Reflections on Covering the Stanley Cup Final

As most of you know, I recently had the privilege of receiving a media credential from the NHL for the Stanley Cup Final, and I was fortunate enough to witness the Chicago Blackhawks clinch the championship on home ice for the first time in 78 years.

I’ve obviously written extensively about what the championship means to the team, and I’m sure I’ll have plenty more thoughts on where the squad goes from here, but at the behest of a good friend of mine, I’m going to take a more personal track with this particular blog post.

To set the scene, she (you’ll know her on Twitter as the incredible @schatzipage) asked me what it was like to be at the arena for the three games that the Blackhawks played at the United Center during the Final, and I figured that instead of giving her a direct message with a partial thought on the matter, I would allow myself the freedom and the space to fully describe the experience.

First and foremost, there was a sense of incredible validation for the work that I have put in over the years. Whether it was with Bruce Hollingdrake at The Hockey Writers, or with Christopher Ralph at Paint it Blackhawks, or with my current job at NBC Chicago, I have been writing about the Blackhawks for the better part of six years now, and to be in the building for such a momentous series in the history of the franchise felt like a reward for all of that hard work that led to this moment.

Aside from the rewarding aspect of it, there was also the sense of awe as I looked around the press room. I am well aware of the bum rap that media members get at times, but when I look at a group that includes Pierre LeBrun, Bob Verdi, and a host of other incredibly talented writers and reporters, I can’t help but feel that I have no place at that table. These guys are rock stars in my eyes, and I have to admit that I was a bit starstruck.

That feeling did pass eventually, and it was replaced by one of motivation and determination. Using the knowledge of how hard I’ve worked to get to this point, I chose to look at this more as a stepping stone than as something that I didn’t feel worthy of, and it has strengthened my resolve to become a better writer and reporter, and I hope that you all see the fruits of those labors over the coming months and years as my career continues.

Of course, I would be lying if I said that I didn’t take every chance I could to step back and take in the spectacle of the event itself. Seeing the city embrace the team, hearing the roar of the arena as goals were scored and as Jim Cornelison sang the national anthem, and just being around these players as they fought tooth and nail for a goal that they have been going after ever since they were kids were all things that I’m never going to forget, and I hope that the photographic and video records of these experiences will be enough to trigger those memories that I made while in that building.

There is one experience that kind of sums that up perfectly, if you’ll indulge the anecdote. Following Game 4 of the series, the Blackhawks had just tied things up and were justifiably jubilant about doing so. Jonathan Toews and Brandon Saad were in the media room to do their interviews, and I naturally wanted to ask a question so that I could write up a story for NBC.

What follows perfectly illustrates how I feel in having played a small part in the narrative of this series. When I asked my question, I obviously got the answer I needed to write a post about Saad’s role on the team, but I got a lot more than that. First, my wife said she heard me ask the question on CSN Chicago’s postgame coverage. Then my buddy DJ said that he heard me ask the question on ESPN 1000 following the game. Finally, the Blackhawks’ Snapchat account just so happened to capture the moment that Saad was answering my question, with my big goofy head taking up the bottom portion of the screen.

That’s when it hit me that this was more than just simply doing my job as a reporter. I was part of something much bigger than myself, and I am deeply grateful to have gotten this opportunity.

I think that ultimately is going to be my biggest takeaway from the entire experience. Meeting and reconnecting with all sorts of different writers was cool. Getting the validation that this particular press pass came with was deeply appreciated. Beyond all of that, just playing a bit part in the bigger drama of the Stanley Cup Final is something that I will always feel profoundly lucky for, and I’m going to savor every memory that I possess.

Even Dream Jobs Have Their Challenges

Author’s Note:

I was originally going to write this post last Thursday when these events took place, but I ended up putting it on the backburner because of all the other writing that I had to do. Last night at the softball game I was covering, however, something happened that hammered home that I needed to write this blog.

Brian's Song: Thoughts on Urlacher's Departure from Chicago

There haven’t been a lot of times in my life as a Chicago sports fan where a truly paradigm shifting athlete has been let go by a team I love. Jeremy Roenick getting traded by the Blackhawks was one of those moments. The Cubs letting Kerry Wood leave was another. On Thursday, another roster move made its way into that rarified air, as the Bears announced that they would not be bringing back Brian Urlacher.

Ever since the Bears drafted him in 2000, it has been an absolute joy watching him play football. Whether it was his penchant for interrupting plays with his lightning quick reflexes, or his touchdown that he scored on a fake field goal against the Washington Redskins, or even that image of him hoisting the NFC Championship trophy at a snowy Soldier Field, there are so many memories that I will carry of Urlacher even after today’s announcements.

Despite these big time moments in my sports viewing life, this is a day that I will remember with more acceptance than either of the two other moves I mentioned in the opening to this post. When Roenick was dealt by the Blackhawks, it was just another reminder that “Dollar Bill” Wirtz was out to only make a quick buck and didn’t give a flying crap about Hawks fans, so there was plenty of animosity there. When the Cubs announced that they weren’t bringing back Wood, despite his expressing a desire to stay, it amounted to much the same thing: looking at an organization whom I felt was being disloyal to someone who embodied what fans feel about their role with the franchise: undying loyalty to Cubbie blue.

With Urlacher, however, the emotions I’m feeling are way less ones of anger and more of “well, it’s about time.” Urlacher’s frequent injuries and random attacks against fans and the media had me fed up with him to a degree, so today’s announcement is viewed more through a prism of what is good for the football team, as opposed to “what does this mean for me as a fan?”

Would it have been nice to see Brian retire as a Chicago Bear? Absolutely, but the fact of the matter is that Urlacher wasn’t destined to go out on top like Ray Lewis did with the Baltimore Ravens this year. Instead, he was going to be a much less vital cog in a brand new system that Marc Trestman and company will be employing this year, and to watch him be an after-thought instead of one of the greatest middle linebackers in league history is insulting not only to him, but also to the memories that I hold in my heart of #54.

Even though it will be incredibly odd to see Urlacher running onto the field next year, whether it’s Minneapolis or Seattle, the memories I have of his 13 years with the Bears will remain fond. They could have easily been jaded and dampened, just like Michael Jordan’s were during his ill-advised comeback attempt with the Washington Wizards, but instead he will join the pantheon of guys like Ryne Sandberg and so many others who I view favorably as I continue to get a bit more gray hair on my scalp.

Good luck to you Brian, and I look forward to seeing you continue your career, even though it won’t be in the Windy City. 

The Hockey Writers: Thoughts on Joel Quenneville

As an unabashed Blackhawks fan in my personal hockey life, I am still in a state of shock at the team's recent losing streak, as well as the rumors flying about the possible firing of Joel Quenneville.

As a hockey columnist for The Hockey Writers, I take a more neutral viewpoint of the situation, focusing not on what Quenneville has meant to me as a Hawks fan, but instead where he will end up should Chicago can him.

You can check that out at this link: http://thehockeywriters.com/if-blackhawks-can-quenneville-where-will-he-land/

The Sports Bank: A Look at Some Cubs Prospects

I took a look at some of the prospects that President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein and General Manager Jed Hoyer have to work with in the Cubs' minor league system today over at The Sports Bank. I focused on position players today, and will have a post up about some pitchers on the rise tomorrow.

I'm also working on getting another post up at either The Hockey Writers or The Golf Writers, but nothing definitive yet. See, that's the beauty of the blog: I don't always have to have the answers. :)

http://www.thesportsbank.net/basewars-chicago-cubs/plenty-of-depth-lack-of-pizzazz-defines-cubs-farm-system/

Introducing the Blog

Since I'm an incredibly lazy person with little money or initiative, I decided that instead of going through the hassle of buying a domain name and setting everything up with great care, I was going to set up a Blogspot account and post some stuff on here.

The only question worth asking here, of course, is what you can expect here. As you probably know, I write for a bunch of different websites, so I'll be posting the links here to those pieces, along with a little background information if the situation calls for it. I'll also be posting some unique stuff on here, whether it's a travelogue, a movie or book review, or something political that will likely get me ostracized from most of my circles of friends.

Unfortunately, I don't have much to write about tonight, but with the weekend ahead of us, I'm sure that I'll get serious about this and post some stuff. Until then, au revoir, and thanks for stopping by what hopefully is the start of a really cool side project.