How can anyone not be pulling for the Chicago Blackhawks to win the Stanley Cup? What a turnaround with this franchise. You really have to admire this fan base, I would put them up with anyone in the league; this includes Boston, Montreal, Washington, Detroit and Philadelphia - the Hawk fans (and the Hawks for that matter) are the real deal.
The Blackhawks have not won the Stanley Cup since 1961, they will be fixing that drought shortly. I remember going to the old Chicago Stadium in the late 80's to watch a regular season game between the St. Louis Blues and the Hawks. Both teams were having poor seasons and not going to make the playoffs, but that did not matter to the fans, they still went nuts and it was easily the loudest game I have ever attended.
Think about what the Hawks fan has been through. Under owner Bill Wirtz, he would not allow home games to be televised. He once commented the best season for him was when the Blackhawks went to the Stanley Cup finals and lost in seven (7) games - this way he maximized his gate receipts but did not have to pay his players a Stanley Cup bonus! True story. How could a franchise ever develop a winning tradition with an owner like this? It is no coincidence that once Bill Wirtz left the scene, to be replaced by his son Rocky, the demeanor of the Hawks changed immediately. The organization became fan friendly, they re-engaged former players, they drafted good players, eventually put them on long term contracts to keep them around and they allowed home games to be broadcast locally. Well deserved, well managed, Hawks in six (6) games.
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