Chicago Blackhawks congratulate Chicago Cubs
As soon as the Chicago Cubs won the World Series on Wednesday night, Chicago Blackhawks goalie Scott Darling picked up the phone and called the biggest fan he knows:
His dad.
"I could just hear it in his voice; he was so happy," Darling said. "He felt blessed that he got to see it.
"I thought it was cool when he said, 'I never thought I'd see the Blackhawks win let alone the Cubs win.' So it's been some good years."
Darling, who attended Game 4 at Wrigley Field, couldn't believe it when the Cleveland Indians tied Game 7 at 6-6 in the eighth inning. At that point, the stress level for the 27-year-old Lemont native reached a level similar to Game 6 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final when the Hawks beat the Lightning 2-0 at the United Center.
"I think that was a little bit more stressful for me, but it was close," Darling said. "The rain delay (in Game 7) might have been the best thing that ever happened to us.
"It was a great game. I'm so happy for those guys. I'm just happy for the city."
As is Jonathan Toews, who also attended Game 4 and didn't miss seeing the 8-7 clincher on TV.
"It just brings back that feeling and that memory (of the Hawks' titles), and it's so exciting to just watch the city erupt," Toews said. "I've been here almost 10 years now, and you really start to grasp how much it means to people that have been waiting for this their entire lifetime. …
"It was special. It was 49 years (between titles) for the Blackhawks, but this is just on another scale. There's almost no comparison."
The Hawks congratulated the Cubs during the first television timeout of Thursday's game against Colorado. In addition to the final out being shown on the scoreboard, the "Go Cubs Go" song was played over the P.A. system.
Slap shots:
Artem Anisimov registered the secondary assist on Marian Hossa's first goal Thursday in the Hawks' 4-0 win over Colorado, extending the Russian's point streak to a career-best nine games. … Hossa scored 2 goals in one game for the first time since Jan. 10 of last season. … Andrew Desjardins still is expected to make his season debut against the Dallas Stars on Sunday at the United Center. Desjardins (foot) has been skating for a week and said he feels pretty close to 100 percent. … After 11 games, the Hawks are being outshot 259-179 in the first two periods. In the third period and overtime, the Hawks are outshooting their opponents 122-93.