May 28, 2014: Day of Reckoning

In about 10 hours, the Hawks will face their first elimination game this postseason.  How will they respond?  We all hope they come out and play their best hockey of the season the next 3 games… they’ll have to.  That’s what it will take to come back and win this series.  Do we believe?

How do we respond?  There are always mixed reactions when our teams are faced with adversity.  Some people throw in the towel.  I knew this team wasn’t that good.  I knew they would let us down.  I know the other team was better.  Were these people fans all along?  Are they fans just facing the reality that sure looks to be setting in?  Are they emotionally detaching themselves from the bitter pain they will feel IF the team loses?  I’m sure there are different reasons people give up.  It’s easy to give up.  Looking at the Hawks present situation, the historic odds are definitely against us.  Looking at the past few games, the task seems unachievable.  How did you react last year when the Hawks were down 3-1 to the Wings?  Were those people saying the same things?  The Hawks came through last year… it doesn’t guarantee a comeback this year.

How about those fans that stay with their team until the last, sometimes bitter, moment?  It’s a game by game decision.  I simply can’t leave, simply can’t turn off the TV until the game is over.  I still believe until the very last possible moment that my team will pull it out.  If the game has already been decided, and my team is going to lose for sure, I still can’t leave.  I sit there and take it like a man.  I love to see people hit the exits once the outcome of the game looks bleak.  This makes me sick.  Again, there are different reasons that people may be leaving early.  I have left early before for different reasons, like my tired, crying son.  I left with 5 minutes left in the Bears-Patriots game a few years back in sub-zero temperatures.  If you remember, that game was over by halftime.  My wife wanted to leave at halftime… I held out until about 5 minutes left, or when the frostbite really started to settle in.  I can name many games that I have attended that my teams have lost, and I stood until the bitter end.  It’s not an easy thing to do.  It’s easy to get up and leave, like a lot of fans.

Well, this series is nothing different.  I will be here until the end, even if it is bitter.  “Turn off the game already, they lost” is not advice that I follow.  I believe the Hawks will come back, and I will be sure to see every minute if it does happen.  If they do lose, I WILL turn it off immediately after that last second ticks off the clock though.  I will not watch any of the highlights.  I will not watch any of the postgame.  I am a bad loser.  I do not want to see any rehashing of one of my team’s difficult losses.  I watched every minute, I know what happened.  I don’t need to be reminded of it.
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You have to prepare yourself mentally.  You never want to face the harsh reality of a season being ended, especially a promising one.  When your team gets so close, you can taste it.  When you can picture the celebration, because this IS the year.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t always end that way.  I’ve been on the wrong end of it many times.  I have also been on the right end of it, and it doesn’t get any sweeter.

This is what keeps me believing… the sweetness of victory.  How sweet would it be for the Hawks to come back in this series?  Making a huge comeback to win a game or a series is one of the ultimate thrills for a fan.  It’s not fun while you are down… while you have your back against the wall.  But if, IF, your team comes back and wins…  ahhhh… that’s awesome. 

So I will channel that feeling… I believe it can happen.  Call me a sucker, call me blind, but this is how I roll… with all my teams.  Some of those teams actually come through, and reward the true fan.  Will this year’s Hawks be one of those teams?  The first day of reckoning is tonight.