My only hockey post ever
This sport is the topic for today because "Dollar" Bill Wirtz has just died. For those who don't know, the Wirtz family has owned the Chicago Blackhawks for over half a century, and most of the fans blame him and his crony, Bob Pulford, for the longest Stanley Cup drought in The Minor American Sports League Formerly Known As The NHL.
Needless to say, count me among those dissatisfied with his policies and actions, dating back to his mistreatment of hockey great (and terrible person) Bobby Hull. In no other city does a minor league franchise (the Wolves) have the ability to compete with a major league franchise. For damning evidence, note that the Blackhawks home games are never televised, while the Wolves have EVERY game on cable TV. No other team in the AHL (the Wolves' league, the highest level of minor league hockey) can say that.
Because of Wirtz, I never wear my Blackhawks sweater anymore, and the team's mediocre performances barely register a blip on my personal sports radar. Eventually, I may return to the fandom. It's going to take much more for them to fall back into my father' good graces.
While I'm on hockey, I want to mention something that's bothered me for a few years. The North Stars ripped out the heart of one of the two biggest hockey states in the Union fifteen years ago. The team's fanbase certainly spread to Iowa, and included at least one friend of mine. Why, then, would the Dallas Stars want to twist the knife in the collective wound by trotting out an affiliate franchise with the same name in Des Moines?
My guesses are because some people never care about hockey, some people don't care about hockey anymore, or the Minnesota Wild have sealed the wound for those that still love hockey. (That last sentence was fun to read in my head because I pronounce it "HAW-kee.")
In closing, I shall repeat what has been said by many people for about a decade: get rid of commissioner Gary Bettman.
posted by Gilmore Girls Guy @ 10:50 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Interesting hockey discussion--wasn't sure why the Blackhawks were so out of favor. Of course, I am still puzzled how San Jose cares about the Sharks so much, but I guess it's one of those things where that's the town's sport so they rally around it.
That is exactly why they love them so much. When a town only has one major team to root for, or only one team that has performed well for an extended period of time, the fanbase tends to rally around that team alone. Here are examples I can cite off the top of my head:
Wisconsin and the Packers
St. Louis and the Cardinals
Cleveland and the Indians, while the Browns were gone
San Antonio Spurs
Detroit Red Wings, while the other teams floundered in the '90s
Baltimore Orioles, after the Colts left and before the Ravens and Nationals arrived
Washington Redskins, after the Senators left
The Yankees route to becoming America's team was helped greatly by the NL exodus from NY in 1957. With only one baseball team for millions of people, who else did they have to root for?
The Patriots won at just the right time, since the other New England teams had done nothing for a combined 130 years. That allowed them to jump ahead of the C's and B's in Boston.
As for Chicago, the Blackhawks were the biggest team in town in the '70s, since the baseball teams, the Bears, and the Bulls were mediocre or worse.
I'm sure I'm missing some glaring examples.
Good points.
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