I can't wait...

These have been some seriously happy times in Chicago sports these days. The Bears traded for Jay Cutler. The Bulls were dead to rights 2/3 of the way through the season, but a big trade turned things around, and now Derrick Rose gets to taste a sweep in the playoffs. And the White Sox... well let's not go there yet. The season is still too young.

And then there's the Blackhawks. That's right. The Chicago Blackhawks. The team I adored since I was 12 years old, the team I followed through the glory days of the 90's, and the team I regretfully followed during the dark days. Finally back in the postseason for the first time since 2002.

After a string of seasons in the 90's in which they were competitive and made the playoffs, the Hawks entered some dark times. They turned away popular players, former stars, mainstays, and most fans. The team went in the toilet. For several years during the new millennium, the team ignored the city and the city returned the favor. It was sickening. Everything I associated with this team was gone. My favorite players were traded for nothing. Free agents passed through the city on layovers, not to visit the Hawks. They screwed up draft picks. Their cheap owner didn't care, and loyal Hawks fans did the same.

As much as I wanted to, I couldn't divorce them. I just couldn't. All the fun I had in the 90's with them. All the stories I heard about when they owned this city. Not even the Bears could touch this team when the Hawks were really good.

I turned it down a notch. I didn't follow them as closely, and I certainly didn't watch their games. But I kept an eye on them. I knew things would turn around, someway, somehow.

And they did. Ownership changed hands. Smarter management took over. Old men in charge who laughed at the fans and pocketed our money were castoff. Smart free agent signings, trades, and draft picks were made. They reached out to former stars. They reached out to the fans. They hired a group of really hot girls to shovel ice shavings.

To put it in other words, it was like I dated a really cute girl for awhile. For several years, things went really good. We had some down times, but mostly we had great memories. Then all of a sudden, she stopped caring. She gained weight. She lied to me. She laughed at me. She let herself go. She did everything to chase me away. But I was too proud, holding onto those memories of the past. So we took a little bit of a break. And then her younger, much hotter, and much more caring sister came along.

And so the Hawks entered this year with high hopes. After a strong '07-'08 season that saw them fall just short of the playoffs, they made some key moves and looked primed to make some noise. They got off to a slow start, and Savvy got fired. They got hot, they went cold. They could beat the Sharks, but somehow lose to the Islanders. It was tough, but I kept telling myself that they were growing. They were learning. After all, they're the youngest team in the NHL, and their captain is 20.

They kept plugging away. They hit a rough patch, and looked lost. But then they regained their mojo at the right time, and are entering the playoffs as one of the hottest teams in the league. Got huge seasons from young and old alike. Played in some seriously critical games at the end of the year, and mostly came out on top.

And now, here they are. Hours away from a date with the Calgary Flames. In the playoffs.

This is why you stick with your team. This is why you do not abandon them when things go south. Because your patience will be rewarded. When your team is a doormat for years, when they become a punch line, it hurts. But you can't let go of them. And you hurt with them. But then things sort of come together. And all those bad times start to improve.

That flicker of hope gets bigger, and stronger. Bad signings, trades and draft picks are washed aside by good ones. Players who care about the logo on the front of the jersey, and not the name on the back. Players that care for each other. Players that care about the fans in the stands.

All those painful moments of watching your team go down. Yeah, they sting. But then it suddenly changes. They get better. They get more respect. And you feel proud to call yourself a fan. You didn't jump ship with the rest of them. You held on until the ship almost completely submerged, and now the ship isn't just floating, it's roaring across the seas.

When your team finally figures it out. When you proudly wear your team's hat. You stick with your team because when things do get better, it tastes that much sweeter.


I can't wait for tonight.

I can't wait to watch the local TV broadcasts, as the analysts talk up the game, and the cameras show eager, anxious fans filing into the stadium.

I can't wait to see the Blackhawks take the ice for the first time, and to hear the reaction the fans pour onto them.

I can't wait to hear the national anthem (hopefully sung by Wayne Messmer), and hear the fans roar like they did back at the old Chicago Stadium.

I can't wait to hear Pat Foley call his first playoff game in years. To hear the biggest Hawks fan in the world make his signature calls with his youthful enthusiasm and loyalty. When I hear his voice, I think of the Hawks in the playoffs.

I can't wait to hear the crowd build with anticipation with every odd-man rush.

I can't wait to hear the crowd cheer with every big save from Khabby.

I can't wait for that first Hawks shot to hit the back of the net, and to hear the crowd blow the roof off of the stadium.

I can't wait to see the Ice Crew decked out in their playoff best.

I can't wait to see Toews lead his team through their first playoff game.

I can't wait to hear the organ... and the fog horn.

I can't wait to see and hear this city and this team finally come full circle and embrace each other in one loud and emotional game.

I can't wait to see it all in person Saturday night.

I can't wait...