The hockey gods (okay, it was Emma) deigned to send this to my doorstep, and I will be forever grateful. I’m going to sound like an echo chamber here, but I agree with Emma that if you’re a fan, you will definitely want this. And I also echo the fact that this does not show the playoff games from beginning to end – in fact, there is a special edition of this DVD that shows Game 5 of the Conference quarterfinal and Games 1, 2, 5 and 6 of the finals in their entirety. Actually, both this DVD and that set would be a great combo to have.
Okay, let’s get this going. The video begins by talking about how crappy the Blackhawks were – voted worst franchise three years in a row, couldn’t fill the seats in United Center for love nor money, etc. But with Rocky Wirtz at the helm, the team experienced a rebirth (seriously, everyone’s used that word) with the addition of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews in 2007, and they were eager to avenge their loss to Detroit in the 2009 Western Conference Finals.
The first thing they did was chuck Nikolai Khabibulin and Martin Havlat and bring in veteran players who’d had Cup wins – John Madden (2 Cup wins) and Marian Hossa (who had experience playing in the Stanley Cup finals) and Tomas Kopecky (who’d known a Cup win in Detroit). That done, the team packed up and went to Helsinki to start the regular season and do some bonding.
And take pictures of Finnish seagulls.
Patrick Sharp recorded the team’s trip, and it’s through him that we discover that a) he and Brent Seabrook engaged in some kind of Ultimate Fighting thing, b) Adam Burish was Sharpie’s personal alarm clock and c) Patrick Kane’s nickname was Lil’ Peekaboo (Peeks for short) because he was the youngest player on the team at the time. And the running gag is that he intentionally mispronounced Toews’ name as Toes or Toe-ez. They ended the trip winning three out of four points, and most importantly, they bonded as a team.
Big game: early in October, they played the Calgary Flames and found themselves down five points. What did they do? They fought back and scored six goals. Sorry about that, Flames (maybe not so sorry).
Like the Bruins DVD, the season is only given ten minutes’ attention other than the mention that they won their first division title in 17 years and went into the playoffs with the #2 seed. First up were the Nashville Predators, who were tough and gave the boys a really hard time. The Hawks found themselves tied at two games a piece, but they were determined to surge ahead. Things were going well, but then this happened in Game 5:
That put Marian Hossa in the sin bin for five minutes. They were already shorthanded but fought to light the lamp and tie the game. Cue the end of the penalty in overtime, and Hoss came charging out of the box. To quote Eddie Olczyk, he went from goat horns to the penthouse in a matter of minutes by scoring an awesome goal.
Turning a negative into a huge positive.
That pretty much broke the Preds, who gave up the next game and the series. Next stop: Vancouver, and if you’ve wondered why the Canucks hate the Hawks, it’s because the boys eliminated them from the 2009 Western Conference semifinals. Now it was deja vu all over again, but this time a certain Mr. Dustin Byfuglien came front and center, and I do mean FRONT AND CENTER.
Hi folks, I'll be screening your goalie during this series, so get used to it.
Buff was so effective in screening Roberto Luongo during the series that Bobby Lu would later put his frustration into words:
Human eclipse, rhinoceros hips
Who will laugh last when I slash your calf
Give me peace, make it cease
Get your big ass out of my crease
Someone get this guy an NEA grant or something. Such genius (not).
After a brutal series, the boys left the ‘Nucks to cry in their locker room and prepared to start the Western Conference Finals on the road in San Jose with the Sharks.
How you like them rhinoceros hips now?
Remember how the team bonded in Finland? In San Jose they bonded with video games. MarioKart is their game of choice, and it seems Jonathan Toews is one of their best drivers (I totally blame them for my newfound yen for playing MarioKart with my nephew.).
Kane, Toews and Campbell share some Bonding and Quality Time.
After a 3-0 game advantage, it all came down to Game 4. This would be the most important one, mainly because during the second period Duncan Keith took a puck to the mouth from Patrick Marleau, losing seven teeth. While he skated off to get medical attention, Brent Seabrook scored on a 4-on-4 play. Evgeni Nabokov made an oopsie and pulled the puck in net, causing Douglas Murray to sweep it out after it went across the line. Sorry, it was a good goal.
Mmmm, gauze.
By this time, Duncs returned to play with a numb mouth, and Dave Bolland scored again to tie the game. After that, Buff and Kris Versteeg scored two more goals in the third period to seal the game and the sweep.
Now, there’s something very important that we need to discuss. There is proper etiquette when handling your conference trophy, as demonstrated by Jonathan Toews:
No touchy the trophy.
Mike Richards must’ve missed class the day they taught that:
What. Are. You doing.
So it’s off to Chicago for the Philadelphia Flyers, and everyone in the Windy City was ready for the finals.
Even Michael Jordan dressed for it.
The Hawks took the first two games, the Flyers took the next two, and Game 5 at the United Center brought the series 3-2 in Chicago’s favor. That set up for Game 6 at Wachovia Center.
*cue Lady Gaga’s “The Edge of Glory”*
So the game went back and forth, with Philadelphia tying it at 3 in the third period. Then came overtime.
You, sir, are just minutes away from history.
Four minutes ticked by, till Brian Campbell made a pass to Patrick Kane. Kaner did a little head fake, then…
Did it go in?
Yeah, it did.
*crank “The Edge of Glory” to 11*
At first no one but Kaner and Sharpie saw the puck go in – it became wedged in the padding. But when the goal was confirmed, WOOHOO BABY! A 49-year drought – the longest wait between Cups in history – was finally over.
"Lord Stanley's new address is Sweet Home Chicago!"
I love the bonus footage. There’s the parade, where an estimated two million people showed up to show their love for their team. Highlights include Duncan Keith asking for a dental recommendation, Kris Versteeg rapping and Jonathan Toews admitting that he didn’t realize that so many people lived in Chicago (to compare, population of Chicago: 3 million. Population of Winnipeg: 633,451. Yeah.)
Don't forget sweet drunken Kanerboo.
There was also excellent locker room celebration footage. According to Emma, none of the Bruins took off their jerseys/shirts,but my boys certainly did. Champagne flying, cigars lit up, Sharpie saying they’ll never have to pay for a drink in Chicago again, and Coach Quennville getting soaked in the aforementioned champagne.
There was a feature on the Cup itself, with Phil Pritchard giving us some fascinating facts:
– They clean the Cup with mild detergent and warm water, then polish it with a soft cloth. This is because of all the fingerprints people put on it as they touch it in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
– It’s not engraved till preseason, so it’s ready by the winning team’s home opener.
– The players aren’t the only ones who get a Cup Day – that includes management and staff as well as the coaches.
The last two features are from when Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews were drafted. Toews was picked third overall in 2006, while Kane was first overall in 2007. I loved seeing Kaner hugging his whole family and hearing the announcers constantly ask if he could cut it in the big leagues because of his size. Um, yeah, I think he can.
If you want a copy of this vid, it’s available on Amazon as well as at Best Buy and at Walmart’s website. Trust me, it’s a great video that should be in any hockey fan’s collection.
– Krista
Adventures in Pucking 
Leave a comment