Who else out there follows hockey but lives in a state where few people care? In Wisconsin, we have the perennial powerhouses of Men and Women teams at UW-Madison, but no one seems to notice. (Some years back both squads held NCAA titles at the same time.) I do not even bother to ask at work anymore if anyone "watched the game last night". If it has nothing to do with the Packers, it is hard to get people's attention sometimes. I felt horrible when I wore my Toews jersey to work recently and a woman looked at the front and said, "Is that a hockey team?" However, I am sitting in the public library right now wearing the same jersey, and fellow walked by and said, "Go Hawks!" I just wish that happened more often!
I appreciate Chicago players that begin competing within the city's sports organizations and stay with these teams throughout their careers.