12 Other Great Endings In Chicago Sports History

It's safe to say Marian Hossa's game winning goal against Nashville in game five of the Blackhawks Stanley Cup quarterfinal series was one of the greatest endings to game involving a Chicago team. Of course, the entire sequence of events from Hossa's hit and subsequent 5 minute major penalty to Patrick Kane's tying goal made this a remarkable game to be at. Lucky I was.

Here are 12 more great finishes, some with accompanying videos. And yes, Michael Jordan is in a few of them. If you can come up with more, please do so.

You can follow me on twitter @georgeofman and on Facebook. You can also hear me do a share of Cubs 10th inning post game shows on WGN Radio 720.

First up: a no-brainer for me. It happened 21 years ago and it seems as if it was only yesterday.

A classic moment to say the leasr.  And here are two more by the same guy. Talk about your own groundhog's day..

This wasn't the frist time a Chicago star did the back to back thing. Chris Chelios scored back to back game winners against Vancouver in the second round of the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs. His second game winner was the last goal scored in the Pacific Coliseum.

And while our next subject didn't end the game, his impact on it's finish was historic at Wrigley field.

 June 23rd, 1984 was one of the greatest moments in Cubs History. Hall of fame second baseman Ryne Sandberg would twice homer off hall of famer and former Cubs closer Bruce Sutter. Both homers came with two outs. The first came in the bottom of the 9th and the second in extra innings. The game would be known as the "Ryne Sandberg game."

It was a perfect day for Ryno but not as perfect as the one Mark Buehrle had for the White Sox last July.

this moment in Sox history wasn't perfect, but close. While it wasn't a walk-off homer, it effectively ended game number 163 and sent the sox to the 2008 playoffs.

The famous "Blackout" game ended with a spectacular diving catch by Brian Anderson.

When it comes to unlikely game ending dramatics, this guy is near the top of my list.

 

Scott Podsednik's walk-off homer in game two of the 2005 World Series was about as unbelievable as it was a great finish.

Time for some more Bulls finishes and.....Guess who?

What a way to go!  And what a controversial yet spectacular finish this was to a 1994 playoff game against the knicks. There was 1.8 seconds left when Phil Jackson diagrammed a play for Toni Kukoc and not Scottie Pippen. Pip was incensed and refused to go into the game. But it didn't stop Kukoc from his heroics. 

That won a playoff game. This one captured a championship. 

Things haven't gone as smoothly for John Paxson in recent years.

Two other game enders of note:

With about a second remaining and the game tied 63-63 overtime seemed certain. DePaul did have possession of the ball, but they were along way from the basket. Under such circumstances the odds against scoring are considerable. Unfortunately, at least from the Wildcats perspective, nobody told DePaul guard Kenny Patterson the odds. On the game's final play, DePaul inbounded the ball to Patterson who caught it somewhere north of thirty feet from the hoop. Despite the considerable distance between him and his target, Patterson managed to put enough force behind his shot that the ball traveled all the way to the hoop and through the net. By the time the ball slide through the net's nylon, the buzzer had sounded. The game was over. The final score: DePaul 65 Northwestern 63. 

And then there was the 1980 Thanksgiving day treat. Dave Williams returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown as the Bears defeated the Lions.

If you can come up wuth other great game enders in Chicago sports history, please add your comments. And don't forget to catch me on Twitter @georgeofman and Facebook.