Originally published October 1, 2010
I live in Downers Grove, a suburb of Chicago, and I am blessed with a family who loves to watch sports.
Personally, sports have never been my thing, but by default I am a Bears fan, a Cubs fan and most importantly, a Blackhawks fan.
Growing up, if there was a game for any of the Chicago sports (excluding the White Sox), it would be on our living room TV whether or not anyone was watching. This created a subtle, but strong Chicago pride within my family.
My older brother played hockey with a club team during high school, which meant my little sister and I were at every single game. Even though I never understood many of the rules and referee calls, I developed a respect for the sport.
Last June when the Stanley cup playoffs rolled around, our Chicago pride was evident, extended family was invited over to watch the games and plans were cancelled to relax in front of the T.V. Needless to say, we were all proud to be Hawks fans.
Not only were we proud, but we have been fans from the beginning, not bandwagon fans.
From flags to car details, Chicago was all about the Hawks. Blackhawk silly bandz were even made to support our Stanley cup Champions. For the first time in a long time, black and red coated the city.
To add to the fun, over the summer the Chicago Tribune created a “Flat Stanley Cup,” which is a drawn Stanley Cup that you could print out.
The idea of the “Flat Stanley Cup” is nearly identical to that of the children’s book “Flat Stanley.”
Blackhawk fans were encouraged to print out the Stanley Cup and take pictures with it during their travels.
From 50-year-old men to families of five, many people sent their “Flat Stanley Cup” pictures and memories to the Chicago Tribune. Needless to say, the excitement of winning the Stanley Cup was all over the Chicago land area.
With pre-season beginning this week, I am eager to see how much of the Blackhawk pride will be resurrected. I wouldn’t be surprised if the team starts off poorly this season, many of the fans they gained in the summer would stop tuning in to watch the Chicago team on ice.
I know this loss of team supporters after a major championship or a successful season happens to a lot of teams, especially if they aren’t as strong as the season before.
Regardless of the skate the Blackhawks start off on, I can assure you that as fans my family is not going anywhere. My brother is so excited for the Hawks season to begin that he has made a countdown calendar until the beginning of the season.
No matter where those bandwagon fans go, come October, I know my family at home will be settling down for a sport we love.
