The only thing that beats a Bruins game on the road is a free Bruins game on the road. Being out of work, free tickets, free airfare, and a free hotel come in pretty handy.
My buddy Steiner and I(aka The Hockey Goons) took advantage of the opportunity at hand and headed to Chicago for an Original Six battle between our beloved Bruins and the Blackhawks.
Let the journey begin…
Pre-Game Activities
The only place to get pumped for the game is Rush Street. It’s the Chicago equivalent of Faneuil Hall but a million times better.
We visited one pub decked in our Bruins garb. One patron called us the worst name in the book. They called us Pittsburgh Penguins fans! UGH!
Sorry the Bruins are the “Original” Black and Gold team!
Some hockey fans were looking forward to drama and revenge when the Chicago Blackhawks met the Vancouver Canucks for the first time since the Canucks’ Willie Mitchell knocked out Hawks Captain Jonathan Toews with a concussion.
Some may have been disappointed.
After a two-week absence, Toews’ return to the Blackhawks kept them on a winning streak that reached seven as Chicago delivered another kind of message at Vancouver’s GM Place. The 1-0 score left the Canucks and their fans slack-jawed. An overeager goal horn operator even jumped the gun, mistakenly signaling a score for the home side just seconds before the final buzzer.
The only revenge was the result, and the only drama was the battle between two skilled clubs.
The victory gave the Blackhawks sole possession of second place overall in the National Hockey League, and the best winning percentage among all thirty teams.
There has been much talk about the resurgence of the Blackhawks, and more than one pundit predicting a serious run for the Stanley Cup. While the kerfuffle over the Hawks’ salary cap management continues, the critics grudgingly concede the team has the talent to contend.
But if there is any player who represents the revival of Cup aspirations in Chicago, it is Jonathan Toews.
Unlike his mercurial team-mate Kane, there are no questions about Toews’ ego. And unlike seven million dollar d-man Brian Campbell, there are no arguments about his value to the Blackhawks. When the much-rumored contract extension for Jonathan Toews is finally revealed, no one will begrudge him every penny he makes.
Toews may be to the Blackhawks now, what Steve Yzerman once was to the Detroit Red Wings: the player who makes the difference no matter how much or how little he does every game. For like Yzerman—who wore the same number 19—Toews is the heart of his team. And no one argues that Jonathan Toews has, to borrow from the popular phrase, “got a little Captain in him”. Read the rest of this entry →
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