...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
