A Date At The Duck Pond For The Blackhawks

Tommie Lee
May 14, 2015
3 min read

We’re home. Yeah I know: The team starts on the road…but we’re home, Hawks fans.

For five of the last seven years Chicago has played in the Western Conference Final. This, in fact, is our third straight trip to the last series in the West.

Think about that. Five Conference Finals. Two Cups. So much glory after so many lean years.

The trip to the WCF hasn’t always been kind, though. Before we won the Cup in ’10, we had to drop that heartcrusher of a series against Detroit in five games in ’09. And we all remember The Revenge of the Kings last year. That brutal overtime Game Seven loss on the United Center ice. Martinez getting the better of Crawford. There was little solace in the fact that we lost to the eventual Cup Champs last year. Let’s be honest: There wasn’t any damn solace at all.

But now we have a table set for four, and it’s time to get down to the business. Time to see who gets to hoist the ultimate trophy in sports. It’s almost time to play Finale de la Coupe Stanley.

Over in the East, the Rangers finally out-slugged Ovi and the Capitals in a Game 7, with Overtime. I don’t care who the teams are: You watch a Game 7 Overtime. It’s always great hockey. New York faces the curious and unpredictable Tampa Bay Lightning, and the story line to enjoy there is the return to his former haunt by one Martin St. Louis.

In the important Conference…after what feels like a month off…Chicago faces #1 Pacific Seed Anaheim.

Yep. Anaheim. We wanted the Flames. Oh how we wanted the Flames to pull that series off. Calgary would have been a far easier road to the Final for Chicago. No pushover, but a team we matched up with really well in every aspect.

Instead, we get Anaheim. The team that has won it all exactly once, but it wasn’t that long ago (2007). They may not be those Ducks of old (see: Teemu Selanne), but they are still dangerous. There’s a reason they make the postseason every year. They’re formidable, determined, and they play very smart hockey. In the regular season series they beat us once in our house and we beat them twice in theirs.

Chicago and Anaheim charge in after skating through the opening rounds without much trouble. The Blackhawks lost two games in the first round, and swept the second. The Ducks lost one game to Calgary in the second round, and swept Winnipeg in the first. Ryan Kesler of the Ducks told the media that Chicago is “a good team, fast team…a beatable team though.” And he’s right.

The teams are somewhat evenly matched. You could argue (and should) that we have the bigger, faster forwards. Our goalie is far more stingy. But their power play is awfully stout and will make our killers work hard. And defensively…both teams have their weaknesses and strengths.

We wanted Calgary. Then again, we didn’t want to face Minnesota, either. And we ended up breaking out the brooms. Who’s to say it couldn’t happen again?

Here’s the plan, as of Thursday morning. All times are Eastern because that’s where I watch the games from:

Game 1 is Sunday afternoon (5/17) at 3:00pm, at the Honda Center in Anaheim. NBC will have it.

Game 2 is Tuesday (5/19) at 9:00pm, in Anaheim, on NBCSN. I will be sleepy on my radio show Wednesday.

Game 3 is Thursday (5/21) at 8:00pm at the United Center, again on NBCSN.

Game 4 is Saturday night (5/23) at 8:00pm in Chicago on NBC.

Game 5 (if needed) on Monday (5/25) at 9:00pm in Anaheim on NBCSN.

Game 6 (if needed) on Wednesday (5/27) at 8:00pm in Chicago on NBCSN.

Game 7 (if needed) on Saturday (5/30) in Anaheim. That would tentatively be another 8:00pm on NBCSN.

Keep growing those beards and prepare for glory!

Go Hawks!