back in the 2001-2002 playoffs and going to my first game back in 2000), I can't say this means the world to me.

 

To say that it does would be completely wrong.

 

So congrats to the guys who have stuck around all these years and suffered through the Zhamnovs and Dazes.

 

Hockey is definitely back in Chicago.

Edited June 10, 201015 yr by chw42

I was 12 in 1991 when I started following the Hawks. After the franchise lied to everyone about keeping Roenick and the guys, resulting in the team going in the crapper, I abandoned the team like everyone else.

 

I got sucked in in 2001-2002 and was in attendance at the 1st round debacle vs. St. Louis when the Hawks lost 5-0 or 6-0.

 

I promised myself in the years after that I wouldn't get sucked in, glad I lied about that the past two years. Never thought I would see it.

 

 

One of my earliest sports memories is crying as a six year old after listening to Game Seven in '71. My son is now 6 and my daughter is 7, so watching and celebrating with them last night was unbelievably special.

 

After seeing Savard, Larmer, Olczyk, Chelios, Belfour, Hasek, etc., etc., etc., hoist The Cup in different sweaters, it was almost surreal seeing my favorite players carry it in the Indian Head.

 

I've also really enjoyed checking in with and sharing this amazing run with you guys here.

 

I wish I could be downtown tomorrow, but its the kids' last day of school. The parade will be going right past my old office window on Washington. I was on LaSalle in '05 though (and at Minute Maid), and I don't think anything could ever top that.

 

 

 

 

 

Excellent posts Krush and Critic. Let me add my history...

 

I was lucky enough to be invited into the locker room of the 79-80 Black Hawks where I got to meet an aging Tony Esposito and Stan Mikita. Also, I was lucky enough to meet a young Doug Wilson and Keith Magnuson. I watched games with my grampa on Channel 44. I had been to games in the old Stadium so loud, I couldn't decipher the different screams, it was all one big blur. I was lucky enough to watch this team in the early 80's, with Denis Savard, Darryl Sutter, Steve Larmer and Al Secord beating the crap out of Dino Ciccarelli. I was lucky enough to be at the final games, regular and post-season, of the old Stadium, watching guys like Steve Smith, Chris Chelios, Jeremy Roenick and Tony Amonte. I died a little bit with the Alpo Suhonen-Craig Hartsburg teams. And I have watched this team transform from a bunch of young guys and cast-offs to Stanley Cup Champions!

 

If the White Sox winning the World Series in 2005 was my number one sports moment...then this is 1A!

I started wondering about this last night when I heard all the things that Toews had won before the got to hold the cup last night, but...

 

Is Jonathan Toews the Derek Jeter of hockey?

The guys who control the goal lights, are they NHL employees or team employees?

 

Either way, the guy controlling the light on that last play was likely from Philadelphia and it wouldn't surprise me at all if he just said "screw it" and didn't light it up just to be a jerk.

The final goal audio from WGN Radio... AWESOME!

 

that was the worst call ever. Poor guy.

that was the worst call ever. Poor guy.

 

The NBC call was WAY worse.

I started wondering about this last night when I heard all the things that Toews had won before the got to hold the cup last night, but...

 

Is Jonathan Toews the Derek Jeter of hockey?

 

he'll have to win several more stanley cups dude.

The NBC call was WAY worse.

 

they completely ignored it. Clearly SOMETHING had happened. ANd they were just calling the game as if players stop playing and continue dancing all the time.

 

I ain't sayin I knew it was in, but, it was like the last scene in the mighty ducks where everyone had to wait to see if the girl had saved it. After a few seconds it was obvious it was over. Brutal.

they completely ignored it. Clearly SOMETHING had happened. ANd they were just calling the game as if players stop playing and continue dancing all the time.

 

I ain't sayin I knew it was in, but, it was like the last scene in the mighty ducks where everyone had to wait to see if the girl had saved it. After a few seconds it was obvious it was over. Brutal.

 

Julie "The Cat" Gaffney

he'll have to win several more stanley cups dude.

 

Well yeah, but the way he's treated and what he's accomplished, it just seems like it's the Jeter treatment.

 

 

I started wondering about this last night when I heard all the things that Toews had won before the got to hold the cup last night, but...

 

Is Jonathan Toews the Derek Jeter of hockey?

 

I think he's more like the Steve Yzerman of the new era. Good at everything, plays excellent in both ends and is without a doubt, a leader of men.

I think he's more like the Steve Yzerman of the new era. Good at everything, plays excellent in both ends and is without a doubt, a leader of men.

That's a really good comparison. I'd add Joe Sakic as another one.

 

Buff and Burish have a very nice competition going on for Funniest Blackhawk.

 

Burish still has the lead for his "Your brother's ugly" remark to one of the Sedin twins.

Buff and Burish have a very nice competition going on for Funniest Blackhawk.

 

Burish still has the lead for his "Your brother's ugly" remark to one of the Sedin twins.

 

That was one of the all-time greats. That compares to the Mark Buehrle through the legs out when it comes to taunting.

I wanna drink beer out of Stanley Cup!!

 

Kopecky needs to shave that stache. He looks like a child molester.

I think he's more like the Steve Yzerman of the new era. Good at everything, plays excellent in both ends and is without a doubt, a leader of men.

 

You said this with a British accent didnt you?

There were 2 different people at UT's gym today in Hawks gear.