Fan’s failure to wear ‘lucky jersey’ costs Blackhawks series
Friday, May 29th, 2009
Mike Moorhead ponders his future as a Blackhawks' fan
Not since Steve Bartman has there been a bigger goat in Chicago.
This past season when Mike Moorhead wore his lucky Chicago Blackhawks jersey, his favorite team had a record of 22 -1. The only time they lost was on March 3 in a 3-2 overtime defeat at the hands of the Anaheim Ducks. So it seems like it would go without saying that Mr. Moorhead would have worn the jersey for the Blackhawks’ crucial game five against the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference Finals. However, to the the dismay of everyone, when the Blackhawks took the ice Mr. Moorhead decided to leave the jersey in the closet. Chicago lost the game 2-1 and their season was over.
“I blew it, I really blew it,” said Mr. Moorhead, 28, of Wilmington, IL. “I thought we had game five in the bag and that I would save the jersey for game six. This is nobody’s fault except for mine.” Chicago coach Joel Quenneville was also quick to point the finger of blame at Mr. Moorhead. “This is why we don’t look ahead in the series. Mike let down the team when we needed him the most.” Winger Patrick Sharp said after the game that the team felt “something missing” and that it “was no surprise he wasn’t wearing the jersey.”
Mr. Moorhead had been donning the lucky #88 Patrick Kane jersey since the start of the season and its magic was apparent from the get-go. “They would always just play great hockey when I wore it,” he remembers. “The only reason I think they lost that one game was because I spilled ketchup on it during the overtime.” Chicago area fans have not been kind to Mr. Moorhead since the team’s defeat. Trash has been strewn on his lawn, the word “Traitor” was spray-painted on his garage and he has been receiving angry phone calls in the middle of the night. “I don’t blame Blackhawk fans for the way they’ve reacted. I probably would feel the same way,” he said from his home. “I just hope I can try to make up for it.”
Will Mr. Moorhead be welcomed back at Blackhawks games next season? “It’s too early to say,” says captain Jonathan Toews. “We have to begin the healing process first.”