Long overdue party

A Jonathan Toews' slap shot couldn't knock the smile off of Herman Spurrell's face.

The Badger's Quay native was in Gander last week awaiting the arrival of his first grandchild, not even a month after the longtime Chicago Blackhawks fan watched Patrick Kane beat Philadelphia Flyers goalie Michael Leighton five-hole in overtime to capture the Stanley Cup in game six.

It was a long time coming for Spurrell, who's hockey team had the unenviable distinction of holding the longest Stanley Cup drought - 49 years.

"I'm 53 now, and I've been a Chicago Blackhawks fan since I was seven - so 46 years," said Spurrell.

The thing about Spurrell is that he isn't just a casual hockey fan - he's a fanatic. He doesn't need the use of Wikipedia, or any hockey encyclopedia to learn about dates, nor does he need to look up who scored what goal in which period - it's all in his head.

When talking about the woes the Blackhawks have gone through over the years, Spurrell remembers one series in particular.

"Back in '71, just 10 years after they won the Cup in '61, they went to the finals against Montreal and lost in seven games," he remembers. "Chicago was up 3-2 (in the best-of-seven series), and Bobby Hull comes down and nails the crossbar. Then, Jacques Lemaire took a shot from centre ice and beat Tony Esposito. It broke my heart."

Skip ahead 37 years after the last time the Blackhawks reached the Stanley Cup final, and Spurrell was once again looking for hockey's holy grail to return to the Windy City. After sweeping the San Jose Sharks in four games in the Western Conference finals, Spurrell had a hunch his Blackhawks had what it took to bring down the Broadstreet Bullies.

"When they got so far, I was figuring they were going to win," he said. "I figured they would beat Philly."

However, despite his confidence, a moment occurred late in game six that took Spurrell all the way back to 1971 - way back when the Blackhawks blew a 3-2 series lead to the Canadiens. Chicago was ahead 3-2 with five minutes to go in the third period when Spurrell's worst nightmare came true.

"When Scott Hartnell scored with 3:59 left to tie it, I said, 'not again.' To lose that game would have been too far fetched," said Spurrell.

However, everything was right in the world when Kane beat Leighton to end the Stanley Cup drought. Spurrell said he's only now coming to grips with the fact that Chicago won the Cup, and said he was in a state of shock when Kane scored the game-winning goal.

Spurrell hoists the Stanley Cup...sort of

Like all Canadian kids, Spurrell always wondered what it would be like to raise the Stanley Cup above his head in jubilation. Although he'll probably never get to lift the real thing, his friends at the fish plant in Valleyfield decided to throw a Stanley Cup party for Spurrell - equipped with a CBC reporter (Eileen Hunt), Don Cherry (Darren Burry), Ron MacLean (Darren Starkes), security (Cliff Kean) and, of course, the Stanley Cup.

"I went into the fish plant the day after Chicago won the Cup. We went out into the butchering area...started singing Oh Canada, and they brought the Cup up. I held it over my head and started chanting, 'Toews, Toews,Toews.'"

Kean, who acted as security for the makeshift Stanley Cup presentation, said Spurrell deserved the moment of glory. According to Kean, it's nothing to work alongside Spurrell and hear sporadic yelps of jubilation.

"We work alongside Herman, and every now and then you'll hear a big yell, or a 'he shoots, he scores.' It's so comical, like something out of Hollywood," said Kean. "When he comes over to talk to you, he's talking hockey...he's constantly talking about hockey. It's hard to believe it, but he is Mr. Hockey."

Because Spurrell is such a huge Blackhawks fan, and because he's so well liked by his peers, Kean, Burry and Starkes decided to create the Cup, and present it to Spurrell.

"He's waited 49 years for this day, so because of that, we decided to put a Cup together, and give the guy a bit of glory, and something to have some fun with," said Kean. "Darren actually put the Cup together...and once we knew Chicago won the Cup, we decided to present the Cup to him."

Since he's had the Cup, Spurrell has had as much fun as the actual Chicago players who get to keep the Stanley Cup for a day. After parading with it through the local grocery stores and the drug store, it was off to Pearson Academy in Wesleyville to meet an old friend, and Flyers' fan, Duane Smith.

The two are good friends, and had a bet riding on the Stanley Cup final. If Philly won, Spurrell had to wear a Flyers jersey, a hat and ride around with a Flyers license plate. The same went for Smith if Chicago won, except he had to go around with all Blackhawks paraphernalia.

"I had the Cup with me, and you wouldn't believe how excited the kids were, and that made me more excited," said Spurrell. "I went and asked for Mr. Smith, and they told me he was in the gym. I went there and he was in the equipment room, so one of the students went and told him he was wanted. He came out, I held the Cup up and started chanting, 'Toews, Toews, Toews!'"

The two long-time friends than posed for photos - with Smith decked in a Chicago jersey and hat.

Spurrell sympathizes with Leafs fans

The Toronto Maple Leafs and its fans are the brunt of a lot of jokes, especially now that the Leafs have the longest Stanley Cup drought - 43 years.

However, Spurrell said he doesn't make fun of Toronto's fans, because he knows how they feel.

"I sympathize with them," he said. "I truly think that down the road, and I'm not saying next year, maybe five years, they could make a run for the Cup. They're headed in the right direction."

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