What people consider a dynasty is completely up to them. Some people say you need to own a certain numbers of years in a row. Maybe like the Islanders of the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, or the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980’s. If you want to go other sports you say the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970’s or the 49ers of the 80’s. Sports aren’t like that anymore. Every league is more popular, more players, more teams and so on. Dynasties like that won’t happen very much anymore.
In hockey we now have a modern dynasty. The Chicago Blackhawks, in 2004 the very same franchise that was named worst in professional sports. Here we are eleven years later and Chicago has just won their third Stanley Cup in six years.
How did they get there in that amount of time. Luck has something to play for sure. The right players fell to the right team in the right situation. The players are the ones who deserve credit though. Obvious statement yes. Management can only put the players in a situation to succeed the players have to execute. How many times have great teams been built with nothing to show for it, a number way to high to count I imagine.
Going back to 2002, look at the players the Chicago Blackhawks drafted. Duncan Keith in 2002, Brent Seabrook and Corey Crawford in 2003, Bryan Bickell in 2004, Niklas Hjalmarsson in 2005, Jonathan Toews in 2006, Patrick Kane in 2007, Saad and Shaw in 2011 it goes on after that with these young guys like Teuvo Teravainen coming up. Drafting has been huge for the Chicago Blackhawks.
We can’t forget free Agency though, the likes of Marian Hossa came from the 2009 free agency class and has sealed his hall of fame career. Trades as well, Patrick Sharp a key player for the many years he suited up for the Blackhawks. Management has done a hell of a job putting a contending team on the ice year after the year from 2009 until now.
Think of the many memories that this franchise has given us through the past six or seven years. All the way back to 2009 where they overcame a five goal deficit early that season and won the game against the Calgary Flames. Go to the playoffs and the fight they had to get through to get past the Nashville Predators, a series that saw the Blackhawks trail late in game five that would have given Nashville a 3-2 series lead going home for game six. Patrick Kane scores a late tying goal and after Marian Hossa’s 5 minute major boarding that same game winning it in overtime. Eventually the Stanley Cup after beating the Vancouver Canucks in 6 games, the San Jose Sharks in 4 games and defeating the Philadelphia Flyers in six games to get their first Stanley Cup in forty-nine years.
That Chicago Blackhawks team was torn apart the next season due to salary cap issues and were not close to being the deep dominate team that the 2009-10 team. Barely making the playoffs, no one gave the Blackhawks much of a chance against the best team in the league Vancouver Canucks. After going down 3-0 to the Canucks in the first round the Blackhawks almost gave us more history, winning three straight games and forcing game seven. Unfortunately losing that series in overtime but that team showed the heart the would carry this franchise for the next couple of years.
After a hiccup year in 2012 with a great team losing in the first round against the Arizona Coyotes (Then Phoenix Coyotes) the Blackhawks returned to dominance in the lockout shortened 2013 season. Starting the season on January 19th the Blackhawks did not suffer a regulation defeat until March 8th, a twenty-four game point streak. A great accomplishment until the playoffs started. After ridding the Minnesota Wild in five games the Blackhawks faced disaster in the next round against rival Detroit Red Wings. Being down in the series 3-1 the Blackhawks looked beat and sure to lose. They didn’t lose, winning three straight games including game seven in overtime. They then went on to beat the LA Kings the defending Stanley Cup champions in five games before beating the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final in miraculous fashion scoring two goals in seventeen seconds to win game 6 and their second Stanley Cup in four years.
The Blackhawks were cup favorites entering the 2013-14 season and they didn’t disappoint. Again a team to avoid in the playoffs they beat a very tough St Louis Blues in the first round in six games, took care of the Minnesota Wild in the second round in six games before falling to the LA Kings in an instant classic seven game series.
After soaking in that series loss you knew the Chicago Blackhawks would be back with a vengeance. They played well enough to make the playoffs, better than a lot of other teams can say and beat a tough Nashville Predators team in the first round in six games, sweeping the Minnesota Wild in the second round and coming back from being down 3-2 in the conference finals against the Anaheim Ducks, getting to their third Final appearance in six years.
Everyone knows what happened after that. In one of the closest Finals ever, where five of the first six games were decided by one goal and the first two goal lead didn’t even com until the end of game six, the Blackhawks beat the Tampa Bay Lightning to seal their dynasty title.
There is going to be a lot of ticked off hockey players and managements around the league being forced to play in the time of the 2010’s Chicago Blackhawks. What does this mean for Chicago? This team and this run has made Chicago the best hockey market south of the border if not the best hockey market in terms of numbers. This team has helped make hockey a good sport to watch.
With players like Toews, Kane and Keith, the Chicago Blackhawks are a dynasty and the team of the 2010’s and their reign might not be over yet.
