News

So, where were you at the Hawks celebration?
I gotta tell ya, for some 50 years it’s been a ‘good news/bad news’
relationship between myself and hockey.

I completely blew out my right knee the night the US Olympic hockey team played the “Do you believe in miracles?” game. Such a great moment, tempered by some really lousy news for an active young guy.

During the All-Star game I was in the hospital recovering from knee surgery number three. Sure, that one would do the trick!

Today, (with my friends providing the updates from Hawks mania downtown) I was in Joliet, being told I’d have two surgical procedures done to the ankle on my ‘bad knee’ side, the recovery for which will take me through the entire summer, followed in the fall by a complicated total knee replacement. The rehab for the knee is expected to take more than six months because of the extensive damage. We’re talking about nearly a year blown away, and not just any year-just like today wasn’t just any day.

After a life of the Hawks drama, a life all of us “50+year olds” have in common and can relate to, I don’t get to enjoy the full experience of basking in the glow of victory.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d rather be in physical misery while the Hawks are Stanley Cup Champs than be in physical misery AND have another year of waiting and hoping.

It just goes to show ya-
-its always something!

But I did tell you they'd win the Cup this year!

GO HAWKS!!!

Soon it will be the Finals. It’ll likely be the Philadelphia Flyers rolling into town to face the Hawks and for some of us it will bring back memories of ecstasy and agony from previous finals. For some fans it will bring out a host of superstitions and comparisons from days and players gone by. Here’s my take.

I was in the Stadium for two final series.

Winning the Cup against Detroit.
I got to see a couple of the games when the Hawks won the Cup in ’61. I was just a little kid, but I’d already met many of the players on that team and my uncle Marty Ozinga’s business had season tix and he enjoyed my devotion to the Hawks, so I was witness to the awe of the Chicago Stadium in its heyday during my ‘formative years’! I was lucky, the Hawks had been losers the season before and none of the adults were begging for my ticket! I can still remember the distinctive aroma of the game-day program and the cloud of cigar smoke that hung just above the dangling lights. That Stanley Cup winning team was a group of over-achievers and a mix of young an old that won the ultimate prize and set me up for a moment of bliss and a lifetime of anguish! Not many predicted the Blackhawks winning, but the playoffs were a different animal in the olden days. Its tough to take when your very first experience doesn’t get equaled for 50 years, especially when you're so closely associated with the 'team'. For many of us, the 'Teams' have come and gone countless times, but the question to US was always the same-"what happened to YOUR Hawks?"

I missed the Leafs Series because my grandma passed away. The Hawks couldn't quite recreate their earlier magic.

Then there was THE Montreal series.
I saw one game on a closed-circuit feed on the big screen at the Beverly Theater, but by now I had to pay my own way and we were a typical working family with no extra cash for such childhood pandering. Even closed circuit theater games were a whopping $7 back then (equal to about $70 today!), and tickets to the Stadium (if I could've even found a ride there) were impossible. Not many kids attended Hawks games back then and the 'extra' season tickets now went to people much more important than me. Still, imagine a moment in time when a responsible dad could safely drop his little boy at the door of a theater five miles from his home with a couple thousand crazy Hawks fans and not have a worry about his safety! We left on a family trip after the first couple of games, and in those days parents didn’t give their kids the option of staying “Home Alone” (I’m the youngest of five kids). I saw the series on Canadien t.v., but I actually recorded the play by play of Lloyd and Harvey and can still literally replay the heartbreak and disbelief of that “one goal” (no pun intended) that Tony O wished he could have back above all others. So Close, yet so far!

The Penguins Finals.
Ho-Lee Sheat! At that point I knew the players well on a personal level and really respected the talent and leadership the Hawks had on the ice and behind the bench. There were several players that I really considered to be friends. We were close enough to have conversations with each other’s moms-even if the conversation was in broken French! I really believed that the 91/92 Hawks team was an unstoppable force, and their sweeping march through the playoffs gave that belief credibility. The feeling of winning was different for me by then. It wasn’t just a childhood infatuation with winning and the Indian Head Jersey, it was feeling like I was involved in the process in some way. It was personal pride in the players. It was my hope for the dreams of a bunch of guys that I’d really learned to like and respect. It was crushing to see Super Mario and his young ability defeat the creaking knees but awesome heart of Dirk Graham-a warrior to the bitter end.

Now, I’m sitting on the edge of time again, just as I was in each of those series, but this time the world doesn’t revolve around me. I’m far more detached and objective this time around, in part because of a lifetime of Hawks disappointments-but its more than that. I’m much older now than the players, so I relate far better to Tazer’s folks than to Jon. The lockout year put me at a distance with the current generation of Hawks. The changing of the front office made the drift deeper. The state of the world helps put sports into a different perspective for me as well.

Now I look at the players as the kids their parents raised. I want to see Steeger do well because he’s just such an honest and unaffected guy. Buff’s such a neat story of survival and success. Niemi is a story of perseverance and confidence. It seems like Seabs and Duncs were just kids a minute ago, playing for a pretty crappy Blackhawks team. You knew they were special if they could just survive-and they have
-minus a few teeth.

Nope, WE won’t win a Cup this year, but these kids will! It won’t matter which hat you wear, how a player laces his skates or if you’ve prayed for the Cup or not. Its not destiny, it’s not a Cubs Curse, not a Muldoon’s Curse, not a Hossa Curse or even the Flyer’s ‘miraculous’ playoff run. They won’t win it because they’re nicer guys or more deserving than the other team or because 'they're overdue'. It will have nothing to do with the Jersey logo. If you know hockey, you know that what I’ve been saying for the past two seasons is a simple fact. Its about accumulated talent by a GM, the proper use and organization of that talent on the ice by a coaching staff, and a will to work together by all of the above. They won’t win the Cup for me, for Chicago, for posterity or for the organization. They’ll win it because they’re better than anybody else in all the ways I’ve described. If you can’t see that, you don’t know hockey.
So be at ease, you Hawks fanatics, both old timers and bandwagon jumpers. Its not even close.

It really is just that simple. The rest of us are just along for the ride on this roller coaster. A ride some of us have been waiting to get on for a lifetime. Now I just have to go back to my 6 year-old mindset, put my hands in the air, and scream.....Go Hawks!

To the memory of Jason Sparenberg, a great Hawks fan for the ages! I wish he could see this happening. Go Hawks, Jason.....
-tib

If you can't be in Vancouver, Mike Mangino's new home theater is the next best place to be. We all watched tonight's game in high-def thanks to Mike and Express Vue....no thanks to NBC for relegating one of the marquie hockey match-ups of the decade to mnbc. Well, at least I didn't have to spend the evening yelling at JR and Edso to please shut up and allow the rest of us to enjoy the game (sorry guys, but you get to be in BC so cry me a river-and JR, when are you gonna drop 'em with Millsy-Vanilly! ).
Now, the comparisons to 1960 or 1980 are a bit of hyperbole-really, there are so many Olympic teams full of NHL stars that the odds of winning are much like the odds any night during the season. Typically, tonight it came down to goaltending. Miller was hot, Martin was not. I was surprized by the sluggishness of the Canadien team, but not by the hustle from the Hawks on the ice. Tazer did a great job pressuring the puck, Seabs was solid, Dunc's was quick moving up the ice, and Kaner not only showed speed-he showed strength! All in all, every bit the entertaining game I'd hoped for, even down to the spectacular open net goal to seal the deal. You probably couldn't ask for a better advertisement and promotion for the NHL in the Unioted States-
--except very few Americans got to see it!
Go Hawks!!!!!!
-tib

First and foremost I’d like to take this chance to thank all of the fans who stopped by at the Convention-it’s always a pleasure to get acquainted with new fans and the faces behind the names on the Message Boards. Also a “well-done” to Brian Howe of the Blackhawks who appears to be the Tony Ommen of the Convention-another wizard behind the curtain who seems to make it all look like magic.

Now, to address the unconventional. Stay with me here.

The best selling prints from my collection were of Kris Versteeg. Granted, Steeger is an exciting player and I do think the artwork is cool, but I think a big draw for fans to Steeger is the same thing I like about him. He’s not afraid to be himself and say what he feels without first running his opinions through a focus group. Love him or hate him, isn’t it refreshing to see someone in the entertainment industry who we can take at face value?

Yes, I said “the entertainment industry”. Hockey is a sport, but the NHL is part of the entertainment industry. I love hockey at all levels and spend a lot of time watching it being played by both little tykes and old geezers; for me it really is about ‘how the game is played’. The National Hockey League is a different matter. The NHL is and always has been a business that competes for your entertainment dollars just like the movies, theater and concerts. It’s a tough economy for non-essentials-and the Blackhawks, as well as the NHL in total-have to find ways to coerce you into their stadiums and they into your livingrooms. Controversial business and marketing decisions have been a part of the NHL since its inception. A lot of folks came by to ask my opinion concerning the loss of Marty Havlat and Dale Tallon, two guys that I also accepted at face value.

If you’ve been reading my blogs the last few years, you know that I’ve been consistent in my opinion that Dale spent big money to get big names to play in what was inarguably the worst hockey environment in the NHL. He had to do it, there were no options at that time. You can argue about the results of individuals (Aucion and Cullimore?) and the ramifications on future signings (Campbell and Huet?), but you can’t argue with success. I’ve always maintained that Khabi is the best positional goaltender I’ve ever seen and Marty Havlat will always be one of those rare athletes who has both skill and, like a guy named “Sweetness” once had, the ability to ‘see’ the game unfold ahead of him. I also happened to like all three of those guys.

I also liked Ruut’s, I also remember lecturing Yawney as a kid and hated to see him leave a lifetime later as a coach. Billy Ray was a classy guy, and Bobby Hull could never leave Chicago-but he did. Remember when Pat Foley was let go? The list of players and personnel I miss is a long one, but it’s the nature of the business. The only 2 ways I know to avoid disappointment is to 1) either quit watching pro hockey or 2) remove the illusion that this is more than a business and that we are consumers and the players are commodities. So many of us have suffered through so many bad years that we feel we’re owed loyalty because we’ve remained loyal, but those are both OUR problems. There’s no ‘Mr. Blackhawk’ to be loyal to or expect it from. That’s not an insult, its reality! There’s only the game; the guys on the ice today. So, I don’t hate Cheli or Bobby for leaving. I’m not angry about the departure of the guys I liked, but if the decisions were made for the wrong reasons and it screws up the chances of the team on the ice-YOU will remind the decision makers that YOU are the consumer, YOU are the paying audience. I’ve already written my piece concerning chemistry and the guys on the ice last season. The kids played hard for themselves, for their teammates and for the staff-a trait missing from journeymen like Aucoin and Cullimore. In my opinion last season's team would have improved on its own, without new acquisitions-simply from experience and physical maturation. I'll admit that I do enjoy some of the embellishments of the 'new' Blackhawks and the Classic was a terrific event, but in my opinion the building was selling out because of the product on the ice and the thrill of being in the same gravity as a winner, just as it was in the old Stadium once upon a time. If that formula has been altered without sound reasoning, the natural flow of business will correct the mistakes just as quickly as all of the questions, complaints and boo’s will. If the reasons were legitimate, we’ll know that in short order as well and credit will be due. Either way, expectations are as high as the stack of dollars that have been spent, and the countdown is ON!
GO HAWKS!
-tib

The immortal words of Bluto still ring in my ears as the pundits and many fans write-off the Blackhawks. A sophomoric statement from a sophomoric kid who just didn’t know any better, and that’s kinda where the Hawks are now. They must have felt a little shell-shocked after Sunday’s game. I’m getting about what I expected in this series and with no complaints. At this crossroads in time, the skill level and maturity of the Redwings is still greater than that of the Hawks. Still, we get to see glimmers of what is to come and we even had a taste of the future in a couple of overtime contests in this series. I know the odds aren’t favorable. I know it doesn’t look good-but I also remember another moment in time from MY not-so-distant past.

The following story is a fact. As a highschool tennis coach I wound up at the State Tournament watching one of my players-a sophomore at the time, playing late into the afternoon. He was my only player in the tournament and we knew that if he lost, we’d have to make the long, silent trip back home that night and he’d have to face all of his friends and detractors at school the next morning. My player was talented but wasn’t always able to summon his talent when he needed it. It was a matter of will. The match was slipping away quickly and when he was at the worst uphill climb a player can have -literally- I called my final timeout. He was down 0-6/ 0-5/ and love-forty at match point. I was out of strategy and gave the only actionable advice left, “You have the skill to win-all you have to do is win one point now, and just consistently remind yourself of that. If you want to stay in it, and if it really matters to you, just forget the score and win each point by itself.” The advice wasn’t particularly original or creative, but it was accurate. I’ll skip the drama and get to the conclusion. That young man came back to win that game, that set and eventually the match. He didn’t win the State Title that year, but he did teach me a lesson in sports and life. First you have to want it, then you have to strive for it and if you have skill and luck on your side, you may even win it.

The Hawks have come farther than I would have expected at the start of the season, but I still want more. Maybe if THEY want more they’ll remember my vintage advice-or Bluto’s!

Happy Memorial Day!

And Go HAAAAAAWKS!

...but a lot of the ‘new’ fans don’t see it yet. Although I predicted it would be a long shot possibility for the Hawks to win the Cup this year, I’ve also predicted a lot of what’s been happening this year with pretty good accuracy. I hope this series doesn’t go the 7 games I predicted, but it won’t shock me if it does. The things standing in the Hawks way tonight include our own ice surface quality and our own media environment. I’ve already made it a point to stay out of the kids’ way since the playoffs began in order to not add to the distractions-my ‘ONE GOAL’ is a Stanley Cup, and I’m comfortable being a fan right now and enjoying all this as such. O.k., I do send a few text messages to players, but that’s after the game and not a distraction-just encouragement.

It seems that almost everyone -except the players, staff and myself- seem to have an attitude that they HOPE the Hawks winning continues, but are content that this has been such a great year that anything more is just gravy. It seems that fans and commentators feel that the Hawks will be a great team for years to come and that this is only the beginning. Don’t get me wrong, I hope this is the beginning of a dynasty, but in the real world of salary caps, a tenuous economy, injuries and free agency the time to win is NOW. Think about it. What remaining team strikes fear into your heart? I can assure you that NO team strikes fear into the hearts of these kids. There’s no unbeatable dynasty now, but there is a lot of parity. The big question has to be answered game by game: can the boys put it all on the line every night? We’ve seen some flat games already, but if they can avoid any more of those, anything is possible. Detroit is being hammered hard by the Ducks, Ovechkin and Crosby are putting it all on the line every contest and using a little more up each time. Do either Carolina or the Bruins strike you as unbeatable? I don’t think so.

Then there’s history. The last time I saw a Stanley Cup won in Chicago it was by another group of kids with a less-than-brilliant record from the previous year who were rapidly improving. I’m old enough to remember those players as ‘kids’, too! They were an interesting mix of youth and vets playing under the reins of another coach who knew how to handle the kind of talented mix that doesn’t know what to expect from themselves. My predictions aren’t based on mystical powers. My predictions aren’t based on divine destiny. My predictions are based on what I see and what I know. I won’t be shocked if the Hawks don’t win this series at home tonight-
but I also won’t be shocked if they still go on to win the Stanley Cup this year.

Go HAWKS!!!!!
-tib

The current Hawks are one of those “bubble” teams, a team that could so easily go either way. I was happy with the first round play, but realistic about whom the opponent was. Vancouver poses a different threat than Calgary, for starters they’re healthy, have the home ice advantage, and are well rested, fast and skilled. The Hawks on the other hand, are young and skilled. The bad side to that equation is inexperience, the great side to that is ‘not knowing when it’s over’.

The Hawks showed both traits last night when they made a third period comeback followed by some inexperienced mistakes with under a minute to play in regulation. You have to take the good with the bad with youth and as a coach or a fan, try to stay levelheaded. For the realists among us, we know a Stanley Cup this year is a long shot, but next year? I’m being serious here. The skill and poise from these kids is pretty amazing-a few examples:
Patrick Kane. He was somewhat MIA the last part of the season, but he’s stepping it up now. I saw him constantly tapping the ice last night and then “trying for the play” as the song goes. He looks eager to play again and clearly wants the puck on his stick.
Big Buf. I think he likes it! I recently sent a text to Buf that read “hands like Havlat, hits like Pronger!” –maybe a bit of a stretch, but I really think he’s starting to see himself as a power forward. I saw the lightbulb go off when he was FINALLY all smiles after scoring on the penalty shot in the final Detroit game. Now I see him not only making the big hits, but also stickhandling, shielding the puck and drawing attention and bodies to free up other guys. His Tiger Woods impersonation in the corner last night was the talk of my playoff party! For all of you Buf doubters, I stand by my prediction when he was put on offence-he’s going to be a star!
Adam Burish. Burish is kicking it in gear and doing all the things that need to be done. During the regular season he was a shot blocker and a general thorn in the opponents side, but now he’s making plays and timely hits as well.

Everyone else seems to be performing as I expected, although the flu seems to be taking its toll on some of the guys. Brian Campbell doesn’t seem to be as aggressive as he needs to be effective, but I don’t know why. If they all stay healthy, keep levelheaded, avoid the penalty box and have quick learning curves, I plan on watching another playoff round after this.

….but I predicted this to go seven games. More time to learn!!!!
Go Hawks!
-tib

That summarizes my night as I watched the Hawks win their first playoff game in a long time! I’m not really sure how much of each emotional reaction was directed towards myself and how much was meant for the team, but I suspect most of the guys on the bench shared my feelings.

Last night victory wasn’t a dominating win. I didn’t expect one and in a strange way I was actually happy that they didn’t get one. It was the kind of win I expected to see -dominated by the players you hoped would dominate. Khabibulin, Dunc’s and Seabs kept the team in the hunt defensively and Marty Havlat continued to show that he’s always been both a regular season and a playoff ‘go-to’ guy.

The kids (most of the team) are still finding their playoff game balance-that middle place between being too tentative and too charged-up. I think we’re the one's who need to be patient-those of us roaring and fist pumping-as THEY learn what this is all about. The instructions are simple:
Don’t make mistakes
Don’t take penalties
Don’t take unwarranted chances in a close game
Keep your head
Play with abandon

If some of those sound contradictory, you're right, but teams need all of the above in various situations to go deep into the playoffs and that’s why experience is such an asset to a team in the post season. Following those instructions with the roar of the UC and the flood of camera lights juicing your adrenaline to new, uncharted levels isn’t such an easy thing. This team has talent, and winning the first game buys some time for each player to find their “Happy Place”! Confidence in your veteran players allows younger guys a little slack while they find their place, but before this series is over, I predict the timing, speed and precision will come together in a way we haven’t experienced yet. It will have to. That's what the playoff's are all about.

Now if we could only do something about that power play!

Go Hawks!
-tib

Just a slump! Art or hockey, it makes no difference except one slump has an infectious effect. If you make your living from a creative skill (and professional athletes really do have to be creative and self-motivating) you hit periods where you’re not as productive as you’d like to be.

The Hawks won a lot of games early this season, many times (IMO) because they had a lot of ‘jump’ right out of the gate and set teams back on their heels. This young group enjoyed the rush of victory, but with it came the deluge of notoriety, swarming fans (who usually only heap praise in face to face meetings), public appearances, hectic schedules and the pressure of now being expected to win. Could they have gotten a little full of themselves? DO YOU THINK????? Who wouldn’t? Could they have lost a step from being over exposed? I can’t blame ‘em! Does it effect everybody? No, not directly, but if you’re on a line with a guy at less than his best it does filter over to you. Case in point: my wife is an excellent tennis player and I just got off the court with her. She was AWFUL tonight. I felt great, but she still brought MY game down with hers. This isn’t an excuse-it’s a fact of sports even with veteran teams. Nearly every Stanley Cup winner that comes to mind has gone through a slump during their season.

I’ve spoken before about what a great group of personalities we have here, but sometimes I think the strain of being “on” during the off-ice hours can be more of a strain than folks-or even the players themselves-realize. For those who think being a professional athlete is a glamorous life I have this bit of news-it’s NOT-at least not during the season. Here’s a little something I’ve noticed lately.

This week I deliberately sent all the artwork to be autographed for Blackhawk’s Charity up to the UC office to be autographed. As many of you know, I usually take care of that myself after practice-but not right now. Right now, practice ought to be about practice and nothing else. I found myself in the locker room last week, summoned in by one of the players about some artwork. I purposely try to be as unobtrusive as possible, yet there I was in the locker room. I’d become the very thing I resent-an intruder. Players shouldn’t have to be polite or accommodating to anyone ‘after work’ if they don’t feel like it. In spite of what fans, management or their agents may believe, their job is to win hockey games-nothing more. Lately some players have been rushing off the ice and rushing out to cars without acknowledging the fans (and professional collectors) plaintiff pleas for autographs.

Here’s my advice to the players:
Acknowledge the fans, friends and family. Be polite, but be honest and get it off your chest.
“Sorry, not in the mood today!”
“Sorry, I’m exhausted!”
“Can you NOT see how pissed-off I am right now?”
“Why the hell would I give you my stick?”
“Sorry, I think I’ve signed about a thousand things for you, we’re done!”

Guys, whether it’s me, the fans, or even your folks-remember that you are professional hockey players and your only real job is to win hockey games. Fans want wins, baby! We need ‘em. We’ve waited a long time for ‘em. Do what ever it takes to get ‘em. Go into hiding. Cancel all public appearances. Watch a Slapshot marathon! Enjoy a friggin concert if it means you'll have more jump tomorrow! Make it fun again!!!
Winning is work, but its also a hell of a lot of fun.
Go Hawks!!!!
-tib

Refreshing! If you read my blogs you know that I’m more a fan of the game than a player ‘fanatic’. After all of these years I’ve come to see players as the kids (although well paid and talented in their profession) they really are. They are so much like the rest of us were at that age that I catch myself laughing at their antics and insecurities-reminders of my own early twenties!

A lot of folks come up to me and let me know how lucky I am to be able to be around the players and rub shoulders with them, almost as if some magic aura surrounds ‘the players’ and it rubs off with proximity. For the record, the only thing that rubs off is perspiration and its own unique ‘magic’. That’s one of the reasons I still love this game so much, even at the professional, corporate level of the NHL. No matter how showbiz and contrived the circus around hockey can become, the kids are still just good kids.

So, when I say it was my privilege to spend much of last Saturday with Bryan and Andree (Gilbert) Toews, I don’t want you to think that its because they’re the parents of the young man who will probably be the best all around player I’ve ever known. I want you to know that it’s because they’re folks who make me feel good! This isn’t because of their parenting skills (the proof of which is in their kids), or their dedication to the game (ditto). It isn’t even because Andree compliments my art with such enthusiasm (and that’s usually all it takes for me). The reason I felt privileged was their attitude and smiles. If you ever get to meet Jonathan’s folks, you’ll probably discover two things. First, you’ll find yourself smiling a lot, even if you’re having a ‘not-so-great’ day-as I was. They’re genuine and warm, and you feel happy that THEY are happy! Second, you’ll catch yourself being mesmerized by Andree’s expressions. Her face is the canvas for her heart and every emotion seems to be reflected in it!

My wife and I spent our time with these proud folks watching their son practice his skills after achieving yet another unique milestone-a natural hat trick-but we didn’t even notice when practice had ended. In fact, we didn’t even talk much about hockey. We talked about universal healthcare, politics, art, the economy-even Tazer’s youth!

Maybe the best compliment you can pay the parents of a star athlete is that it’s a privilege to spend the day with them, despite who their son is!

…..and that’s the rest of the story-
in memoriam to Paul Harvey
Go Hawks!!!
tib