First time they've managed to accomplish this feat in 17 freaking long years, unreal.
The Hawks became the champs of the central division before even skating off in their own game as they took the ice this afternoon here in Chicago against the Calgary Flames and the Hawks are up 3-1 at the end of two periods, when I posted the story below....will post the final in an hour or so.. Meanwhile you can check this out...
With a Detroit loss, Blackhawks clinch division
The lights went down and the horn sounded at the United Center, and without playing a minute of hockey Sunday, the Blackhawks skated onto the ice as Central Division champions.By virtue of Detroit's 4-3 loss at Philadelphia earlier in the day, the Hawks clinched their first division title in 17 years -- the last coming in 1992-93 when they took the Norris Division championship.
"That's a huge accomplishment as a team, especially in a division that Detroit has really owned over the past two decades," winger Kris Versteeg said after practice Saturday, talking then about the prospect of winning the division. "That's what we strived for at the start of the season, is to try to finish at the top."The Hawks needed just one point out of their Sunday tilt against Calgary, but that no longer mattered with the Red Wings' loss. Even a day earlier, the Hawks seemed a bit giddy at the prospect -- though they also acknowledged bigger goals in mind."That was our first goal from the outset of the season," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said Saturday of winning the division. "That was the one we wanted to attain and achieve."Said Hawks captain Jonathan Toews: "Once the regular season is over, that's just statistics to us. We're in the situation we want to be in, as far as home ice in the first round. Again, the No. 1 priority is being ready to play our best hockey when the time is right."
And as a longtime fan, I think this team could actually win the Stanley Cup, although I'm no hometown KoolAid drinker. When they suck, which they have for a long time, essentially until longtime original owner and notorious penny pincher, Dollar Bill Wirtz who pinched the quarter so tight it once made the eagle scream, passed away a couple years ago.
Thus leaving the team in the hands of his very capable and eager son Peter who's brought Chicago a young winning team literally overnight, which in sports is a usually quite lengthy and extended rebuilding time frame, especially in this perpetual "wait 'til next year" city of Chicago.
They've beaten them all this year in a great season, so they're no "pushover" like they usually are if headed into the second season which they haven't even done very much of over the past few decades.
I've been following their success all season long on the other blog which you can see and read here if you wish, and they've not disappointed me for the first time since the last time Bobby Hull and Stan Makita were on the same ice together, and that was a long long time ago.
If they were to win the Cup miraculously, it would be the first time in my life, and would leave the Cubs as they only franchise to not win a World Championship in thier respective sport in the 45 years I've been alive.
Amazing, both the Hawks performance thus far this season, and how much the Cubs SUCK perennially.
Yeah! Go Hawks, some good news for a change. :)
ReplyDeleteHopefully they don't get their asses kicked in the first round like they always do at least since I was in high school when they played into the playoffs but always lost to the Gretsky led Edmonton Oilers and the Minnesota North Stars used to be a nemesis of theirs as well......
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