June 15--As much as the Blackhawks have said they are focused on the Lightning and doing what all they need to do to win Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, they are human.
So they have pondered, romanticized and dreamt what it would be like to hoist the Cup for the third time in six years.
It's made sleep a little difficult.
"It's a chance for this organization to do something special. It's one of things where you're tossing and turning, your mind is racing," Patrick Kane said Monday morning. "At this time of year, everybody is thinking about what's going to happen. The best thing is go out and play, let your mind rest."
The Hawks said it has been hard the last few days to turn down the noise and anticipation surrounding the Cup being at the United Center for Game 6, like appeasing family and friends that want tickets. Johnny Oduya said Sunday was used to clear the deck of any off-ice responsibilities.
"You do your best, like anything else," Oduya said. "You kind of use that experience and the feeling you had last time being in a position like this, and just as a group I think we kind of help each other a lot. We have that experience. We've done things like this before."
Some, however, haven't. Like 40-year-old Kimmo Timonen, who has dreamt about this moment his whole career and now is one win away from his first Cup.
"It is a mental struggle," Timonen said. "You have to do mental work and really say, 'Stop it.' You go for a walk, you watch a movie and that kind of stuff. You listen to music, whatever makes you get your mind off of it. It is a mental struggle, but every hour you have to say to yourself, 'Stop it.' There's a game and it's a big game and we haven't won (expletive) yet."
