Author Archives: Rich Lindbloom

Lindbloom: Big Dogs on the front porch

Posted on November 29, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment

By Rich Lindbloom

I think it’s the eyes, but that picture of Sean O’Donnell bears a striking resemblance to our goofy Newfie, George. George is in the doghouse at the moment for helping himself to a good portion of my son’s 11 pound bag of Halloween candy. Needless to say, he wasn’t feeling all that hot this morning. When I came home at lunch, well, let’s just leave it at – I had to wash the kitchen floor-twice. To make matters worse, he’s been on a strict diet since we adopted him in August. George apparently had enough of The Biggest Loser program we had him on. I’m thinking about putting a padlock on the fridge and stressing to him that potpourri is not edible.

We obtained George this past summer from a family in Steven’s Point, Wisconsin. The owner was heartbroken to have to give him up, and was determined to find a good family for the behemoth. It turned out that the owner was not only a Blackhawk fan, but had actually coached Joe Pavelski of the Sharks in a youth league. Needless to say, our visit to see if our family would be a good fit with George, turned into about a 3 hour stay. We’ve had three Akita’s so I thought we were quite familiar with big dogs. We quickly discovered George is in a weight class all his own. George, by far, is the strongest beast I’ve ever walked. He also has the loudest bark I’ve ever heard and doesn’t he love to hear himself.  When I saw that picture of O’Donnell the other day, it made stop and reflect for a moment on the acquisitions the Hawks made during the offseason, players who added some brute strength to watch over our skill players. If I were Corey Corey Crawford, I’d probably keep some dog biscuits handy. It’s nice to have some big dogs hanging around the porch! Read more »

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Lindbloom: Bushwhacked!

Posted on November 23, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment

Bushwhacked-send in the clowns

By Rich Lindbloom

Bushwhacked: To attack or fire upon from hiding ; ambush.

I received an e-mail from a customer while attending a sales meeting Monday morning. It simply read, “I think that Edmonton just scored again!”  To say the Oilers, and to a lesser extent the Flames, knocked us off our high horse would be an understatement. In an inadvertent way, I may have contributed to the “narrow” defeats in Alberta over the weekend – more on that later. Suffice it to say the ephemeral joy we experienced in Vancouver two days before being thrown into the depths of despair, dissipated quicker than a cowboy trying to stay on the much ballyhooed bull Bushwhacker. In retrospect, we were bushwhacked in Alberta, there’s no other way to put it. Oh, and weren’t the rubes in the frozen tundra having a time, “We want 10, want 10!” Not satisfied with a win, they wanted to rub our nose in it.

One of the few positives that could be taken away from that game was the Oilers only ended up with 9 – ha!, in your face Edmonton fans, in your face.

In professional Bull riding, 8 is the magic number.  The cowboy who can stay on the bull for 8 seconds, has grabbed the bull by the horns so to speak. Currently, there is a bull on the rodeo circuit who has never been ridden, successfully. The closest anyone has come is 6.65 sec. Most ca-boys don’t make it past 3.5 seconds. We caught of first glance of the bull called Bushwhacker a few Sundays ago. My wife hollered down to my son, “Greg come here for a second, this is what a real man looks like,” as the crazy cowboy prepared himself in the chute. You could feel the excitement in the announcer’s voice just prior to the gate opening, waiting for the 1,500# ballerina like bull to be set free. The rider lasted less than four seconds, and Bushwhacker spent at least 3.5 seconds with all four hooves in the air. For the 28th consecutive time, Bushwhacker launched a cowboy into space. As the saying goes, “What goes up must come down,” and as the rider, (I’m going to call him Duncan), flew off the bull, the clowns were sent in to pick up the pieces. Read more »

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Lindbloom: False Summits and Surprise Lake

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| 2 Comments

Are we there yet?

 “After climbing a great hill, one only  finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come.” – Nelson Mandela

By Rich Lindbloom

False Summits, as anyone who has ever backpacked in the mountains can attest to, are very similar to a mirage in the desert. Backpackers become painfully acquainted with false summits as they switchback their way up the mountain, stealing surreptitious glances around a corner – praying that the end is almost in sight. It seems I tend to start looking for the end of the trail about half way into a hike. For those of you who have strapped 50#’s to 60#’s on your back and headed upwards, you might agree with me that this is around the time we ask people headed in the other direction, “How much further to Surprise Lake?”

The first backpacking trip I ever went on was in the Tetons in Wyoming. We started out the day in great spirits, in total awe of the magnificent peaks set before us. I remember thinking, “this looks pretty steep and dangerous.” Day one of our 7 day expedition was a 4,000 foot climb covering a distance of 6 miles. As I quickly learned, that 6 miles was not exactly as the crow flies. The banter and songs seemed to diminish as we ascended higher and higher up the never ending switchbacks. With aching backs and blistering feet we trudged onward and upward, many times fooled by what appeared to be the apex of the trail. Read more »

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Lindbloom: It’s just a little rain

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| 1 Comment

Igor Haviland -Could be worse.
Dr. Frederick Quennesteine – How?
Igor Haviland - It could be raining.

By Rich Lindbloom

Need I say anything more?

Certainly, you’d be hard pressed to recall a more dismal game than the one that took place before a blood thirsty United Center crowd last Sunday. Against the hated Canucks no less; do the Hawks realize the shame we fans feel when Vancouver beats us? Do they realize that some of us who blog on the Nucksmisconduct website are treated like boy toys until the next time we play, Nov. 16th.  At one point in the third period I said to my son, “You can actually hear a pin drop in here.” That without the help of my hearing aids, whose batteries went dead shortly after the Canucks third power play goal. (It’s more than apparent that the Hawks power play needs a little Energizer Bunny help at the moment-although I haven’t reached the desperation of one blogger who actually thinks we’d be better off declining the opposition’s time in box.) Read more »

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Lindbloom: Who’s going to cook for us?

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment

By Rich Lindbloom

The last weekend in October is set aside on our calendar for the annual Father/Son camp out in Oakland, Il.  My son and I have attended seven years straight , often times waking up with frost on our noses. Basically, we are exposed to the great outdoors nonstop from Thursday evening, until Sunday afternoon, dealing with whatever mother nature decides to throw our way. Interspersed with the solid teaching of Norm Wakefield, we canoe, fish, paint ball, skeet shoot, play 15 on 15 football and many other manly type things. Impromptu voices singing “Men, men, men, men, big strong men” can be heard throughout Walnut State Park. Yet, it seems every year about the second week of October, I start questioning if I really want to lay on the ground for three nights in a bag that you sleep in. Especially if it means I’ll miss two Hawk games, although from what I’ve garnered, I didn’t miss much on Friday when we succumbed to an inspired Cane club. Read more »

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Lindbloom: The Funky Funky Machines

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment

By Rich Lindbloom

I know some of you are thinking, “Alright, now you’ve gone too far.” At first glance, there is no way that the New York Dolls could ever even obtusely be connected in any way shape or form to an article on hockey. If you’re highly offended, let me state you probably have good reason to be. In fact I’d completely understand if you immediately send these strange thoughts without delay to the trash bin. I’ll be the first to admit, even I thought long and hard about this piece. However I just can’t seem to get the Doll’s song “Funky But” out of my head. The thought about the song was pulled from the depths of my memory banks when I heard a conversation between the Ombudsman-Adam Fels, and his brother Sam.

I’m fortunate enough to have season tickets next to the Fel’s brothers, and often eavesdrop to try to glean some tiny morsels of their hockey wisdom. (Did anyone catch Sam’s description of Bob Murray adding Andrew Cogliano to the Ducks this year, “..akin to attempting to fix a leak in your bathroom sink by pouring Mountain Dew down it.”) I have to admit, I’m still disappointed Sam didn’t know who #62 on Anaheim was, but for the most part he’s a veritable wealth of hockey information. Anyway, I overheard the two bro’s talking about the New York Dolls, and butted into their conversation by saying “I saw them. They opened up for Mott the Hoople in the Auditorium Theatre back in the early 70’s.” One thing led to another and I can’t seem to get the one song of the Doll’s that I remember out of my head. Read more »

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Lindbloom: These Hawks Blow Good

Posted on October 22, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment
“Blow”

By Rich Lindbloom

There’s probably a good chance most of you do not know who the trumpeter pictured above is. I knew very little about this virtuoso, Miles Davis, other than what I gleaned from Terry Hemmert’s Jazz transfusion show that used to play late Sunday nights. (And of course a little WBEZ) Back in 1991, my wife and I attended an outdoor concert in a field just north of the Field Museum on the spur of a moment. I think she asked me what kind of music it was, and I said, “I’m not sure, but I know the guy is a legend.” The truth about jazz is it’s the antipode of what producers try to sell us, what with the “hooks” and such of modern popular music. Live jazz is the unexpected, boldly creative, “out on a limb” risk taking.(Think Dustin Byfuglien abandoning his defensive post.) Clearly it’s poetry without rhyme. Most of the time, unless you’re the Tribunes great jazz reporter, Howard Reich, it’s a venture into the unknown.

As Nathalie and I took are seats, decidedly in the minority, we took in the sights and sounds of the jazz world. It made me smile to think that some of these jazz aficionado’s thought we know something about jazz. Ha! Mile’s Davis’s band took the stage, sans Miles, and started into a whirlwind funk type of thing. (I’m pretty sure Howard would like to punch me in the face for that description– see, hockey does have similarities to jazz!) After a few minutes, a slender dude with big sunglasses joined them on stage, trumpet in hand. As he took to his front and center position, he raised the trumpet to his lips and blew one note. Read more »

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Lindbloom: Get Your Shine On

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment
Haywood and Lindbloom chillin’ at his office. (I’m the one on the right)


By Rich Lindbloom

One of life’s simple little pleasures is a great shoe shine. That along with a freshly detailed car, (c’mon, admit it, some of you have McDonald wrappers in your back seat), a good night’s repose or a smile from your wife tend to inordinately lift one’s spirits. The above picture was taken last Saturday before the Bruins game. I’ve had my shoes shined by Haywood for numerous years now. Trust me when I tell you he can bring the dead back to life! If you’re like me, getting the shoes shined gets put on the back burner in my busy life. In fact, if you ever notice that my shoes don’t match my outfit, it’s because I finally decided, after 4 months, to get them shined no matter what the fashion disaster. (Haywood recommends 6 weeks by the way.) Think about it for a second – do you think Hossa would let those bad boy white loafers go that long? Forget about it!

In a related story, I took two customers to a Hawks game a few years back with my boss. With about 5 minutes remaining in the 1st period, I came to the calculated conclusion I could not wait until the end of the period to relieve myself. As I came out of the bathroom I noticed Haywood in his chair. H’mmm, I thought, maybe I’ll get a quick shoe shine. Unfortunately, I forgot how thorough Haywood is, and found myself sitting in his chair a little longer than anticipated. It was then that my boss emerged from Sec 101. Read more »

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Lindbloom: What You Think?

Posted on October 15, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| 2 Comments

By Rich Lindbloom

“What me worry? There’s must be at least 50 ways to find that elusive #2 center – having $3 mildo in my pocket is a good start.”

Last Saturday I was fortunate enough to locate a seat in our company’s Suite. Normally an inhabitant of the upper reaches of the U.C., on occasion I get to sit close enough to the ice to actually hear the sound Dave Bolland’s elbow makes when it collides with an adversary. In between periods, I made my way down to the main concourse to meet a friend close to where Denis Savard was signing autographs. The excitement and buzz there were rather apparent on this, the opening night of the 2011/12 season. Like most of the ardent Hawk fans, the bat senses were heightened that night trying to discern if this year’s team is an improvement over last year’s. If nothing else, Stan Bowman had a very active offseason. The word frenetic comes to mind. While he didn’t pull a true second center out of his hat, the revamping of the Hawks almost paralleled the amount of changes made last year. Read more »

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Lindbloom: The Nature of the Beast

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Rich Lindbloom| Leave a comment
“Maggie” – photo credit: SI Vault

“Who killed Davey Moore,
Why an’ what’s the reason for?
“Not us,” says the angry crowd,
Whose screams filled the arena loud.
It’s too bad he died that night
But we just like to see a good fight.
We didn’t mean for him t’ meet his death,
We just meant to see some sweat,
There ain’t nothing wrong in that.
It wasn’t us that made him fall.
No, you can’t blame us at all.” – Bob Dylan

By Rich Lindbloom

The recent deaths of Bob Probert. Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien have stirred a hornet’s nest in the minds and hearts of hockey fans and critics. Hockey’s numerous detractors are quick to point out the accumulative effects of getting pummeled by an opponent leads to serious brain damage. They claim it is barbaric for modern day hockey to tolerate fighting to appease the blood thirsty fans who are packing the modern day equivalent of the Roman Coliseum.

Ian Brown had an excellent article on NHL enforcers last week that was a great read. Even more interesting than the article, were the numerous replies elicited by his piece. I read over 50 of the replies, finding the majority of them condemned fighting in the NHL. One dad said the “goon” aspect of hockey is why he has steered his son into other sports. Another response to the article stated, “the relatively violence free, international hockey grows in popularity and is a joy to watch.” Someone else decried that it seemed like every team has one dummy (Domi – in his words) on the team. Read more »

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