December 31, 2008 Winter Classic putting Chicago
back on the hockey map
[CHICAGO, IL] -- On their road to the
1992 Stanley Cup Finals, the Chicago Blackhawks won 11 post-season
games in a row. They did not win the Cup that season.
If the Hawks win out through the Winter Classic, they will also have
won (a franchise-record) 11 regular-season games in a row. Winning the
Classic will not win them the Stanley Cup either. Forgive the fans who
are just coming back on board if they don't realize this. It's been a
while since they paid attention, and maybe they need a refresher
course.
But this may be the biggest game the Blackhawks have played since that
'92 Cup Final.
Last year, the Blackhawks brought back their base. In one masterstroke
after another, the Hawks put games on TV, rallied to within three
points of the playoffs, and held a sold-out convention in mid-summer.
As one fan said to me at that time, "Josh, we have our dignity back".
Right. That locked in the hardcore hockey fans. All was forgiven.
Then across the off-season, through the pre-season and trickling into
the regular season the Hawks made several curious (but ultimately
correct) moves to better their hockey team. They've rolled out nine
wins in a row. They've swept through eight games against Canadian
teams. One of their goalies hasn't lost in 16 games since the opening
weekend of the season. That's brought back the passionate sports fans
that had either given up on, or never warmed to, hockey. All is
anticipated.
But the Winter Classic brings something else. The Winter Classic is
the one time in the year where this fringe-major sport intersects with
a mainstream audience. The League holds it on New Year's Day because
it knows it has regular people captive at home gearing up to watch
sports, and last year they gambled that a curious public would watch
outdoor hockey in the snow, rather than second-tier Bowl games with
the big Bowl games still in the offing. The League won that bet, and
doubled down when snow showers turned Orchard Park New York into a
young boy's snow globe. All were transfixed.
The Winter Classic thus becomes a big moment on a lot of levels. For
the Hawks, because after 12 years of ineptitude and far more of
mismanagement, the game will mark their official welcome back to the
NHL. For the league, because the game brings them to the national
consciousness. For Chicago, because the game provides an international
audience and shows off how Chicago can do spectacle.
One of my Chicago newspaper colleagues doesn't seem to get all this.
He recently joked that if the Hawks get to Game 7 of the Cup Finals,
the coverage won't exceed the way the Chicago news media has
breathlessly approached this game.
And in one sense, he's right. Win or lose, this game is not the end of
the season.
But in the other sense, he's wrong. This is only the beginning.
There's much more spectacle to come.
Josh
Mora,
a Columnist with TheFourthPeriod.com, is an Anchor and
Blackhawks Reporter with Comcast Sportsnet Chicago.
