Radio, Hawks romp make perfect storm

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: Radio, Hawks romp make perfect storm : December 18, 2008 : BY DAN MCNEIL : There likely will not be another winter storm quite as perfect as Tuesday night's blizzard. It allowed me to remember what it felt like to be 10 years old. : The slushy, two-hour commute began as the Blackhawks and Oilers dropped the puck in Edmonton. I turned off the cell phone and turned up the volume on WGN-AM. : This was one time I didn't cuss Mayor Daley for not mandating that city trucks put the blades down on the asphalt reasonably early. : Listening to Hawks games on the radio is a time-honored tradition among us old-timers, those of us who remember being tucked in on Sunday nights by the late Lloyd Pettit. His booming voice sounded sweeter and more meaningful than anything else that came through an earplug out of a 9-volt transistor radio. : It was cold and sloppy out during my post-rush-hour commute. Snow continued falling. Cars were fishtailing everywhere. In my warm and toasty SUV, Hawks radio voices John Wiedeman and Troy Murray helped insulate me from the brutal commencement of another oppressive Chicago winter. : Six minutes in, Patrick Kane potted a power-play goal. Hawks 1, Oilers 0. : Late in the first period, grinder Colin Fraser made it 2-0. : Early in the second, defenseman Brian Campbell blasted one home with the man advantage. The rout was on. : By the time I got home, the Hawks were up 5-1, and Oilers coach Craig MacTavish was changing goaltenders. : I am smiling. I am 10 again. : The hockey renaissance is the best sports story of the year in Chicago. I didn't think it could be done, but the Hawks matter. Like they did when we were buying Clearasil and listening to Three Dog Night. : If you were to suggest the Cubs and White Sox both making the playoffs tops the Hawks' resurgence, I would remind you the local postseason was tantamount to a six-day visit to the dentist. : It may not be this spring, but the Hawks are going to win a Stanley Cup with this core. While president John McDonough has been playing the role of P.T. Barnum, general manager Dale Tallon has been assembling the most talented young team in the NHL. : Tuesday's 9-2 win in Edmonton was the Hawks' fifth consecutive victory and sixth in their last seven games. The Hawks are only five points behind the defending champion Red Wings in the Central standings. : A hot goaltender is the most valuable commodity on a team making a run in the spring, and coach Joel Quenneville has the best tandem in the league with Nikolai Khabibulin healthy again and Cristobal Huet beginning to sparkle. : And as often is the case with hockey players, most of whom grew up in little burgs in the middle of nowhere, this group is easy to like. Tough guy Adam Burish (a suntimes.com blogger) is the class clown. Patrick Sharp is quick with the verbal left jab. Kane handles the baby-face, ''Hey, stick boy!'' insults like a seasoned veteran. : Nothing would be more satisfying for fans of old-time hockey than to see this group hoist the most elusive trophy in sports -- the Stanley Cup. That would be sweet redemption for those of us antiquated enough to recall the heartbreak in '71 when the Hawks were clipped in bizarre fashion by Montreal in the finals. : I was 10 that year. And after recently dusting off Hawks memorabilia and hanging replica retired jersey banners with Hall of Famer Bobby Hull serving as the honorary toastmaster in my home's ''Hall of Fame'' room, I am 10 again. : Here's hoping the next white-out commute arrives when there's a Hawks game on the radio. It's good to feel like a kid again. Risen from the embers of our hearts, here come the Hawks. : Dan McNeil hosts the ''Mac, Jurko & Harry'' show from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on WMVP-AM (1000). : (Chicago Sun-Times)

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