Blackhawks Super Fans: Downers Grove Family Featured on Comcast SportsNet

Downers Grove resident Mike Heinz didn't become a real hockey fan until 2010, the year he and his family first met Chicago Blackhawks stars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.

It was during the 2009 Winter Classic—an outdoor game between the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field—that he was first introduced to the sport, but it was the Winter Olympics in Vancouver that really caught his attention.

During the 2010 Olympics—where Toews won a gold medal for Canada and Kane a silver for the United States—Heinz fell in love with the game. Just a month later, Heinz and his wife, Shelly, took their daughters, Sarah and Megan, to meet the duo at an appearance at Yorktown Mall.

"Toews and Kane really caught my attention during the Olympics, and of course that same year the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup," Heinz said. "They were just the nicest guys when we met them, and we've been huge fans ever since."

After the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup win in 2010, Heinz and his family quickly became "super fans," attending games, training camps and appearances whenever they had the chance. They also started an impressive collection of signed jerseys and memorabilia, all of which is on display in their Blackhawks-themed basement.

"We have eight signed jerseys, bobbleheads, magazines, pucks—just a ton of stuff that we've collected over the past three years," Heinz said.

Last month—in the midst of the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup run—the Heinz family was featured on Comcast SportsNet during a segment called "Fan Caves." 

"It was an awesome experience," Heinz said. "My girls got to share their stories, and we were able to share our little fan cave with the community."

The Comcast appearance came during an already exciting month for the Heinz family. Just a week before the segment aired, Heinz and his daughters won Blackhawks-sponsored scavenger hunt around Millenium Park. They won four tickets to Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, where a short video of the family was played during intermission.

"The contest came about in such a funny way. I just happened to be at Navy Pier with my daughters, and my wife texted me after seeing the contest on Twitter. We just followed the clues, and couldn't believe it when we ended up winning."

The game was an exciting one: Kane scored in double overtime to earn a hat trick and clinch a spot for his team in the Stanley Cup finals versus the Boston Bruins, which Chicago went on to win in six games.

"It was a great end to a magical season," Heinz said. 

The past few years have been particularly exciting for Heinz's daughters, who have become walking encyclopedias on the team, their dad said.

"It has been fun to meet the players and it has been exciting to watch them win the Cup two times in four years," Sarah said. "We have been lucky to have had so much interaction with them over the last three years." 

Mike Heinz, the science department chair at Downers Grove North High School, said he is grateful for the "amazing experiences" that have resulted from his family's love of the Blackhawks. 

"The organization has done an incredible job, and the players are down to earth and approachable," Heinz said. "It makes being a Blackhawks fan a lot of fun."