First, The Chris Chelios heritage night that the fans "booed", when announced. There is a fine line that's been drawn with this subject. Cheli was a deeply loved hometown product that successfully made Hawks fans do something that was unthinkable. Forget Denis Savard. The trade was deeply controversial at the time, but proved to be heavily in the Hawks favor, over the years. Now, Savvy won a cup in Montreal, but he was HARDLY a huge part of that feat. We all know Cheli didn't get another cup until he was cast off to Detoilet. None of these things warrant a "boo" from Chicago fans. He did not ask to be traded to the evil empire, but he also made no effort to repair any hard feelings after he was gone. Chicago was pretty much written off by Chelios, the day he was traded away. He closed up his business and moved it to Detoilet, he moved his family there, and very little was said by our former hometown hero, regarding our great windy city. This is where my problem with Chelios lies. Chicago was cast off like the used up ex girlfriend, and Detoilet was paraded around like the new, hotter trophy girlfriend. Almost as if he was trying to erase his Chicago roots. If we are one thing in Chicago, it's proud. We wear our roots on our sleeves, but don't treat the city and it's fans like they had anything to do with trade that shipped him away. We deeply loved the guy and would have accepted him as a star til the very end, but it didn't work out that way. Rivalry or not, he could have salvaged some Chicago loyalty, but chose not to. FOR THAT, he deserves to be "booed". I don't disagree with the decision to honor him for his service, I just think it's going to be slightly "tongue-in-cheek", and a little uncomfortable.
The second subject at hand is the "beaten to death" Antti Niemi soap opera. Last night, I watched the Sharks and Canucks play on the NHL network. I will fully admit it was a case of the "checking out how the ex girlfriend is doing" syndrome. Niemi was in net and I had to see how he was, without the top defense in the league to bail him out. After watching, I decided that "forehead" was no longer the most appropriate nickname for him (and it IS quite appropriate); "Top Cheese" is now MORE applicable, because that is how the Western Conference is going to be beating him all year long. Of course I wouldn't come to this party sans gifts. In this first clip you see goal number 1, where is he is beat back door. Admittedly, there isn't much a goalie can do on a play like this, but he was late shuffling over. Nonetheless, top cheese goal number 1:
In Top Cheese goal number two, Mason Raymond does a nice little dance to get in front all alone and introduce Mr. Niemi to Backhand Top Cheese.
Aaaaaand in Top Cheese highlight number three, Jeff Tambellini, ye of 18 career goals in 180 games, skates uncontested up the right side and introduces Niemi to a little Glovehand Top Cheese.
Everyone in the Western Conference is going to be watching these highlights, and it's going to be a feeding frenzy. Enjoy sunny San Jose, Antti.
