Today is Sept. 30, which means it’s the last day for NBC Sports Chicago. While the channel hasn’t always been under that umbrella, for two incredible decades it’s been the home of the Blackhawks (and Bulls, White Sox and, for a time, the Cubs) for fans in Chicago.
Last night (late) I found myself sitting in my recliner watching Pat Boyle, Dave Kaplan and CM Punk (with roaming reporter Jen Lada) reporting from the Blackhawks’ 2015 Stanley Cup championship celebration. Yeah, there was some dust in the room remembering those days for the Blackhawks organization. But there was also an appreciation for all of the folks who poured their professional lives into bringing the greatest stretch of Blackhawks hockey in the last 50 years of the franchise to us on a nightly basis.
I was one of those folks who was incredibly fortunate to spend a little time working with folks from the network in a range of capacities. I sat next to Brett Ballantini in the media area basement of the United Center during the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. I followed along as Tracey Myers and then Charlie Roumeliotis became the “insiders” for Comcast SportsNet and then NBC Sports Chicago.
There were a number of occasions back in the day when Kaplan invited me to join the crew on “Chicago Tribune Live” to talk Blackhawks. And I was fortunate to join them for a pregame show on the 100 level concourse before a playoff game during those exciting years.
I know Pat Boyle is continuing on to the new network and Charlie is making the move over to WGN Radio, so there isn’t as much finality with the personalities we appreciate with the network as there might be. But not everyone at the network is making the move. There are a ton of people who have worked countless hours behind the scenes to make sure we got to see our hockey games.
And remember: there was a time — a long time — when we couldn’t watch Blackhawks games in Chicago.
So, as the curtain goes down on the network tonight at midnight, I wanted to spend a moment tipping my cap to those who provided fans with tremendous coverage over the years on every team in town. There will be a new home, but the legacy of the coverage we received during those fun, remarkable years will endure.