Call Me a Fan

This is sort of a big announcement for me. Ever since the Winnipeg Jets were sold back in '96, I've been wandering through the diaspora of hockey fandom. I grew up an hour outside of Winnipeg, cheering for the Jets and going to their games. My brother and I even got on TV once during the "Save the Jets" campaign because we happened to sit behind Gary Filmon, the Primier of Manitoba at that time. Over the years, I've tried to cheer for various teams (Vancouver, Montreal, Edmonton, Ottawa... not Toronto - who would?), but nothing stuck. Finally, this year, I settled on Chicago. There are a few reasons why I've chosen to announce myself as a formal Chicago fan:

1. Old Winnipeg presence. As a player, I like Nikolai Khabibulin, the starting goalie for the Blackhawks. He was the last goalie for the Jets back in 1996. I've sort of followed him around a bit over the years (as I have with other Jets alumni like Temmu Selanne or Keith Tkuchuk). He's not Mr. Consistent like Brodeur or Nabokov and the like, but he can pull off some amazing stunts in net.
2. New Winnipeg presence. Two of the team's upcoming stars, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith, are from Winnipeg.
3. Chicago is primarily a Canadian team, though it operates in the US. As you can see from their team roster, cheering for Chicago is just as Canadian as cheering for one of the teams that play up here. 1 French, 1 Russian, 1 Czech, 2 Swedes, 3 Americans, and 15 Canadians.
4. In a couple of years, I hope to be studying in the Chicago area, possibly at Wheaton College or Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, both a stone's throw away. I could be a game-attending fan again!

I don't think Chicago will be the champion in this year's playoffs, but with all their young talent, I think they'll be an exciting team to watch in the years to come.

So there you have it. Call me a Blackhawk. I'm in.