The celebrations following the Blackhawks’s stunning Game 7 overtime victory were marred by reports that defeating Detroit in round two of the playoffs was not the same as winning the Stanley Cup. Revelers throughout Chicagoland received this sobering news from broadcasters shortly after both teams concluded their handshake line.
“What do you mean there are more games?” asked long-time Hawks fan, Doug Jameson, who was watching the game from Cunneen’s bar in Rogers Park. “They just beat Detroit in seven, man. What else do they [NHL] freakin’ want?”
Other fans expressed similar disbelief.
“First they wave off that sweet Hjalmarsson goal, now they’re saying we have to play the Kings?” Bob Deavers of Elk Grove Village asked. “Can they even play hockey in Los Angeles? It’s hot there!”
While this startling revelation dampened many spirits, other fans took the news in stride.
“Well, at least after they beat LA, we can finally hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup,” said Tom Anderson of Lakeview. “Right? Three rounds, that’s it?”
