Another Blackhawks Cover Boy?
After winning the Stanley Cup, the Blackhawks are thinking all about getting two in a row. The Blackhawks popularity has continued to grow as shirts, hats, and jerseys with the Indian head have continued to fly off the shelves.
Less than a week after the Blackhawks hoisted the Stanley Cup, it appears they already have an impressive “two in a row” coming their way.
It appears that for the second year in a row, a member of the Chicago Blackhawks will be the cover boy for the EA Sports NHL video game franchise.
Blackhawk forward and Stanley Cup hero Patrick Kane was the cover boy of the NHL 10 video game, as he became the first ever member of the Blackhawks to be a cover boy of a video game. Now, it appears that the Blackhawk’s captain, Jonathan Toews will be given the spot on the cover.
Photos have surfaced of the potential cover of the NHL 11 video game (see above). These photos appeared on the EA Sports website, but have since been removed.
If Toews were given the spot on the front of the game, this would be the first time that any video game company has given the cover to two members of the same team in consecutive years.
The move would make sense for EA Sports. The Blackhawk’s popularity is at an all-time high, and their players have become as well known as the Indian head itself. The victory tour has taken the Blackhawks to seemingly every bar in Chicago, Wrigley Field for the Crosstown Classic, and even to Hollywood, as they appeared again on the Tonight Show.
So it only seems right that the captain of the Stanley Cup champions and Conn Smythe award winner receives the proper recognition.
If you have ever tried the NHL 10 video game, you may have even noticed a little hint dropped by EA Sports. The game features a video during the loading which shows team captains from the past hoisting the Stanley Cup over their head.
The only player who hadn’t ever hoisted the cup when the game was made was Jonathan Toews. Was this a prediction from EA Sports, or a hint at the newest cover boy?
The official announcement from EA Sports is expected to come next week. If Toews is the cover boy, the Blackhawks will have made video game history with a repeat. Of course, this could be just the first repeat for the Blackhawks.
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Blackhawks Still Celebrating
Chicago has been forever regarded as one of the greatest cities in the world. Each year, Chicago welcomes 30 million visitors to the city. The city offers so many fun places to go and things to see.
On Thursday morning, Chicago welcomed a visitor who hadn’t been to the city in a long time, 49 years. That visitor is 34 ½ pounds, made of silver and nickel alloy, and is experiencing incredible memories in the Windy City.
Ever since the Blackhawks won their first championship since 1961, they have taken their Stanley Cup trophy everywhere. It’s fair to say that during the Cup’s time in Chicago, the trophy has made memories that most of us dream of having.
The Cup arrived in Chicago at 3:50 am on Thursday. Rather than going to bed and enjoying their victory, the Blackhawks went out to the bars to celebrate their victory with their loyal fans. With them, the Stanley Cup made the trip on their bar crawl.
It all started at Harry Caray’s in Rosemont. After that, they went to the city, and went over to The Pony Inn.
Crowds of fans joined their city’s champions at the bars. Fans swarmed around the players, who had security protecting them. The players wanted to enjoy their victory with the fans, so they spent time with everyone, signing autographs, taking pictures, and kissing babies. Joining them through all of this was once again, the Stanley Cup.
The party at The Pony Inn lasted till the morning, as some players split up and went home, while other joined the Cup at breakfast.
The players’ shenanigans continued throughout all Thursday, as the players toured around Rush St. with their new silver friend. Fans were allowed to pose for pictures with the Cup (facebook profile pictures for sure), and join the Blackhawks and the Cup for beers and celebrations.
After another all nighter on Thursday, the Blackhawks and the Cup made their finest memories together. That took place on Friday morning, as the very tired but ecstatic Blackhawks took the Cup on a tour of Chicago on their parade route. Millions of fans swarmed the streets of Chicago to watch their champions drive down the streets in celebration.
The sleep deprived Blackhawks were seen dancing, waving to the fans, and chugging beers as they celebrated and enjoyed the long awaited moment.
Tomas Kopecky waved wildly to the fans. Dustin Byfuglien held a championship belt in the air, which he would later hand over to the Game 6 hero, Patrick Kane. Kane spend the parade hoisting the Cup in the air, which thrilled the millions on the side of the streets.
The parade ended with a rally as millions of fans surrounded their heroes who stood on an elevated stage.
A gap-toothed Duncan Keith asked, “Who knows a good dentist, by the way?”
Patrick Sharp, who shaved off his playoff beard, yelled out to the fans, “What’s up Chicago? Anyone want Pat Kane’s cell phone number?”
Kane jokingly said of his incidents throughout the past year, “I’ll tell you one thing. I’ll try to keep my shirt on all summer just for you guys, for all the cab drivers out there.”
Kane was arrested for an incident with a Buffalo cab driver, and in February, was photographed shirtless in a limousine with a few teammates and some (questionable looking) Vancouver women.
The lowlight of the day was seeing Kris Versteeg try to rap. Somewhere, Chicago’s own Kanye West was disappointed. But when you win a championship in Chicago, you can celebrate however you’d like. That’s what the Blackhawks are doing.
The celebration and partying continued all Friday and Saturday, as the players continue to drink beers and proudly hoist the Stanley Cup.
On Saturday morning, Blackhawks forward Patrick Sharp admitted he has slept six total hours since winning the Cup, which fellow forward Pat Kane said he has some amazing stories which could not be released.
The Stanley Cup will get to know each of it’s new owners on a more personal basis. As a part of one of the Cup’s traditions, each member of the team gets to spend a day with the Cup. Marian Hossa, who finally won the Cup on his third attempt, plans to take the Cup back to his native Slovakia. Troy Brouwer said he hopes to take the Cup to the hospital, as he visits his father, Don, who suffered a blood clot in his brain in early April.
Each player will get the opportunity to do whatever they want with the Cup for one day.
The partying and celebrating will continue for a long time, and the Stanley Cup will come with along the entire tour.
If you plan on going to a Chicago establishment, look for a member of the 2010 Champion Blackhawks, and you may ever see Chicago’s latest visitor, a large, silver trophy.
You can follow us on Twitter: @RSHawksFlock and @ChrisEmma51
Stanley Cup Champions
The Chicago Blackhawks are Stanley Cup Champions. Patrick Kane scored the game winning goal in overtime, and the Blackhawks beat the Flyers, 4-3, and hoisted the Stanley Cup for the first time since 1961.
Blackhawk captain Jonathan Toews was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner, which is awarded to the MVP of the postseason.
As the tradition goes, Toews greeted Commissioner Gary Bettman, and hoisted the Stanley Cup over his head. Each player was then able to skate with the trophy and hoist it in the air.
The Blackhawks motto for this season was “One Goal.” That motto was never more important than during Game 6.
After Philadelphia tied the game late in the third period, all it took for the Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup was, you guessed it, one goal. That one goal came in dramatic but odd fashion.
Patrick Kane skated on an awkward angle had dumped the puck toward the net. The puck slipped through the legs of Flyer goalie Michael Leighton, and lodged into the side of the net. The goal light did not brighten, and the goal horn did not sound, but after brief hesitation, the Blackhawks celebrated their Stanley Cup championship.
The game was sent to overtime after Flyer Scott Hartnell scored his second goal of the night, which tied the game at three.
The Hawks played a very conservative defense, and the Flyers were able to take advantage of that, as Ville Leino dished a beautiful pass to Hartnell, and Hartnell scored the goal.
Prior to that, the Blackhawks had taken what appeared to be their final lead, as Andrew Ladd scored on a great pass from defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson.
The chaos began right away, as the Blackhawks came out of the locker room fired up. The Hawks finished the period with 17 shots, as opposed to Philadelphia’s seven. Things took off from there, which set the tone for the wild game.
The cup win breaks many droughts for certain players, and for the entire franchise. The win snaps the Blackhawks’ 49 year cup drought. The win also gave almost every player their very first chance to hoist the cup. The only players who had done it before are John Madden and Andrew Ladd.
The guy who is happiest to win his first cup is Marian Hossa. Hossa joined the team in the offseason, with the hopes of winning his first cup. Hossa played for the Detroit Red Wings in 2008-09, and they lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hossa also played for the Penguins in 2008-09, and they fell to the Red Wings. Now, Hossa has been given his first chance to hoist the greatest trophy, and he did so as a Blackhawk.
The season that began in Helsinki ended in Philadelphia. The Blackhawks now fly back to Chicago, with one new passenger named Stanley.
The season comes to an unofficial end on Friday, when the ticker tape parade will take place in downtown Chicago. That will begin at 10:30, with a rally at 11:30.
The Blackhawks have achieved their one goal. They have won the Stanley Cup!
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For The Love Or The Money?
The official motto for the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs is, “history will be made.” This is shown on the NHL’s commercials with which shows great moments in both this year’s playoffs and playoffs from the past.
So many memories are made during the playoffs. The Blackhawks have seen many of those. Patrick Kane’s shorthanded goal in Game 5 against Nashville, Marian Hossa’s game winning goal which followed Kane’s, Dustin Byfuglien’s game winner in overtime in Game 3 against San Jose.
History was made during these moments, and for the fans at the games, memories were made that will last forever. The chance to witness these historical moments is a rare opportunity, and a thrilling one.
Tickets for these games are sold right away, and cost a fortune. For the fans that purchase these tickets the second they go on sale, they are buying tickets for a game without a guarantee that they will be used.
Many fans choose to purchase tickets to the always exciting Game 7, in hopes of witnessing sports at its most exciting moment. If there is a Game 7, it will be played Friday night in Chicago.
However, for the 22,000 people who are hoping to witness history in person, they may face an interesting scenario.
Does a Blackhawk fan with tickets for Game 7 root for the Flyers in Game 6, with the hopes of using those tickets? Is it worth rooting for your favorite team to lose, and not win the Stanley Cup on Wednesday, for a chance to see it live on Friday?
Consider this. The Blackhawks hold a 3-2 series lead, and have a chance to win the Stanley Cup on Wednesday. If they win, it’s over. Pandemonium breaks loose in Chicago, and everybody is happy.
However, if they lose on Wednesday, the series continues to Game 7.
For those people who own tickets to Game 7, it’s disappointing and nerve-wracking that it will be brought to a seventh game, but their tickets will bring a tremendous opportunity to see the game live.
This debate raises many different issues. Is it worth being a true Blackhawks fan to lose thousands of dollars? What is worth more, the money or the fact that the series is over, and the cup has been won?
Game 6 is at 7:00 on Wednesday night. If the Blackhawks win, they will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup for the first time since 1961. If they lose, the series will be brought back to the United Center for a Game 7, in front of thousands of nervous, but possibly relieved fans.
You can follow us on Twitter: @RSHawksFlock and @ChrisEmma51
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