Hockey fades to black - remember the roar?

Note to moderators: This ain't about food, but it is about Chicago.

I like sports. Always have. Grew up watching the Cubs after school, and living and dying with each pitch, until it hurt too much to see them always lose in the end (I believe 1973 was the end for me) and I went cold turkey.

Been going to Bears games since 1965, and have seen some wonderful things. Including Gale Sayers score six touchdowns. Including the Super Bowl season, every darned home game, cried when they best the Rams (I admit I had tickets for the Super Bowl, too, but I was just married, my wife was pregnant, and like a good husband, and against the Bride's advice, I scalped the tickets and took the cash - stupid, stupid, stupid). I also missed the game when Sweetness broke the record, again for my love, but this is not about that.

For me, the absolute best, most consistent, most enjoyable, was the period in the late 70's and early 80's when I had Blackhawk season tickets. You started with that hulking old Stadium in that gray and threatening neighborhood. Then we crawled up the dark and dank stairs to our seats - first balcony, second row on the goal line the Hawks attacked in the first and third. And you felt the excitement grow as the players warmed up, the stadium filled, and the buzz grew. Next came the cathartic, building, roar of the National Anthem, as the fans limbered up their vocal chords, plugged into the game, and prepared for what was to come. And finally the game, fast, violent, fluid, and amazingly skilled on that tiny ice surface. Denis Savard, Tony Esposito, Steve Larmer, Tom Lysiak, and all the heros and bums that passed through town.

They were always quite good, though never quite good enough to win. Always Minnesota (Dino sucks!), Edmonton or Pittsburgh stood in the way. Unarguably more talented teams, except the North Stars. And when the opposing team was not villainous enough, there was always a Wirtz, Arthur, or later Bill, to vilify with much good reason. (Though there was the precious time when Michael McCaskey tried to get the city and state to condemn all the propery Wirtz had amassed around the Stadium, so the Bears could build a football stadium there, and Wirtz not only killed that with ease, but suddenly the United Center appeared, without discussion, argument or to do, while the Bears languished in a pit by the lake until McCaskey was removed - I liked Wirtz briefly at that moment, but I digress).

But things change. Along came the United Center, and between PSL's, work, and fatherhood, it no longer seemed to make sense to go to games. No more season tickets. Time has proven I made the right choice - the team has gotten steadily worse, and the Stadium, is now just the stadium. The roar is gone. The visceral, cathartic experience that watching the Hawks once was, is no more. And while I follow the playoffs with mild interest, because the games are exciting and the talent is awesome, hockey is best viewed in person in a raucous, old barn on West Madison, that is no more. I guess I am spoiled.

So now I find myself hoping that the lights stay off this time. I hope a sports league, even one that is an after thought today, is finally brought to its knees by its own greed. And Dollar Bill loses money on a business deal. That is how I feel, at least, when I take the time to care, which is not too often.

For I have other things to do - the Cubs are nothing if not entertaining in their ongoing soap opera which clearly will end badly, we just are not sure exactly when or how, there is time to speculate on what the Sox will look like next year, the Bears are looking up (hope springs eternal) and soccer season is in full swing. Who needs hockey?

Still, I miss that roar.

For I have other things to do - the Cubs are nothing if not entertaining in their ongoing soap opera which clearly will end badly

First I must say "HOW DARE YOU DISS MY CUBBIES"

Second, to tie this into food doesn't Wirtz own Judge and Dolph, the liquor/beer distributor headquarted in Elk Grove?

Flip

Yes, Flip, that's the Wirtz' business. And, even with the low attendance of late, they still make money at the UC hand over fist...

I'm addicted to hockey and love it (almost) as much as I love baseball... But since the strike of 1994 (it should have been the Yankees and the White Sox in the Al championship series), my attachment to MLB eased off quite a bit and I've filled the gap with hockey. Now the NHL and NHLPA (the players' association) have let me down too, and this time it will be far worse than the fairly short lock-out of '94-'95.

If anyone really misses hockey, come watch the action at Johnny's Ice House (Loomis and Madison), just down the street from the UC... It's free and there's even a bar in the rink... The Elite League there has lots of skilled players and they put on a good show.

And the Wolves will be starting their season soon; they've been Chicago's best pro hockey team for quite a while now.

Antonius

Flip wrote:

For I have other things to do - the Cubs are nothing if not entertaining in their ongoing soap opera which clearly will end badly

First I must say "HOW DARE YOU DISS MY CUBBIES"

Second, to tie this into food doesn't Wirtz own Judge and Dolph, the liquor/beer distributor headquarted in Elk Grove?

Flip

I did not mean to diss your Cubbies. It is only that observing their dysfunctional antics gives me the feeling that they will eventually self-destruct.

Be assured that while I primarily root for the White Sox these days, the only time I root against the Cubs is when they play the Sox. And right now, I spend more time watching Cubs games than Sox games (call me a front runner). I hope the Cubs win the World Series, Sammy Sosa hits the winning home run, and LaTroy Hawkins saves to game in glorious fashion - that would teach us doubters and give Dusty a chance to say "I told you so".

Yes, Wirtz does own Judge and Dolph, and did push through the Liquor Distributor's monopoloy law (not the real name, just the result) a couple of years back, though our state legislature did eventually recognize what they had done and repeal it. Yet another reason to enjoy the abyss into which the Blackhawks have fallen.

I can't claim to be a Blackhawks fan--I grew up in an IHL town, and when I moved to Chicago in 1993 I tried to like the Blackhawks and just couldn't. That said, on behalf of Blackhawk fans, I'd be delighted if Bill Wirtz lost everything he has as a result of the lockout. The way he has treated Chicago fans is shameful. A while back, ESPN.com rated all 121 teams in the four major leagues in various categories of fan satisfaction. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/sportsnation/franchiseRanks?sport=null&year=2004 Blackhawks were last, and rightly so.

What can be said about the rest of the league? Greedy owners abound. Teams have been moved away from Canada and their caring (to say the least) fans in favor of the U.S. dollar. It's not an afterthought to some! If the owners want to make money, they need to remember the customer!! It is no surprise to me that there are financial struggles when you expand and relocate teams to Florida, Texas, etc. In my opinion, a Florida team winning the Stanley Cup is an abomination and a sin against God. Teams need to be contracted, and teams need to return to Canada.

The hockey evangelist in me says that southerners, etc. should be exposed to hockey. (I know, sounds like Heart of Darkness.) It's a great sport to play and watch. (I'm personally very thankful for hockey, because I met my husband on the ice in Lincolnwood! But I digress.) A greater proportion of the pro players are actual regular guys worthy of emulation, unlike some other sports. But for the league to expand willy-nilly is financially irresponsible in the long run. Look where we are! I don't have the solution to the stalemate. Hopefully players who aren't under contract will turn up here and there and we'll get a peek at some of the smaller-name leagues. And some more college hockey would be very welcome on my TV.

Who needs hockey?

I do. I hope I get to see some soon.

Enjoy the Wolves or the UIC Flames. Have you been to either?

There was a date last season when the Wolves and the Hawks played on the same day. The Wolves outdrew the Hawks, and that fact was trumpeted for a while throughout the Chicago sports community.

A good friend has been trying to get me to attend some of those games for years, and maybe this will be the year.

I've seen the Wolves, but it's been a few years. The last game I went to was on Valentine's Day, and my husband's former goalie got married on the ice during intermission--a little odd, I thought (then again, I suppose it says something about us that our Valentine's Day plans included a Wolves game ). I think the prices are nice, and it's pretty good watching, but a bit of a circus, what with the weddings and all--I'm a bit of a purist.

I saw a rumor this morning in the Tribune that Chris Chelios might play for the Wolves... I'll believe it when I see it.

I believe that the Flames are no longer. IIRC, UIC dropped them a few years ago--I think the old practice rink was made over for basketball .

I miss the Blackhawks. The team that used to play at the Stadium and play the game with real effort. What passes for hockey at the UC these days is as much hockey as Britney Spears is music.

I think the final straw for me was when team management went on record as saying "We will do whatever it takes to sign Jeremey Roenick" . . . and then later finding out that what they really meant to say was we will trade him for a center that won't shoot or hit.

I've been to games of the "modern" Blackhawks off and on over the last several years. Too often it seemed like bad ballroom dancing on ice, with the exception that real ballroom dancing participants can at least give the appearance of being keenly interested in what they are doing.

I suspect this marks the end of the NHL as we know it. Neither of the two sides seems to be smart enough to recognize that they are about to stuff their golden goose into the microwave and leave it on "High" for as long as this lockout goes on. If they ever do come to terms when they take that bird out of the oven it's going to be mighty worse for the wear . . . and forget about ever seeing those golden eggs again.

Earl,

Glad to hear I am not the only one that holds a grudge. I stopped going to profession baseball when they struck the World Series. I was never a huge sports fan, preferred to play rather than watch. However, I could not justify breaking down our cultural icon over labor negotiations (the series was played throughout all wars and conflicts).

THe first time I went back because some friends were in town and wanted to see a game, was the night before the 9/11 attacks. A sign?

I've been to a few baseball games (as a guest) in the last two years, but I have to say the thrill just isn't there anymore...would just as soon do something fun.

[I like to eat hot dogs at the games. [added to appease]]

pd

Found this looking through some posts from 2004. Funny how in six years how much the situation with the Blackhawks changed and how much it remained the same with respect to the Cubs.

Thanks for finding this!

The Blackhawk's run really re-kindled my hockey love this year, and my daughters also took to them (so much so that don't try to fool them on any hawk's trivia), which added to the pleasure watching. It may not be food related, but it sure tastes good.

For a real fungo-bat whack of nostalgia, check out the excellent Sosa article in this month's Chicago magazine. Then weep openly for the sorry excuse of a current franchise. At least we were having fun in the 'roids era.