OT - Blackhawks Playoff Win

but I can only imagine what it was like.

Go Hawks!

I’m trying to figure something out. I heard that a Chicago athlete got booed loudly at the game, do you know the player they were talking about?

…however TV is only a part of it. Because the media cites that time and time again its going to be widely believed. You should know that, you’re in the media. You know all too well the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

There are many reasons and TV is one of them and certainly not the sole reason. It’s an important cog but if they just put games on TV and these other events didn’t happen, no way is the turn-around done nearly as quickly; not even close. It likely wouldn’t occur at all.

Accountability at all levels, hiring of Scotty Bowman (this is huge), the release of Savvy/hiring of Q (which BTW was not Dale’s doing) are major contributors. And I can’t stress this enough: The first move was to reassign Bob Pulford. You have no idea how that changed the organizations’ complexion. And it was done before any TV announcement.

Rocky made this happen. If Peter took over – which was widely believed and rumored shortly after Bill’s passing – it would have been business as usual.

They came right out and proclaimed the goal is the CUP. The “One Goal” slogan isn’t just a catch phrase, it’s the destination. I haven’t seen that in over 20 years. Previously, there were always 1 or 2 folks higher up with their own agenda. I’ll just say you’d be amazed if you knew what happened behind the scenes in management involving Mike Keenan, Darryl Sutter, Bob Murray, Dirk Graham, Brian Sutter and Denis Savard.

They marketed the team like it’s never been marketed it before. For years, the marketing campaign involved around, “…call Mildred…”

They showed commitment to spend money (whether its all wise money or not is a debate for another time) and now are at the top of the 2008-2009 $56.7M cap.

They mended fences with the former players and Pat Foley run out of there the past 37 years.

So if you think only the new TV policy got the fans back, so be it; but you’d be misguided.

2 down, 2 to go

Its easier to follow baseball on radio and post than hockey at least for me.

Sometimes I couldn’t keep up with a Cubs game thread. I wouldn’t even know how to do that for a ’Hawks game.

But since I’m either at 1901 W. Madison or watching on hi-def, suffice to say I won’t be on any game thread any time soon.

In fact since hi-def finally arrived in my home last fall, and now I’ve had the chance to see the Cubbies in hi-def too, I’m almost certain to be glued to the TV for Cubs games just like ’Hawks games.

All I can focus on right now is the ’Hawks getting out the gate quickly and neutralizing the Flames attack in game 3. The longer they can hold the Flames at bay the better. Patience will be rewarding this young team yet again if they can control the tempo.