By Paul M. Banks
The 2009-10 Chicago Blackhawks have been very good at playing hockey so far. They’ve also done a great job generating colorful headlines off the ice. Hawks players have spent the past year engaging in various behaviors that have made for AWESOME copy; from a sports blog perspective.
Tomorrow, they’ll commence their Western Conference Finals series against the San Jose Sharks. It’s the perfect time to look back on all the fun and interesting material the team has provided so far in ’09-’10.
-We’ll begin with forward and former Wisconsin Badger Adam Burish, who is perhaps the best soundbite in the entire city of Chicago. Read here to hear his very candid thoughts on hockey groupies. I caught his comment during last summers Blackhawks fan convention.
-Of course, one of the highest traffic pages in The Sports Bank history, the collection and description of the infamous party limo pictures in Vancouver. When Taser, Kaner, Madden and company got shirtless and did beer bongs with some young women who are very medicore-at-best looking.
-An exclusive interview with Blackhawks sideline reporter Sarah Kustok, of Comcast Sports Net. She’s actually from the same suburb I am, so we had lots to talk about.
–A video of Duncan Keith handling some loser, no-life-having Nashville Predators fan that was heckling him during the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. His response was quite measured.
-Lately, the phrase “Don’t Toews me, bro!” is taking off. But I want to remind all my readers who started the phrase: yours truly. I didn’t say I invented it, I’m just the first to publish it. Read here for more.
-You know those ANNOYING and STUPID stories you see in the mainstream sports media linking natural disasters and civic tragedies to a local sports team’s championship (think Katrina and the Saints, Detroit’s collapsed economy and Michigan State), well I had some fun with that AWFUL concept with my piece explaining how the Hawks run to the cup will help our fair city regroup from the Great Chicago Fire of 1871!
-A description and analysis of what big Dustin Byufuglien did to Roberto Luongo and the Vancouver Canucks in game 4 of the last series, one of our most read posts of all-time.
-A Vancouver newspaper had some fun at Patrick Kane’s expense- issuing a formal warning to their cab drivers about his arrival during the Western Conference semis.
-And of course, my initial reaction to that shocking news about what Kane did that ill-fated August evening in Buffalo.
-And here’s to hoping we can add a Western Conference championship, and a later a Stanley Cup championship story to the collection. Here is a list of things to watch for in the Hawks-Sharks series, and some streaks and numbers to be aware of once the best-of-seven gets going.