Best Cellies of the Season (So Far)

CHICAGO, IL -- I know, I know. I haven't written about the Blackhawks games in a while.

But, let's be real. This is so much more fun.

You're really in for a treat this week--I'm going to be ranking the season's best goal celebrations, or cellies, if you will. Yeah, I'm running out of ideas, sue me. We deserve this fun stuff for a minute, okay?

I wanted to do a whole big post about ranking the best Blackhawks cellies of all time--or maybe just in the Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews era--but I think that'll take a while and it'd be more fun to do over the off-season.

Anyways, I have some stipulations, again. (I love that damn word.)

First, I'm going to be only ranking celebrations from this season. Like I said before, this makes it a little easier for me to compile this post. TBD if I do a full-on Blackhawks Celly History.

Second, I'm only picking ten. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but I want to make sure I capture the really good ones--especially since a lot of hockey cellies are just... yelling and hugging.

And finally, I'm going to include a GIF or video for each of these cellies where I can, so you can get the full effect. I'm going to make sure I link to the original sources of the GIFs as well so the right people get credit for them.

Also, before we get started, I should note that most of these are Kane's cellies, or involve him. What can I say? His cellies are the best.

I think that's everything, so with that being said, I'm going to start with number ten!


10. Kane's Power Play... Scream?

GIF from fenweak

Game: v. Montreal Canadiens, 12/9/18
Note: This one is just so hype and so indicative about the kind of player Kane is. He's competitive as hell, and this definitely showcases it. The Hawks ended up losing 3-2 to the Canadiens, but this celly was enough to make the game interesting again.


9. Toews' Shorty

GIF from fenweak

Game: v. Nashville Predators, 1/9/19
Note: It may look like a normal celly to you, but this one was special because it was a shorthanded goal on Toews Day (1/9/19 makes 19 19), so it was pretty awesome. It also helps that the Hawks haven't gotten a bunch of short-handed goals this season, and to get it against Nashville was just icing on the cake. Plus, I always love a good hype-up arm pump.


8. Group Hug - Vintage 1988 OT GWG

GIF from kanerboo

Game: @ Colorado Avalanche, 12/29/18
Note: This just screams vintage Kane and Toews, and the goal did, too. It's also notable that the Hawks have been pretty dominant over the Avalanche all season, which is certainly a welcome surprise. I've also always loved group hugs, and it's really cool for them to do it on the road (even if the home team might not think so).


7. Kane's Parents Stare-Down

GIF from fenweak

Game: v. Calgary Flames, 1/7/19
Note: It's hard to see in the GIF above, but Kane's parents sit behind the away net for the first and third period, and Kane just had to celebrate with them. When I first saw him do it, I was like 'who is he staring down?'--then Eddie Olczyk and Pat Foley pointed out that his parents sit right there. I just love all of it, and I hope you do, too, because it's awesome.


6. Kane's Tie-Breaker

GIF from kaners-flow

Game: v. Anaheim Ducks, 10/23/18
Note: This one was a good one solely because it broke the tie and his goal ended up being the GWG. I love his little grabby hands at the end of the GIF, since that just screams vintage Kane cellies--take a trip to YouTube if you don't know what I'm talking about. It may seem like a boring celly to you, but the fact that he'd gotten the game winner and did the grabby hands is what earned the 6th spot on this list.


5. Dominik Kahun's First

GIF from swt-serendipity

Game: @ Minnesota Wild, 10/11/18
Note: It's hard to see in the GIF above, but Kahun's scream was enough to land it at 5th place. It's so good, and he's so clearly happy that he's just scored his first NHL goal. The hockey hugs that follow are just as good.


4. Brendan Perlini's Ear Plugs

GIF from swt-serendipity

Game: v. Boston Bruins (Winter Classic), 1/1/19
Note: I think this celly is from someone else (a football or basketball player, I think?), and Perlini was seen doing this same celly in practice the day before. I was so glad he scored in the Winter Classic--that's such a cool experience for all of the players, and I'm sure scoring out there is even more magical for them. Plus, the celly, if nothing else, is adorable, just like Perlini is.


3. Kane's Good Goal

GIF from fenweak

Game: v. Vegas Golden Knights, 1/12/19
Note: I debated making this the top celly of the season. For context, Kane's goal had just been taken away, and what does he do? Oh, yeah, he goes and just scores another one. This time, he had to make sure the refs knew it was a good goal, too.


2. Toews' Sword & Sheath

GIF from fenweak

Game: v. Winnipeg Jets, 12/14/19
Note: It's simple, understated, but very effective. It exudes some sort of weird confidence that I'm completely entranced by, and I legitimately watched this celly multiple times when it happened. It's just a great, great celly, and a couple of the other Hawks players have copied it this season, thus earning it the second spot.


1. Kane Can't Hear You

GIF from fenweak

Game: v. Toronto Maple Leafs, 1o/7/18
Note: This is the best one, hands-down. Mostly because of the events that lead up to it. Kane scored to tie the game at 5-5, then Auston Matthews scored and did the exact celly Kane's doing. But, Kane wasn't done and scored with less than 30 seconds left to again tie the game and take it to overtime--and he mocked Matthews' celly, as seen above. The whole thing was great, and because of everything that led up to it, this one earns the top spot on the celly list for this season so far.


So, what do you think? Would you have excluded some of these in favor of other cellies? Sound off down below or @ me on Twitter/Instagram!

Anyways, though this season's been kind of bleak at times, we're sticking with it, if for nothing but the great cellies. Are you in?