Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, now Make-A-Wish for charity

I’ve posted this before, and it deserves more attention. The puck set is beautiful, and the proceeds to go charity. Don’t be cheap. Go get yourself a set.

Hawks Fans Can Celebrate Stanley Cup Title

With Special Commemorative 2-Puck Set with Cases

Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Illinois

Smiling As Hawks End 49-Year Drought

Only 5,000 Special Cup Items Will Be Produced To Raise Funds

For Youngsters Who Have Life-Threatening Illnesses

Chicago– It’s almost like a bunch of cobwebs have been removed and replaced by young and middle-aged cheering fans.  It is a new ERA for Chicago Blackhawks fans, a season that finally ended with a bang, not a whimper.

For the first time in 49 years, the fabled Stanley Cup will now call Chicago home, as the Blackhawks stunned the Philadelphia Flyers, 4-3, in overtime on Patrick Kane’s goal in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals on June 9, ending decades of frustration for their loyal fans.  The last time the Hawks were Cup champs was in 1961, when John F. Kennedy was in the White House.

And no one is any happier than the youngsters at the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Illinois, many of who have life-threatening medical conditions and depend on this organization to fulfill some special wishes.  Just like these young boys and girls who never give up hope, fans of the Blackhawks never gave up on winning the Stanley Cup again.

And to help celebrate this special hockey moment, and raise some needed funds for the local Make-A-Wish kids, Nikco Sports announced it will be offering a special, limited edition commemorative Stanley Cup championship 2-puck set manufactured by Sherwood Hockey, the official hockey puck of the NHL, complete with display cases, to preserve this special time in Chicago sports history. Only 5,000 sets will be produced, with the goal of adding to the more than $1.7 million that Nikco Sports has raised for children’s charities in recent years.

The two pucks are licensed by the National Hockey League and can be ordered on a first-come basis for $39.95 by calling 1-800-345-2868 or ordering online at www.nikcosports.com.  Each purchase comes with a numbered certificate of authenticity to enhance the value and collectibility of this special piece of sports memorabilia.  There will be a limit of 5 sets per order, to ensure that as many Blackhawks fans as possible get a piece of history.

The Blackhawks team puck will feature the historic and colorful Hawks official team logo, and salute their four Stanley Cup championships won in 1933-34, 1937-38 and 1960-61 and the latest one during the 2009-2010 season. It will also list the conference titles captured in 1992 and 2010 and acknowledge their 14 Division titles.  On this puck will be the words “Stanley Cup Champions.” Any customer who ordered the limited edition set recently when it was introduced as a Stanley Cup appearance puck set will have their sets upgraded to include Stanley Cup Champions.

The second puck is a tribute to the 2009-2010 season and will have the official Stanley Cup logo and Western Conference logo and then a recap of each playoff series triumph over Nashville, Vancouver, San Jose and Philadelphia, as well as celebrating the Hawks 52-22-8 (OT): Points–112 Season Record and Central Division Championship, giving Hawks fans a great way to reflect back on the many happy moments during the season.

The Hawks finished the playoffs by winning 16 of 22 contests. Many Hawks fans still point to a last second goal by Kane in Game 5 of the opening series against Nashville that tied the game and propelled the Hawks to beat the Predators in overtime as a key turning point.  Chicago went on to win that series, 4 games to 2, then did the same thing in the second round against Vancouver.  That led to a 4-0 sweep in a tight series against the San Jose Sharks.  The Hawks won 2-1, 4-2, 3-2 (OT) and 4-2.

Then came a 4-2 series victory over the Flyers, including the clincher in OT.

It seemed like most every game was a nail biter.

“Chicago was a team of destiny, with its never-say-die attitude and hard work ethic,” noted Nikco Sports CEO Craig Bidner.  “Blackhawks fans waited a very long time to win another Stanley Cup, and the celebration in Chicago will go on for weeks, if not all summer.  It was quite the season.  The way this team battled and worked hard reminds me of how so many youngsters who are involved with the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Illinois also battle on an ongoing basis. It makes our staff at Nikco Sports proud to play a small part in this special Stanley Cup commemorative program that is raising funds for these deserving youngsters.”

During the past several years, Nikco Sports has raised more than $1.7 million for charitable organizations across the nation with the issue of limited-edition sports memorabilia that has honored amateur and professional teams, as well as select athletes such athletes as Dan Marino, Brett Favre, Jerome Bettis, Ben Roethlisberger, along with Peyton Manning, Jim Kelly, Carson Palmer, Steve Young, John Elway, David Robinson, John Stockton, Magic Johnson, Roger Clemens, Ryne Sandberg, Paul Molitor, Kirby Puckett, Edgar Martinez, Ichiro, Ozzie Smith, Mark McGwire, Ken Griffey Jr., Nolan Ryan, Tony Gwynn, Craig Biggio and Cal Ripken Jr.