It's the one scheduled game of the season between my two favorite NHL teams. I saw both of their games against each other last season, both Blackhawks wins. I've been following these teams all year even if I've barely blogged it, and not been too vocal on Twitter so I don't scare off my non-sports followers. (The @alittlechippy account will be back when I get a new password, I guess.) I've been a lot more pleased with how the Bruins have been this year, but still root more for the Blackhawks, since I live in Chicago and all. Theoretically I was extremely excited for tonight, but alas, didn't feel up to doing a preview. Watching it, I'm not sure I want to say anything about the game.
But this is the first time I've actually signed into Blogger to post here since, oh, late spring 2010, (I just restarted my other blog again and am updating it; can't imagine how out-of-date the blogroll here is) so there's a photo. Yes, it's kind of St. Patrick's-esque and it's late March, but I took it after St. Patrick's, a store window in downtown Winnetka (north suburban Chicago). It's a butcher shop or deli or something; have no idea what that can of "Digestive" is!
I'll be around in some form for the NHL (and other league) playoffs. Too much stuff not to post. Computer issues are better, but I need to reinstall my scanner so I can post cool weird things again.
I let my disappointment at not being able to go to a Final round Blackhawks game, after dozens of regular season and playoff games, kind of keep me from participating in hockey blogging much last week. But I wouldn't let it stop me from going by the United Center Saturday evening, before the 7 pm game. The building opened extra-early, at 5. I made it there after 5:30 and stayed for a few minutes, then got two buses back to get home before the game. The sunlight was harsh (some 90 degree weather last weekend) so these aren't quite what I wanted, but they're historic and all, right? The first Stanley Cup game played and won in this building, and Chicago's first SCF win in 37 years.
I took a photo of this sign before every game I attended. (All the UC signs say "Home of the Bulls." I'm guessing we'll see at least one "Home of the Blackhawks" next year.)
If people say "meet at the statue," this is usually the one they mean:
First Flyers fan sighting (there was a taunt about giving his sister her shirt back) (not by me):
You shouldn't judge people on appearances. Unless it's these three--then go right ahead:
I usually enter on this side because my tickets were usually through TicketExchange. Sam from Second City Hockey sells The Committed Indian bulletin nearby. I said hi (nice beard!) and bought a copy--not the first time I've gotten one for a game I couldn't attend.
Couldn't resist sneaking this shot on the Damen bus north, even if with her hair and Kane jersey she probably (right or wrong) fits the stereotype of a Chicago "bandwagon" fan. Whatever, I've seen a lot of people who aren't stereotypical hockey fans or bandwagon fans...I just can't always get a quick photo of them!
I didn't go before yesterday's game; I wanted to run some errands and besides, Chicago was cloudy and rainy for nearly all of Memorial Day. (Until I was out running errands in a hoodie and the sun came out and it went up to 75 and humid.) I saw many people online refer to a pregame nap; well, I had a pregame ritual of taking photos of West Side/Oak Park vacant storefronts and shopping at a Mexican grocery, instead. The sun came out right before the Flyers-Blackhawks game...how ridiculously symbolic. (Er, for the home team.)
Note: the updated version of the post before this one still holds. I figured I could post something though, and I wanted to at least blog before I went to my next sporting event. Tonight's my first White Sox game of the year, and somewhat incredibly my first night baseball game in Chicago.
aren't the NHL playoffs exciting?!!! (depending on your team.) ...but yeah, I can't get blog posts done during the day, then I can't get them done when I'm trying to run several playoff games and Twitter and whatnot online in the evening (I've had the computer run slow/freeze two agonizing late nights in a row), then the energy to get them done after the games are over for the night...doesn't work so well on a day like today when YOUR TEAM PLAYS HORRIBLY. (again, so glad I'm not a game preview/recap type blog, and I admire the dedication of those who are.) I'll post in a better moment, hopefully tomorrow. for now, here is a pretty photo I took THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH SPORTS.
I promised something kind of light and silly, and here it is. I didn't get autographs at the Blackhawks Night Rockford IceHogs game I attended recently; the lines were so long I wasn't even going to try, even if it did include a couple players who are particular favorites of mine. but then I found out the Lincoln Park branch of Starfruit Cafe (a new chain of frozen kefir places--I haven't tried it yet, but they started following me on Twitter and they're one of the few businesses I followed back) would be hosting Brent Seabrook from 4-6 pm Sat. March 6, the day after the Canucks game, where I happened to get the giveaway, a Seabrook drawstring backpack.
I got out a bit late. unlike Ms. Blackhawks, who mentioned the signing here (great photo at the end), I didn't show up early, not getting there till 4:30. there was a line, but not bad, not even halfway down the block. I walked back and forth a few times to judge how long it'd take and if I should wait, because I felt nervous suddenly, and worried about if I'd be done by 5 so I had enough time to get to the Chicago Wolves game vs the Admirals.
I was in line a few minutes later with a numbered wristband, and it was barely 20 minutes before I got into the cafe. cute place. surely, nothing says hockey like an adorable cafe full of pink/floral decor! I took photos of the people in front of me (and balloons).
then it was my turn! I said "Congratulations" (meaning the Olympics--and WHY didn't I bring a copy of the Tribune with the gold medal Blackhawks on the cover? I made a point to buy extra copies) and "Last night was my favorite game I'd been to this season. Great job" (meaning good job in his fight. a rare fight for Seabrook, and one that got him a 90+% win rating on hockeyfights.com! his on-ice performance has been off for a while). and he signed my little backpack (you'll see). I didn't feel like asking a stranger to take a photo of me with him. I'm trying to keep the 12-year-old-girlishness of this post to a minimum, but OMG he was cuter in person than I expected. (maybe his hair just doesn't look right in photos).
I took a few more photos of other people signing. the frozen treats looked good (and I want to give them business for hosting such a pleasant event) but I couldn't get anything and was still kind of nervous. I was out just after 5, but wasn't able to get to the Wolves game. glad I made it out for this, at least. I passed back along Halsted St. on the bus a little later, not quite 5:30, and there was no line. theoretically, I could have just hung out in there...but I went home and took this photo:
ha, totally didn't mean to wear a shirt that matched the decor of the cafe so well (wish I'd gotten a photo next to that wall!); I just noticed it was one I hadn't worn in a long time. I kept the hat on while I was there (and was too lazy to remove the wristband till hours later). I regret that winter/hockey hat season will be ending soon; I don't look nearly as good in baseball caps (and the only actual baseball cap I own is for the Iowa Cubs). and that's the doubtless fascinating story of my first time meeting a Blackhawk (or any pro athlete)!
now, I'll be away briefly for another first: my first time taking someone else to their first hockey game...
yes, it's ice cream with maple syrup on it, and the maple leaf cookies from Canada. I thought of this sundae yesterday but didn't want to have it before the gold medal game, so it wouldn't be a jinx. now the game is over and I guess it's to celebrate Canada's win, or as consolation, or...
I hope to have two of the following up before I do the Hockeenight Puckcast (have I mentioned it everywhere yet?) tomorrow night: Olympics wrapup (which will include things I meant to put in an Olympics PREVIEW); NHL preview (which will include things I meant to put in the NHL break WRAPUP); adventures in Rockford at my first IceHogs games for Blackhawks Night, last night...or maybe I'll even get super-caffeinated and write the story of my first hockey game. (apologies if this blog has been too much about me recently, but I figured there's enough people covering the Olympics adequately.)
news item 1: I guess I'm doing the Hockeenight Puckcast Monday night! which I've wanted to do for a while but feel unprepared for right now (given my Olympics angst, and lack of interest in NHL trade deadline stuff. well, I'll still have plenty to talk about). my first podcast! more announcements to come.
news item 2: in just a few hours we will know, once and for all...USA vs Canada, WHICH IS THE BETTER COUNTRY.* I'm not so good at trash talk, but in representing the respective countries via non-nutritious food and drink? okay...
I found these on a dollar store visit with a friend recently. he saw the maple leaves and asked if they were made in Canada and I was amused they were. I found them at another dollar store Thursday and bought some just before the gold medal women's hockey game...which the US lost. so I'm trying to stay away from them now...but they're so delicious! I don't like Oreos much except in cookies n' cream ice cream, so this is my new sandwich cookie habit...
vs
I'd read about but not found this candy bar, then saw it in a Cracker Barrel gift shop on the road trip for the Blackhawks game in St. Louis recently. still haven't tried them. I don't know what these have to do with anything, but they're made in the US--Necco, in Revere, Mass., a factory I've actually passed by! (okay, Toronto vs Boston treats makes this more of a Maple Leafs vs Bruins thing, but anyway...)
oh, and this, your embarrassing, nonsensical Team USA fan photo:
(I've been saving those cans and bags, many from hockey road trips, for a while. for the real photo shoot I wanted to do, involving a blonde friend of mine and Team USA and Team Canada jerseys...but I never tried to borrow any jerseys, and the photographer I mentioned this to is in another state, and...well, I've probably said more than you want to hear anyway.)
rushing off to a bar now! if anyone can get me a DVR copy of the game you are my hero. Olympics wrapup tonight, hopefully... GO USA!
well, there are serious things to discuss...or at least a bunch of story links and fight videos to post, but when I was ready to write several blog posts last night, my Internet quit working (it was connected, but running at approximately a dial-up in 1994 speed) and after several fruitless hours of restarting it I gave up. so, for now, just something to pander to the "Girls in Minor League Hockey Hats" fetishists out there. in this case, Girls in Minor League Hockey Hats with Hilariously Awful Logos--I refer you to this review at the Bush League Factor.
I bought this at my Monday night game--seeing the Johnstown Chiefs play the Cincinnati Cyclones. of course I'll have pictures of the arena/a fuller review "later" like all my other game recaps...for now let me sum it up:
OMG how does a team have 5 shots on goal in the FIRST FORTY SECONDS and 14 SOG before the VISITING TEAM EVEN GETS ONE and they're one of the TOP TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE and have a good home record AND they're playing the ABSOLUTE WORST TEAM IN THE LEAGUE and yet they manage to lose to the WORST TEAM by a SCORE OF 5-1? FUCKING HELL, HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN?! HOW THE FUCK DOES THAT HAPPEN?!!
still, it was entertaining, especially because of the fight/brawl that happened with 23 seconds left on the clock, and the fact that I was sitting close enough to the Chiefs' bench to heckle them if I wanted to (I didn't, but I heard other people). it was a lot of entertainment for $12. and I did want a hat in part because it's such a silly logo, and because I'm from Iowa State Cyclones country and hey, it's another team with the same colors called the Cyclones! why not?
the last day of the series, but I'll have one more game preview post in the afternoon...
part I: The Brothers Esposito
yesterday was "brother against brother" photos, today it's "brothers working together." awwwww. first, the photo that convinced me I HAD to check out this 1971 book and scan and post the photos:
and now, a nice All-Star photo:
I meant to introduce this series by noting Aubrey's Hockey Advent Calendar, which is a great idea I wish I'd thought of (sure, I could have done one too, but didn't come up with a theme). she's posted a lot of interesting videos and historical articles, and today posted links to a 1971 Sports Illustrated article on the Espositos (I didn't even bother to look up any extra material to post with the photos!), and a Wikipedia list of father/son/brothers in hockey. so check it out...
I've gotten in the habit of just assuming any players in the NHL/AHL/college/junior hockey with the same name, if it's not a super-common name, are brothers. if I heard of two writers with the same name, I might wonder if they're related, but in hockey I assume they are unless it's proven otherwise. i.e., I saw the Abbotsford Heat play the Chicago Wolves, and Keith Seabrook is in fact Blackhawks' Brent Seabrook's brother. (I know, I should have known that sooner...) the Heat are the Calgary Flames' affiliate, so if Keith moves to the NHL, it'd add more interest to the already intense games between those teams...
part II: when I think of Boston, I think of:
saved the best (well, to me) for last: the MBTA! I've photographed the Chicago Transit Authority extensively, as you can see. (and even had my photos included in a traveling exhibit that's now...ON DISPLAY AT THE CTA HEADQUARTERS.) so I love photographing the transit system of other cities I visit. I had three trips to the Boston area in 2009, and each time I bought the amazingly cheap 7-day unlimited pass ($15! the equivalent in Chicago is $23, $28 for the one that includes suburban buses, which I need to get to Wolves games). I rode the ENTIRE subway/elevated system on my first trip (didn't get to all of the Silver Line, but that's a bus, not a train).
don't know whether regular MBTA commuters would be surprised by this or not, but I found the system so fantastic--on time, convenient, reasonably priced, as noted--that it nearly made me weep to have to go back and ride the CTA. and all the colorful trains! Chicago also names its lines after colors (since the 1990s), but in Boston, the trains actually are the colors of the lines they're named after--they're all plain silver in Chicago. and the variety--Chicago is purely a heavy rail system, while MBTA uses heavy rail, light rail, trolley cars, AND bus rapid transit? I had a couple bad waits, and it's not much fun to be around before/after Red Sox games, but for most part it was great. BUT...the trains shut down after midnight, while the CTA has 24-hour service, so Chicago wins based on that.
and the commuter trains! I was staying with a friend who lived barely a block from a suburban station, so I got to see MBCR trains many times. my first trip on one was to Providence, and I had a few other rides. the MBTA pass even includes short trips on MBCR, so I went to Chelsea for no extra cost.
alas, some of the more macho railfans out there don't like the MBCR colors; they can't appreciate the wonder of PINK (or magenta?) trains. anyway, you can check out more of my MBTA/MBCR photos here. Bostonist.com even used one. I've actually had more fun taking transit photos in Boston than in New York (and technically Boston's subway is older...I've read several books on the history of Boston transit. I even know about lines that used to exist!)...yes, Boston people always like hearing that something there is better than in New York. I went a little overboard posting photos here, but why not?
I'm leaving the house tonight (yes, on a night when there's hockey on!) because there's a blogger (and not even sports bloggers!) party tonight and I need to be social to make up for the fact that last night I dreamed I was reading a blog. and I woke up before I could "click to read more." and some secret was never revealed to me. and how pathetic is everything I just wrote? anyway, day 4!
part 1: The Brothers Esposito
well, I hope this photo isn't a bad omen:
a photo like that today would absolutely get the nhLOL or LolLeafs treatment
meanwhile:
part II: when I think of Boston, I think of: Boston Harbor
well, not really, I didn't spend nearly as much time on the waterfront in Boston as I should have on my 2009 trips. I only got this shot (on Flickr I was informed it's a car carrier) because I was visiting the Institute of Contemporary Art nearby (you can take some great photos there, but not in the galleries, which is too bad, because I wanted to take photo of people looking at art, not the art itself).
sorry I fell behind with this--part 4 in a few hours. I had another great game to go to last night...that's two shutouts in a row for the Hawks (and by different goalies, first time that's happened since 1983!). against low-ranked teams, but it still counts.
part I: The Brothers Esposito
I finally scanned all the photos, returned the book, owed $1.60. I hope it's worth it, dear readers! (and thanks to Hockey Gone Wild for the nice mention of this series and the blog in general). now, getting to what we really want to see: BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER in the NHL!
the game above ended in a tie, back when they still had those
part II: when I think of Boston, I think of:
I'm skipping some more obvious ones, like chowder, or medical schools, or friggin' historic plaques every 10 feet, and going to: brutalist architecture!
I think this is right side up...taken on a visit to the Government Service Center. here's Flickr search results; I recommend Seth Tisue's great photos of the place, especially since he was the one giving me a tour the April 2009 day I took this. if you'd like more Paul Rudolph architecture see the Flickr group about him. there's also the Boston City Hall--Flickr search results for that. (if you like American architecture at all, especially pre-WWII, you must look at army.arch's photostream). I know that a lot of historic buildings were destroyed in the heyday of "urban renewal" to build it, and a lot of people thought and still think it's ugly, but it can be damn photogenic.
more stuff that doesn't really relate to the Bruins @ Blackhawks game I'm going to this Friday. (there's a huge new post right below this one, btw--I've got to space things throughout the day...)
part I: The Brothers Esposito
today, from this 1971 biography, more relatively early photos:
"credit for an assist"
part II: when I think of Boston, I think of...this place, it's pretty popular.
from my first trip inside, June 16, 2009. Sox won 8-2 in an interleague game against the Marlins. the friend I went with will rant at length against interleague games. I was asking him what foods he doesn't like one time, and he said "I hate walnuts. I hate walnuts even more than I hate interleague play!" unrelatedly, I'm thinking of an old Simpsons line I'd always hoped would catch on but didn't seem to: "well, you can cram it with walnuts, ugly!" uh, I'm not going to write much about the Red Sox now, but at least I've given you two useless walnut-related catchphrases...
yes, it's now only 4 nights until the big Bruins @ Blackhawks game, and I thought I'd do 5 days of...I don't know, stuff that has to do with Boston. then I'll write some quasi-legitimate game preview, but for now...
part I: The Brothers Esposito!
recently I had to take two buses to get to one of the three Chicago public libraries open on a Sunday to pay overdue fines (can't pay online), and browsed the sports books while there so I could get something new to make it worth the hassle, and found this 1971 book, listed as by Phil Esposito and Tony Esposito with Tim Moriarty. it recounts the brothers' childhoods, Phil's time with the Black Hawks (spelled with two words back then) and Bruins, Tony's with the Canadiens and Hawks. so, I'll have photos I scanned from it every day this week. (probably not stories, the book is way overdue* and I don't have time to type them).
the CPL has an interesting selection of hockey books from the 1960s -70s (and more recent ones, of course); I'll feature more of them later, but this book made the most sense for the Bruins-Hawks game.
*ironically, I've racked up more fines on this book than the fines I went to pay that day. but surprisingly someone else has requested the book, so if I didn't read it now who knows when I could get it again.
part II: when I think of Boston, I think of:
Dunkin Donuts! EVERYWHERE! (the chain was started near Boston) more than once, I saw Dunkin stores literally across the street from other Dunkin stores! or in the same train station! my first Boston visit in 2009, I made a point of having DD coffee every day (6 days) and taking a self-portrait with it. that's on my Flickr, as is this shot of a fragment left on Revere Beach, just past the end of the Blue Line train.
well, I'd like to finish posting on the Pittsburgh trip before the next Hawks game I attend, but oops. a couple things came up. I finally added Jezebel to my blog reader recently, although they post so frequently I have oodles of celebrity stuff to skip through. Tuesday I'd barely stopped laughing from their latest takedown of Cosmopolitan (with possibly the stupidest "effects of the recession" story yet-- guess what men are now doing a lot because of the recession! no, really! because of the recession?!) and controlled my giddiness over the Hello Kitty jet used in Taiwan (adorable! and creepy!), when what shows up but a story about a high school hockey fight. of a girl on a boy's team fighting off boys.
I saw this last week on the blog The Scrappy Octopus, and now Jezebel and Deadspin are getting around to it. the piece was by Latoya Peterson; a writer whose work I enjoy. she admits that "I am not familiar enough with ice hockey to know if there is a movement of any sort to stop fighting on the ice." fortunately, many commenters (who I presume to be female at Jezebel unless they state otherwise) are hockey fans and current or former players, and provided some context. for instance, fighting really isn't allowed in high school or college hockey, so it's strange the refs didn't try to break this up. and fighting serves a purpose in pro hockey and most fans, uh, are okay with that.
a comment at Jezebel I liked: "She held her own. It looked like a gender-neutral fight that happened when things got heated around the goal, which happens -- skaters get protective of their goalie. I'd have more of a problem if people said, 'oh, she shouldn't do that, as a female player, she should elevate her skills and rise above the male tendency to be violent.' It's hockey. Sometimes ya gotta throw down, eh?"
and a critique of their fighting technique itself: "No dropped gloves, no love."
a confluence of hockey and feminism--awesome! and then later the same day...OH NO, WATCH OUT, ANY DAY NOW I'M GOING TO RUIN THE INTERNET FOR YOU WITH MY HYSTERICAL OVERREACTIONS TO EVERYTHING
so, Cycle Like the Sedins has a new feature with female hockey bloggers explaining how they got into hockey and blogging. the latest edition of Odd Woman Rush featured one of the first hockey blogs I found, Talk Hockey to Me. blogger Teka said, "My hockey blog was really a spinoff of my “normal” blog, and now my normal blog is the one that gets ignored for weeks and weeks on end." heh, I can relate. she also says "At this point, I’m pretty sure I’m the only self-identified feminist hockey blog out there." well, not to sound all competitive (you know the ladies love competition! and only ONE OF US can be successful! it's gonna be me, bitch! and so forth), but no, now there's two.
I'm not bothering with an explanation--look, here'sfeminism 101 if you need it. nor do I expect to say much, besides the occasional bit of snark (like my recent bit about a loser on Facebook), about stereotypes about female fans as puckbunnies, or the pink jersey issue, or Ice Girls. that's all been well-covered, often by Teka herself, including in her thesis (which as a huge nerd I was thrilled to find--yes, I read an academic account of female hockey fandom right as I became a fan!) but...my "issue"?
well, I like the rough-and-tumble (okay, vulgar) world of sports blogs. (I love blogs and sites about urbanism and architecture and transportation but um, they're a little less funny, maybe?) but I have trouble with the metaphors of/"jokes" about rape and sexual humiliation, and the sexist and anti-gay slurs, common in sports blog writing and commenting (mostly, but not only, from men). there are blogs I might read but not blogroll but because of it, and there are blogs I blogroll despite this sometimes or often being an issue (frankly, some of the Blackhawks blogs--including ones whose writers I've met--are frequent offenders). I don't see many sports bloggers, male or female, addressing this, and it's never discussed on feminist blogs, even though I see sports fans and sports stories there sometimes. I'm bothered less by what sports leagues are or aren't doing to attract women as fans, than by what other fans are doing that makes many fans or would-be fans feel attacked and excluded.
I'm mostly here to have fun, whether it's about what it's like becoming a fan, or mocking the sports media. I won't, you know, whine or get hysterical about that sexism now; I'm just bottling up lots and lots of frustration and rage now--I'm sure that's a perfectly healthy thing to do!--to use for future posts. oh, MAN UP, you can take some constructive criticism, when I get around to it.
(warning: for a few posts this will be more travel-bloggy than hockey-bloggy) so just before midnight Friday, in below-freezing weather, I boarded a Megabus in downtown Chicago, headed for Cleveland. I had time to wander around Cleveland in the early morning, looking at holiday decor, getting a few photos, stopping at Starbucks, then getting a Greyhound bus before 9, off to Pittsburgh for the big game. the Pittsburgh weather was dreary but I like downtown so much I spent my time before the game walking around getting photos. I was lured to the lights of the big tree in PPG Place and saw there was an ice rink, too. dozens of skaters were waiting as the Zamboni cleared the ice. I had my first sighting of someone else in Blackhawks clothes, a guy in a Winter Classic jersey. he and his friends noticed my shirt. his was a Ben Eager jersey, which isn't one I see that often! here's a photo of the scene, with a ridiculous border added thanks to the holiday options in Flickr's photo editing. (be warned, I'll be posting more of this this month)
I found a downtown mall that was partially open and picked up a few Pittsburgh postcards at a Hallmark store, and this soon-to-be-rare (maybe) Mellon Arena magnet:
I got a few shots of the arena itself without getting too close. on the way, a man asked if I was going to the game and knew anyone who needed an extra ticket. "Go Hawks!" he said. fan sighting #2 (I'd expected more by now). I stopped at a 7-11 to look for Tastykakes (it's a Pennsylvania thing)--hmm, which one would be the most delicious when I unearthed it from the bottom of my bag, mashed into a paste, a day or so later? (your answer below). The young-ish 7-11 clerk said, "I can't remember the last time I saw a Blackhawks jersey in here--oh, and you've got a hat, too." well, the Hawks hadn't played there in about 3 years...
I headed back to the Cultural District to kill time at a coffeeshop, then back over to the arena, assuming they'd open the doors at 6:30. I was correct. next up: the warmups! and then the game!
so, to count the ways that was an exciting/significant game: 1) it was the Blackhawks' first game at home since Nov. 15, after the successful 6-game Canada/California trip and 2) first game this year against division rivals the Blue Jackets (and Hawks still haven't even played the Blues yet, but played Avalanche 3 times already?) (and my first time seeing the Jackets).
I bought a copy of The Committed Indian from Sam outside the United Center--oh, I'll count that as 3) even if I buy one at every game. I got there in plenty of time for my 4) free winter hat, which I'll be wearing in Pittsburgh this weekend (probably covering up the corporate logo on the back).
and in time for the warmup, where the Hawks were sporting their 5) third jerseys for the first time this year. sure, they're virtually identical to the Winter Classic ones...
I got to see all the players up close though getting pictures with a point & shoot was challenging. I saw Kane toss pucks to people near me, twice.
the game! 6) Marian Hossa's home debut with the Blackhawks. I loooove this video they show right before the game but have yet to get a photo of my favorite scenes, which of course involve the L train going by. this scene is in Millennium Park:
7) exciting goals. Hawks are first to score with a shorthanded goal from Versteeg, and the other two Hawks goals in regulation (by Toews and Sharp) are on power plays. two assists from Hossa!
and it was a 8) close game because oh right, the Jackets scored a few times too, and had the lead for a good chunk of the game. worst of all was the goal scored just 40 seconds into the third to take a 3-2 lead.
so it went to overtime and then a 9) shootout. okay, so I haven't said anything yet about this teenage boy behind me who spent the WHOLE GAME talking to a friend/acquaintance from Australia, who'd never been to a hockey game before. now, the Australian wasn't asking questions. the other kid just felt the need to explain everything about hockey and the Hawks to him, and when I'd hoped for sweet relief by the second period, he moved on to explaining America to him. really. how our seasons and our gun laws and drinking laws compare to Australia, and what Texas is like, and...I'm surprised he didn't throw in an explanation of the electoral college, or how the development of the interstate highway system contributed to patterns of housing segregation in cities. he didn't say anything stupid (though he blanked on what Hossa's first name is) until: "Everyone loves shootouts." uh, well they'd be fun to watch if they didn't actually COUNT. he was saying this in the 3rd period, and that he'd never seen a shootout before. did that curse us to have one?
so, shootout. Hossa scored one early. Rick Nash fell down, hilariously. then nothing happened for a long time. the Hawks stars you might expect to win this didn't, as did players like Kopecky and Byfuglien who haven't been doing a lot recently and this would have been a great time for them to save the day. I nearly felt ill as it kept going and going. I'd say I was developing a heart condition but when I got home I heard about the Leafs' Jonas Gustavsson having to leave last night's game due to one, and that worries me. anyway, it 10) finally ends with Seabrook for a Hawks win!
I found out later it was 11 rounds, the longest shootout in Hawks history, even worse than anything involving the Avalanche. nice to be part of "history," maybe, but damn, I was blaming it on that kid. in my mind, I was going through the list of hockey penalties (which of course, he'd tried to remember out loud for his friend earlier) and committing all of them against him. well, I don't know how I'd manage "too many men on the ice," but any that involve hitting with a stick, YES.*
so Keith got his requisite star of the game (#1 this time) and look, he's #2 on this list at From the Rink of the NHL's top defensive defencemen (Hawks have 3 spots of 25). and I'd remembered this before the game but completely forgot during: 11) the game was Joel Quenneville's 500th win! and he'd just been listed as #2 on Puck Daddy's Top 10 NHL Coaches of the Past Decade. also, here's a nice feature on his time playing for the Hartford Whalers.
12) can't beat the deal I got on this (unless you got free tickets). posted to prove to my friend who's asked, that with TicketExchange you do get a real ticket, not a printout.
*all expressions of violence in this blog are purely for dramatic/comedic purposes and should not be taken seriously by any potential employers, or dates.
Trying--for real this time--to blog regularly, but I do get distracted by adventures to abandoned factories filled with parade floats (see above) and such. (And sorry right now the blogroll's a couple years out of date.)
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