Blackhawks Sweep in Impressive Fashion
I had a nice little Sunday planned out this past weekend. Made a 10 am tee time with a couple buddies down at Jackson Park, one of the Chicago public golf courses. We made the tee time earlier in the week and I knew it would conflict with the start of the Blackhawks game but I figured I’d get the updates on my phone and make it home in time to watch the final two periods. What could be better on Chicago’s first hot day of the summer? A little golf in the morning capped off by a couple ice cold beers and a Blackhawk game. Sounds good on the outside right? Boy did that plan go straight to hell!
Sometimes I forget that I’m not in North Carolina anymore, where I can go to the home course whenever I want and virtually walk out on the golf course at any given time. When you play golf in a huge city you’ve first got to factor in travel time, because it’s a bitch to get anywhere efficiently no matter what time of day it is. Secondly, you’ve got to account for the public golf course aspect. There were a shit ton of people lined up to play and we didn’t tee off until 10:45 so I’m immediately pissed that I’m going to miss the game. Second, the caliber of play on a public golf course is significantly inferior to that of the private variety, therefore, causing excessively long rounds. It took us five fucking hours to finish.
“Ok, fair enough,” I thought. “I’ll make it home for the last period.” Not a chance! Got stuck in traffic on the way home. There was a huge restaurant convention in town last weekend and with it being the first really nice day there were a lot of people out and about. In the end I got home in time for the last two minutes of the game and to see the United Center erupt with happiness. Despite my misfortunes, there is some good that came out of this experience.
I was able to catch the last period and a half on the radio, which, seeing as how I’m pursuing a career in sports radio, I certainly did not mind. Especially when Pat Foley’s harmonious pipes are pumping through the speakers. What a treat it is to listen to the veteran Blackhawk broadcaster paint the picture on a warm ride home. People say that hockey is hard enough to watch when it’s on television. I say fuck that! Next time you’re watching the game, mute the television and turn on your radio since we are being deprived of Foley because of the big network coverage. If you don’t live in Chicago, stream the broadcast on your computer.
As for the game, it sounds like the Hawks came out a little flat but were able to apply some good pressure as the game wore on. The parts that I heard certainly sounded like the Blackhawks were dominating play all over the ice. The Hawks are playing fantastic hockey right now and the only thing that can stop them is themselves.
I haven’t seen much of the flyers this year obviously, but what I know is that they are riding an insane hot streak. The won in a shootout to get into the playoffs, and they’ve won 8 of their last 9 games including overcoming a 3 games to 0 deficit in their last series. Michael Leighton, the Philly net minder and former Blackhawk, has been playing very well and the Flyers have some savvy veterans in Mike Richards, Chris Pronger, and Simon Gagne.
I think the Hawks are the better team but I don’t expect this to be an easy series at all. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 (that’s 8 for all my east coast readers) on Saturday night. Enjoy the show!