Madison St. Station

by Sam Fels

The fall and rise of the Chicago Blackhawks, is the most dramatic in North American sports. From drawing barely 3,000 people per game to three Stanley Cups, the turnaround was simply whiplash. Fans who have been through it all can hardly believe the ride, and no one was a better example of this than Sam Fels. A die-hard fan as a child, disconnected as the organization collapsed in on itself, and then pulled back in by their resurgence, Fels became something of a voice for it all through his blog (SecondCityHockey.com, TheCommittedIndian.com, FaxesFromUncleDale.com) and the independent, gameday program he wrote and sold outside the United Center every game between 2008 and 2016. There was no better seat for the transformation of the franchise than his post outside Gate 3. He documented every game, taking the ride with every other fan and welcoming all the new ones along the way, while trying to come to grips with this new hockey world and all the challenges life was throwing at him away from the United Center. But this is the story of every Hawks, and hockey fan riding the fortunes of their teams through the fortunes of their own lives. How we use our fandom to cope, to celebrate, to commiserate. And to drink. How the different phases of our life fit differently with our continued fandom, and vice versa. How we all grow up and yet hang on to something of our childhood. And how our fandom colors the biggest moments of our lives and change the way we see things outside of the arena. How being a fan keeps us company when we're low, adds to our highs, and continually fills us with anger and dread in between. Won't you take a ride?

Genres: Hockey, Sports, Nonfiction

290 pages, Paperback

Published June 9, 2017

Reviews

[Jake Berlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

take my rating with a serious grain of salt, because the author is a close friend of mine and i'm even mentioned in the book a few times. the book could use another round or two of professional editing (no offense, nadyja), but the emotions are clearly real and come across on the page. if you've been a hawks fan for any portion of the past 30 years, you really owe it to yourself to read this.

[Craig Parshall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've got all three Blackhawk Stanley Cup money grab coffee table books, and two of them I haven't even opened over the years. When Sam's book came in the mail it only took a few nights to go cover to cover. We have been Blackhawk fans for roughly the same amount of time and looking back over the years through his eyes brought back a lot of memories while reading this book. JR. Tearing down the old Stadium. Using student IDs long after graduation to get discounted tickets. The sparse crowd years before the build up to the Toews/Kane era. Three Cups. And also the disappointment in management (both old and new Wirtz regimes). It's been a blast, most of the time.

Always enjoy the Program, the web site, the Twitter feed, now the book. Cheers, Sam.

[Karl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for Blackhawk fan, from a fan perspective. A little rough around the edges like most of us fans. Other teams fans will understand what we went through. Great book by Sam, always loved his programs, blogs and twitter comments.

[Charles Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not for everyone. There are a lots of inside references that many newer fans won't catch. That being said, the insight into the heart and soul of a die-hard fan can be appreciated by even casual hockey fans. Sam bears his intimate feeling in a way that I could very much relate to. The "stress drinking" he mentioned was a problem I thought was unique to me. Sam''s honesty in his opinions about hockey in general and of the Blackhawks Ogan I zation are refreshing. He is obviously an independent thinker and not kissing ass to get inside information. The Hawks' story intertwined with his personal woes makes for a complex insight. I loved it.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've shared a lot of the author's obsession with sports (and specifically hockey) in my own life. If you've ever wondered why we make such a big deal about something that can seem so irrelevant to those on the outside, read this book and you'll start to understand why we care so much.

[Vini Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reminiscing about the Madison Street legendary Blackhawks era ! Loved the nostalgia and walk down memory lane as to why I fell in love with hockey

[Thomas Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Sam's writing in general, and really enjoyed reading this book. Using the Blackhawks Hockey club as a lens for his personal story was a great device and works well.

[Jay Zawaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any long time Blackhawk fan will remember Sam’s game memories, but any kid whose parent nurtured (or even tolerated) their love of the best game on earth will love the stories.