About The Writers

CheerTheAnthem.com was created by the writers from Blackhawk Up: Lead Writer/Editor Jeffrey Bartl, and Contributing Writer Tim Currell. Jim Nakis, Chris Deme and Brandon Spinner also share their wonderful insight here at CtA.

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Jeffrey Bartl was born and raised in Chicago, still lives in Chicago, and continues to be all about Chicago. It’s pretty gross, actually. When taking a break from his full-time writing job with STATS LLC, he’ll be here trying to make you laugh and even piss you off from time to time. He enjoys talking in the third person, watching college basketball during March Madness, gambling as much as his bank account will allow and reliving everything about June 9, 2010. He has a kick-ass story about Mario Lemieux when he attended Game 4 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final at Chicago Stadium. If you’d like to hear it, or talk about anything else, email him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Tim Currell is a Toronto transplant, but has lived in and around Chicago off and on for more than 30 years. He had a small Blackhawks blog during the nightmare years starting with Mike Smith as GM and ending with the NHL Lockout in 2005. That was the straw that broke Tim’s back, but the death of Old Man Wirtz was a clarion call he could not ignore. Back in the fold and back on the web, Tim’s brand of irreverent humor and insightful ice-level analysis provides both enjoyment and education for readers here at CheerTheAnthem.com.

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Jim Nakis was born in Chicago and grew up in Naperville. He played terrible hockey all his life until college. He somehow made it through four years of school at Northern Michigan University without assaulting any of the thousands of putrid Red Wings fans that surrounded him. He escaped the frozen tundra of the Upper Peninsula and returned to Chicago after graduation in 2007, just in time for the rookie season of Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. A reformed meathead, he hopes to give you a chuckle from time to time and will provide news and analysis for our readers.

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Chris Deme grew up with hockey as far back as he can remember. When he was a youngster, his family lived in the suburbs of Hartford, CT, and him and his dad would regularly attend Whalers games. He remembers loving the combination of speed, grace, and aggression in the game. Chris moved to Chicago in 1995. His dad took him to the UC shortly thereafter, and seeing a Hawks game was like nothing he had experienced before. Chicago fans put the Hartford fans to shame. It was loud, it was exciting, it was love. Just before the Cup run began, he started joking about Joel Quenneville’s robust mustache with a friend.  This led him to create a “fake celebrity” fan page for Joel’s mustache on Facebook, mostly as an inside joke between him and his friend.  Without any effort from his end, the page took off and became littered with knowledgeable Hawks fans.  The page grew in popularity, until it was featured on the radio and on television, even mentioned by Coach Q himself.  Chris did his undergrad at the University of Illinois and right now, lives in Milwaukee where he’s in law school at Marquette University. Even though Chris is out of market, he still watch every Hawks game religiously. If you would like to get a hold of Chris, shoot him an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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Brandon Spinner has spent his whole life in the Western Suburbs of Chicago. He is currently a student at Valparaiso University where he plays football and is studying to become an on-air meteorologist. He loves talking Blackhawks hockey and has a radio show at Valpo talking about all Chicago sports teams. If anyone has a question or comment about the team, and would like someone to talk to feel free to email him at; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Twitter @branman111289.