Chicago Blackhawks Flashback: Mario Kart

It’s Wednesday, meaning some Blackhawk Up readers are about halfway through their work week. So I’m going to provide a blast to the past each Hump Day to give you all a little extra oomph and help you get to the weekend. The Chicago Blackhawks have done a lot of funny or endearing video spots since the organization emerged from its dark days. Those spots will be the topic of these flashback posts.

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We’ve previously taken on Joey the Junior Reporter, an old Blackhawks holiday video and Jonathan Toews‘ “Exercise Your Right” video. But today, we’re going for something a little less staged, and something some Blackhawks fans can directly relate to.

It can be easy for Blackhawks fans — or those who cheer for any professional sports team — to forget that their favorite players do have lives outside practicing for and playing in games. The Blackhawks didn’t want their fans to forget that important piece of information back during the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, so they shot this video.

The Blackhawks talk here and there about playing the video game Mario Kart as a team, and we got to see it in action between playoff games in the team’s first of three Stanley Cup runs over the last six seasons. For those of you unaware, Mario Kart is a racing game featuring characters such as the Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, Yoshi and many others (depending on which platform you play it on, there may be way more characters). It’s a fun game to play that generally succeeds in making friends want to hit one another.

Colin Fraser is the anchor of this “segment,” as he drops in on a pair of Mario Kart games in action on separate televisions. Brian Campbell, Brent Seabrook, Troy Brouwer and Toews are playing one game, and you can tell none of them want to lose.

All they need now is Cheetos and beer. (Screenshot from YouTube)

These guys also kind of look like they haven’t showered recently. Did they play this game right after finishing a playoff performance?

Campbell was really into the game and appeared to win the first race that was filmed. We then get an interview with Brouwer, who looks legitimately stressed by this video game. Brouwer suggested that Campbell spends his downtime practicing the game. Oh, and Campbell stole Brouwer’s character. No wonder they traded Soupy in 2011.

Toews wins the next race and, as is his style, shows little emotion upon achieving something. Wait, what was that?

A cyborg wouldn’t do that! (Screenshot from YouTube)

Toews hamming it up for the camera? Someone make sure this footage is never deleted or destroyed.

Brouwer tells Fraser that he’s normally a controller thrower but says he hasn’t been doing that during this video … which proceeds to show him throwing his controller. Hopefully he can get back together with some of his former Blackhawks teammates for Mario Kart sessions between Blackhawks-Blues games.

Brouwer keeps his mouth running, telling Fraser that he wasn’t fit for “the A TV” on which Brouwer, Campbell, Seabrook and Toews are playing. So Fraser goes to his home, AKA the B TV.

Brouwer says one of the players on the B TV during this video, Niklas Hjalmarsson, is probably the best Mario Kart player among the Blackhawks. And we cut to Hjalmarsson …

Convincing

Johnny Oduya

to come to Chicago? (Screenshot from YouTube)

Yup, he’s talking on his phone and playing the game. He was still in first place though, so Brouwer’s claim of Hjalmarsson being the best may not be far off.

Jordan Hendry was struggling using the Mario character, but Fraser turns his needling to Patrick Kane, who apparently puts in hours and hours of time playing the game but is only in fifth place of 12 competitors. But it may not be entirely Kane’s fault, Fraser says …

AH! (Screenshot from YouTube)

Apparently Kane likes to use King Boo (a ghost, as you can probably tell) as his character, and Fraser thinks it’s holding Kane back. But Kane uses this motivation to surge to a win as Hjalmarsson throws a hand in the air and continues his phone call. Kane then asks Fraser who won, in typical Kane fashion.

And there you have it — downtime in the lives of hockey players.

Next: Kane Meets With Investigators

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