NEWSLETTER
It’s been a long few years for the Blackhawks, so let’s celebrate a special anniversary. Remember the time Brent Seabrook unloaded a shot in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Final and officially punted the Detroit Red Wings from both the playoffs and the division/conference?
On this date — May 29 — in 2013, one of the biggest postseason moments in the history of the Blackhawks was authored by Seabrook. For my money, of the hundreds of Blackhawks games I have attended in person, this was the third-loudest hockey-related moment in the history of the United Center.
Of course, if you remember this game, it should have ended in regulation off the stick of Niklas Hjalmarsson. But refs are gonna ref and it didn’t count, which opened the door for Seabs to drop the hammer.
This was the end of the Blackhawks-Red Wings rivalry as we had known it. Detroit was moving to the Eastern Conference after the 2013 season as part of league-wide realignment. And the Red Wings were still considered the big, bad Red Wings that many viewed as one of the teams that could stand between the Blackhawks and winning the Stanley Cup after their historic regular season after the lockout.
Everything about this moment was perfect. The crowd’s reaction. Seabrook’s visceral shout in the midst of the team crushing him against the boards. The fact that the final chapter of the rivalry as we knew it was being concluded with a Blackhawks win.
For those wondering “Hey, Tab, what are the two hockey-related moments in United Center history that were louder than this?” I would say:
- Marian Hossa’s OT GWG vs. Nashville in 2010
- The Stanley Cup entering the ice to be handed to Jonathan Toews in 2015
A close fourth to the Star-Spangled Banner before Game One of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final should be noted as an honorable mention.
