Abel to Yzerman
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That Sweet Nectar Yuengling. It Will Flow Like The River.
by IwoCPO on 12/30/08 at 02:57 PM ET
Comments (9)
Good evening. I guess by now you know that tonite is “one of those games.” Obviously, like the Pittsburgh game, the San Jose games, the Boston game….this one is the biggest damn game of the year.
Until Thursday.
Because, really, we all know by now that the best team in the NHL resides in Chicago, eh?
Of course we know that to be true because there isn’t a sane MSM’er who hasn’t told us so. The power rankings reflect it. The cool kids are all saying it. I’ll bet there’s even a few bloggers out there proclaiming this the year of the Hawk.
Don’t believe me? You frigging doubt me? Check it out. Here’s a nifty little Google search I invented all by myself. Popped in “Chicago+best+NHL”. Ready?
Boom. Boom. Boom. Oh, there’s plenty more. Plenty.
It’s December 30th and ask around the league. Chicago’s going to win tonite. Thursday. Probably never lose again. Because Gary said so. The resurgence of the Hawks is the “story of the year”. The Central is theirs. So’s the West. And why not? With all the playoff experience, why the hell not? The Hawks have paid their dues brother. Johnny and Patrick have suffered the playoff grind, the misery of losing a tough six or seven gamer, the burning pit of a hell hole stomachache only a tough playoff loss can cause? Yeah. They’ve got it. It’s their time.
Obviously, that has to be the case. It must be for all the attention this second place team is getting, right?
No? Oh. Well, I guess we’ve got a late breaker then. I guess the newsflash is that nobody’s dethroned the Detroit Red Wings, as far as I can tell. Oh, you can string a nine-gamer together. You can convince the little troll of a commish to give you the outdoor game and probably the draft too. You can host every hockey writer in North America in your town, wine ‘em, dine ‘em and slip them a tug and rub if it means a little extra oomph in the Hawk press clippings. But the real deal? It kinda happens on the ice.
And, man, wouldn’t it suck if the bastard Wings, the bit players in this farce of an NHL carnival, kicked some Hawk ass tonite, then did it again on Thursday? Whew. All those wasted headlines. So many plots down the drain if a four point lead turned into 8 and the “best team in the league” was suddenly put back where they belong.
You’re a Wing fan and you’re getting tired of the hype, the Hawk inflation. The pedestal they’re suddenly on after a string of six straight playoff-less years. Cute story? You bet. Nifty for all involved. Hell, I can’t even hate ‘em…yet.
But here’s the thing. Something tells me there’s a little bit of pride at stake. Tonite and Thursday. Oh, especially Thursday. But it has to start tonite.
No Nick. No alibis. No Osgood. No comment. No Sammy? Not sure.
Tomorrow’s New Year’s eve and I recommend you avoid the roads. Don the jerseys early tonite. Crack ‘em. Crack ‘em again. Join us for the Live Blog and tune in. Because I’ve got a hunch that somebody’s a little tired of all the talk and the Hawks in general.
It’s 1524. Game time in four hours. What the hell. Pass the Yuengling.
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Comments
Well, I did it. I drank the kool-aid and dropped $476 for a pair of limited view tickets to Thursday’s exhibition. Put it on the credit card so I’ll be paying interest for a year or two. Faceoff at noon on New Year’s Day, who knows if I’ll even get any sleep or what condition my condition will be in. Will be wearing my acrylic-not-wool Olde English D sweater that looked funny when I got it a couple years ago but looks damn good now. I’ll be representing the 19, trying to get as many “DETROIT SUCKS” taunts directed my way as possible, because that’s respect, even though the Hawks haven’t earned the right to be our rivals…yet.
Oh, the last time I paid north of $200 for a hockey ticket? Wings 7 Avs 0
Posted by cephalopod from Chicago...nope, still not over it. on 12/30/08 at 04:17 PM ET
“Because that, motherf***ers, is how I roll.”
Amen from the cheap seats Chief! Amen!
Posted by Rumbear from Top O da Hasek, sippin rum & catchin some rays on 12/30/08 at 04:42 PM ET
With all the playoff experience, why the hell not? The Hawks have paid their dues brother. Johnny and Patrick have suffered the playoff grind, the misery of losing a tough six or seven gamer, the burning pit of a hell hole stomachache only a tough playoff loss can cause? Yeah. They’ve got it. It’s their time.
Ask Cindy and Houdini Malkin ‘bout that one. They got their first real scars last year… the year before being trounced by the Sens in round 1 doesn’t count.
Posted by MOWingsfan19 on 12/30/08 at 05:17 PM ET
The PBRs are chilling, the garage has been cleaned for intermission Wii carnage and I’m ready to hate me some ‘Hawks.
I smell an inspirational video coming… and a Cheli goal.
Posted by TeamDub from The gratch. on 12/30/08 at 05:18 PM ET
So if the Hawks split or take both games, it’s just the “farce of an NHL carnival” and somehow Bettman’s plot unfolding??
C’mon. Don’t cheapen it. Both of these games promise to be highly entertaining and very tight. That last game in Detroit was a blast, even if the outcome was tough on a Hawks fan such as myself. The Cleary de-pantsing was a highlight as was the inevitable Detroit comeback. Just. Good. Hockey.
You are right to point out the Wings are the best until they’re dethroned, and they clearly won’t go quietly. But, turbocharged rhetoric aside, just enjoy what you’re about to see over the next three days, hype be damned.
See you at Wrigley . . .
Posted by eternal_fields on 12/30/08 at 05:58 PM ET
Don’t cheapen it.
I don’t have to. Gary Bettman’s cheapened everything about our sport. Every bit of it. This is just another example.
Michigan Stadium’s sitting empty this week. All 104,000 seats of it.
Posted by IwoCPO from Sunny San Diego, bitches on 12/30/08 at 07:11 PM ET
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