CM Punk Discusses His Love For Hockey & The Blackhawks

The Hockey News recently interviewed former WWE Superstar and soon-to-be UFC fighter CM Punk about growing up as a huge hockey and Blackhawks fan in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. Below are some highlights.

Punk on seeing games at the old Chicago Stadium: “I was fortunate enough to have seen a couple games at the old Chicago Stadium. I got to see Denis Savard skate, I got to see Chris Chelios, I got to hear the national anthem there. It was easy to fall in love with hockey then.”

Punk on losing touch with the Blackhawks for a while: “I’m not afraid to admit it – I lost touch. It was really hard to be a fan of hockey in Chicago. Blacking out games, some ridiculous ticket prices, trading off star talent, not wanting to spend the money to get anybody to come to Chicago. It was really bizarre, too, because we had this brand new stadium, but you couldn’t get any traction. After a while, because I was focused on my career so much, hockey just fell to the wayside. So the resurgence of hockey in Chicago, for me, it really felt like it happened overnight. I was shocked at how quickly it happened.”

Punk on Sheldon Souray putting him in touch with the Blackhawks after their 2013 Stanley Cup win: “Sheldon got in touch with me and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to give your number to a couple of the (Hawks players)’, and I thought it was a joke,” Punk said. “All of a sudden, I get a text – ‘Hey, it’s Patrick Sharp‘; then another – ‘Hey, it’s Duncan Keith’. I’m thinking Sheldon’s pranking me, so I’m replying, ‘Sure, “Patrick Sharp”, go f*#$ yourself” ‘, and I could only imagine Patrick is on the other end of the phone going, ‘What’s this guy’s problem?’ But Sharpie invited me out to celebrate their win at Harry Caray’s, and I showed up. For the next eight hours, I was hanging with the Hawks, and I got to talk to a lot of them that night. Brandon Bollig and me still stay in touch, and those players, they’re just the nicest, most down-to-earth sweethearts. To be able to share that night with them as they celebrated their hard work, I was just like a fly on the wall.”

“And Duncan Keith was especially great – he’d disappear for a while and then reappear and say to me, ‘You’re still here!’ It was a wild night. Everybody was amazed I didn’t drink and they were completely accepting of it. I could’ve left that night and got hit by a bus crossing the street, and I would’ve been like, ‘Yeah, that’s OK, I’ve had a good life now, being able to celebrate with the Cup.’ I’m forever in their debt for allowing me to share that night with them.”

Punk on the difference between technique in MMA compared to fighting in hockey: “Proper technique and hockey fighting probably don’t go hand-in-hand,” Punk said. “I think it’s two different animals. If I had a shirt or sweater to grab onto, maybe. The only similarity I see is there’s some aspects of Muay Thai clinching when you’re getting into a hockey fight. You want to grab the back of somebody’s sweater, and tug down on their neck. That’s like a Muay Thai plum. Maybe me and Brandon Bollig have traded some secrets, but they’re not too extensive.”

100% DIRECT LINK (PHOTOS): Megan Fox In *TIGHT* Leather! *MUST-SEE-NOW*!!!