R.I.P. Chicago Blackhawks. Nobody Cares.

Allow me a non-Bears post today. I read an article about the Blackhawk's owner Bill Wirtz threatening to sell the team. Some threat. Please Bill, make it a promise. That guy has ruined an Original 6 franchise. The Hawks have been one of if not THE WORST organization in professional sports. The reason for this lowly status is the owner. Plain and Simple.

The NHL as a whole has done nothing to elevate hockey from it's current "niche-sport" platform. I think the X-Games and bull riding have better TV contracts. The NHL is on Versus (formerly OLN). I can find a darts match easier than a hockey game. They lost a year to a lockout. Take that ineptitude, quadruple it and you have the Chicago Blackhawks. The Hawks are a dead subject in this town. It is a damn shame, because I used to love going to a Hawks game more than attending any other sport. Yes, that includes football.

My dad had season tickets when I was young. He shared them with some other guys. He had two seats for around 10 games. He took me to Chicago Stadium for the first time when I was around 8 years old. It was a magical place. First balcony on the blue line. Few players wore helmets, and the building rocked. My dad would fill me in on the history; he had been going to Hawks games since he was a teenager. Duke loved hockey and the Hawks. I loved it, too. I loved sharing that team with my father. When I was around 13, our house was burglarized; the tickets were pilfered. My dad never went back. The game was changing, and he just kind of lost interest. To this day, it was the only team for which my dad and I shared an equal passion.

Despite my dad's withdrawal, I was hooked. I listened to every game on the radio. My friends and I would get standing-room only tickets for the big games, Islanders, Oilers and Northstars. The Stadium was made for hockey. This was pre-Jordan. The Hawks would fill the joint. I went to every St. Rita hockey game for four years. We were really good. I played street hockey every day. I was a superfanatic. The game was fast, violent and thrilling to watch. The release of emotion when a goal was scored was euphoric. I challenge anyone to find a more exciting live sport than hockey. It does not exist.

In college, I got all my buddies watching the NHL playoffs. These were small town Illinois dudes. They loved it. The Hawks were good, making the playoffs every year. I remember going to bars with Kathleen when we were dating, to watch the playoffs. Then, all of a sudden, it was over. They cut salary and stopped making the playoffs. For Good. It made no sense.

The owner refused to strengthen the organization. He now says that he lost $50 million over the past two years. That is a complete lie. If a businessman as shrewd as Bill Wirtz was losing that kind of money, he would make a positive change. He would market his product. He would put home games on T.V. (I cannot believe I am writing that in 2007) He would pay a good general manager to fix this program. They sell no tickets and haven't really tried. He hasn't done it because he doesn't have to, and he doesn't care. He owns half of the United Center and the concessions. Money is being made.

As for me, I have moved on. It is the Bears and that's the list. However, I have to admit to feeling very nostalgic about our long forgotten NHL team. I miss the thrills, chills and cheers in a great old building. I miss watching a very good team in a clean, new building with a few bucks in my pocket. Mostly I miss driving down Western Avenue in a brown 1967 Chevy Impala with a great hockey fan. I miss tagging along with him between periods so he could have a smoke in the stairwell while I sipped a Coke. I miss being taught that there are plenty of opportunities to get out of my seat while the action is stopped. I remember the extra buck for easy-out parking. Mostly, I miss the time when I really fell in love with sports, inside the Stadium watching the Chicago Blackhawks with my dad.