why i've been rooting for the blackhawks

A little background:

In 2005, living in Chicago for the first time, I rooted for the White Sox in the World Series.

In 2007, I rooted against the Bears in the Super Bowl.

In 2010, I've been rooting for the Blackhawks.

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Of course the first thing that should be noted, is that rooting doesn't impact the game, and no one else cares who I'm rooting for, so why spend another second thinking about it.

Let's put that aside though.

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When I moved to Chicago I would get asked, Cubs or White Sox? And I would reply, neither.

I've been to both stadiums. Wrigley is a better experience. Both games bored me. Still, I don't like the Cubs and was happy when Bartman happened.

When the White Sox rolled into the World Series in 2005, there was this notion that I was now a Chicagoan and I could identify with the White Sox. And I was happy for Matt, a life-long Sox fan.

So on the Wednesday in October 2005 when the White Sox swept the Astros, I stayed up to watch the win. I walked the streets of Chicago at 11pm and even in the Gold Coast, cars were honking and waving flags and feeling good.

And I felt nothing. I knew that this was not my team. I was happy for Matt and that was it.

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By 2007, the Bears were riding Rex Grossman to the promised land. This time I was dead set against the local team. Probably because I have such strong feelings for my team in the NFL, seeing any other team exalted by an entire city was too much for me. I couldn't be happy for my friends. I didn't want them to win a Super Bowl and have me sitting there with a 2-14 team. I sort of felt bad for not wanting my friends to win, but not bad enough to change my interests.

And when Grossman threw a pick six, clinching the game for the Colts, I actually felt more than I did when the White Sox won.

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And now just a few years later, another Chicago team is on the brink of a championship.

I've been to two Blackhawk games: 1-13-06 vs Crosby and the Penguins. And 3-12-06 vs the Red Wings. Both times I was there I was rooting for the Blackhawks. Although, the hardest I cheered was for the Big Mac Minute, which never happens!

Never having any NHL affiliation, it was easy to pull for the local team now. But I didn't really care. They weren't very good, and I certainly didn't follow them throughout the year.

By 2010, anticipating a move to Denver, I actually started following the Avalanche-Sharks series on ESPN.com. Though I wasn't too invested/upset when Colorado lost, but still that was the team that I cared the most about.

And then the Blackhawks landed in the Finals against the Flyers. And again, I didn't really feel connected to the team.

So it was really more about my friends. (Although, it's not like I saw them watching or wearing Blackhawks red before last year's playoff run.)

And I know that if, God willing, the Chiefs ever make it to the Super Bowl, I want my friends to be watching, hoping they pull it out for me. Of course currently, in that event, there's a 12.5% chance that they'd be playing the Lions or Bears, and then all bets are off anyways.