To have come so far just to roll over and die one step before getting the chance to make history is not in the blood of this team I tell you.
Just what the Hawks plan to do about it during these Western Conference Finals --- where they face the Los Angeles Kings for a second straight year --- is solely up to them.
Yes, the Hawks looked tired, if not disinterested at times against both the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild, yet won both those series in six.
Moments after the series clincher that dispatched the Wild, Hawks coach Joel Quenville is said by multiple mainstream news sources to have walked into his club's locker room, then told his team at loud volume, and I quote, "You (fu***rs) should be proud!"
Indeed they should. Like they're still the heavyweight champs, with a huge gold belt around their waists.
Yes, folks, if there's any sign that's a good one headed into the home stretch of Chicago's quest for a full-fledged hockey dynasty, it may be Q having more energy than his team. But with much talk about how tired the Blackhawks must be after a grueling Stanley Cup win last summer, followed by a lengthy regular season --- then the Sochi Olympics --- many people forget one thing.
LA goalie Jonathan Quick, whose name always floats to the surface immediately the way a bobber does when the fish lets the bait go below when talking about the Kings ... well he has to be tired too.
Quick, you see, played in the Sochi Olympics. Crawford did not. Seabrook didn't either. Andrew Shaw will return soon, energized. And don't forget, Kane and Toews got a mini rest of their own due to injury precautions prior to the postseason.
Point being, with a team still as young as the Hawks are, fresh legs on all lines will be important. The Kings were just pushed to the max by a gritty Anaheim team after doing a magical escape act against San Jose in Round 1 --- one which Quick looked shaky in at times. Their legs will be spaghetti late in games too.
The Hawks may be fresher than we think, at least comparatively speaking. A club that has already won a Cup during an Olympic year before, with this same core, knows what it takes. Our top-end talent is better. And Corey Crawford is once again playing MVP-caliber hockey between the pipes at just the right time.
Then there are these stats/facts, which favor the Hawks:
-Quick is a mere 6-12-1 against the Hawks in his career.
-LA is more physical, which cost them dearly during last year's Conference Final. There's a time and place for that, and the Hawks know how to pick such spots. I do not think the Kings have that level of discipline.
-The Hawks have home ice advantage. This is huge.
-The Kings scored fewer goals in the regular season than all but five NHL teams. Their 2.5 goals per game won't cut it against a Hawks club that has a five-goal game sitting in its pocket on any given night, and averaged 3.3 a game of its own. That was more than any team in the conference. And that's with a target on their backs all year.
-Our fans. Chicago fans, when on THEIR game, are the best in hockey. I've seen and felt it in both the Chicago Stadium and United Center, and if you don't think those "Let's Go Hawks" chants don't rip right through the hearts of your on-ice heroes....well then you'd be mistaken.
This series won't be a cakewalk, don't get me wrong. Guys like Drew Doughty, Andre Kopitar, Jeff Carter, Marian Gaborik and crew are seasoned, gritty veteran leaders. Unfortunately for them, they aren't the Chicago Blackhawks, whose depth and skill should prevail barring a big collapse.
I like the Hawks in six, and furthermore, I have a very hard time seeing them losing this series, even if it goes seven.
You ready, Chicago? This is the kind of once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that isn't just handed to teams. They've earned it. If you're the Hawks, with the sense of character and pride they have, the legend they've begun to create..... well, you don't follow the Yellow Brick Road to Oz only to turn around and walk away before seeing the Wizard.
Let's just put it that way.
It's time to go dynasty hunting, Hawks. Your destiny awaits.
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