The NHL season kicked off on Tuesday night; who knew? Yes, Blues Kraken, Panthers Bruins, and our Blackhawks visiting Utah, that’s right Utah, for the franchise’s first ever game. They’re the relocated Arizona Coyotes, whose previous records you can’t even find on ESPN. That has to suck for the fans, to just pick up and move one of your teams. Yet, just like everything, there’s a flip side to that, and for Utah, they’re loving it. They don’t have a team name yet, but they’re loving it. Playing in the Delta Center, brought some good memories for me as a Chicago fan. Could the Blackhawks add to the list of good memories for Chicago teams in Utah?
Short answer is no. Bedard Take Two started off with an L. Connor did assist on both of the Hawks goals, but after 2 empty netters, it ended with a 5-2 loss. See, we threw you one back Utah; you’re welcome. The Hawks dug themselves a 2-0 hole; here we go again. They looked horrible in the first period. Yet, the rest of the game, they certainly stepped it up a bit. Still, they went down 3-0 before they finally started doing some scoring, pulling within 1 goal at 3-2 in the 3rd period. They kept pouring it on too, but couldn’t get the equalizer, and eventually bowed out to the empty netters. It’s not great to start the season with a loss, but the final 2 periods provided a bit of hope for the rest of the season.
Seriously, watching the first period… brutal. I felt like tossing in the towel… haha. Like that Dr. Pepper commercial… it’s the first game of the season!!! Yes, and for the Hawks, year two of the Bedard era will not automatically mean playoffs; they will be better than last year… right? Shit, they better. My son was sitting watching with me at the start, and yeah, it was tough. Surprisingly, I stood up for the whole game; I guess a little nap earlier in the evening helped. The Hawks making it a game helped too, although they weren’t able to cash my 50% boosted homer play on them to start the season… haha. Only 81 games to go.
How much hockey will I get to watch this year? Typically, basketball will take precedence, especially when watching with the family; I certainly don’t mind watching the Bulls, who actually won their first preseason game on Tuesday night. The young kid for the Bulls gives me a little excitement to watch them, but the young kid for the Hawks, yes, Connor is still only 19 years old, certainly makes me feel like we’re closer to something on the ice than on the hardwood, although both may have tough years this year. Who else will step up for the Hawks? Teuvo made a successful return with the first goal of the season, while newly minted captain Foligno scored the second. It has to be more than just the Connor show.
Welcome back Blackhawks; hoping for a better season. Now we wait for the Bulls.
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