Take THAT, Detroit!
From today's Chicago Tribune sports page, on Marian Hossa's reaction to being a Blackhawk:
"It's great to be in a hockey town," said Hossa, who had 40 goals and 31 assists for the Wings last season.
First Hossa- who jumped to the Red Wings last year because he thought it improved his shot at playing for a Stanley Cup champion- leaves after one year and comes to Chicago.
And then he talks about how nice it is to play "in a hockey town."
Does "Hockeytown," as it styles itself, not qualify, Marian?
ADDENDUM: An influential Red Wings blog, Snapshots, has linked to this entry, its author apparently unaware that I'm a Blackhawks fan and that what he seems to have read as a criticism of Hossa's remarks was intended as a good-natured (though perhaps a little too subtle) jibe at both Detroit's pretension in bestowing the name "Hockeytown" upon itself and any assumption its fans may make about being the next Western Conference team to hoist the Cup. Your mothers wear army shoes, guys.
Seriously, though- without denigrating Detroit's devotion to the Wings, its support of hockey in general, and the obvious success its NHL franchise has had over the years- until the late Bill Wirtz almost killed the franchise there Chicago, too, was one of the great hockey cities in North America. Maybe it was even more of a jibe at the ghost of the "Dollar Bill" era than it at Detroit's pretension. Whether or not Detroit is "Hockeytown," it's good that- thanks to Rockey Wirtz and the recently-fired Dale Tallon- Chicago is, indeed, a hockey town once more.
However appropriate or inappropriate Hossa's remark may have been as regards its implications concerning Detroit, his observation about Chicago is right on the money- for the first time in many, many years. For which, huzzah.
Comments
Although the author of Snapshots seems to have missed the point, I'm very much a Hawks fan, born and raised in Chicago. See the addendum to the post.
We've got a lot in common. You had W.W.W. run you into the ground, and are now experiencing the rebirth. We had the same thing back with Jimmy Norris in the '70s, and didn't escape until Mike Ilitch bought the team in 1983. Rocky is smart though, in that he's letting McDonough try to speed things up by letting Scotty (via Stan) take y'all to the next level; it took us a while (suffering through Bryan Murray!) before we got to the best coach in the history of team sports.
As for Hossa, he signed with the Wings for a Cup. Unfortunately, he failed (due mainly, as the MLive.com article pointed out, to injuries not age...). He signed with the Hawks for a payday. And he succeeded, big time. He might also get a Cup sometime in the next 12 years, if the Hawks can figure out a way to get past the Wings, which will continue to be a formidable task, even given the lineup the Hawks have cobbled together.
I look forward to our banter over the next few seasons, Bob! We should try to take in a game together at the UC sometime...
-ghp
The payday undoubtedly was part of it. The job security was doubtless more. But I think he also realizes that the Hawks are a team on the upswing, and I don't think his motivation in joining the Wings can just be explained away as a sudden attack of greed. He sees a Cup here, or two, or three- maybe not next year, but before long.
I'm looking forward to it too, Glenn. We genetic hockey fans are rare south of the border. And I'd love to take in a game at the UC with you!