Hands down, Chicago Blackhawks forward Adam Burish is the best soundbite in the city. In a world of “we’re just working hard,” “focusing on ourselves right now,” and “just need to play our game,” his golden quotes glitter even more brightly. So when I saw his table at Stanley Cup Final Media Day, I made sure to follow up with him on a provocative question asked of Burish at the second annual Hawks Fan Convention last summer.
“I said some stupid stuff, yep,” Burish said of the session. Of course, from a media perspective it was pure brilliance.
The topic was hockey groupies and Burish was asked “What do you do when a fan approaches you and tries to make out with you?”
By Paul M. Banks
Burish half-jokingly (or perhaps not jokingly at all) responded, “What does she look like?” and then further elaborated:
“There’s some crazy female fans, you see them when you’re on the road, but I have to give some of these girls some credit, because they know what time you’re getting in. I don’t know what time practice is half the time, but they know. They know what time I’m getting in, they know where practice is.
They know things about my Mom, my sister that I don’t even know. But whatever, it’s cool, it’s funny. These girls aren’t doing any harm, they’re not disrespecting anybody. Except for the ones that are knocking down your door at 4 in the morning,” Burish said regarding the Elisha Cuthbert wannabes of the world.
So what about now? Being in the Stanley Cup means these even more women, acting in more aggressive ways, right?
“Yeah, there’s a few more women wanting things from ya, wanting a date, or wanting some tickets. I’ve had some old girlfriends I haven’t talked to in years, all of a sudden tell me they’re big Blackhawks fans now. Yeah sure you are, you didn’t even know what hockey is, and now they all want tickets. The groupies are there, so I won’t lie to you, but maybe when the season is done I’ll share some of the better stories with ya,” the former Wisconsin Badger told me at Stanley Cup Media Day.
But it isn’t just women and/or “jersey-chasers” that adore Burish; and his Hawks teammates these days. Everywhere he goes in Chicago, he has numerous admirers of all sorts.
“It’s bizarre. I was at the Cubs game yesterday with my sister and some of her friends, and the whole game people would come up and they want pictures and autographs. And as I walked out, the whole section behind us stood up and started clapping,” Burish reported.
“Obviously, my sister told me you’re not that cool. Don’t start thinking you’re sweet here. But you walk down the street and people stop. You go out for dinner and people are all around. And it’s really cool. More so because it wasnt like this two years ago, it wasn’t a big deal.”
“And now, this team and these guys are a big deal aroudn town. And I’m excited because it’s a fun group to be around, and the guys in this room worked hard and they deserve it, and they’re enjoying it,” Burish articulated.
Game one of the Finals commences 7pm CT Saturday May 29th.