There's no downside to this story
Appreciate these Blackhawks, folks.
Not much in sports is more exciting than their 7-5 victory Monday night, which eliminated Vancouver from the Western Conference semifinals in six games.
"If they can keep this team together in their (salary) cap," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said, "Chicago is going to have a fine team for a long, long time."
Whatever happens the rest of these playoffs, starting with the conference finals, it'll be awhile before there's another Hawks season as fulfilling as this one.
For sure the plan is to win Stanley Cups, but this season will remain special with or without a championship.
You see, rare is the year when there's no downside to a Chicago sports team. The Hawks are flying around in that rarefied air right now.
So many of the Hawks' best players are so young and untainted that the atmosphere is more college than professional and maybe even more high school than college.
"This team is fun to be around," Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said.
Everything about the Hawks is so new and fresh and novel that they haven't had time to make you feel smarmy for supporting them.
Nobody is nicknamed Worm like on three of the Bulls title teams; no one is nicknamed Tank like on the most recent Bears Super Bowl team; and no one is nicknamed Punky like on the Bears' Super Bowl XX winner.
The Hawks haven't experienced contract hassles. None have been caught driving drunk yet. None have been chronically late to practice.
No, the Hawks aren't jerks. The owner isn't gouging customers. The fans aren't obnoxious as much as they are fun.
Seriously, win or lose, there's nothing not to like about this season's Hawks.
The White Sox were like that on the way to winning the World Series in 2005. So many of the players were newly acquired that they hadn't been around long enough to irritate people. Even manager Ozzie Guillen was refreshing in his second season as manager.
Too often a fan has to compromise values for the sake of cheering on a championship contender. Look now as the Cubs try to win a World Series for the first time since 1908 with the help of the incorrigible Milton Bradley.
So far nobody on the Hawks fills the role of a bad guy who has to be endured as much as enjoyed. The Hawks' dressing room doesn't have any problem children or bad actors.
Actually, neither does the Hawks' organization, starting with owner Rocky Wirtz, who is beloved if for no other reason than he isn't his late father Dollar Bill Wirtz.
The way Rocky Wirtz conducts himself and his business. fans can't help but bond with him and his team.
So it's all good to this point in the franchise's renaissance. The Hawks are winning by playing good hockey rather than goon hockey, and club president John McDonough's management style is making fans feel like, well, like fans instead of customers.
Maybe this phenomenal season of good vibrations will continue for the next decade, but more likely fans will start expecting more pretty soon and then demanding more.
For now, however, appreciate these Blackhawks because what they have going truly is special.
mimrem@dailyherald.com