I was sitting around the other night, and thought “Where are the Hawks?” Are they playing tonight? When do they play next? When I checked, I realized it was the NHL All Star break; you see how close I’ve been following it. Hockey has fell off for me personally. It was always my 4th favorite sport behind the other big 3. Growing up, not being able to watch it… had its effects. Then the Blackhawks built a juggernaut; I watched more and more intently, and enjoyed seeing the first Stanley Cup in my lifetime… actually, 3 of them. I don’t think I was the only one; Chicago had hockey fever. Not only were the Blackhawks the kings of the NHL, they were the kings of Chicago. They became can’t miss TV; now, I don’t even know when they’re playing next. I don’t think it’s just me this time either. Obviously with the Hawks in the tank, interest has waned; still, surprised how many folks still go to the UC… guess those cheaper tickets are keeping people involved; I haven’t taken advantage of that yet. But yeah, the NHL in general… I saw the numbers were down pretty substantially, which I’m sure ESPN didn’t expect when they took over broadcasting the games. Maybe it’s just a thing in this country; I’m sure the popularity of hockey hasn’t fizzled in Canada…
I’m sure hockey hasn’t fizzled in Boston; have you seen their record? The Bruins are 39-7-5, good for 83 points, or 7 points better than the next team, and 13 points better than the 3rd best team. They have been dominant, losing only 1 game in regulation at home. Have to be the Cup favorites. I’m sure Carolina and Toronto, the 2nd and 3rd best teams, all in the Eastern Conference, will have their say too. If you told me to guess the 2 division leaders out West, I’d have no clue. Maybe I would have got lucky and guessed the Dallas Stars, but the Seattle Kraken?!?! Holy shit, really!!?? If there was a bet, and I’m sure there is, I would put my money on the Stanley Cup champ coming out of the Eastern Conference.
As for the Blackhawks… They’re tied with the Coyotes for the NHL worst with 34 points, and we’ve played 3 more games than them. The tank for Bedard remains alive and well. He is of course the consensus best player waiting to be drafted. If the Hawks complete the tank, and they draft him, does that mean this franchise will be back at the top at some point? Will he be our savior? Make no mistake, THIS should be the Blackhawks’ goal. I don’t want to see them lose any more than you do, but… if there is a can’t miss guy, potential NHL superstar sitting there, and only able to get with the #1 overall pick, then…
And just like the Bears, it’ll be hard to watch the Hawks, root for them, and get pissed when they lose, when the goal is exactly that. I’ll need to watch the game stress free; not worrying about winning, just enjoying the game. If that was hard for me to do with the Bears, imagine watching the Hawks… The Blackhawks will be back on the ice on Tuesday at the UC hosting the Anaheim Ducks, the last place in the other division in the West. Tank baby tank… Go Hawks!!!
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