Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for bringing home their first cup in almost a half century. It took an extra period of overtime to finally put away those pesky Flyers. The craziest part about the end of this one was the fact that no one knew it was over except Patrick Kane who actually scored the goal. It went right through Leighton's legs from a sharp angle and stuck under the mesh fringe in the side of the net. The refs didn't signal goal, nor did the light come on.
After review, it was clearly in the net and in typical "Philly phasion", the boos rained down as the Hawks began to celebrate. They boo'd Bettman too which I didn't mind so much. Jonathan Toews was awarded the Conn Smythe, for playoff MVP. Kind of a surprise to me since I think there were a few other players on the Hawks a bit more deserving but he is the captain. At 22 years old, he has shown leadership and poise that the Hawks have been lacking for many years. He definitely deserves some credit.
I feel so much better now knowing the Flyers don't get any hardware. It's a peaceful feeling really. I'm not a Hawks fan, nor will I pretend to be like the 75 people running up and down my street right now as I type, shooting off fireworks and blowing air horns (isn't there a noise ordinance?). I am just content to know that one of my teams' bitter rivals is going home empty handed. Not to take anything away from Chicago, though. They played tough and hung in there with everything Philly had for them. While Niemi has certainly not been stellar, he made the saves when he needed to.
Again, Congrats to the Hawks, their fans, and their organization. Victory is certainly sweet.
