Now that the Chicago Blackhawks have reached their first Stanley Cup since well, the last time was so long ago I wasn’t even interested in girls yet, the already crowded bandwagon is about to become to OVERLOADED. On Sunday the Hawks swept the “best team” in the NHL, the one-seeded San Jose Sharks, to qualify for their first final since 1992.
The city will soon be even more abuzz, meaning more annoying neophytes will do and say things like the WGN anchor who said on air, “I know how to spell Byufglien, it’s spelled like “bah-fuug-lee-in…he he he.”
Yes, they’re going to come out of the woodwork next week. But I’m actually here to help you inauthentic Hawks fans. Here’s four videos (two songs) you MUST become familiar with, before you start talking hockey with anyone. And a little primer on each.
Consider this your cheat sheet.
Of all the cheesy bubble gum pop songs that double as official team anthems. “Here come the Hawks” is BY FAR the best in the city. “Go Cubs Go” and “Go Go White Sox” suck royally be comparison. It was recorded in the 1960s, during the franchise’s most glorious of days. The Hawks have not won it all since 1961. The Cubs since ’08 (yes, I know you’ve heard that 569, 235, 234 times. Northwestern has never been to the NCAA Tournament, nor won a bowl game since 1949, but I’ll stop there, after all this is supposed to be a joyous occassion.
Next we move on the Hawks’ official goal-scoring song. You know it as “that Amstel Light commercial..do de do da de do de do de do do de do do dah de do de do….One Dam good beer.” I know it just as “Chelsea Dagger” by the Scotch rock band The Fratellis. I own the album and know all the words to the song, not just the chorus. 99.999% of Hawks fans just know the chorus. What I know makes me cool…ok not really, I didn’t believe that statement when I typed it either.
But any Chicago sports bar worth it’s salt, (or pepper or tabasco sauce for that matter) WILL aply this song loudly whenever the Hawks score.
In 2008-09, I had media creds for most of the Hawks’ regular season and all three rounds of the playoffs. It was pretty awesome, and I saw this video, their pregame intro more times than I can count. It still never gets old. It depicts Chicago as what it would like if it were featured in the mid 90s film “The Day after tomorrow,” and features a few hockey villains that I assume are the grown up version of those kids in the Kevin Smith film “Dogma.”
I still get goosebumps at the final portion when the team skates down Madison St in front of the roaring fans.
It’s the 2009-10 hit the ice intro video. Highlights include Capt Toews giving the “let’s go out and kick some azz” nod to his teammates, and coach Joel Quenneville (played here by actor Denis Farina…wait, no that actually is Quenneville? Really?) drawing up the Xs and Os on a map of Chicago. I plan on making both gestures in front of my Sports Bank subordinates when they arrive in Chicago for the second annual TSB summitt next month.
Cool stuff.