No shortage of material for Blackhawks book
As the Blackhawks keep winning, Tab Bamford keeps cheering - and writing. Since the November 2011 release of Bamford's original "100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die," the Blackhawks have won another Stanley Cup, come within a bounce of playing in another Cup finals, played the first NHL game at Soldier Field and seen their once almost nonexistent media coverage continue to evolve.
Raised in the western suburbs, where he still calls home, Bamford is the owner and managing editor of CommittedIndians.com, serves as a columnist for The Fourth Period and contributes a featured blog at ChicagoNow.com. A graduate of Hinsdale Central High School and Taylor University in Indiana, the author talked with the Daily Herald about his revised and updated book on the franchise.
Q. How much new material is in the book?
A. I'd say maybe 30 percent of it. The most recent Stanley Cup victory (in 2013) is included, and obviously so much has changed in the careers of guys like (Jonathan) Toews, (Patrick) Kane, (Duncan) Keith and (Brent) Seabrook. Just by the nature of having three more years under their belt, they've climbed the career ranks both in the NHL and with the Blackhawks. People didn't think winning a Cup (in 2010) was possible with a bunch of guys in their late teens and early 20s, and now they've done it twice. Keith has won another Norris Trophy. Toews has won a Selke (Trophy). There have just been a lot of individual accolades to add (to the book).
Q. With so much new and updated material, in sticking with the book title of "100 Things," what had to be cut?
A. That was the tough thing, finding some things that, in theory, became less relevant or newsy than they were before. You could probably come up with 100 things to know about the Blackhawks just since Rocky Wirtz took over. Joel Quenneville is another guy whose place of prominence in the organization's history has changed dramatically over the last three years as well. Some things moved up in prominence and I bumped a few things down.
Q. In your Acknowledgments, you mention our late colleague at the Daily Herald, Tim Sassone, who covered the Blackhawks for 25 years. Can you talk about his influence?
A. Full disclosure: I'm almost 35. So for the lion's share of my life, my days as a hockey fan began with a bowl of cereal and Tim's notes on what the Hawks had done either the night before or in recent days. It was tough for fans to hear that he had passed because his voice over that breakfast table for a lot of folks was really the connection to the Hawks. Even through the dark years, when you didn't have media coverage and some media outlets in town wouldn't give them the time of day, he was always there. ... I would have done a complete disservice to the book if he wasn't mentioned.
Q. What has the reaction to the book been from Blackhawks fans?
A. It's been great. Even when (the Blackhawks) were first-round (playoff) exits two years in a row (2011, 2012), I still had people who were reaching out to me, asking if they could get a signed copy, or letting me know that they appreciated it. I get updates from people. ... Really, the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
Q. There are 256 pages in the book, which is filled with loads of information. While interacting with players and coaches, what nuggets did you learn about your favorite team?
A. I had a great conversation with Jonathan Toews about (Denis) Savard and what he meant as a mentor to him and Kane when they were just coming into the league. ... I have covered a lot of different sports in Chicago and outside of Chicago, and hockey players are without parallel. They're, for the most part, the classiest bunch of professional athletes and gentlemen. ... (Toews) gave a lot of credit to Savard and (Dale) Tallon. (They) were guys that had played in the league, knew what it was like to be a young kid in Chicago and knew exactly what a young player that had superstar potential needed.