Notes from the West II: Look, kids! Krog!

We go back now to our Western Conference correspondent, my little brother (“The Little Punk in Illinois”), for this report from the Rosemont Horizon.

Driving along Interstate 294 past O’Hare, my driver and cohort commented, “It’s a shame we’re not higher up, so you could see what the airport looks like.”

Ignoring the fact that I’ve seen airports before, I replied, “Ron, it’s Illinois: There is no ‘higher up’ here!”

Yes! It’s Western Conference Correspondent TLP reporting from Rosemont, Ill., where the Chicago Wolves’ 2-1 overtime win on Saturday over the Milwaukee Admirals capped off a spectacular home opener in the beautiful (on the inside, anyway) Allstate Arena.


For those of you playing along at home, TLP has so far attended a Peoria Rivermen game at the Peoria Civic Center, and a Chicago Wolves game at Allstate Arena. Both games were won by the home team in overtime, and both games were against the visiting Milwaukee Admirals. I know, it’s creepy.

Upon arriving at Allstate Arena, which is nestled quite conspicuously between O’Hare International and a strip of apartment buildings (between meaning mere feet from both), I realized that the Wolves’ home opener features a big tailgate party involving face-painting, games of cornhole, free hot dogs and free pop*.

Periodically, or every two minutes, an American or United Airlines flight would come in for a landing, the landing gear scraping the roof of the arena; if you can count the lugnuts on the wheels of a 747, you are somewhere you don’t want to be. Incredibly cool nonetheless.

Entering the arena proved to be quite the exercise in surrealism, as everywhere one looked, the word “Wolfpack” greeted him. Trying to remind myself that I was not, in fact, in Hartford, I asked my travelling companion why the name of an Eastern Conference team was plastered all over the walls of a Western Conference arena.

I was told that I am crazy. Hockey in Chicago, much like every other aspect of life in Chicago, does not acknowledge the outside world, and therefore the Eastern Conference does not exist. “There’s a Hartford Wolf Pack?” was the response I got from more than three Chicagoans. Apparently the Wolfpack is the name of the Wolves’ booster club, and therefore is the only meaning of the word, hockey, submarines, or otherwise.

Upon finding our seats, I sat with mouth agape as the three piece wolf-head was assembled around the players’ ramp, and a 10-minute fireworks display commenced within the confines of the barn. Players skated onto the ice from between twin flame-jets of at least 20 feet, and atop the jumbo-tron, four more jets of red flame reached frighteningly close to the wooden ceiling and less than 15 feet from several commercial jets. (I have already notified Homeland Security.)

Then the most impressive thing I have ever seen at a sporting event occurred. Wayne Messmer, Senior Executive Vice President of Business Operations for the Chicago Wolves**, stepped onto the ice and made a short and concise speech about Bill Wirtz, and asking for a moment of silence, which the rabid Chicago fans obediently obeyed. Messmer then thanked the crowd, and launched into the most powerful rendition of The Star Spangled Banner that my ears have ever heard.

Wayne Messmer deserved the standing O that he got that day. I’m not certain if he always sings the National Anthem for the Wolves, but if he doesn’t, he should.

Mike would be a better reference for what happened during the actual game, so I’m not going to pretend that I’m a sports writer***. All that I can tell you is that Jason Krog drew first blood, the kid sitting next to me never sat still but knew more about hockey than most “hockey fans,” and the ice was incredibly ugly and snowy throughout the entire game.

With that said, TLP will sign off and return you to your regularly scheduled Web log. Stay posted for my next stop: Rockford.

*-Sic.
**-Ed. Note: Yes, same guy who used to sing it at Chicago Stadium.
***-Ed note: Unlike his brother.

We cower in fear can’t wait, Matty.

Michael Fornabaio