State your case:
Homer alert here: I’m a Chicago sports nut. Bears, White Sox, Bulls – the Cubs don’t exist – are the teams I proudly sport the colors of, so I’ll probably come off as one of Bill Swerski’s Superfans by saying the Blackhawks will repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Or rather, I would come off as a Superfan – if the Hawks weren’t so dang good.
Case in point: The Hawks see the return of injured stars Patrick Kane and captain Jonathan Toews just in time for the playoffs. Case more in point: The Hawks have gone 7-5 since the two stars went down with injuries. It’s not too impressive, but it shows the team’s resilience.
The Hawks drew the slumping Blues in the first round, who ended the season on a 0-6 slide. The Blues won the season series with the Hawks 3-2, but momentum is important going into the playoffs, and the Blackhawks will be invigorated by Kane and Toews’ returns.
The Hawks would face the Avalanche or Wild in the semis; tough, but beatable teams. The real challenge will be the Ducks or Sharks in the conference final, but the scrappy Hawks will find a way to prevail. From there, it would be the Hawks’ Cup to lose against an always-unpredictable Eastern Conference team.
Yes, Chicago fans have notoriously high expectations for our teams, and these are generally met with disappointment – but this time around, our expectations are well-grounded.
Daaaaa Bears – er, I mean – Daaaa Hawks.
– ej.jungblut@gmail.com
Twitter: @JungblutEric