A Baker's Dozen: After 13 years, Hawks have Hope

The doors of the United Center closed on the night of April 13, when thousands of disappointed fans filed out after watching the ultra-disappointing Chicago Bulls fall to the Orlando Magic.

Nine days earlier, the last sheet of ice had melted on the Chicago Blackhawks season with a very similar result. No playoff hockey—again.

But that’s where the similarities between the two franchises came to an end in 2008.

While the Bulls made fans bury their face in their hands, the Hawks gave fans a reason to stand up and cheer. A new era of Blackhawks hockey is (finally) here!

IT ALL STARTS AT THE TOP

There was little doubt when Bill Wirtz passed away on Sept. 26, 2007, that the organization was going to change for the better. Nobody knew just how fast this would occur.

By leaving control of the organization to his son, Rocky, the elder Wirtz was making a statement. It had been widely assumed that another son, Peter, was likely to assume the post left by their father. Yet, Bill showed he still cared—sort of. Wirtz proved that he wasn’t necessarily as cheap as it appeared, merely stubborn.

Knowing Peter was waist deep in the same beliefs, he appointed the son he knew cared more about winning than principles or the almighty dollar. If Bill wasn’t going to be alive, what did he care how much of his money was going to a player?

Rocky immediately got home games televised—not all 41, but a decent amount in a short time to work out any television contract. For the first time in history, all 82 games will be available on television next season. Then, arguably his best move to date came on Nov. 20, 2007, when he lured longtime Chicago Cubs president John McDonough to the same position with the Blackhawks.


McDonough’s presence has already been felt with great ceremonies honoring former greats Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito—a brilliant maneuver to welcome back a past generation of fans and familiarize the new generation with the rich history of the organization. He has planned the first Blackhawks fan convention in mid-July, and in order to keep the positive vibes rolling, has entered into a partnership with the Chicago White Sox for a bit of publicity during the offseason.

Meanwhile, general manager Dale Tallon actually has a pulse on hockey talent—a far cry from Bob Pulford. His last two draft classes were ranked among the best in the NHL, netting future stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane as well as players many don’t know yet such as Billy Sweat, Maxime Tanguay and Akim Aliu.

He rolled the dice by signing Brent Sopel, who became one of the more steady blueliners on the team. He had the guts to trade “can’t miss” prospect Tuomo Ruutu for promising youngster Andrew Ladd, and began the goodwill process towards veteran players by trading Martin LaPointe to the Ottawa Senators in order to give him a chance at the Stanley Cup before his career comes to an end.

Tallon and Wirtz say they plan to add significant pieces during the offseason, possibly opening the checkbook for an elite power play quarterback like Brian Campbell and a quality second-line winger such as Ryan Malone of the Pittsburgh Penguins. A big-ticket free agent will certainly signify the dawning of a new era.

Head coach Denis Savard is learning on the fly, but seems to know when to push the right buttons and how to deal with a team full of young players. Savard is a more laid back, French-speaking Ozzie Guillen. After a lackluster performance in late-January, Savard reminded his team what it means to put on the Indian-head sweater every night and coined the phrase, “Commit to the Indian.” It has become the rally cry of the team and was instantly taken to heart by players and fans alike.

THESE KIDS CAN PLAY

The most talented player on the team (Martin Havlat) played in 35 games. The “All-World” goaltender (Nikolai Khabibulin) has been a miserable failure. Veteran signings Robert Lang, Yanic Perrault and Sergei Samsonov looked, at times, like they could barely skate anymore. Young players had to step up—and did they ever.


The Blackhawks have one of the best young defensive corps in hockey composed of Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Cam Barker, Jordan Hendry and James Wisniewski. Keith, the lone All-Star last season, is a truly special player. Logging nearly 26 minutes of ice time per game, Keith finished at +30—second only to Nicklas Lidstrom, the best defender in the world. He also scored 12 goals just for good measure.

Then there’s Toews & Kane—the best thing to happen to Chicago hockey since Jeremy Roenick & Steve Larmer or Hull & Mikita. Longtime fans say there’s an eerie resemblance in comparing Toews to Hull and Kane to Mikita. Toews comes equipped with a Joe Sakic-like laser wrist shot and Kane has the puck seemingly on a string attached to his stick.


Toews is the future leader of the team, nearly given the “C” during his rookie campaign. Veterans and other young players say his attitude is infectious. Some longtime Chicago media members compare his attitude to Michael Jordan, citing the fact that he doesn’t simply “love to win,”—as all athletes do—but, he “HATES to lose.”

Toews plays hard on both ends of the ice and has unbelievable skills. This goal (copy and paste the link: http://youtube.com/watch?v=obp8G2JFgkM), against the Colorado Avalanche instantly became a youtube.com classic and was voted by fans as the top play of the year. In 64 games, Toews scored 24 goals and finished +11.


Meanwhile, Kane’s phenomenal talent overshadows his youth and size. Kane has quick hands, outstanding vision and a playmaker’s mentality. Down the stretch, with the playoffs in sight but still a pipedream, Kane put the team on his back and averaged over a point per game in the last dozen contests. Kane finished the season leading all rookies in points (72) and set the Blackhawks record for most assists as a rookie (51).

Most importantly, Toews & Kane are likable kids that fans of all ages can easily identify with. Toews is a quiet leader that simply goes about his business and plays the game hard every night. Kane, meanwhile, is funny and talkative. He is always flashing a big smile, making it easy to see how much he loves playing in the NHL at age 19.

PERFECT TIMING

A renaissance couldn’t have come at a better time, either. The aforementioned Bulls are in a miserable state. They lack a true superstar, their players have bad attitudes and two of the more likable players—Ben Gordon and Luol Deng—appear selfish after turning down huge contracts prior to the season.

The Chicago Bears followed up a Super Bowl appearance in 2007 by not even making the payoffs. Quarterback roulette continues, and outside of Devin Hester, there isn’t much to get excited about at Halas Hall right now.

Baseball season doesn’t compete against the NHL for more than a few days unless the playoffs are taking place. If the Cubs, White Sox or Blackhawks are in the playoffs at the tail end of their seasons, they deserve all the hype surrounding them anyhow.

The Blackhawks will make the playoffs in 2009 and are set to once again rule Chicago.


It’s been 47 years since the Blackhawks laid claim to Lord Stanley’s Cup. It appears the pieces are finally in place to be a serious contender for the greatest trophy in sports.

The Roar is back and fans of all ages are ready to witness quality hockey once again. When the doors to the United Center open up again in early-October the fans will be wide-eyed, fully committed to the Indian and ready to witness history.

Catching up...

After taking six weeks to dissect every team in baseball, it’s time to backtrack a bit on major events in the sports world that have occurred during that time.

THE FINAL FOUR turned out to be a disaster on a personal level. My favorite team—UCLA—failed to win it all for the third straight year. While it’s great that being part of the final weekend is becoming an annual event, the only thing that matters at UCLA is championships. I only hope John Wooden will still be alive to see the Bruins win another one!

Then, my least favorite team—Kansas—winds up winning the whole thing. When Jim Nantz uttered, “It’s a Rock Chalk Championship!” as the final seconds ticked off the clock, I literally became violently ill. It was as though I had just consumed live cockroaches while standing in a pile of cow droppings (think Fear Factor).

I vividly remember my tour of the university back in 2001. They sit prospective Jayhawks in a room with their families where a slideshow begins with a history lesson on the basketball program. Not their academic prowess (because they have none) or their beautiful campus and student living facilities (because it’s ugly and their old)—but their basketball program. I’m sure many parents leave feeling comfortable about sending their kids into the middle of nowhere. But hey, at least for the first time in 20 years, their the best at something.

I noticed a disturbing trend during the tournament that has left no doubt in my mind that basketball has a major racial divide. North Carolina center Tyler Hansbrough is smart, ultra-aggressive and has a great motor. Meanwhile UCLA center Kevin Love is big, fundamental and well polished down low. Despite being highly regarded recruits and “potential” NBA lottery picks they apparently are NOT athletic, strong or physically gifted.

So, I can only wonder… if the color of their skin was different would they draw comparisons to Tim Duncan and Elton Brand? Greg Oden was a consensus No. 1 overall pick—and while he is a legitimate seven-footer—what did he prove in his half-season at Ohio State that Hansbrough and Love haven’t?

Early rounds of the tournament were infinitely better than in 2007, late rounds not so much. What’s the fun in seeing all No. 1 seeds advance? Better get used to it if the new NBA collective bargaining agreement goes through—and all indications are that it will. NBA commissioner David Stern has proposed a minimum of two years before players can declare for the NBA draft. While I love the idea, it means that powerhouse programs will continue to get the elite high school players and keep them for a longer amount of time. This means not only does their superior skill get to shine but they can also grow with their teammates.

Just imagine Kevin Durant on the 2008 Texas Longhorns…undefeated National Champions. Just sayin’.


STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS are underway! Unfortunately, it still doesn’t appear that anyone cares.

Despite losing game 1 of their series with the Calgary Flames, the San Jose Sharks are a well-oiled machine and my pick to hoist the cup. After a nice comeback season, it would be great to see Jeremy Roenick win it all.

While the best teams reside in the western conference, the best talent is out east. I highly recommend watching the Pittsburgh Penguins for the rare hockey viewer. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Marian Hossa score more often than Kim Kardashian.

In addition, you can play a little drinking game with Washington Capitals’ 65-goal scorer Alex Ovechkin. The best player in the world takes 8-10 shots per game and each has a chance of finding the back of the net. Every time he shoots and there’s a save, take a shot of vodka (he’s Russian). Every time he scores, chug a beer.

It should make hockey much more entertaining for those that don’t currently appreciate it. In worst-case scenario, you’ll still find it boring but you’re drunk and ready to go out and have a good time.


THE WESTERN CONFERENCE race is the best thing to happen to the NBA since Michael Jordan. One night a team is in third place with home court advantage and the next night they’re in sixth and only one game from sitting at home during the playoffs.

Every team except the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs plays an entertaining brand of basketball, featuring a high-scoring offense and zero defense; which is exactly why the Spurs will win the conference yet again.

If the Dallas Mavericks fail to make the playoffs after acquiring Jason Kidd, does Avery Johnson get fired? Seeing the look on Mark Cuban’s face as he sits courtside and watches his franchise implode is priceless. It’s much how I’d imagine a man’s face would look if he was tied up and forced to watch his wife have an affair.


BRETT FAVRE says goodbye and I cried a bit when he began to breakdown during the press conference. That means I officially ran the gamut of emotions with Favre.

When he first began, I was pissed that he spelled his last name nothing like it was pronounced and commend Ben Stiller for addressing the issue in “There’s something about Mary.”

I hated Favre for torturing the Bears for my entire childhood. Seriously, there were Sunday’s where he picked the defense apart so bad that they may as well have not dressed for the game.

Then, Favre was a part of my first ever experience as a member of the media when I covered Bears vs. Packers on a Sunday night in 2000. Afterwards--in the Packers locker room—I kindly asked Favre if I could ask him a question (not realizing I unintentionally had already done so). Between bites of a sandwich he looked up and said, “sorry son, but if it was that important you could have asked me in the media session (after the game).” Good point and a lesson learned.

On the same night, Favre broke one of Dan Marino’s records: something about throwing for at least 3,000 yards for 10 straight seasons. It was then that I was ready to admit the he was pretty good and started to respect his greatness.

Later in his career, when he was clearly past his prime, I was thrilled that the Bears could finally sack him once a game. An event that never seemed to take place early in his career.

Then, when he retired, I realized that the greatest quarterback I’d ever seen was gone and a great part of the historic rivalry would no longer be a part of it.

Just for the record, I leave you with the list of Bears’ QB’s since Favre began his career with the Packers:

Since Brett Favre joined the Packers in 1992, the Bears have tried 21 different quarterbacks. While with the Bears, those 21 QBs have totaled 11,343 passing yards fewer than Favre's NFL-best mark of 61,405. A look at the 21, in order:

QUARTERBACK YARDS
Jim Harbaugh 3,818
Peter Tom Willis 1,261
Will Furrer 89
Steve Walsh 2,078
Erik Kramer 10,582
Dave Krieg 2,278
Shane Matthews 3,461
Steve Stenstrom 1,359
Rick Mirer 420
Moses Moreno 166
Cade McNown 3,111
Jim Miller 5,867
Chris Chandler 2,073
Henry Burris 207
Kordell Stewart 1,418
Rex Grossman 5,907
Chad Hutchinson 903
Craig Krenzel 718
Jonathan Quinn 413
Kyle Orton 2,053
Brian Griese 2,023
TOTAL: 50,062
Sources: nfl.com, profootball-reference.com