The Castle of Aaauuuggghhh

King Arthur: [about the inscription on the rock] What does it say, Brother Maynard?
Brother Maynard: It reads, "Here may be found the last words of Joseph of Aramathia. He who is valiant and pure of spirit may find the holy grail in the Castle of Aaauuuggghhh... ”
King Arthur: What?
Brother Maynard: "The Castle of Aaaauuuggghhhh"
Sir Bedevere: What is that?
Brother Maynard: He must have died while carving it.
King Arthur: Oh come on!
Brother Maynard: Well, that's what it says.
King Arthur: Look, if he was dying, he wouldn't have bothered to carve 'Aaaauuuggghhhh'. He'd just say it.
Sir Galahad: Maybe he was dictating it.


The Holy Grail of sports is ours, and, much like the above movie (Monty Python and the Holy Grail), it's been making me smile for days now. I think about what happened and I smile. Just one of those simple, understated, "Life is good" smiles. And I just keep freakin smiling.

I'm not sure you could have written up this whole run any better. Not just this season, but the whole evolution of what Blackhawks hockey represents. The franchise comes from as low as you can be - not just bad, but drive you away bad. I stopped being mad or frustrated - they were so bad, they were so poorly run, that I stopped even caring.

Which is incredible, given that this was a team that in high school, I used to save up to buy playoff tickets for, drive down to the rink in an Astro van packed with way too many guys, and sit in the absolute last row in the biggest arena in hockey for. This was an Original Six franchise in one of the best sports cities, one of the best hockey cities, there is. Their list of legendary players was an impressive one, and included a number of names I grew up with.

Yet, years and years of mismanagement of every single facet of the franchise drove me and pretty much every one else away. Sure you kept an eye on them, you always kinda hoped they'd luck into something, but you didn't have a whole lot of faith. And you also didn't mind too much - given what Dollar Bill had done to this franchise, some part of you didn't want to feel good about the Hawks.

Then the perfect storm hits - the talent they've quietly assembled becomes respectable on ice, offering promise and excitement, just as the evil old man dies and his couldn't-be-more-different son takes over. Rocky makes every single move that the fans had long been demanding and then throws in a few more just for good measure.

So we get back in on the bottom floor - just when Kane and Toews show up, completely live up to the hype, and make the Hawks matter again. But they don't rocket up to storybook levels just yet - as rejuvenating as that first year was in 07-08, the reality is that they weren't even good enough to make a playoffs that features 8 of the 15 teams in their conference.

But that meant we got to grow with them. That meant when they came back the next year and established themselves as not only a playoff team, but an outside Cup contender, we already were knee deep in Hawks passion again. We knew these guys and we knew this team. When they won their first playoff series in almost a decade, we were able to fully appreciate the accomplishment. And then when they reached the Conference Finals for the first time in about 15 years, we were able to relish just how amazing this was.

Then this year, they go from outside contenders to serious favorites. When they posted the third highest point total in the league, a mere point off the top mark in the West, we could dig just how far they'd come. When they outlasted a feisty Preds team we weren't ready for, we were reminded just how tough winning a Cup would be. When they responded to a game one blow-out against the Canucks by winning the next 8 meaningful games against two of the best teams in the Conference, we were able to finally start believing that the Cup dream was actually more than just a dream.

And then the Flyers showed up as the perfect foil - straight out of the movies. A team that demanded every bit of amazingness these Hawks had in em. Every single player had to contribute, every single game, shift, and rush mattered. The Flyers threatened to a level that had you on the absolute edge of your seat, start to finish.

Back and forth they went, all series, all throughout Game 6. Just a handful of minutes away from their destiny, a puck ping-pongs into the perfect place for a heartbreaking goal to tie it. Sudden death overtime on the road, with the Cup so tantalizingly close, yet seemingly equally close is yet another in a long line of Chicago Sports heartbreak.

And wouldn't ya know it, none other than franchise savior Patrick Kane scores the biggest goal in franchise history. And that allows fellow savior Jonathan Toews to be named the MVP just before he's given the Stanley Cup, to be raised for the first time in half a century over the head of a Blackhawk.

So yeah, I haven't stopped smiling. I just feel so great about this franchise, the one I first loved back when I listened to them lose a pair of heartbreaking series to the Oilers and Flames in the late 80s. A franchise who in the early part of the 90s was so stacked with talent, yet just couldn't break through, which only made you commit to them even more.

And I feel great about this current group of guys. Many of whom - Toews, Kane, Seabrook, Sharp, Keith, Buff, Sopel, Bolland, Burish, Fraser, Bickell, Eager, Brouwer, Versteeg, and The Hammer - have been around since things started getting going in 07-08. Many of whom - Ladd, Campbell, Niemi, Huet, Madden, Kopecky, Hossa, and Boynton - I remember exactly when each got brought into the mix.

I love that many of these guys I've championed for a while - The Hammer, Versteeg, Eager, Campbell, and Sopel - making their incredible contributions to the Cup feel that much cooler. But I also love that many of them I've criticized heavily - Buff, Bolland, Brouwer, Kopecky, and yes, Sopel makes this list too - only to eat the best tasting crow of my life.

I love that the stars all lived up to the huge expectations we threw at them. Toews wins the Conn Smythe, Kane scores the Cup winner, and both average over a point a game. Keith's unstoppable motor gains national attention thanks to seven lost teeth. Seabrook and Campbell are the steady, impactful blueliners we needed. Sharp and Hossa are the do-everything impact guys who constantly find a way to make plays whenever they're on the ice.

And I love that the support guys all found their way to contribute. Bolland becomes the lights out shut-down center every Cup winner needs. Versteeg and Buff the contributing offensive forces necessary to supporting the top guys. Brouwer, Kopecky, Ladd, and Bickell are priceless for the energy, tenacity, and grit they bring to the trenches so the stars can skate. The Hammer and Sopel sacrifice every inch of their bodies to save too many game-changing scores. Madden answers the bell on every key face-off and defensive situation. Eager, Burish, and Fraser make every second of their limited ice time count with energy and physicality. Even Boynton and Hendry log just enough minutes to keep the core blueliners fresh.

And the goalies - such a story in the regular season, such a story in the playoffs, and yet for such different reasons. First off, props to Huet, who played well to get this team off to an incredible start and then never once complained when he lost his job - only voicing support for the team, the coach, and his fellow netminder. And Niemi - how great was watching this kid's evolution? He came into the year not even assured of the #2 job, let alone with a thought of being the #1 for a Cup winner. And not just some "good enough" #1, but a guy who in every series took a game or two with huge saves in key moments when his team wasn't playing well in front of him.

I could go on forever about this team - and I will next week, with a player-by-player breakdown. Cause holy balls is it fun to revel in this club.

But for now I'll leave you with WGN 720's call of the final goal - it's a bit halting, a bit weird, but I think that only adds to it - you can truly sense them realizing what just happened. Instead of just reacting to the goal instantly and without much thought, they have a few seconds to actually take in the whole magnitude of what is happening, and they just go ape. The last few seconds are hilarious. Both are out of their minds.

"The Hawks Win The Stanley Cup!"

Man, I freakin love the Hawks.