Thank you Sam.

Thank you Dirt.

Thank you McClure.

Thank you GMH.

Thank you Rocky.

Thank you Captain Marvel.

Thank you Kaner.

Thank you Niemi.

Thank you Sharpie.

Thank you to all of our Men of the Four Feathers.

Only the conception, gestation and birth of my daughter were a more impactful and emotional 9 months than the past 9 months that you all have given us, so thank you, thank you, thank you.

No words.

Shameless self promotion here. Vote for me. I am number 4 (Anthony). This is a WSCR contest. Perhaps some of you have heard my calls or emails into the station before. Jay Zawalski has been doing a real good job with postgame during the playoffs. I am just typing most of this as filler because the fanpost has to be at least 75 words long.

Just checked again. 68 words. Seventyfour. Seventyfive.

Playoff Beard Off

Last night the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim defended their pond and sent their series with the Red Wings to a much ballyhooed game 7, which means the Blackhawks and their fans have another day and a half to chew the fat/bite their nails while awaiting an opponent in the Western Conference Finals (it felt real good to type that out). The question put forward is fairly simple. Who would you rather the Blackhawks face...Red Wings or Ducks? Let's look at the 2 predominant arguments I have heard, fer and agin, shall we?

POINT: "TO BE THE BEST, YOU GOTTA BEAT THE BEST."

Let me start by saying that I always find it impossibly hard to argue against a Ric Flair quote. This notion is put forward by those who want to see the spectacle of the Blackhawks and the Red Wings fighting for the Campbell trophy, and it, indeed, is difficult logic to argue against. The Red Wings are the defending Stanley Cup champions. They're the highest seed remaining in the Wester Conference playoffs. They've been atop the NHL lasndscape for far too long and are ripe for the toppling by our oblivious, upstart Hawks. I must say, there is no doubt that from a television standpoint, this would absolutely be the most compelling matchup possible. Beyond the romanticism of an Original 6 team being guaranteed a spot in the finals, which all the NHL crusties would love, the teams are geographic rivals with fanbases who hate each other. Furthermore, this would be far from Grandpa's Original 6 matchup. This would likely be a series of fast, exciting, offensive hockey with a lot of quality scoring chances traded back and forth in every game. The Wings move the puck better than anybody else in the league and the Hawks can  skate all damn night. Plus, the Wings are nice and close. No more long flights to the West coast and no more 9:30 puck drops burdening those of us who work over night or have to get up at a decent hour (you know...like before 10 AM) the next day.

COUNTERPOINT: DO YOU REALLY WANT CREEPY WINGS FANS SNEAKING DEAD OCTOPI INTO THE U.C.?

Seriously? You want to play...them? The Hawks have a legitimate chance to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals and you want the road to go through Detroit? Now is no time to have a little man complex. Put the chips-on-shoulders aside and focus on the real prize - the Cup. Don't be that guy who doesn't care if the Bears go 2-14 as long as the 2 wins are against the Packers. The best "revenge" against the Wings  would be to have this group of Twentysomethings in Chicago still playing hockey in May while clean-shaven Wings exodus en masse from their palacial suburban Detroit estates for golf courses around the world. It might not be an easy pill to swallow, but the Wings have more weapons than the Hawks and are probably a much tougher matchup for the boys of the four feathers. Sure, it would be great to be the ones who send the Wings packing, but doing so will not be nearly as easy as you might think.

---------

POINT: FACING ANAHEIM MEANS HOME ICE ADVANTAGE

Duh. Don't really need to explain that one.

COUNTERPOINT: KIDS DON'T CARE ABOUT HOME COOKING

Let's face it...home ice has not meant a whole lot to the Hawks. They clinched their first round victory in Calgary and took two more wins at GM Place in Vancouver. 3 of their 8 playoff wins have been on the road, which is equal to every other team still alive in the playoffs. Keep in mind that if Anaheim wins game 7 to give the home ice to the Blackhawks, it means that Anaheim just won a game 7 on the road.  Doing so would also mean that 50% of their playoff wins this season were road victories. As nice as home ice is to have it doesn't guarantee anything. Just ask the San Jose Sharks and the New Jersey Devils.

------

Instead of babbling on, I will cut this short and get to my point. It probably doesn't matter who the Hawks face. Think about it. They have defied most of the NHL playoff logic. They take chances on the road. They give up early leads. They take a ton of bad penalties. And yet still, they find themselves having just dispatched the best goaltender left in the playoffs, scoring 7 goals in one game on a beast of a man who didn't give up that many goals in his team's entire first round series. The Blackhawks finished off the Canucks in 6 games while the other 3 semifinal series are all going 7. So we could spend days analyzing who would be "the ideal matchup" for them. Detroit's goaltending is weak, but they can outscore what they give up. Anaheim doesn't have as many weapons, but they are more physical and better in net.

None of that matters, though. All that matters is that right now, the Blackhawks don't seem to give a flying fuck who their opponent is. They are either supremely ignorant or supremely confidant. Either way, the team is built well and playing great and they have proven all playoffs long that they can adapt and adjust as needed to win games, opposition be damned. Just be happy that whichever team the Hawks take on will be on short rest after a long series while our boys have been going to Fergie karaoke night and banging trixies in Lincoln Park all week.

So relax. Don't over-analyze this. There are pros and cons to playing either team, and in the end, most of them will likely not even come into play. Nobody knows what's to come. All we know is that even if they fall flat on their face and get swept in the conference finals, the Blackhawks have proven to the NHL and to the world that they are no longer to be taken lightly and the Stanley Cup is suddenly a very attainable goal in the immediate future.