The blackhawk bandwagon
81
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http://sports.yahoo.com/news/blackhawks ... --nhl.html
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Blackhawks sweaters are commonplace around the city these days - though not all wearers realize that's what hockey players and die-hard fans call those ''jerseys.''
As the Blackhawks have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals with the Boston Bruins, Chicago is awash in red and black hats, T-shirts and jerseys - er, sweaters. But because hockey is a mystery to many - a game played largely by bearded men with hard-to-pronounce names - this particular season's bandwagon is loaded with fans who don't know the difference between the blue lines on the ice and the Blue Line train that runs out to O'Hare.
''A lot of these people, all they know is that somebody in Chicago is going for a championship,'' said Jordan Goldberg, manager of the Third Rail, a tavern a few blocks from the United Center, where the Blackhawks play.
The throngs filling the bars during the games include a fair number of people who are caught up in the party atmosphere, but barely watching the game.
''When a goal is scored, they yell like everyone else but then they go back to what they were doing'' said Curtis Tinnell, a computer analyst who donned a well-loved Blackhawks T-shirt and cap as he walked through downtown.
Those fans probably also don't know that it's superstition that keeps hockey players from shaving during the playoffs. But the 29-year-old bearded Tinnell does: The last time he grew one was during the 2010 playoffs, which ended with the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup.
That's not to say Chicago doesn't have its share of rabid fans, with intimate knowledge of the team's Original Six history, the game's rules and the fact that those two blue lines are used to determine if a player is offside. But the half-century Stanley Cup drought that preceded the 2010 championship, the fact it the team didn't televise home games until a few years ago and recent NHL lockouts have certainly contributed to a waning collective interest.
So Bob McDermott, owner of The Beer Bistro in Chicago's West Loop, now finds himself fielding questions about everything from why the jerseys are called sweaters (because it's cold on the ice) to why the players suddenly stop playing for no apparent reason.
''They ask if it is a time out and I say it's not really a time out but part of the game, kind of like a foul ball,'' McDermott said.
Out on the street, it's tough to tell who the real fans are. Stores and souvenir stands sell slightly tattered hats and pre-faded shirts.
But it's also difficult to get people to admit they're getting swept up in the frenzy over a game they don't quite understand.
''I don't think anyone wants to own up to it,' said Jessica Hegarthy, a 42-year-old attorney who was buying a T-shirt for her 6-year-old son. Hegarthy herself grew a bit sheepish when she said that while her husband and son were watching the triple-overtime Game 1 on Wednesday night, ''I was upstairs watching 'Real Housewives.'''
But the bandwagon fans do give it away sometimes.
''One of my employees came up to me and said how excited she was and then she said, 'If they lose tonight they're done, right?''' said Monique Mendoza, a 21-year-old theater manager, who said she passed on the opportunity to explain it wasn't a one-and-done series. ''I was like, 'Get out of here.'''
In Boston, bar manager Jason DeSantis insists that most fans who come out understand what they're watching.
''We have people who don't show their colors until the playoffs (but) they know the sport, they know the teams, they know the players,'' said DeSantis of the Cask n' Flagon, across the street from Fenway Park. ''Without a doubt, this is still a hockey town.''
And Chicagoans seem to be catching on. Jason Braz, who mans a souvenir stand about a mile from the United Center, said there are far more informed Blackhawks fans now than in 2010. Back then, when fans wanted merchandise with the name of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, (pronounced TAVES), they instead would say ''toes.''
But now, ''the number who say 'toes' and not 'taves' is much smaller,'' he said. ''The fan base is definitely growing.''
..
CHICAGO (AP) -- Chicago Blackhawks sweaters are commonplace around the city these days - though not all wearers realize that's what hockey players and die-hard fans call those ''jerseys.''
As the Blackhawks have a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup finals with the Boston Bruins, Chicago is awash in red and black hats, T-shirts and jerseys - er, sweaters. But because hockey is a mystery to many - a game played largely by bearded men with hard-to-pronounce names - this particular season's bandwagon is loaded with fans who don't know the difference between the blue lines on the ice and the Blue Line train that runs out to O'Hare.
''A lot of these people, all they know is that somebody in Chicago is going for a championship,'' said Jordan Goldberg, manager of the Third Rail, a tavern a few blocks from the United Center, where the Blackhawks play.
The throngs filling the bars during the games include a fair number of people who are caught up in the party atmosphere, but barely watching the game.
''When a goal is scored, they yell like everyone else but then they go back to what they were doing'' said Curtis Tinnell, a computer analyst who donned a well-loved Blackhawks T-shirt and cap as he walked through downtown.
Those fans probably also don't know that it's superstition that keeps hockey players from shaving during the playoffs. But the 29-year-old bearded Tinnell does: The last time he grew one was during the 2010 playoffs, which ended with the Blackhawks winning the Stanley Cup.
That's not to say Chicago doesn't have its share of rabid fans, with intimate knowledge of the team's Original Six history, the game's rules and the fact that those two blue lines are used to determine if a player is offside. But the half-century Stanley Cup drought that preceded the 2010 championship, the fact it the team didn't televise home games until a few years ago and recent NHL lockouts have certainly contributed to a waning collective interest.
So Bob McDermott, owner of The Beer Bistro in Chicago's West Loop, now finds himself fielding questions about everything from why the jerseys are called sweaters (because it's cold on the ice) to why the players suddenly stop playing for no apparent reason.
''They ask if it is a time out and I say it's not really a time out but part of the game, kind of like a foul ball,'' McDermott said.
Out on the street, it's tough to tell who the real fans are. Stores and souvenir stands sell slightly tattered hats and pre-faded shirts.
But it's also difficult to get people to admit they're getting swept up in the frenzy over a game they don't quite understand.
''I don't think anyone wants to own up to it,' said Jessica Hegarthy, a 42-year-old attorney who was buying a T-shirt for her 6-year-old son. Hegarthy herself grew a bit sheepish when she said that while her husband and son were watching the triple-overtime Game 1 on Wednesday night, ''I was upstairs watching 'Real Housewives.'''
But the bandwagon fans do give it away sometimes.
''One of my employees came up to me and said how excited she was and then she said, 'If they lose tonight they're done, right?''' said Monique Mendoza, a 21-year-old theater manager, who said she passed on the opportunity to explain it wasn't a one-and-done series. ''I was like, 'Get out of here.'''
In Boston, bar manager Jason DeSantis insists that most fans who come out understand what they're watching.
''We have people who don't show their colors until the playoffs (but) they know the sport, they know the teams, they know the players,'' said DeSantis of the Cask n' Flagon, across the street from Fenway Park. ''Without a doubt, this is still a hockey town.''
And Chicagoans seem to be catching on. Jason Braz, who mans a souvenir stand about a mile from the United Center, said there are far more informed Blackhawks fans now than in 2010. Back then, when fans wanted merchandise with the name of Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, (pronounced TAVES), they instead would say ''toes.''
But now, ''the number who say 'toes' and not 'taves' is much smaller,'' he said. ''The fan base is definitely growing.''
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81 is now off the air
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81 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276i'm going to start testing hawks fans when i see them....
soo...who scored the winning OT goal the other night....81 is now off the air0 -
Best looking sweater in the biz.
I'd get one if I didn't give a crap about hockey.Be Excellent To Each OtherParty On, Dudes!0 -
Shaw assisted by bolland and rosaval..... ping pong styleAlpine Valley East Troy WI 1998...United Center Chicago IL1998...All State Arena Rosemont IL 2000 (anybody have a spare poster)
United Center Chicago IL 2003...Alpine Valley East Troy WI 2003...Toledo OH 2004...Marcus Amphitheater Milwaukee WI 2006
United Center Chicago IL Nite 1 2008...United Center Chicago IL Nite 2 2008...United Center Chicago IL Nite 1 2009
PJ20 East Troy WI Nite 1 2011...PJ20 East Troy WI Nite 2 2011...Wrigley Field Chicago IL 2013...iWireless Center Moline IL 2014
Bradley Center Milwaukee WI 2014...EV Auditorium Theatre Chicago IL Nite 1 2008...EV Chicago Theatre Chicago IL Nite 1 2011
EV w/ PT celebrating the Who Rosemont Theatre Rosemont IL 20150 -
good read.
wonder if the cup will be at the Pearl Jam Wrigley show,...For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
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81 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276Bathgate66 wrote:good read.
wonder if the cup will be at the Pearl Jam Wrigley show,...
maybe...it was at the EV solo show in 08
hmm...not sure if anyone on the bruins is a big PJ fan....81 is now off the air0 -
It's been there before ... assisted by your Detroit Red WingsBathgate66 wrote:good read.
wonder if the cup will be at the Pearl Jam Wrigley show,...
Be Excellent To Each OtherParty On, Dudes!0 -
Jason P wrote:
It's been there before ... assisted by your Detroit Red WingsBathgate66 wrote:good read.
wonder if the cup will be at the Pearl Jam Wrigley show,...
Yeah and thats definitely as a result of Eds friendship with Chelios.
As 81 said, not sure if any present day Hawks are PJ friends or even fans.For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it ain't no sin to be glad you're alive
ORGAN DONATION SAVES LIVES
http://www.UNOS.org
Donate Organs and Save a Life0 -
So in other words you are now a fraud sports cop
jesus greets me looks just like me ....0 -
I've read that Patrick Sharp is an uber-fan.Bathgate66 wrote:Yeah and thats definitely as a result of Eds friendship with Chelios.
As 81 said, not sure if any present day Hawks are PJ friends or even fans.Be Excellent To Each OtherParty On, Dudes!0 -
81 is like the cop that thinks like a criminal in order to catch a criminal ... except he specializes in fraud.josevolution wrote:So in other words you are now a fraud sports cop
Be Excellent To Each OtherParty On, Dudes!0 -
It is funny how everyone becomes huge fans once a team in their city is playing for a championship. I'm sure the same thing is happening in Boston. Happens everywhere.0
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Hockey Blows0
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81 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276Indifference71 wrote:It is funny how everyone becomes huge fans once a team in their city is playing for a championship. I'm sure the same thing is happening in Boston. Happens everywhere.
go bruins 81 is now off the air0 -
81 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276josevolution wrote:So in other words you are now a fraud sports cop
bandwagon cop.....
jeagler heads up teh fraud division81 is now off the air0 -
Indifference71 wrote:It is funny how everyone becomes huge fans once a team in their city is playing for a championship. I'm sure the same thing is happening in Boston. Happens everywhere.
I have yet to experience anything worse than Lakers fans. One of the things I do not miss after moving from LA but the way the fan base went from core fans to every tom-dick-&-harry with a pulse once Shaq & Kobe got it going was ridiculous.
Every year as the playoffs approached we got to look forward to the freeway covered in these:
A note on the above picture -- the person driving the car was unemployed and behind on child support payments. The love he receives is the love that is saved0 -
81 Needing a ride to Forest Hills and a ounce of weed. Please inquire within. Thanks. Or not. Posts: 58,276F Me In The Brain wrote:A note on the above picture -- the person driving the car was unemployed and behind on child support payments. 81 is now off the air0
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81 wrote:Indifference71 wrote:It is funny how everyone becomes huge fans once a team in their city is playing for a championship. I'm sure the same thing is happening in Boston. Happens everywhere.
go bruins
:nono: :nono:
Why are you so anti-Hawks? I'd think as a Flyers fan, you would be more anti-Bruins.0 -
At least I'm not on the bandwagon. Half season anyway. Championship doesn't really countIndifference71 wrote:0
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