"Yeah, you can just engrave my name right .... here." (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

With the next goal determining either a long-awaited championship or an anything-can-happen Game 7, the last thing I ever wanted to experience was confusion.

At 10:06 p.m. on June 9, 2010, those who packed into the tiny J&M at Augusta Blvd. and Oakley were just as bewildered as I. The puck was gone, the Philadelphia Flyers looked stunned and Patrick Kane was undressing faster than a slut on prom night.

It must’ve gone in. Did it go in? I think it went in…

I wish I could describe my emotions at that moment. It’s not that I don’t remember, I just can’t put it into words. With the way emotions shifted during that back-and-forth series, part of me felt like it wasn’t real and it couldn’t be over. It’s like chasing that really hot chick who kept you at a friends’ distance for years, then she finally tells you she loves you and you have her. Awesome, so now what?

The pursuit of the Cup was so amazing yet stressful, I couldn’t fathom it actually being over – for good or for bad. But alas, I repeated the phrase “Oh my God,” in a 10-minute span more than I had during my seven years attending Catholic school.

After watching the Blackhawks pass around the Stanley Cup and Kane declaring there wasn’t “a chance” he planned on behaving during the offseason, I rushed into the street to hear the car horns blaring down Augusta and watch the hordes of strangers hugging and high-fiving. I did a quick spot for SIRIUS/XM radio and smoked the best cigarette I’ve ever had in my life.

June 9 will always mean more to me than the ‘Hawks clinching their first title since 1961. My best friend lost his mother to cancer June 9, 2008, and the day has been very tough for three years now. Mrs. Erikson treated me like her second son, and I loved her like my second mother. I hugged Jeff next to a street light on that corner with tears running down both of our faces.

We fought through the sadness to lovingly joke that Mrs. E put Micheal Leighton in the exact position he needed to be in order to miss Kaner’s shot, just so she could give us something to celebrate on a day Jeff, myself, and every other person who had the wonderful experience of knowing her dreaded each passing year.

Despite a disappointing 2010-11 season which ended much sooner than we all anticipated, we can still bask in being called the Stanley Cup champions for a little longer. And 365 days ago, the title was deemed official.

Here’s to Mrs. Erikson, the Blackhawks and us fans on June 9 – a date which will always and forever remain special.

Flashback from Bartl – From the Heart: Blackhawks Bring Stanley Cup Back to Chicago