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Teach ‘Em How to Say Goodbye - Sharp Takes the Last Lap

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WINNIPEG, MB, CA -- I'll be honest--I haven't been able to watch many games this last half of the season. You could probably tell by the lack of posts here (the last one being in January).

In fact, I was only able to catch part of the last home game of the season two nights ago, and I couldn't catch the game last night (since I was at the Hurricanes/Lightning game--super fun, a post on that later).

The game two nights ago (or last night) didn’t matter, though. The Blackhawks have long missed the playoffs due to a downright unlucky season.

The one thing on everyone’s mind Friday night was the status of Patrick Sharp’s retirement. He has been hinting at the thought of retiring the past few weeks, and honestly, I sort of saw it coming the second he signed with the Hawks again this season. That still didn't really take away the burn, though--I was hoping this season would bring us another great playoff run, or maybe even another cup, and with the way it went, seeing Sharp go hurt more than I thought it would.

And, I know what you're thinking--"Meghan, he's old, and the league's getting young!" That doesn't take away the fact that he is a leader in that locker room and a play maker on this team. He's been a force to be reckoned with on the Hawks since the 2010 cup season.

He's always been a force during the playoffs--something the Hawks missed in his absence as he played with the Stars for the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 seasons. During his playoff runs from 2008 - 2015, he had 80 points over 117 games, which is downright impressive. The three Stanley Cups were nice, too.

I think my favorite playoff goal of his was one without much skill at all, though--it has to be the goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2015, game 5. Jonathan Toews fired the puck up the ice to Teuvo Teravainen, which seemed like an innocent enough play. Lightning goalie Ben Bishop, though, thought it was threat enough to take an adventure pretty far from his crease to play the puck and ended up colliding into Victor Hedman and knocking both of them to the ice. More importantly, it kicked the puck out for Patrick Sharp to grab it and delicately tap it into the net for the opening goal of the game. It's been meme'd and meme'd again and again, and honestly, it never grows old--that is one goal I will watch over and over again because it's just so good.

But, even in the regular season, with 532 goals in a Blackhawks sweater (and 620 NHL goals in total), his presence was definitely felt as soon as he stepped on the ice. His nickname, 'Sharp Shooter,' is a perfect epithet--his shot is certainly an underrated shot in the NHL. He's able to snipe from odd angles and from far away with precision that often leaves us wondering "how on Earth did that go in?!"

Patrick Sharp isn't just a bunch of numbers, though--he's always brought an element of fun and leadership to the Blackhawks that helped catapult them to the three cups. During the earlier years of Blackhawks TV (BHTV), there were frequently little 'episodes' that highlighted the life of the then-young and hungry Hawks. Sharp and Burish loved to play pranks, Sharp frequently teased both Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and Sharp even filmed a few short videos while they were on a team trip to Finland in 2010, which primarily featured Brent Seabrook. He was the headliner in these videos likely because of his personality and his will to get on his teammates' nerves (in the friendliest ways possible).

He's beloved around Chicago, mostly due to his own love for the city. He's said on multiple occasions that Chicago is his home, and in my eyes, that says a lot. He'll likely stay in Chicago and maybe even pick up a gig with the Hawks (Burish/Sharp intermission and post-game show, anyone?), and I can't wait to see him shine off the ice. It's pretty obvious he can do it with ease and with grace.

He will certainly be a missing piece on the ice, and the Hawks will have to find a good replacement (if they can). His skill on the ice and leadership on and off the ice will certainly be missed, but I have a feeling that he'll find a way to stick around.

And the Hawks will welcome him home with open arms, as they should.
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