Unfortunately, I got too swamped with work to work out the details. I'm incredibly disappointed I won't be joining them.
I would have liked to experience a Blackhawks game at the United Center. The resurgence of the team, not necessarily in the standings, but as an important part of the city's fabric once again, has been a thrill to follow. Every time a Blackhawks press release lands in my inbox at work, more often than not, it contains something that makes me smile.
Home games on television. Bringing legends Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull back into the fold. A sold-out fan convention -- the first of its kind -- scheduled for the summer.
Prior to Friday's Sharks-Hawks game, Chicago honored Mikita and Hull before a number of former players and a stuffed-to-the-gills United Center crowd. Watching the legends come onto the ice and the ovations from the crowd were enough to give me chills. And, remember, I'm not a Blackhawks fan. I can only imagine what a great feeling it must be to those who are.
Even the introduction of owner Rocky Wirtz, who took over the team when his father, William, passed before the season, drew cheers. One fan in the stands, clad in his team's colors, offered a "We're not worthy!" bow as Wirtz spoke.
One of the best moments of the evening, however, had to be the ceremonial faceoff, with Hull and Mikita dropping pucks before former Hawk Jeremy Roenick and rookie star Jonathan Toews. It was an image perfectly symbolic of how this franchise has turned around, with Roenick and Toews serving as the bookends to an era many would like to forget.
Given the reaction and roar from the hometown fans, it is fair to say they already have.
