And the season winds to a close...

So when the Blackhawks season ended last night, I was among the many fans that was absolutely heartbroken. It was hard to watch.

But when it all comes down to it, I could not be any more proud of them. Honestly. They won the Stanley Cup last year, and it was the most amazing thing ever. It's something I will never forget, and it's a memory that I will hold in my heart and cherish for the rest of my life.

Coming into this season, I knew it was going to be rocky. We lost the basically all of the guys that had helped us get that far. But there was nothing we could've done about it. Yes, it's always going to suck knowing that your favorite player got traded, but that's the way things work. Salary caps. Brutal. But regardless, I still had complete hope and faith in my team.

The season definitely had it's low-points. There were tough losses. There were a lot of injuries. There were those games when you were just like, "What the FUCK!?!"

But then, there were also amazing wins. Great comebacks. Players that absolutely turned out to be the shining stars of the team. (SEE: COREY CRAWFORD) And is anyone ever going to forget that 8-game win streak? I know that I won't.

Then when the playoffs grew closer, things got harder and harder. After every lose, I was just becoming more and more frustrated. All I wanted them to do was make the playoffs. I just wanted to see them succeed. I went to quite a few games this season. I was only able to witness 2 wins, but they were probably the most amazing ones ever. Just to witness a game is magical, and I'm so grateful for that.

The game against the Redwings was crucial. They HAD to win to make the playoffs, or if they lost, Minnesota HAD to beat Dallas. It was down to the wire. I was actually at that game. When the Blackhawks lost, I was devastated. I was actually in tears during the game. I was convinced that it was all over.

When I was keeping track of the Wild/Stars game, I was losing my mind. I was actually on a train home when I found out they won. I had to hold back for almost an hour til we got to the stop. My cousin and I got into his car and I started screaming, I was so excited, WE WERE IN THE PLAYOFFS!!!

The first 3 games were probably the most frustrating games ever. When each period ended, I just became more and more disillusioned. Things did not look good. I will always love the Hawks, and believe in them, but there was definitely a part of me that figured we were done.

Game 4. A miracle. We won. Hope. Game 5. A shut-out. What? Is this really happening? Game 6. Losing my mind. Tie game. Which lead into an overtime victory. Honestly, I didn't even see who scored the goal at first, I just saw that puck hit the back of the net and I was screaming. Kudos to Ben Smith, I really like him, he was also one of the stars during this playoff run, and I hope we see him a lot more next season.

The team that no one thought would make it, the team that EVERYONE was convinced was going to be swept, brought the series all the way to GAME 7.

Which was probably one of the hardest games for me to watch. (Not counting last year's game 6 against the Flyers). When the clock was winding down, and Vancouver was up 1-0, I was on the verge of tears. Until Jonathan Toews tied it up with around 2 minutes left.

When it came to overtime, I was terrified. I was shaking, it felt like my heart was beating a million miles an hour. I just wanted us to win.

Sadly, that wish wouldn't come true.

When I saw the puck hit the back of our net, I just remember screaming "NO!!!" and I dropped to the floor, and I cried. I was just in utter shock. Seeing the looks on all the guys faces was just awful. They looked so down. They were hurt, I was hurting along with them.

But like I said in the beginning, I am SO proud of them. They were the definite underdogs in this. While they didn't come out on top, they are still winners in my eyes. They worked so hard, and came so far, and no one can take that away from them.

I have said it many, many, MANY times before, but I am, and will ALWAYS be a proud Chicago Blackhawks fan. That will never change. Wins, losses, I will be there cheering them on no matter what. That is my team. They are a huge part of my life, and will always be the team that owns my heart.

I love my team. And I can't wait to see what they bring to the table next season. Honestly, I'm excited. I have 100% faith that they will bring the Stanley Cup back home to Chicago again. I do not believe for one second that we'll have to wait another 49 years til it happens. It's going to happen way sooner than that. I can feel it.

Thank you Blackhawks for working so hard this season.
We'll all be waiting to see you in October.

Day #4 - Do you follow any of the following leagues: ECHL, WHL, CHL, IHL? Or other leagues?

Well. Out of the whole 30-Day Challenge, this one will be one of the short ones.

Nope. I do not.

Day #3 - Who is my favorite AHL team?

While I don't EXACTLY follow the AHL much, my favorite team would have to be the Chicago Wolves. Shocking right?

I've been going to Wolves games since I was in like, 5th grade. The first time I actually went to a game, I got tickets through the D.A.R.E. program in school. I don't really remember how, but I was like, "All right cool, free hockey game." I think I've been to probably 5 or 6 games since then. They're always fun.

Since moving to the area last year, I've now gone to a couple of Rockford Icehogs games. They've been pretty fun too. Except for the fact that out of the 3 games I've been to, they've only won once. That kinda sucks. I always like going to the Metro Centre and looking at the wall with all the former players who have gone on to play in the NHL. And I can't help it, every time I go to a game, I have a childish moment where I laugh at Rob Klinkhammer because his last name cracks me up. I can't help it. Don't judge me.

I like the games because it's something fun to do, most of the time it's relatively easy to get tickets. And they're usually pretty cheap. The first Icehogs game I went to, my cousin got us tickets that were like, 6 or 7 rows away from the glass and they were around $20-$25. Can't beat that. The funniest part about it was when we got to our seats and the players were on the bench, we were like, "OH MY GOD, they're huge!" Mostly because when we go to Blackhawks games, we've been in standing room or the 300-section. It was just kind of funny to see hockey players up close.

Oh hey look, it's Nick Leddy

Day #2 - Who is your favorite hockey team?

Well, if you have read ANYTHING that I have ever posted, or even LOOKED at my blog, this one is fairly simple and obvious.

The Chicago Blackhawks.

I have been a fan of theirs since I was a kid. One of my favorite stories is my mom telling me that, when she was pregnant with me, she would watch Blackhawks games, and I would be moving around and kicking like crazy. Some things are just meant to be I guess. Even before I was born, I was a hockey fan.

Since I'm from the Chicago area, it makes sense that they would be my team. Even if I wasn't, I'm fairly certain I would be a fan. They're one of the underdogs in the NHL. They've had so many rough seasons throughout the years. They've gone through times where people in Chicago didn't even care about hockey. But they still fought on, and I have the utmost respect for that.

The Blackhawks are such a big important part of my life. I can't contain my excitement when they win games. My heart breaks every time they lose. When I see one of them get hurt, it hurts (and terrifies) me. When I watched them win the Stanley Cup last year, I swear that had to be one of the times in my life where I cried the hardest. It was one of the most amazing things I had ever seen. I watched the games that season, I saw them work their ASSES off, and finally, FINALLY all their hard work had paid off.

I'll watch pretty much any hockey game, and I'm also a big fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Chicago Blackhawks will always own my heart. I am so proud to be a fan of them.

Day #1 - Why do I love hockey?

I honestly feel that hockey players are some of the most skilled athletes out there. What they do is no easy task. I don't play hockey, hell, I can't even skate, but I can see how tough it is. It takes strength, determination, and focus to do what they do.

You can see it on their faces. You can see it during the game, when it's getting close to the end of the 3rd, and they're still down by one. You can see it when someone scores a goal and they all gather around them to celebrate. You see it when they're interacting with fans, and with each other outside of the game. You see the absolute love and dedication they have to it. They're out there, playing the game they love, and living their DREAM. How many people actually get to do that in their lifetime?

Hockey is a dangerous sport. We all know this. It's been proven to us time and time again. It seems like this season has been especially rough, there's been so many terrible injuries left and right. It's hard to watch. Hockey teams are like a family, and no one wants to see someone in their family hurt. But they still go out there every night, they put on their gear, they lace up those skates, and they go out on the ice, because that's what they were born to do. They do it because they love the game, and because someone saw something in them, saw their talent, their abilities, and gave them a chance to prove themselves to the world. And then, if they are lucky enough, the day comes where all their hard work, all the struggles, the highs, the lows, all the hours, days, weeks, and months spent, and they get to hoist that Stanley Cup over their head. I can't even IMAGINE how that feels. But I can say, when I saw the players of the Chicago Blackhawks doing it, it was absolutely one of the most amazing and beautiful things I had ever seen. I actually saw HISTORY being made. It was so surreal. Any time I see footage from that game 6, when we finally one, I get chills, and I start to cry all over again as if it were yesterday.

A lot of people will hassle me about hockey. I have friends make fun of me for being infuriated when they lose, people who tell me that hockey is the only thing I care about, and that I'm "obsessed" with the Blackhawks. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it still does burn me up inside. I know it shouldn't, but I just don't understand why people would make fun of someone for this.

The past year for me has been extremely difficult. It involved a lot of family/personal issues, lots of drama, a big move, and other things that I don't exactly want to delve into. I can honestly say that if I didn't have hockey, I would probably be a big mess. Sure, I'm not the most stable person all the time, but it's kept me slightly grounded. It can get my mind off of things, even just for a little while. And I'm so grateful for that.

And when it comes down to it, I'm always going to be a fan of hockey. Win or lose, I'm going to wear my Blackhawks gear with pride. I'm going to watch all the games I can on tv. I'm going to yell profanities at the other teams when they score goals on us, or beat us. I'm going to get ridiculously excited when we score. I'm going to blast "Chelsea Dagger" and dance around (this including, the Kaner Shuffle) the apartment when we win a game. I will swoon over players, but I will never let ANYONE get away with calling me a 'fan-girl'. I'll always be terrified of over-time. I will always hold my breath and pray to the hockey gods during a shoot-out. I'll always lose my mind when the season ends, and count the days until it starts back up again.

When I'm lucky enough to go to games, I'm always going to be jittery walking into the United Center. I'm always going to have tears in my eyes when I hear Jim Cornelison singing the National Anthem. I'm always going to take too many pictures. I could be sitting in the 100-section, or be in standing room only, and I will still have the most amazing time ever. I will be absolutely frustrated and angry when we lose. When we win, I will always lose my mind, I will hug whoever I'm with, I will high-five everyone around me. I will drink beer and scream until my head hurts and I lose my voice.

The seasons change, people change, life goes on.

But I will always be a hockey fan.
I will ALWAYS be a Chicago Blackhawks fan.

And that, is something that I can absolutely tell you, will NEVER change.

30-Day Challenge

So since I tend to only use this blog for ranting and raving, I'm going to do one of those fun "challenge" blogs that everyone does. Maybe that way it'll motivate me to keep up with this a little more.

It's a hockey challenge. I know. Big surprise right? I'm pretty certain I PROBABLY won't do it every single day, but I will definitely do my best. Let's see how this goes eh?



Day #1 - Why do I love hockey?

Day #2 - Who is your favorite hockey team?

Day #3 - Who is my favorite AHL team?

Day #4 - Do you follow any of the following leagues: ECHL, WHL, CHL, IHL? Or other leagues?

Day #5 - Picture of your all-time favorite forward?

Day #6 - Picture of your all-time favorite defense-man?

Day #7 - Picture of your all-time favorite goalie?

Day #8 - Picture of your favorite forward from this past season (2010-2011)?

Day #9 - Picture of your favorite defense-man from this past season (2010-2011)?

Day #10 - Picture of your favorite goalie from this past season (2010-2011)?

Day #11 - Picture of your favorite coach?

Day #12 -: Who is your least favorite forward?

Day #13 - Who is your least favorite defense-man?

Day #14 - Who is your least favorite goalie?

Day #15 - Least favorite team?

Day #16 - Picture of your favorite arena?

Day #17 - Whatever tickles your fancy

Day #18 - One arena you’re dying to go to?

Day #19 -Who has the best rivalry?

Day #20 - The player you wish you could of seen play?

Day #21 - Have you met any hockey players? If so, who was your favorite? Did you get a picture with them?

Day #22 - Do you own any hockey memorabilia?

Day #23: Greatest hockey personal memory?

Day #24 - Greatest hockey moment?

Day #25 - Do you have any superstitions?

Day #26: If you could play hockey on your favorite team, what would your number be?

Day #27 - What is your favorite hockey quote?

Day #28 - Whatever tickles your fancy

Day #29- Since 2011’s already happened, who do you want to play in the Winter Classic 2012?

Day #30 - Who do you want to win the Stanley Cup next year?

Sports

So one of my friends sent me an IM tonight on Facebook, asking me about the whole situation with the latest Matt Cooke (of the Pittsburgh Penguins) suspension. I'm not gonna lie, I saw the hit, it was dirty. I like the Penguins, but I agree that the hit he put out was dirty. And now he's suspended for the rest of the regular season, and the first round of playoffs.

I told my friend that it was a really stupid move of him. The team is already down so many players, and now they lose one more. Then he made some comment about how this is probably driving Sidney Crosby nuts. I agreed, I mean, he's the captain of the team, he hasn't been able to play due to his injury, and his team is having a lot of ups and downs lately. I said I felt bad for him. Which led him to make some comment about how he thought it was funny and started to make fun of him.

Ok. I won't lie. I have poked fun at Crosby before. But I never doubted his abilities to play, he is an AMAZING athlete. And seeing him take those hits, hearing and reading all about how he's struggling to recover from this injury, I've really just gained a lot more respect for him. I seriously feel really bad. When I heard that he was starting to skate again, I honestly was really happy to hear that. I hope that he can make a full recovery soon and come back and play.

Then came the whole debate. My friend started talking about how he was a "pussy" and that football players take hits even harder than hockey players. Since when is who takes a harder hit a debate? Any kind of hit by any kind of sports player is going to hurt, whether it's football or hockey.

He said something along the lines of, "These are violent sports. We watch them because of the violence, we watch them to see people take big hits, get bloody, and occasionally see a devastating injury."

Um.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, and say that those are NOT the reasons I watch sports. I watch hockey for the skills, the athleticism, for the SPORT. And honestly, I don't think I'm alone in this. Personally, I think if someone watches sports hoping for injuries and looking forward just to things like that, it's downright sick and twisted.

I remember watching the Blackhawks game in February when Fernando Pisani got knocked into the Dallas bench. My stomach dropped. I literally sat there, with my head in my hands, almost in tears. I remember sitting there saying, "Please get up, please get up, please get up." I was absolutely horrified. I remember going on Twitter the night that Zdeno Chara knocked out Max Pacioretty. I looked up the video, and it was the same feeling all over again. I couldn't believe it, it was like it was too awful for words.

I honestly just fail to see why THIS is what would appeal to people to watch sports. There's a big difference between two players getting into a fight, and someone's life being in real and actual danger.

My friend said that we watch things to see people fail, to see people fuck up.

That's not why I watch hockey. I watch it to see these guys living their dream, doing the thing they love, succeeding in something that they have worked hard their whole life for, and finally having their work pay off. I watch it to see them succeed. I watch it for the love of the game.