There are no words..but I’ll try anyways

The photo every kid playing hockey dreams to be a part of

I’m sure that after watching 2 months of scintellating playoff hockey, a number of us have watched the commercials that the NHL has pumped out. There’s a number of History Will be Made commercials that are great, but for my money, the best commercial they’ve put out is the ”No Words” commercial.

On June 9th, 2010, a day that will forever be etched in the memories of Hawks fans, the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 in OT to win their first Stanley Cup in 49 years.

As I try to sum up my feelings, I keep coming back to the title. There really are no words.

My brother and I have been Hawks since we were young enough to know what hockey was. My dad, who spent many years as a young man in Chicago brainwashed us and we’ve been Hawks fans ever since.

Finally, after countless kicks to the groin, heartbreak and just the realization that the organization was being mismanaged, the Blackhawks have reached hockey’s pinnacle.

The way it all happened was bizarre, with Patrick Kane sprinting down the ice past teammates who were wondering “what is he doing? And where is the puck?” towards Antii Niemi who had no idea what was going on. I will never forget that moment. Watching the game at my parents’ place with my dad and my brother and standing (because I couldn’t sit all game) and pacing in the living room will be a memory I'll take with me for a lifetime.

I will remember seeing the Flyers players stopping. I will remember asking my brother “did the puck go out of play? Where is the puck?”. I will remember watching Kane throwing his gloves and stick in the air and then immediately turning to my brother confused asking “did we just win?”. I will remember hugging my brother and dad upon the realization that yes, the Chicago Blackhawks have just won the Stanley Cup. And I will definitely remember the tears welling up in my eyes after watching Jonathan Toews hoisting the Stanley Cup over his head.

I could spend a lot of keystrokes praising everyone who had a hand in making this dream come true for Hawks fans everywhere. Rocky Wirtz. The Q-Stache. And most importantly every single player in that dressing room.

The Stanley Cup is the toughest trophy in professional sports to win. The Playoffs are a 2 month war of attrition, both mentally and phyiscally. To see the heart, resilency and commitment to each other that these players have shown is awesome.

So while I still try to let this all sink in and sum up my feelings, it’s still a bit of a struggle to do so. But there are a few words that do apply. Thank you. Thank you to the Chicago Blackhawks for allowing Blackhawk fans everywhere to share this feeling that we can’t put into words.