Then, when a thunderous "USA! USA!" chant broke out following an announcement that the United States had defeated West Germany, 4-2, to advance to the semifinals of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y., I was completely hooked.
Throughout high school, I was known on occasion to skip class along with some friends so we could be first in line to buy tickets six games in advance, which was how it was done in those days.
My first day of college, I walked into class carrying a Blackhawks Media Guide that I had claimed from my job at the Chicago Tribune. Seated in the front row was a fellow student wearing a North Stars sweater. We eye-balled each other as I took a seat on the other side of the room.
My favorite players then were Denis Savard, Al Secord, Eddie Olczyk, Troy Murray, Steve Larmer and, especially, Doug Wilson.
My passion for hockey never wavered, even when I had to give up my fandom when I became the Blackhawks beat reporter for the Tribune in 2007. While I no longer was a fan due to my journalistic duties, I was always able to appreciate talented players making jaw-dropping plays, all while often sacrificing their bodies for the good of their team and teammates.
What a ride the next nine years or so were. My first assignment was to cover the '07 NHL Draft in Columbus. The Blackhawks held the No. 1 overall pick and selected the franchise-turning Patrick Kane. Then came Rocky Wirtz and the hiring of John McDonough as team president and the rest, as they say, is history.
I was there in Philadelphia when the Blackhawks won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years, and one of my fondest memories was being on the ice shortly after Game 6 and crossing paths with then-Head Coach Joel Quenneville, who merely smiled and said, "Chris Kuc is here" as we continued on our separate ways.