The giddy laughter of Jonathan Toews when he took the Cup from Commissioner Gary Bettman said it all. The tears from Jeremy Roenick, who played for the Blackhawks and never won a Cup, tell the story.
I love the NFL. Major League Baseball is fun. The NBA Finals are fantastic.
They’re not the Stanley Cup Finals, though. No other playoff series is as tough as the NHL’s. The regular season is pretty boring. Too many tie games that go to shootouts. Too many teams that don’t matter. You hope your team makes the playoffs, and then the real fun starts.
The NHL playoffs are a grind. They’re a test beyond imagination.
But the payoff, oh the payoff. The greatest trophy in sports and the greatest celebration. I mean, I knew maybe four of the Blackhawks that hoisted that thing over their heads, but it didn’t matter, right down to the trainer that put it over his head, the joy is unmatched. If you don’t get goosebumps, you don’t get it.
The views and opinions in the Enterprise blogs are those of the author and are not neccessarily shared by Falmouth Publishing.
