NEWSLETTER
I know I usually close my bullets each day with something from around the rest of the Chicago sports landscape, and I’ll double back and do that today. But I want to start with the magnificent moment from Christopher Morel last night at the Federal Landmark on the North Side of Chicago. His first career walk-off home run came in a huge spot — a needed moment. And the pure joy that exploded from him as he sprinted around the bases forced a smile onto every face that watched it (if you’re a Cubs fan, every one of the 10,000 times you watched it replay last night). Wrigley Field was lit! The players were excited, the broadcasters were trying to match the crowd… it was absolute magic.
The Blackhawks moment that this made me think of was Martin Havlat’s game-winning goal against Calgary in the 2009 playoffs. The team was ascending, but there were still skeptics. The doubters still existed. But when Havlat scored that goal, the United Center erupted and it felt real. Fans that still had their questions or doubts admitted that this was a team that had something tangible and could be something special. It might not be right now, it might not be this year — but it’s coming. Morel’s bomb last night brought that night in Sect. 302 Row 2 at the United Center back to my mind.
My next reaction was hoping for when we get that moment next from the Blackhawks.
