If you are a Chicago Blackhawk fan over the age of 45, you no doubt remember the year 1971.  That's when the Montreal Canadiens handed the Blackhawks the most crushing defeat of a Chicago sports team in my lifetime.  Even the game four of the 1983 ALCS and Super Bowl 41 (which included the double indignity of losing to a bunch of Hoosiers) could not compare to the heartbreak of a ten year-old listening to Lloyd Pettit on a transistor radio as the Hawks lost a 2-1 lead and then the cup 3-2 to Montreal in game seven at the Chicago Stadium. 

To this day, I cannot view an image of Henri Richard, Jean Bellevue or Jacques Lamarre on TV without breaking into a long stream of profanity.

I have heard the snot nosed punks say that the past doesn't matter, but to me it does because I was there and my heart was broken. In 1973, it was Montreal in six.  In 1992, Pittsburgh in four.  So, it's not like I haven't been to this dance before.  And I am so wary of the Flyers.

This is a team that doesn't quit, even down three games to none.  This is a team that has kryptonite for Dustin Byfuglien's Superman act.  This is a team that can shoot, score and skate with the Hawks.  Anyone who thinks the Hawks dodged a bullet by getting the seventh seed in the east is just kidding themselves.

Simon Gagne, Mike Richards, Claude Giroux and Daniel Briere are pretty formidable opponents.  For every Ben Egar or Adam Burish, there is a Scott Hartnell.  for every Antti Niemi a Michael Leighton. 

The two teams are erily similar with Philly getting the tough advantage and the Hawks getting a slight speed advantage.  And unlike Joe Thornton and Joe Pevelski, these guys plan on showing up for their series.

I don't know what is going to happen in this series.  I like the Hawks chances, but Philly has been a team of destiny this entire playoff season.  While it's true the hawks can skate with anyone, they still make a lot of youthful mistakes, turn the puck over too much and allow too many opposition skaters to get in behind their back line.  Hopefully, these problems have been addressed and the Hawks will do what no Hawks team has done since Bobby and Stash were manning the front lines in the 60's: Bring home Lord Stanley's Cup.

Go get 'em boys.

One final thought.  During game four of the San Jose series, I saw a simple sign held by a fan in the upper tank that said "THANK YOU ROCKY" in tribute to the Hawks owner who exorcized his father's demons and positioned this franchise to be proud again.  I echo those sentiments and if the Hawks win the cup, Rocky Wirtz ought to be the first guy to get to handle it.