In 2009-2010 the Blackhawks had an outstanding team that went on to win the Stanley Cup. After the celebration, the realization that the Blackhawks could not afford to pay all of those great players set in. They had to let go key players like Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien, Antti Niemi, Kris Versteeg, and Ben Eager. It was easy to see that the 2010-2011 team would not be as successful as the team from the year before. The Hawks battled through injuries and barely made it into the playoffs thanks to a Dallas Stars loss. The first three games of the playoffs were dead and sleepy, but the next 3 were the Blackhawks that all fans knew and loved. They had a reason to fight and were fighting with all they had. Game 7 was intense. The Canucks scored quickly and held the lead until Jonathan Toews scored a shorthanded goal with 3 minutes left that I think defines who the Blackhawks are. There was a look of determination in his eyes and he knew that he had to step up. He was going to make sure that puck went in no matter what, even if he had to shoot while he was on the ground. It showed the heart of the Blackhawks. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks didn’t win the game. Now the big question is whether or not the Blackhawks can return to glory.
Stan Bowman made a lot of moves this offseason to help the Hawks become a better team. He got rid of Troy Brouwer, Brian Campbell, Tomas Kopecky, and Jake Dowell. Using the freed up cap space, he signed some grit for the fourth line including Jamal Mayers and Dan Carcillo. He also added some defensive depth with O’Donnell, Lepisto, and Montador. He also added the veteran forward Andrew Brunette.
Over the next few days, I’ll be taking a look at each part of the team and then in the last part of this mini series, I will make some predictions.
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