Better Know a Hockey Team

Over the next few weeks, we hope to string together a few team profiles for this year's Stanley Cup "contenders", A) because what else are we supposed to do with our time and B) you need to know this information so that when the Stanley Cup playoffs do start you can enjoy them even more. Next up!


The Chicago Blackhawks:

As one the NHL's famed "Original Six", the Chicago Blackhawks are an organization steeped in both tradition, and ineptitude. Once a foundation of the Chicago sports landscape and owners of three Stanley Cup titles (the last coming in 1961), most of the last two generations of hockey fans likely associate the Blackhawks with not simply consistent losing, but total alienation of a once proud, vibrant, volatile and steadfast fanbase. The phrase "Remember the Roar" is not simply rhetoric or alliteration, but a nostalgic cry to days of yore, when the old Chicago Stadium would rock-and-roll through the grace, power and speed of the likes Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito, Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios, et.al. You know... instead of the days when every Hakws home game was blacked out in the city of Chicago, an feat still posthumously credited to the appropriately nick-named Bill(Fold) Wirtz (R.I.P...kinda).

But enough with the melodramatics. Realistically, anyone reading this blog probably most associates the Blackhawks with a.) Jeremy Roenick's otherworldly triple-deke-spin-move on NHL '97 for the Sega Genesis, and for his ability to make Lil Wayne's head bleed. Or b.) Last season's short-lived and hotly-debated Savardian plea to the fans to "Commit to the Indian":

Why they are Contenders: Barring injury, utter collapse or the chicken pox, the Hawks will enter the playoffs as the #4 seed in the Western Conference. Thanks to a commitment to youth through the draft (and I mean, YOUTH) combined with an influx of savvy veteranship, the 2009 Blackhawks are not only a good hockey team, but a fun hockey team. They boast two of the most exciting, elite, and prepubescent scorers in the NHL today, and a potentially stonewallish goaltender tandem. When the Blackhawks win, they're scoring goals in bunches, attacking on the man-advantage, and generally demoralizing their opponent with speed and skill. It doesn't hurt to have an experienced sage like Joel Queenville behind the bench, a man this young team was forced to rally behind when their mentor and Hawk legend, Denny Savard, was removed after 2 weeks. The off-season additions of veteran defenseman Brian Campbell and tender Cristobal Huet, as well as the re-birth of the Bulin Wall have provided the extra oomph needed to propel this year's squad This is a team that seems to play without fear, without expectation or privilege or pressure, and with the support of a re-emerging and renergized city. Also, they have the greatest logo in all of sports.

Why Blackhawks fans should be nervous: The Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks are 0-4 (both in and outside) this season against their hated rivals to the north, placing their young and inexperienced team at a severe psychological disadvantage. Throw in the fact that this team cannot win a faceoff to save it's life, has very minimal playoff experience on the front lines and a oft-injured top goal-scorer, and Blackhawks' fans certainly won't be a little sweaty come the 2nd round of the playoffs, assuming.

Players To Watch:

Martin Havlat - Because he has the most points on the team, and because he hasn't been injured...yet.

Toews & Kane - Because if you're not familiar with their first names, you don't belong here. And because each is capable of doing something electric and important everytime they get a blade on the puck.

Brian Campbell- Someone needs to provide the grit, the muscle and the savvy for this team to win a 7 game series, particularly against the Wings. While Campbell isn't the most physical blue-liner on the squad, he's likely the smartest. His leadership and quarterbacking on the ice will be intstrumental come playoff time.

Nikolai Habibulin & Cristobal Huet - They are a combined 35-17 in net, with a pretty decent Save Percentage approacing .920%. Their abilities are not in question. Whether they can channel it consistently during a playoff run is.

Clips of the season:

Toews nets possibly the best goal of the season, and 4 Avalanche cry themselves to sleep:

The Winter Classic @ Wrigley:

(This clip is approximately as long as the Hawks were in the game for)