may as well

Flames are out, and so am I. After a lifetime of service to the Flames it is time to move on. They have caused to much heartache and fall short to often for a guy like me. This change wont be easy, but i feel its the right thing to do. I have been a flames fan my whole life, it started with my dad being flames fans and i naturally followed his path. But now, at the tender age of 19 am choosing my own team to cheer for year in and year out. A lot of thought went into what team to choose. My initial pick was the penguins…and even though they’re are the most exciting team to watch, i just cant cheer for a team so popular. So i decided to make a list of all the teams in the NHL and go through each one and eliminate all but one team. It started off easy. Quickly scratch the teams i hate….Toronto, Vancouver, Colorado, Minnesota, Edmonton, and Detroit. Then there are a few teams i don’t think should even have NHL franchises, Tampa Bay, Florida, Phoenix, and Dallas. Then i just decided that it would be hard to cheer for a team who would compete with the Flames for a playoffs spot…so i scratched off the Western Conference. It worked my way down to a few teams…the finalists were Philadelphia, New York Islanders, and Chicago Blackhawks. Now you might be asking why those teams? but i have good reason for all three. First of all, Philly is home to my favourite sandwich “The Philly Cheesesteak” but They also have some great young players like Gagne, Carter, and Pitkanen, and future “superstar” Steve Downey. The New York Islanders made my list for a more simple reason, in the last game of the 06-07 regular season they beat the New Jersey Devils meaning that the Toronto Maple Leafs would not make the playoffs agian. The Chicago Blackhawks, everyone talks about the Pens having a bright future, but what about the Hawks? Toews, Seabrook, Barker. Three future superstars. Not to mention the stars they already have in Havlat and Ruutu. So it comes down to three teams…..and my final choice?….The Blackhawks. The Chicago Blackhawks are the team of the future for me, and for a few reason, no one else likes them, and they are going to be a solid team in a few years. Just you watch.

So hopefuly Doug doesnt kill me when he reads this, and the 07-08 season will be one for the ages. My first season on my own. A new team and a new season with one of the best young players in the world, Jonathan Toews for the Calder.

Go Hawks Go.