CHICAGO — U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk said he’s looking forward to an ice-cold Minnesota beer when the Chicago Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.

The Illinois Republican and Democratic Sen. Al Franken of Minnesota made a friendly wager over the outcome of the National Hockey League playoff series between the Blackhawks and the Minnesota Wild: a six-pack of craft beer from the loser’s home state.

The best-of-seven series began Friday in Chicago.

Kirk says the Wild are no match for the ‘Hawks, who’ve won two championships in the past four years.

But Franken says Minnesota is “truly the State of Hockey,” where kids learn to skate when they learn to walk. The Wild have never won a Stanley Cup.