Blackhawks looking tenacious
The Chicago Blackhawks. What a story they have been since the 2008-09 season. Of course, that was the year when they brought in a new head coach, Joel Quenneville.
Quenneville, also known as coach Q, has been with the Blackhawks for 10 years now as of Oct. 16. Brought in to help a struggling team, his influence and guidance helped the team to the Western Conference finals in his first season and the following year in the 2009-10 season the Blackhawks under coach Q’s power went to win 52 regular season games. On June 9, the day that most people could only imagine happened: the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 49 years.
Since then under coach Q’s leadership, the team has won two more Stanley Cups in 2013 and 2015. All this transpired because of Chicago’s audacious decision to bring coach Q to the Windy City after his departure from Colorado.
In the 2014-15 season, they triumphed their way to conquer the Stanley Cup for the third time in six years. Everybody thought they had such a strong team, that next season they would be back in the playoffs and a contender for the Cup once again for the 2015-16 season.
The fear diminished from the fans and was replaced with optimism, as after they conquered the Cup in 2014-15, the Blackhawks were near the top of the standing the next two seasons. After that everything came crumbling down around them.
Last season, the Blackhawks ended up 25th out of 31 teams and it was catastrophic.
They didn’t even manage to crack 80 points in the season and, for the first time since the 2007-08 season, they didn’t make the playoffs. Not only were the Chicago Blackhawks devastated beyond belief but so was the city and their fans all over the world. They went from being a team one season with 109 points and 50 wins to a team the next season with 76 points and 33 wins.
Patrick Kane only got 76 points. He hasn’t gotten that few since his first two seasons in the NHL. Even with injuries throughout the years, he still managed to get more points than the amount of games played. Jonathan Toews, the team’s captain, only managed to put up 52 points on the season. Which isn’t too atrocious, as the captain has never put up more than 76 points in a season before, but it seemed his game lacked last year not only with points but also his defensive game just wasn’t there.
Corey Crawford went down with a concussion not even halfway through the season and, after precisely 298 days, Crawford made his return to the net on Oct. 18 against the Arizona Coyotes. Duncan Keith couldn’t find much of his defensive game during the season as he finished with the plus/minus of -29 for only the third time in his 13year career. Brent Seabrook had a more improved season than Duncan Keith but still not his finest. He also could have had a more superior finish to the season as he ended with a -3 for also only his third time in his 13-year career.
We are now six to nine games into the season depending on team’s schedule. This season the Blackhawks, as of Oct. 19, are 3-1-2 on the season which places them third in their conference and seventh in the league. But nobody seems to have the answer to how the Blackhawks abruptly have their spark back, at least for now.
But what’s astonishing is how some of the players have been producing on defence and offence.
As of the time this column was written Friday, Toews has 10 points in six games, consisting of five goals and five assists with a +5. Kane has eight points in six games with five goals and three assists with a +2. Keith has four points in six games, which includes four assists with a +1. Seabrook has two points in six games which includes one goal and one assist with a plus/minus of 0. Additionally, fairly new player Alex DeBrincat has 10 points in six games consisting of six goals and four assists with a +2.
It’s reasonable to say that the Blackhawks look at this stage, in time, comparable to the team they were four years ago. The real factor in their success might just be not the players on the ice but the man behind the bench, coach Quenneville.
But it seems as if a few trades and a lengthy off-season may have actually worked for the Blackhawks this year. If they keep this up they should be contemplated as Cup contender, if they don’t then the prospect of them being a Cup contender by the end of the season diminishes immensely and the outcome may not be pleasant.