Happy Days

I've never written a thing about hockey. It doesn't mean I don't follow it. It's just hard when the coverage is so limited. And since the lockout, ESPN's refusal to air games makes it even more difficult. I can still watch my Flyers any time they're on, or a game here or there on Versus - but the lack of coverage has hurt the exposure of the game.

There's nothing like watching hockey. When I was young I liked it as much as football, if not more. I played roller hockey constantly in my small town and even if there was no one to play with, me and my boy Luke used to play one-on-one or set up a trash can and pretend we were Lindros and LeClair. I would do the play-by-play, Luke would score most of the goals. Yea, we were dorks.

Back then I was so crazy about it I could name every player on the Flyers and knew who wore which sweater number. I would watch VHS after VHS of Flyers teams of the past and it taught me a lot about the rich history of Philadelphia hockey, as well as the entire league. I loved learning about the early days of the game.

Before the expansion of '67 -- when teams like the Flyers, Penguins and Blues entered the league -- there was only the Original Six. This sextet included the Bruins, Blackhawks, Red Wings, Canadiens, Rangers and Maple Leafs. They set the groundwork for today's NHL and these six happen to be among the most successful franchises in league history. While most have had success throughout my hockey-watching days, one of the Original Six has struggled mightily.

Since the 1992-93 season, the Chicago Blackhawks haven't finished a season with one hundred points, won sixty percent of their games or won their division. For a legendary franchise that plays in a market as large as Chi-Town, that has to be hard to swallow. They've changed head coaches nine times over that stretch, including once this season only four games in. While the firing of Denis Savard -- a former Blackhawk HOF'er himself -- surprised many in the hockey world when it happened, it looks as though the organization made the right move by bringing in Joel Quenneville.

Since the switch, the Blackhawks are playing great hockey and find themselves just five points behind the division-leading Red Wings, last season's Stanley Cup Champions. Only four teams have allowed less goals than Chicago and three of their top four scorers are twenty-two or younger. The signing of Brian Campbell has worked out nicely and defenseman Duncan Keith has been a pleasant surprise, leading the team in both plus/minus and on-ice time. Plus, the Blackhawks have something most teams don't: two good goaltenders.


The blend of young talent and veteran experience has proven to be the right formula for this team, giving the Blackhawk faithful something to cheer about. Virtually every season, Montreal leads the NHL in average attendance. And if they don't, Detroit does. As of today, however, Chicago is #1 in the league. The fans deserve to see a winner. I'm from the Philadelphia area. I can empathize with fans of a great sports city who are hungry for a Cup.

Is Chicago ready to make a serious playoff run? It's hard to tell. This team hasn't faced the kind of adversity that a road playoff game brings. In fact, they haven't made it to the postseason at all. The pieces are in place for a great run, but it's a long season and the NHL postseason is an entirely different animal. For one, it should be interesting to see how they handle themselves over the next couple weeks.

The Blackhawks go to Calgary and Vancouver on back-to-back nights this Friday and Saturday. Oddly enough, both Calgary and Vancouver have the same amount of points (39) as Chicago so far this season. I'm excited to see how they perform in these matchups. From there the Blackhawks have five days off before facing a grueling stretch of four games in six days. Those four games are against Philadelphia, Minnesota and Detroit (twice). Each team is .500 or better this season and Philly and Detroit both have more points (40 and 46, respectively) than Chicago.

More than likely, the Blackhawks will have to get by Detroit at some point if they want to win their first post-expansion Cup. It's been nearly fifty years since the Stanley Cup called Chicago home. The happy days may be here for now, but let's see how long they last. Hungry fans can get impatient and a letdown always hurts more when you're starving for a championship.