Greg Boysen, Managing Editor for Second City Hockey, was kind enough to lend his voice to EOTP temporarily to tell us all why we should cheer for the Chicago Blackhawks. I will now give the floor to him:
Why Habs Fans Should Jump On The Blackhawks Bandwagon
Andrew contacted me a couple of days ago and asked me to do a quick write up on why Habs fans should root for the Blackhawks going forward. So here is my attempt to bring you guys over as honorary members of Blackhawks Nation.
First and foremost, as one very smart writer on your staff can attest to, the Hawks have the best captain in the game today; Jonathan Toews. Captain Serious is a pure joy to watch on the ice, with and without the puck. You can also keep your eyes open for epic “Toews Faces” throughout the course of any given game. There are plenty of great skill players on the Hawks, like Patrick Kane, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Patrick Sharp.
There are some Montreal connections to the Blackhawks as well. Marc Bergevin learned the front office ropes within the Chicago organization. The Hawks hired Marc as a pro scout shortly after his playing days ended. He spent 2008 behind the bench as an assist coach for Denis Savard. In 2009, Bergevin was named Director of Player Personnel, and helped build the 2010 Stanley Cup Champions.
Our starting goaltender Corey Crawford was born and raised in Montreal. Crawford spent his pre-junior career playing for the Midget AAA Gatineau Intrepides, before spending his junior career with the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Crawford was the goaltender for the Wildcats in the 2003-04 QMJHL playoffs, when they ousted Rimouski Océanic in the first round. They went on to the President’s Cup final, but lost the series to the Gatineau Olympiques. Crow currently holds the Wildcats record for Best Goals Against Average (2.47 in 2004-05), Most Wins (35 in 2003-04), and is tied with Simon Lajeunesse for Most Shutouts in a season (6 in 2004-05).
There is a long storied history between our franchises. You should have a little bit of sympathy for us considering the Habs are a perfect 5-0 versus the Hawks in the Stanley Cup Final. The historians among you guys should jump on board for the Original 6 history. We are the only “O6” team left that isn’t a current or future conference rival. I found it is always easier to root for a team from the other Conference, since the hatred normally isn’t there. And the biggest reason you guys should cheer for the black & red going forward; we aren’t the Boston Bruins!
Obviously everyone should check out Second City Hockey for all of their Blackhawks news.
