Sports with Megs

CHARLOTTE, NC - - In years past, I've only really watched the Stanley Cup Finals. I live down in the Southeastern part of the US, so hockey just doesn't really have a presence (at least, not like it does in the northern part of the country), so playoff hockey was usually all I watched. But, the interesting thing is that... I don't ever remember it being so controversial. I know hockey's not a nice sport--there are always going to be fights and booing and yelling and just general anger. And, I know that me not being an avid hockey fan might be a part of this, too. At the end of the day, all of these teams are fighting for the same thing. They want the Cup. There are right and wrong ways to go about this, though, and I think a large part of the issue I have with this first round of the playoffs is what the league is doing--or, rather, isn't. It's not a question that the coach's challenge this year has been a mess. That's often what happens when you t

CHARLOTTE, NC -- This sounds like a weird thing to write . I know. But, after all of the tears and the sweat and the cheers this season, there's one thing that's been through it all with me. My sweater. I got my Jonathan Toews sweater for Christmas this past year, and it was really all I asked for. It was the number one thing on my mind, and I wanted it more than anything else. I really wish my parents got a picture of me opening it, because I don't know that I've ever been so happy to open something in my life. I wore it the next time the Blackhawks played after Christmas, and though they lost, I was happy to at least be a part of it. Then, things got crazy. From December 29th to January 19th, I wore my sweater every single time the boys played. And they won every single one of those games. I took it as my sweater being lucky, and as a naturally very superstitious person, the more they won, the more anxious I was to put my sweater on. The first loss to Tampa B

CHICAGO, IL -- What a game. What started as a bleak outlook and a possible end to the Blackhawks' season turned into a resounding 6-3 win over the Blues. The Hawks started off relatively strong, with a nice shot from Ladd just four minutes in. The Blues answered not two minutes later, then five minutes after that, giving them a 2-1 lead at the halfway point of the period. And just following that, the Blues scored again. It looked very, very bleak for the Hawks. But, someone lit a fire under them, because they came back hot . Anisimov scored four minutes into the second on a power play, which gave us a little hope. It was a while before the Hawks scored again, killing a penalty off in between. It was then turn for van Riemsdyk to finally get his first playoff goal, and as you can tell, he was pretty stoked about it: ( sheercompulsion  on tumblr) Weise answered right after that, giving the Blackhawks the lead going into the third. But, I, like many other fans, didn

ST . LOUIS, MO - - I don't even know where to start with last night's game. I should preface with the fact that I went to bed at about 12:30am EST. I have classes this morning, so I had to get some sleep, and I thought whatever the outcome was, I'd just have to find out in the morning. So, waking up to a 2OT win? Pretty damn special. Let's start at the beginning, though, shall we? The boys played well the first period, though it was a mostly dull period. No goals, no penalties--but a lot of incredible saves made by both Elliot and Crawford. Their battle is incredibly intense, and I've been impressed by both of them the past few nights. Now, the second period is when things started to get crazy. The Hawks played well again,  killing off a few penalties here and there. They weren't able to capitalize on the one they received, but they at least staved the Blues off for a while and Hossa even managed a shorty. He's basically the king of shorthanded goa

CHICAGO, IL -- I wasn't going to write anything after the game last night. I turned my TV off after the Blues' 3rd goal, and I threw things. Including my sweater, which I regret a lot. I shouldn't have done that. But, I was so angry. I still am, so therefore, this isn't really a recap of the game at all. It's a story that happened about 20 minutes ago. -- I call my mom every morning, just to touch base (really, I’m just homesick, bored, and avoiding work for the moment). She’s a huge Blackhawks fan, since she lived in Chicago when she was younger and was able to actually go to games. So, when I called her this morning, you know what the first thing she said to me was? You know, it’s just not their year. And, you know what? I can be okay with that. This season has been so good to us, between Kane’s point streak, the 12-game winning streak, the success of the second line, guys stepping up that really needed to (Shaw, Anisimov, Desjardins, Hjalmarsson, etc.

CHICAGO, I L -- That was the most stereotypical and frustrating loss in Blackhawks history. I can't even really type this right now but I'm trying to keep up with this blog. The first period was stellar--Seabrook's power play beaut early on helped the boys gain some confidence. There were only ten shots by the Hawks, but they made sure not to let the Blues get too much action. The Hawks really should have scored more in the first, since they had three power plays nearly back-to-back at the start of the first, yet only capitalized on one. The Blues managed to put one on the boards as well, but it wasn't stressful yet. The second period was insane. It was a lot of playing keep-away, rather than a whole lot of scoring. Interestingly enough, Panarin's first faceoff ended in a goal for Anisimov, which is pretty incredible. After an adorable celly, the boys managed to keep the Blues at bay. Crawford was unbelievable, making about three series of saves that had me

ST. LOUIS, MO -- OH. MY. GOD. Hands down, most stressful game I've watched all year. The first period was just downright brutal. With only two shots made by the Blackhawks to the Blues' seven, it looked grim for the Hawks. There was only one power play opportunity in the first period for the Blackhawks, and though they didn't score, they at least killed off a penalty of their own. It wasn't until the second period that things started to pick up. Tarasenko notched one fifteen minutes in, giving the Blues a lead. But, Duncan Keith wanted to make sure the Scottrade Center knew he was back in the game, scoring with just a few seconds left in the period and tying it up. That was enough to shut the Blues fans up for a bit (seriously, the booing every time either Kane or Keith touched the puck grew annoying after about the second time). The second period even ended with a nice little kerfluffle (as the Blackhawks Twitter account called it)! And, the third period, o

ST. LOUIS, MO -- That game had me biting my nails like crazy last night. And I don't often chew on my nails at all. It didn't help that the game was a 9:30pm EST start, and I feared from the start that the game would go into OT. If only I'd known. I thought the Blackhawks played some damn good hockey last night. The defense finally looked good and they managed to kill four penalties. The Hawks couldn't seem to capitalize on any of their power plays, but to be fair, Elliot is like a damn brick wall. Crawford was, too. Last night was a battle of the goalies, honestly. I thought the Blackhawks did have a lot of good opportunities to score, and yes, as usual, I would have loved for them to shoot the puck more. For some reason, they seemed to pass it a lot last night. The passes were often complete, but nothing came of them. As far as stellar players, I thought Toews played incredibly last night. Ladd did as well, despite his distraction earlier in the day (congr

CHICAGO, IL -- Well, they're finally here, boys and girls. The Stanley Cup Playoffs. It feels like the season flew by, and I can't wait for the games to start on Wednesday! And, just like our Blackhawks, this isn't my first rodeo. Before this season, I really only watched hockey between the months of April and June, simply because no one (or, next to no one) in the South cares about hockey until then. But, this season has been good to me. So good . I came in just as Kane's point streak tapered off (I think I saw maybe the last five or seven games of his streak), the awesome 12-game win streak, all of the injuries, the hat tricks, the travesty that was March, and the relatively good finish the boys had. I got to see Kane reach the Art Ross trophy for the first time ever, and the first time for an American player. That's pretty cool. Needless to say, it's always good to be a Hawks fan. No matter what happens from here on out, we know our boys are one

COLUMBUS, OH -- So, the Hawks ended the season in typical Hawks fashion--losing a three-point lead to a low-level team. But, you know, it's okay. Going into the game without Toews, Keith, Hjalmarsson, Hossa, Shaw, and Anisimov, I wasn't expecting much. I really expected a shutout. But, the boys started out right, and at this point... I'll take it. Patrick Kane couldn't seem to wait to score, taking a shot nine seconds in and connecting. Awesome, and only a second off from a Blackhawks record! Really cool stuff, guys. Panarin and Rasmussen got assists, which is only Panarin's first point of the night. I really thought he'd get another hat trick with the two next goals! He was on fire, scoring twice more in the first period to give the Hawks a 3-0 lead. I really thought they had it, but apparently, the Blackhawks had to make the game stressful. As usual. The Blue Jackets caught up in the second period, and even Brandon Saad got to score on his old team.

CHICAGO, IL -- My title makes this seem mean. I promise it's not. Overall, the Blackhawks played pretty well tonight. The offense was good, taking shots when they had the opportunities, even if they didn't all connect. And, Tarasenko's OT GWG was just a bad turnover gone terribly wrong. Right place at the right time, with Darling out of the net and Seabrook laying on the ice trying to block the shot. Still, it was disappointing. Especially because most of the game was kind of boring. I was nervous in the first period, but my feed cut out halfway through and I missed the beginning of the second--until just after Toews scored. For some reason, I thought they were out of the woods with the 1-0 lead. I don't really know why I thought that for a moment. They did manage to kill three penalties this game, which was more important than usual. This was a big game, and the boys managed to stay in it with all of the penalty killing. Their power play could still use a

CHICAGO, IL -- The Blackhawks and Blues face off tonight as the last home game for the Blackhawks. It's a big game with a lot at stake, seeing that it could mean home-ice advantage for the Hawks with a win. It could also give us a taste of what's to come in the playoffs. The win won't com easy, though, that's for sure. With five of the top players out (Keith still on his suspension; Hossa, Crawford, Anisimov and Shaw all still injured), it'll be interesting to see how the Blackhawks make up for the lost teammates. And, the Blackhawks have had difficulties beating the Blues recently. They won the second and third games against the Blues, but struggled in the opening game of the series and lost in overtime just last month in shootouts. There are a few things working in the Blackhawks' favor tonight, however. St. Louis is missing some of their key players, too--their captain, David Backes, and their own starting goalie, Jake Allen. Two players that

CHICAGO, IL -- Where were these Hawks all of March? Seriously, though, what a solid game. Arizona isn't a playoff team, but this might restore the confidence in the Blackhawks that was lost in the mess that was March. It's at least a step in the right direction. The first period in of itself was eventful with two goals right off the bat from the top line--Panik just five minutes in and Toews thirteen minutes into the game. Toews' was beautiful, too, being a shorthanded goal and all. Just a beaut. Patrick Kane started the second period off strong with a power play goal just six minutes in. Panarin got the assist there, which ended up being the first of three for him tonight (Panarin critics... Look out). Trevor van Riemsdyk scored soon afterwards at about the midway point of the period, with an assist from Toews and Panarin. Again, a beautiful goal shot from almost center ice, right through traffic.  And, Ladd had to get in on the fun, too, scoring just two minutes

C HICAGO, IL - - I got the notification during my noon class. "Artemi Panarin has been named the NHL's First Star of the week after posting 8 points (3G, 5A) in 3 games." What a crazy thing to think that this rookie (though I've heard he doesn't quite enjoy being called one) from the KHL could meld so quickly with his almost comically similar linemate, Patrick Kane, and another newbie to the team (and also Russian), center Artem Anisimov. He's had a really incredible season thus far, so when people say he doesn't deserve the Calder, I scratch my head a little. Is it the age thing? NHL says he's a rookie, so I'll take their word for it. Is it the fact that he's played for another hockey league? NHL doesn't recognize it as a professional league. Is it the fact that he plays on a line with Patrick Kane? Well, you do want to put players with chemistry and similar game play on the same line. Sure, he had a nine-gam

CHICAGO, IL -- What the hell even just happened? Well, let's break this down. Even though it took them 13 minutes to warm up, they scored first! Good job, boys. Anisimov snatched the first goal up with ease, shooting it past Rask with a sort of sloppy play. Doesn't matter. He scored, and it was awesome--Panarin and Seabrook got the two assists for that one, and not five minutes later, Kane answered with his first goal of the game. That was a beautiful breakaway, too. But, he's not stopping there! Kane scored again not a minute into the second period, driving right up to the goal and earning his 98th point of the season. And, Toews wasn't too far after him, scoring two minutes in! (Sometimes watching the Blackhawks is dizzying, frankly.) Hossa was trying to get a goal in, but made a beautiful pass to Toews who was able to tip it in. This was the point that they pulled Rask from the net, putting in Gustavsson. He only helped a little, still allowing for a goal fr

RALE IGH , NC -- Whoa. I finally went to a real, live NHL game. And, let me tell you--what a game. I went to Raleigh on Thursday to see the Hurricanes take on the Rangers, since my roommate (and best friend) is a huge Rangers fan. I didn't really have a dog in the fight, since my teams are in the Western Conference for the most part. But, I think that's why this was a good game for me to go to for my first one. Going to United Center for a Blackhawks game would have been way too overwhelming. Last night was overwhelming enough for me to ride the high for a few days, I think. (Though, there's a good chance I'll be in United Center for a game by the end of the year.) First of all, PNC Arena is awesome. We sat in the 300-level seating, but I could still see everything. I don't think there's a bad place to sit in there, honestly. And, we got to see the Rangers score on our side for two periods! Er, attempt to score. I really only know some Rangers play

WINNIPEG, MB -- Heart Attack Hawks are back! After a rather eventful game, the boys managed to pull out a big W, ending their 4-game road trip, leaving the trip 3-1. Not bad, guys, not bad. With Keith out for six games (we got reeeeally lucky with that), the defense needs to be better (I sound like Toews all of a sudden) as a whole, and tonight proved they could be. But, we didn't leave the game unscathed--Shaw (upper body, day-to-day) and van Riemsdyk both went out with injuries in the second period. Hopefully, they won't be too bad and they'll be ready come playoffs. Toews got knocked by a puck, and ended up getting some stitches in his ear. Looks like it's a stitch-y kind of year for him, I guess. Also, Panarin is back! I'm really glad he played well tonight, getting two goals and two assists. Great start, and hopefully the playoffs will bring him some luck. He's a good player, and going nine games without a goal must have been frustrating. He als