I’ll admit it. My emotions got the best of me when Patrick Kane’s shot flipped past Michael Leighton at the 15:54 mark of the overtime period. I got misty-eyed and just about fell out of my seat.

My memories of frequent journeys to the 300-level at the old Chicago Stadium, more than a few wrinkled, gnarled copies of “The Blue Line” and screaming like a fool with my brothers flooded my brain. “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland ranks among my most-played tracks on iTunes. Wayne Messmer’s old-school rendition of the National Anthem and the accompanying pandemonium still plays in my head at sporting events.

They were still calling the play in the booth as Kane dropped his stick and skated back down the ice toward Antti Niemi. Following a brief review, the goal was confirmed and the celebration began. I can only imagine the roar that emanated from Rush Street and the litany of profanities echoing in the bars of Philadelphia.

It’s only fitting that a series fought tooth-and-nail with bodies flying all over the ice and defensemen laying out to block shots would end with a shot that squeaked through the cracks and found the side of the net. And, in the midst of aural assaults on umpires and referees, it’s also fitting that the final goal would need to be reviewed.

After 49 years of futility and the horrible memories of the “Dollar” Bill Wirtz era that fill the minds of former players, executives and fans, nobody thought this series would be settled easily.

Winger Scott Hartnell did everything possible to extend the series, standing tall with his red beard in front of the crease to score two goals. Hartnett established position and paid the price with a big hit from Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Toews on his second goal.

I also can’t say enough about Leighton, who goes down as the loser in this contest, but who successfully fought out 37 shot attempts. At times, it appeared as if we were watching a practice session, as the Hawks produced several rapid-fire offensive sets.

The Hawks have to celebrate the efforts of Niemi on the other end of the ice. He didn’t face nearly as many shots as Leighton, but he stonewalled a high number of glorious chances with an array of moves that would have made the late-career, karate-kicking Elvis proud. Niemi’s work in the first three minutes of overtime was a veritable clinic on playing the position.

Think about this for a second. Toews is just 22. Kane won’t turn 22 until November. Veteran Marian Hossa, who becomes the “third time’s the charm” poster boy after losing in the Final with Pittsburgh and Detroit, turned 31 in January and has 11 years left on his contract.

The good times have begun in Chicago. Drink deeply and savor it. The theme of the night: Seize opportunities when they’re presented because there’s no guarantee that you’ll see a rebound shot.

The Stanley Cup is coming for one hell of a parade in Chicago.

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I would be remiss if I didn’t offer a few thoughts on the post-game celebration and commentary.

First, I can’t help but smile about the grand presentation of The Cup itself. There’s a pageantry and respect for the institution that transcends team colors and loyalties. No hockey fan disrespects the red carpet ceremony and the glorious, iconic and most recognizable trophy in all of sports.

The same can’t be said for NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Conn Smythe winner Toews and “Public Enemy No. 1” Dustin Byfuglien. All three were roundly booed by the salty crowd, with Byfuglien receiving the hate for his spirited and physical work on the ice and for frustrating fans with the pronunciation of his last name.

Second, the smile on Rocky Wirtz’s face cracked away some of that frustration that had lingered for years. In just his third year as the head of the franchise, Wirtz’s Blackhawks raised The Cup. He altered many of his father’s longstanding (and often misguided) policies. Wirtz reestablished relationships with the franchise’s legendary players. He reworked the TV packages. He established relationships with the other teams in town. And, most importantly, the team’s talent evaluation kicked into another level and the pocketbook came out during the free agency period.

Finally, I have to give a nod to the players on the last Blackhawks squad to reach the Stanley Cup Final against the Penguins. No. My Sergei Krivokrasov No. 25 sweater doesn’t factor in here.

I’m talking about ….

Steve Larmer, Chris Chelios, Dirk Graham, Michel Goulet and netminder Ed Belfour.

And, of course, there’s Jeremy Roenick, who served as a member of the NBC broadcasting team. Roenick teared up when The Cup was presented to the Hawks and he watched his former team’s celebration on the ice. He made a directly comment to a boy who cried following the Hawks’ Game 4 loss to the Penguins, citing that he’d waited 18 years for this triumphant moment.

Host Dan Patrick and analyst Mike Milbury had different responses to their colleague’s emotional display. Patrick looked slightly uneasy before trying to comfort Roenick, while Milbury half-mocked him before celebrating Roenick’s career and his own near-misses with The Cup.

“Why is this affecting you?” was the question from Patrick.

Roenick responded with “it’s the Chicago Blackhawks.” If given a chance to elaborate, you may have heard the tales about his eight years with the club, the pain of being swept by Mario Lemieux’s Penguins and the fact that he never got another chance to hold The Cup despite playing in the league for another 16 years. The first eight years of his career were spent in Chicago. I can only imagine which image was burned in Roenick’s mind during this exchange to produce that response.

“I’m happy and I’m proud” Roenick remarked in response to Milbury’s comments about how he wouldn’t cry.

I know that there will be countless references to Roenick’s post-game emotions in the blogosphere. For many message board posters, it’ll be the time to take the potshots and rip Roenick for getting caught up in the moment, and more than a few hosts will snidely try to work up quotes and instances from Roenick’s past to have a chuckle at his expense.

You’ve got a guy in the broadcast team who battled for the better part of two decades to grab hold of The Cup, playing for both of the participants in this series during his career. He bled, broke bones and excelled as an elite goal-scorer (513 goals, good for 36th all-time), but never had his day to go boating, fishing, horseback-riding, snorkeling or drinking with The Cup.

He got paid and obviously had a successful career. He’s a good sound byte, has always been willing to speak his mind, and excels in the analyst chair. That doesn’t fill the void of setting out for the grand prize, taking the hits and grinding through season after season and coming up short.

For me, there’s one fundamental number at play.

Roenick was the same age at Toews and Kane when he got his shot.

That’s right. I said it. I’ve watched a couple of his minor league starts. I’ve witnessed him obliterate minor league hitters. I’m not saying that he’s devoid of talent. In fact, I found myself inching closer to the edge of my seat with each pitch. I’m just tired of the split screens and just wish that we’d pause for a moment and let the kid pitch. Let him get that first pitch across or in the batter’s ear in front of the national media and a salivating fantasy baseball audience.

Strasburg may eventually punch out enough hitters and win enough games to warrant those Cooperstown comparisons. I just want to follow along the path without those grandiose expectations that few can reach.

For the Pirates, it’s like a World Series moment and that coveted role of “spoiler.”

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On the undercard in this “Prospect Tuesday” is the debut of Mike Stanton of the Nationals. I know. You’re envisioning a 30-something middle reliever when you hear that name. You’ll think differently when you hear the crack of the bat.

Stanton ripped 21 minor league home runs, demonstrated a strong batting eye and is mature beyond his 20 years. However, he’s never taken an at-bat above Double-A. It’s possible that he comes up and starts parking balls into the outfield like Jason Heyward (currently slumping) has in Atlanta. Stanton will hit his share of extra-base hits and could be considered for a fifth outfield slot in roto leagues. Just be ready for the hard times when hits don’t come as easily.

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This is a unique day in recent baseball history. We have two of the most heralded prospects in the game arriving to the majors on the night. Everyone except those preoccupied with Game 3 of the NBA Finals will be watching.

Break out the thesauruses for some new adjectives. The new world order begins tonight.

Fantasy owners are clamoring to the waiver wire in the hope that the next big thing will be wearing a Nationals cap.

I remember the episode of The Simpsons where billboards, banners and commercials announced that “Gabbo Is Coming.” Who? What? Where?

Well, it ended up being a smart-alleck ventriloquist’s dummy that temporarily displaced Krusty in the hearts of Springfield’s children.

The notes on Stephen Strasburg and the dazzling video catalog of his minor league starts seem to indicate that Strasburg will be in the minds and hearts of fans and fantasy owners for a long, long time. Sorry, Gabbo.

By all accounts, Strasburg will make his much-anticipated major league debut on June 4 against the Reds. This would allow Strasburg to pitch in line with the normal rotation and schedule without an extended period of down time.

My marketing and promotion-loving self thinks that it needs to be pushed back a couple days to put Strasburg on the hill that following Tuesday against the Pirates. But, the baseball timeline has to be held intact. Strasburg has been brought along slowly this season, paced for the summer call-up. There’s no need to shuffle up the routine and make him change things now.

I get it. But the PT Barnum in me is thinking about Tuesday’s gate with Pittsburgh in town. On a Friday night, you’ll still get a decent crowd and some walk-ups if the weather is sound. On Tuesday nights against Andrew McCutchen and Garrett Jones … not so much.

With that said, I know what will be on my Roku player next Friday night. The Nationals have surprised thus far. Roy Oswalt is being mentioned as a possible trade deadline acquisition. Strasburg is the main event.

I often yell “DBTH!” — Don’t Believe The Hype – when a player in any sport is so highly touted. In this case, I’d be shocked to see him falter.

Climb aboard the Strasburg Express.

Nash and the Suns swept the Spurs to make their claim on one side of the NBA’s Western Conference Finals. He did his part in spectacular fashion, finishing the fourth game of the sweep with stitches, bandages and a right eye that had swollen shut. That’s right. He gutted out the fourth quarter and scored half of his points after catching an elbow from Tim Duncan.

Now, the two-time NBA MVP and Santa Clara product (I have to represent for the grad school) takes aim at Kobe Bryant and the Lakers (they swept the Jazz). Nash averaged 22 points and 7.75 assists in the four-game sweep of Tony Parker and the Spurs.

Do I pick the chalk, Albert Pujols, after he slammed two home runs on opening day?

Do I take one of the obvious candidates, Coach K (or Geno Auriemma), following their title wins?

No, I sat and watched “Dancing With the Stars” this week to review the footwork of Chad Ochocinco, but ended up getting pulled into Buzz Aldrin’s story. I’ll save the history lesson for another date.

I stood in awe as the 80-year old astronaut took to the floor. Whatever you thought of the performance (head judge was brutal), he looked the part of a hero & cast his age aside while owning the floor. His appearance on the show, like that of Cloris Leachman (as I’ve been told), reminded us to celebrate days and keep learning and growing, trying new things.

Yeah, it’s a sappy, sentimental choice – but Aldrin wins the title this week.

He’s been a beast in March, averaging 17.8 points and 10.3 rebounds and four blocks per game to help fuel a winning streak.

Sure, the Bucks still sit a full 15 games behind the Cavaliers in the Central, but they currently reside in the fifth slot in the East.

Bogut’s rebound from last season’s injury-shortened campaign (he appeared in 36 games) is mighty impressive.

Is there any hope for the big man out of Utah and rookie Brandon Jennings in the NBA Playoffs?

His mouth gets him in trouble at times, but he’s yet to appear in the blotter other than his fines from the Commissioner. He celebrates his love of the game and of the camera. Ochocinco is unconventional, but he reminds you that this is a game.

I understand marketing and branding and the corporate machine that is the NFL. There’s a corporate image to be protected. Keeping sponsors, advertisers and partners happy is no small task. As the labor negotiations continue to heat up, those relationships will certainly need to be massaged.

If you spend 10 minutes on “Radio Row” for one of these big events, you’ll hear the names of countless brands. Some are your usual suspects (phones, snack foods — including Moon Pies, courtesy of Jim McMahon and myriad electronics among them). Some others have connections to contests or charitable events (more on that in a forthcoming post).

But, working the room hard on Wednesday was the “Ocho News Network” team. After taking over Media Day and dominating traditional media, this squad set its sights on “Radio Row” and held court on Wednesday. This squad provides an interesting perspective and spin on the usual reports.

Access certainly won’t be an issue. Honest approaches – they don’t exactly pull punches …

The only potential foe here is the league office. We’ll see where the proverbial line is drawn in the sand in short order. Until then, enjoy the mini-army of reporters being assembled by this budding media powerhouse.

Imagine having such a throng of potential applicants, willing to work for free and do your bidding. They are taking over Miami. What’s next?

Spread the message.

C’mon, can’t you envision a national “Kiss the baby” day?

We can’t applaud his overall numbers against the 49ers on Sunday, but 2008 Man-Crush award winner Steve Slaton did find the end zone twice. However, he’s overshadowed by the dynamic duo in Cincinnati — Carson Palmer tossed five touchdown passes, and Cedric Benson nearly racked up 200 yards on the ground in a grudge match against his former team.