OT: How to enjoy hockey while the Hawks are frustrating and nearly unwatchable?

[Kaners Bald Spot]

Does anyone have any ideas about enjoying the NHL while the Hawks are down? I almost feel like the Hawks are unwatchable until Colliton is gone. During the Dollar Bill years, I found a second team to follow as desperate times called for desperate measures. While the situation is nowhere near as dire as it was around the turn of the century, I'm struggling to get enjoyment out of hockey right now because the Hawks are so frustrating.

How does everyone else cope?

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[RayP]

Fantasy hockey.

 

[CallMeShaft]

The kids. I've watched every preseason game for years now because of them, so if I get a chance to see guys like Dach, Boqvist, and Nylander play in games that actually matter, then I will watch and continually hope that they have good nights.

 

[Toews2Bickell]

Start watching the top prospects in the upcoming draft plus the kids we have in the system and you can see the light at the end of the tunnel

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

The kids. I've watched every preseason game for years now because of them, so if I get a chance to see guys like Dach, Boqvist, and Nylander play in games that actually matter, than I will watch and continually hope that they have good nights.

That's the Hawks only redeeming quality right now.
I hope the kids play well too, but it's hard to be positive when they have 2 games per week in which they never have the puck.

I agree there is light, and I also think they're only going to be down for another 2-3 years.

 

[AmericanDream]

STOP MAKING THREADS.....

 

[CallMeShaft]

STOP MAKING THREADS.....

it's okay, this one wasn't from echl.

 

[Panzerspitze]

STOP MAKING THREADS.....

WHY DO YOU HATE THREADS?

 

[Idionym]

The kids, for sure. Seeing Dach or Boqvist or Nylander play well is more than enough to keep catching, the ending score be damned.

Especially Boqvist, I love me some young defensemen.

 

[BobbyJet]

Good question. It's been years since I turned off a Hawks game and went to bed..... until last night. With winter coming I am hoping for some good TV series.... waiting for Billions and Homeland to resume. Until I see improvement I am not staying up for West coast games anymore.

 

[Kevin Musto]

Step 1: Stop over reacting. I'm not sure you'll be able to grasp this concept, but try. It's not that hard.

Step 2: Count the days until our new messiah arrives.

Step 3: Make KFCeabs memes to help ease the pain.

Step 4: Praise Strome

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

Victories are never as fun without pain.

 

[CallMeShaft]

Victories are never as fun without pain.

I'm willing to sacrifice your health a little for another championship if that helps. Maybe a shot to the nuts to appease the hockey gods?

 

[Panzerspitze]

Step 1: Stop over reacting. I'm not sure you'll be able to grasp this concept, but try. It's not that hard.

Step 2: Count the days until our new messiah arrives.

Step 3: Make KFCeabs memes to help ease the pain.

Step 4: Praise Strome

Praise Strome, for being a non-factor on most nights?

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

I'm willing to sacrifice your health a little for another championship if that helps.

I’ve been a fan of the Hawks through the great darkness and I’m a Cubs and Cleveland Browns fan. You’ve merely adopted the darkness.

 

[CallMeShaft]

I’ve been a fan of the Hawks through the great darkness and I’m a Cubs and Cleveland Browns fan. You’ve merely adopted the darkness.

Whatever Bane.

 

[Cowch]

On the real, I usually just find a game or two to watch/follow every day. Like @RayP said, fantasy is usually how I choose who to watch.

Also, it helps keep me objective about how bad or good the Blackhawks actually are.

 

[Crow]

I just gamble a lot.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

I’ve been a fan of the Hawks through the great darkness and I’m a Cubs and Cleveland Browns fan. You’ve merely adopted the darkness.

You do realize most of this board are Bears fans that aren't old enough to remember Ditka being the Bears coach, right? While the Browns have been just god awful, being a QB away from a championship with three separate groups of players in 15 years is enough to blow your brains out as a football fan.
2005-06, 2010-11 and 2018-19 all could have been great teams with a damn QB.

Also when it comes to being tortured, now that the Cubs won the WS they're not even the most miserable team in their own city. The White Sox have made 9 playoff appearances in 118 years of existence. 9. The Cubs have nearly matched that in the last 21 years.

 

[DisgruntledHawkFan]

You do realize most of this board are Bears fans that aren't old enough to remember Ditka being the Bears coach, right? While the Browns have been just god awful, being a QB away from a championship with three separate groups of players in 15 years is enough to blow your brains out as a football fan.
2005-06, 2010-11 and 2018-19 all could have been great teams with a damn QB.

Also when it comes to being tortured, now that the Cubs won the WS they're not even the most miserable team in their own city. The White Sox have made 9 playoff appearances in 118 years of existence. 9. The Cubs have nearly matched that in the last 21 years.

It was a tongue in cheek comment man. Easy.

 

[Cowch]

You do realize most of this board are Bears fans that aren't old enough to remember Ditka being the Bears coach, right? While the Browns have been just god awful, being a QB away from a championship with three separate groups of players in 15 years is enough to blow your brains out as a football fan.
2005-06, 2010-11 and 2018-19 all could have been great teams with a damn QB.

Also when it comes to being tortured, now that the Cubs won the WS they're not even the most miserable team in their own city. The White Sox have made 9 playoff appearances in 118 years of existence. 9. The Cubs have nearly matched that in the last 21 years.

Being a chicago fan younger than 30 has been rough for sure. Missed the 85 bears, some barely caught the end of the jordan years, and thank god the sox won in 05, and cubs in whenever for the baseball fans. If it wasnt for the hawks dynasty, we'd be looking at an ACL tear, QB ineptitude, and some flash in the pan baseball teams surrounded by mostly bad.

 

[The Worst One]

I don't enjoy Hawks hockey at the moment. Like not one bit.

 

[Sarava]

I couldn't be a sports fan if I rode every up and down as wildly as you do, KBS. We see your over-reactions to the Sox, Bears and Hawks. To me, you have to take things in stride or you're going to drive yourself crazy. Understand as a fan of Chicago sports teams, that there will probably be a lot more downs than ups. Kind of as DHF said - it makes the victories all the sweeter when they eventually come.

I'm going to the Hawks game in Vegas next week. We made a Vegas trip around seeing them out there. And I'll have a great time. Then being a bad team right now isn't going to take too much away from that. But honestly, right now the Sox off-season has more of my sports attention than the Bears or Hawks do. And that sucks. But they'll eventually come around. Someday...hehe.

 

[Sarava]

Being a chicago fan younger than 30 has been rough for sure. Missed the 85 bears, some barely caught the end of the jordan years, and thank god the sox won in 05, and cubs in whenever for the baseball fans. If it wasnt for the hawks dynasty, we'd be looking at an ACL tear, QB ineptitude, and some flash in the pan baseball teams surrounded by mostly bad.

I think younger fans have it better than us older people. If you take an average Chicago sports fan. Particularly one who's not a diehard Bulls fan - all we had was the 85 Bears. The Hawks, Sox, Cubs all had long droughts near the end of the last century, and the Bears had the one super bowl win. Since the turn of the century, the Cubs and Sox each have one and the Hawks have 3. The frequency of championships has gone up greatly.

 

[Cowch]

I think younger fans have it better than us older people. If you take an average Chicago sports fan. Particularly one who's not a diehard Bulls fan - all we had was the 85 Bears. The Hawks, Sox, Cubs all had long droughts near the end of the last century, and the Bears had the one super bowl win. Since the turn of the century, the Cubs and Sox each have one and the Hawks have 3. The frequency of championships has gone up greatly.

This is even more depressing than I had considered. I've just come to accept that a chicago sports fan has to weather some real shit, but in the end, they're our shitty teams, and we love them. Sadly, when it comes down to it, we're actually way better off than loads of fan bases.