I totally became a hockey fan this year. The
turnaround of the Blackhawks franchise is amazing. Previously, the Hawks were a sad franchise in the third largest city despite being one of the original NHL six, with a Cubs-esque championship drought (1961). The new owner signed loads of young talent (Kane, Toews) and finally put all of the games on tv. It's a bit hard to watch hockey on tv, but being able to tune into it is the first step, and the action draws you in. Hopefully the Blackhawks can keep their young foundation together and be a true contender in the years to come. I made a foolish bet for a night's worth of drinks on the outcome of the Hawks-Wings series. For the Finals, I suppose I'm leaning Wings. I was up in Michigan watching the games last week, and it'd be nice to rep the Western conference. Plus back-to-back Cups would give the Hawks something to shoot for. And to be honest, Michigan needs some good news lately. Regardless, it's nice to have two hockey towns in it, rather than a San Jose or Carolina.