Whether as a weekend trip or one-night event, I have made the easy one-hour drive to Rockford for an IceHogs hockey game many times. It is always a great time, but last Saturday night was very special.

The IceHogs are the top minor league affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. I like to say the IceHogs of today are the Blackhawks of tomorrow. Along those lines, 20 former IceHogs have played this season with the Blackhawks. This is their eighth year in existence. The IceHogs made playoff appearances in their first three seasons but none since. That changed Saturday when the IceHogs beat the Rochester Americans to secure a playoff spot.

The near-capacity crowd erupted at the final buzzer, knowing they were playoff-bound! Thanks to the hospitality of the IceHogs, I watched the game from the press box. A short time after we settled into our seats, former Blackhawks star Dirk Graham sat next to us. We stifled our exuberance enough to remain professional, but we struck up a conversation with him. I am very happy to report he was extremely friendly as we talked hockey and travel. As a scout for the San José Sharks, Graham does a lot of traveling. Next season he will travel a lot less as West Coast NHL teams are changing their affiliates to West Coast-based cities. Graham did tell us Chicago is still his favorite city.

One other reason we chose this specific game was Rochester’s assistant coach. We happen to share our name. I have followed this “John Wroblewski” from his playing days at Notre Dame. At just 33, after four seasons of playing in the minors, Wroblewski is in his sixth season of coaching on some level. We caught up with each other in the locker room after the game. Someday I will be talking to him in an NHL locker room.

A big win to clinch a playoff spot, meeting a Blackhawks legend and reconnecting with my hockey coach namesake made for one entertaining evening. Of course, I am hoping to see them hoist the Calder Cup (the AHL championship) in the near future.

— John Wroblewski, online contributor