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Sick Of California Songs: Kings-Ducks Game 7 Primer

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King Jerry Lawler vs. draft_lens1960363module9273829photo_1209145008daffy-duck-donald-duck

FACEOFF: 8pm Central

TV: NBCSN

WHY DID I MOVE TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA?: The Royal Half, Battle of Cali, Anaheim Calling

We’ll give this one the full treatment as the winner will be the Hawks’ final step in the Western conference.

The first thing to know about tonight’s decider is that Bruce Boudreau’s record in Game 7s at home is not impressive. In fact, it’s total sewage. In 2008 Boudreau’s Caps, which were just a barely mediocre team that got hot enough to win a terrible division, lost to the Flyers in overtime (cue a Cristobal Huet stick-breaking tantrum). In 2009, the Caps made it to the second round to face the Penguins that had the NHL at its most tumescent, and they even got a Game 7 out of it. And at Verizon Center Semyon Varlamov melted down and this game was over before you could finish your first beer. The following year, the Caps fired 50+ shots at Jaro Halak, from everywhere and anywhere and in such a panicked fashion it felt like the hockey version of a teenage boy trying to bang an exotic dancer, so frantic and panicked that it was. Again, the Caps went home. They’ve never recovered from that loss as an organization. But Gabby brought this act out west with him, with the Ducks barfing up last year’s first round decider to Babcock’s Wings. So yeah, there’s some history here.

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Beard Of The Day – May 16th – Doug Hurst

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DougMashTun
Chicago Craft Beer Week is now upon us, so who better to celebrate the occasion than one of Chicago’s own brewmasters? Doug Hurst is the owner/brewmaster of Metropolitan Brewery and he, along with his fantastic team, has been making some of Chicago’s best beers in their Ravenswood brewery for the last several years. With a love for German styles,  Metro focuses exclusively on making lagers, incredibly rare for craft breweries since ales are far quicker and easier to produce.

Their year round beers (Krankshaft, Dynamo and Flywheel), are all incredible examples of what American craft has to offer for traditional German beers. You’ll personally find me drowning myself in Krankshaft just about every time I head to The Whirlaway for any Hawks game. I’ve written about it in our game day program before but it really is a perfect beer for watching a hockey game. Only 5% ABV, it’s light and easy drinking with a taste of light hay, lemon and touch of sweetness, you’re able to put down many of them without really losing your head. Not to say I haven’t tried. Metropolitan’s current seasonal is Arc Welder, a dunkel rye lager, which is especially great for this weather since it refuses to actually get warm.

While visiting Cologne, I once almost got my ass kicked by several incredibly drunk Germans for insisting that while their city was great, Chicago was better. Now is the time to prove it. There are plenty of amazing events going on for the next week surrounding craft beer in our city. Come out to Sportsman Club on Saturday and I’ll likely buy you a beer. Drink craft, drink local, celebrate one of craft’s many bearded brewers.

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When All Those About You Are Losing Their Heads

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A couple of months ago, I wrote a post here mentioning all the things I like about Joel Quenneville. It felt necessary, because I spend a good chunk of my time complaining and pointing out perceived flaws, such as lineup management and sometimes getting caught cold by the opposing coach. Or at least trying to illustrate all the ways the roster he’s been given covers up some mistakes.

Watching the Penguins and Bruins eat it the past two nights, I’m reminded of one of the bigger points of that post: The Hawks’ attitude.

These things are impossible to measure or quantify, but I can state pretty confidently that Boston’s meltdown and “message sending” (defined in other circles as “dick measuring”) didn’t help their cause in Game 7. It looked a lot like a team that had run out of answers against a team it really should have been beating. It looked like a team that was terrified it was going out, which is what they looked like again when they played a very timid Game 7.

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Minnesota Post Mortem

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I’m not too sure there’s been a series in this era of Blackhawks Era that when it was over the overwhelming feeling was relief. But that’s how it goes when you’re outplayed, and at times massively, for at least three and probably four games and yet you still come out of it. Life finds a way.

All of it leaves Hawks Nation in a strange position of being delighted to be back defending the Western conference championship but pretty urpy about what might come next. Probably a pretty good time to take a state of the union as the Hawks sit halfway to another parade.