What a welcome for Mikita, Hull
Bill Bodnarchuk of Arlington Heights has lowered the roof of his mint-condition white 1957 Chevy Bel Air convertible only twice in his life.
The first was for the wedding of his daughter, Kelly Smith of Palatine.
The second time came Friday night at the United Center, and once again Bodnarchuk's classic car was carrying some very precious cargo.
Perched atop the backseat, wearing their familiar red sweaters, were legends Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull, who after years in exile were just minutes away from officially being welcomed back to the Blackhawks family by team chairman Rocky Wirtz and a raucous standing-room only crowd at the UC.
As the car slowly purred underneath the stands toward the boards at the west end of the rink, a group of about 15 people -- including three chefs in full white regalia -- parted ways to let it through.
While the pair waited for the OK to finally hit the ice, Mikita, in his No. 21 jersey, went over his speech one last time while Hull, in his familiar No. 9, watched the big screen above center ice as it reran an old clip of him thundering over the blue line.
"He shoots, he scores," one of the chefs yelled in sync with the highlight, eliciting smiles from the two Hawks greats and easing some of the tension of the moment.
If that didn't completely do the trick for the dynamic duo, the thunderous reception they got a few minutes later sure did. It was easy to see how much both appreciated the warm welcome and the words of Wirtz and team president John McDonough.
"You guys were larger than life because you played larger than life," Wirtz said. "Today you're working with us to link the proud history of our past to our promising future."
"Welcome home Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita," McDonough added.
Standing in front of a group of former Hawks players -- including Doug Wilson and Grant Mulvey, in addition to Kevin Magnuson, the son of former Hawks defenseman Keith Magnuson -- Hull was the first to speak.
"In 1972, I left this wonderful city thinking I'd never again be a part of this wonderful Blackhawk family," he said with a smile. "It just shows you that you cannot only have one kick at the cat, but if you hang around long enough, you'll get a second kick at it."
Mikita skipped the kicking, preferring instead to simply soak in the moment.
"I spent so many years proud of the Indian head sweater, but tonight I'm even more proud to be welcomed back to this great franchise," he said. "Seeing my old teammates, this place packed to the rafters and being able to share this with my friends and my family is something I surely won't forget for a long, long time."
He then turned to the Hawks' bench and offered a few words of encouragement to the 2008 edition.
"To the young Blackhawks, our new motto is: We are with you win … or tie."
What Mikita didn't have to say, what is now implied under the new Blackhawks regime, the motto to all former Hawks players has become simply: Welcome back.