Madhouse on Madison

Well, it has been almost two months since I have added an entry to this blog... that is way too long. It's not because I haven't shot anything interesting... because I have been out to a bunch of events since I last posted something here. I was down in Atlanta for the NHL All Star Game (mostly as an editor though), the 150th Chicago auto show, and even a public appearance by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.

But the subject of this post is going to be about the resurrection of the Chicago Blackhawks. No, they are not currently in playoff position (although they are close). Led by two sensational rookies Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, as well as new management, the fans have been coming back to the United Center. I think I read in the paper the other day that the United Center has been sold out six times this year. I don't think the Hawks have had six sell-outs total this decade. It's clear that the players have noticed, as a tradition of saluting the fans after victory has been born...



As I mentioned above, part of the reason why the fans are coming back is because of new management. The first step was to start putting home games back on television. The second step was to welcome back long-estranged legends and hall of famers Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita by naming them club ambassadors in a public ceremony before a home game last Wednesday.




But anyways, onto some game action! As I've mentioned in the past, hockey is arguably my favorite sport to shoot. The action is fast and hard hitting, so the pictures (when you nail them), are some of the best sports photos you will make. However, it is for those reasons that it is incredibly difficult to shoot. That said, I hate to sound cocky, but I think I have really come into my own this season and have developed into a great ice-level hockey shooter (because anybody can follow the action and shoot from the concourse). Now that I am an editor as well, I see so many hockey 'action' pictures where there is no puck. A lot of "skating up the ice" or "battles for position in front of the net" garbage pictures. Seriously, why shoot and submit that? They are boring, and quite frankly, any old fan in the stands could do that. After shooting enough games, you should realize that the best action always ends up in two places... in the corners after teams dump the puck and try to chase it down....





Or in front of the goal as they try to scramble for the puck and push it in the goal...




And because goals are so hard to come by, the reactions of the players after scoring them is usually very nice. I love this next shot because this essentially sums up every sports contest... where there is a face of victory... there is also a face of defeat...