Kiss the Cup?

Every year around this time I find myself doing something that does not come naturally: watching professional hockey. The NHL regular season is just about the most boring thing in professional sports; conversely, the NHL playoffs are just about the most exciting thing in professional sports.


What's cool about this year's playoffs is that there are three former Badgers still alive. Two are relatively well-known and play for Detroit: former Waupaca softballer Brian Rafalski, and 89-year-old Chris Chelios. These guys have enjoyed long, successful careers and already have their names on the Stanley Cup.


That's why I'm pulling for Adam Burish and the Chicago Blackhawks. Burish, you may remember, is the Madison native who captained Mike Eaves' 2006 national championship team. He just seemed like one of those ultimate team guys who, while not the most talented player, did all the right things to keep the locker room together and get the win.


Several weeks ago, while I was on vacation, Burish did something that I meant to blog about but couldn't find a computer. The Blackhawks were playing Calgary in the second round, near the end of a game Burish cross-checked former Badger teammate Rene Bourque in the face. Bourque threw up his arms in a "What the hell?" manner, then chased after Burish, who broke his stick on his former teammate's face.


Hockey is hockey, but still, can you think of another situation where former college teammates have gone after each other like this?



This would be like Michael Finley slamming Devin Harris to the floor with a flagrant foul, or Jim Leonhard spearing Lee Evans' knees. Players probably aren't thinking about alma maters in the heat of the battle, but still, the Burish-Bourque thing seems somewhat unprecedented.

Here's to Burish and Chicago playing a bunch of multiple-overtime thrillers that end with his name etched on the Cup.

Wisconsin's all-time Top 10 athletes

Last week my brother-in-law Nick (Sorgi-Romo) Barbera emailed me a link to an SI.com feature on Wisconsin's Top 10 all-time athletes. It's interesting -- here's the list:




10. Joe Thomas
9. Tony Granato
8. Pat Richter
7. Michael Finley
6. Red Below
5. Mark Johnson
4. Alando Tucker
3. Ron Dayne
2. Suzy Favor-Hamilton
1. Alan Ameche



Here's my top 20:
20. Gene Englund
19. Lee Kemp
18. Joe Thomas
17. Mark Johnson
16. Sara Bauer
15. Chris Solinsky
14. Al Toon
13. Alando Tucker

12. Amy Wickus
11. Cathy Branta
10. Kathy Butler
9. Robert Butler
8. Arlie Mucks
7. Pat O'Dea
6. Dave Schreiner/Pat Harder
5. Alan Ameche
4. Mike Eaves
3. Ron Dayne
2. Pat Richter
1. Suzy Favor-Hamilton

Don't know some of these names? Visit www.uwbadgers.com and do some research. Please return and discuss.

A silver lining from the hockey team? Nope

Yesterday the Badger hockey team upset Denver in the first round of regional play at the Kohl Center, moving UW into position to make the Frozen Four with a win over North Dakota tonight. Didn't happen - Bucky blew a 2-0 lead heading into the third period and lost 3-2 in overtime.

A lot of people thought the Badgers didn't deserve to make the tournament, seeing as how they had a sub-.500 record and all. But their strength of schedule didn't lie, and for all the kvetching the win over Denver proved the Badgers belonged. But there will be no reprisal of the "Backdoor Badgers" team that controversially made the tournament a generation ago and went on to win the whole ball of wax.

Two years ago on this night Andy and I were in attendance at the Resch Center in Green Bay for the epic three-overtime win over Cornell that went Wisconsin onto the Frozen Four in Milwaukee. There, the Badgers won the national title. We've seen mixed results since then for Mike Eaves' program.

Last year's step back was understandable, given the number of early departures that hit the program and the abundance of injuries to key players. This year's team was very young, too. But that's the way it is in college hockey now - everyone's losing guys early - look at poor Minnesota, which lost their best player to the NHL midseason. And Eaves has been bringing in very highly-rated recruiting classes. It's time for these players to start living up to their billing and showing that the 2006 national championship was not an aberration, but a sign of things to come.