What’s on TV with The Hawks in Sochi

Mandatory Credit: Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

February 7th. After the Chicago Blackhawks face the Phoenix Coyotes on the 7th, we won’t see the Blackhawks suit up as a team for roughly three weeks. Sure, we’ll get to see a decent number of them play for their home countries at odd times during the Olympics, but it may not be easy to go oh so long without seeing this fantastic group play alongside one another.

So what to do? Well, if you haven’t burned through your Netflix que by now, then start House of Cards and check back in with reality by watching late night hockey on NBC. And if you haven’t started watching Breaking Bad yet, then perhaps other areas of your life need to be evaluated.

Ah but some of us still like to watch TV without any help of the internet and some of us still enjoy watching the Chicago Bulls (fine, none of us like doing either of those things). But maybe this period of time is an opportunity for those who have spent many nights from 7-10 PM focused on what Antti Raanta, Jonathan Toews, and Patrick Kane are up to.

Here are some suggestions of what to watch while our ‘Hawks are enemies for a month in Sochi (Chicago themed of course):

“Jordan Rides The Bus” (Netflix) – If you haven’t seen this ESPN documentary about Michael Jordan’s experience playing minor league baseball, then you are missing out. It isn’t the best 30 for 30 piece , but it gives us crazed fanatics a look into Jordan’s experience with the Birmingham Barons. Any glimpse into Jordan’s personal and professional life is appealing to fans of any sport. Interviews with member of the baseball team, Jordan’s childhood friends, and others create a compelling background, though I did feel that after I finished watching, there was still more to the story. Maybe they will touch in it in Space Jam 2?

“Eight Men Out” (Netflix) – Not one of the greatest moments in Chicago sports history, but certainly one of the most infamous and compelling. Many are somewhat familiar with the story of the Black Sox scandal of 1919, and though some parts of this film are dramatized and exaggerated, you can get a sense of how this event took place. Some people may walk away feeling a sense of pity for some of the players involved in the scandal and this movie can educate the viewer about certain circumstances that led to this black mark on baseball history, and besides, watching John Cusack play baseball is funny enough for two hours.

Chicago Bulls vs. Miami Heat (Feb. 23), Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors (Feb. 26) – I know  what you’re thinking. Why would we want to watch the Bulls score 80 points against the Heat and then 85 against the Warriors in what should be two losses? Because against the Heat, who knows of Joakim Noah is going to throw a punch or a lock of hair at Lebron James at some point during the game. Who knows of Carlos Boozer sucker punches Chris Bosh in the stomach after the Bulls go down by 20? As for the Warriors, I attended their game against the Brooklyn Nets last week and Steph Curry is worth the price of admission alone. In fact, stop what you are doing. Go to your DVR. Record the game on the 26th and find out for yourself.

The Bachelor (ABC, Sunday Nights) – Because your significant other wants you to at least make an attempt at sharing interests. One sunday without football or any evening hockey, it may not kill you to sit back and watch one episode of the show. And if it does, then you have something else to blame on Gary Bettman.