Before we turn the page on hockey season, I wanted to give the great sport fans of Chicago one last tribute to their 2010 Stanley Cup Champion Blackhawks. I’m a little sad to turn that page to focus on baseball, the NBA Draft, NBA free agency, Season 2 of the Jersey Shore, NFL training camps, how many cheeseburgers Lou Piniella has eaten since May 7, and who can drink more between Patrick Kane and Jay Cutler. I’m not going to lie, this Blackhawks season and team will stay with me for a long time. Professional sports championships are extremely hard to come by, and that’s why I’m trying to cherish this moment for the rest of the summer. As I wrote in my Hawks championship parade recap, I hope Chicago holds onto this moment for a long time.
There will be changes on this team next year, no question. The core of this team (Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith) are signed and will be back, but there will have to be major changes as the Hawks stand at $57 million dollars committed to 14 players for next season. The NHL salary cap is projected to be $59 million. Gone will be Christobal Huet who can be sent to the American Hockey League where his contract will not count against the cap. Thanks for coming out, Christobal. You have now entered the Todd Hundley-Eddie Robinson level of Chicago sports free agent hell. Now the hard part……Gone could be Patrick Sharp $3.9 million, or Kris Versteeg and his amazing rap skills another $3 million. Even Western Conference MVP, Dustin Byfuglien $3 million. Unless GM Stan Bowman can find someone to take Soupy (Brian Campbell- $7.14 million through 2016), two of those 3– Sharp, Versteeg, and Byfuglien may have to be sent elsewhere. You can’t see me, but I just started getting hives. Niklas Hjalmarsson, Andrew Ladd, and Ben Eager could also have played their last game as Blackhawks. No matter what happens, I’m confident in the Blackhawks brain trust. Scotty and Stan Bowman not only have the ability to build Cup winning teams, they know how to keep their teams at a championship level (see ’91-’92 Penguins & ’97-’98 Red Wings). It won’t be easy, but the Hawks will still have a championship caliber squad come next season.
So, before we turn the page on the Hawks, let’s take a look back at some of the pictures, and video clips that will be entrenched in this city’s memory for a long, long time…..2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions!
Even with changes coming, the Blackhawks have their nucleus in tact. Jonathan Toews & Patrick Kane will help the Hawks try and repeat in 2011.
Even with the impending rosters moves, the Blackhawks will still be in the running to keep the Stanley Cup in that same ‘ol place….Sweet Home Chicago. Speaking of my favorite Chicago song, these two guys are already making their plans for the 2011 parade…..
Chicago showed the world how we do things in this town. Over 2 million people attended the Blackhawks victory parade. Hey, I think I see Ferris Bueller!
To quote Joakim Noah….”We gonna do it big!” Well, Chicago definitely did it big to honor the Blackhawks……
Chicago loves a winner. We proved that and then some with this celebration.
The parade showed that Mayor Daley knows how to throw a party. He wastes money on asinine Olympic bids, and can’t pronounce Joel Quenneville’s name (How dare you Dick?!), but he’s quite the party planner.
One of the best parts about your team winning the Stanley Cup is being able to see it. My cousin owns a restaurant downtown, and he was updating his Facebook status saying the cup was “150 yards from me.” People want to see it, touch it, take pictures with it, and of course, drink from it. I will find the cup this summer–mark my words. How the Hawks have shared the Cup with fans is a testament to how down to earth they are. Not one ego maniac in the bunch. For me, it’s reason number 1, 458 why I love this team.
The Stanley Cup has been all over Chicago the past several days. You know it's big when there is a Twitter account named Where's the Cup? Welcome to hockey heaven Chicago.
The Hawks got off the plane from Philadumphia with the Cup in hand. Despite certain changes, there's a great chance the cup is here to stay.
The joy of victory. Rocky Wirtz's liquor distribution company will be doing just fine all summer as long as the Hawks are celebrating. The over/under on Patrick Kane's drinks from Wednesday night until Sunday was 693.
Celebrating on the Flyers home ice in front of those loud mouth douche bags made this Blackhawks championship extra special.
This moment will go down as one of my favorite sports moments of my life. Patrick Kane scoring the game winner to bring Chicago it's first cup since 1961.
Since there aren’t any Kris Versteeg rapping tributes around, I’ve settled with Eminem. Is this video something you might be interest in? I thought so….
Raise your hand if you’re still celebrating? I know I am. I hope these pictures and videos will leave lasting images and memories for every Blackhawks fan out there. No matter what happens in the future, nobody can ever take away the fact the Chicago Blackhawks are the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Champions. Live it up, Hawks fans. This moment is yours.
