Today is Memorial Day. We honor the millions of Americans who have served their country. War metaphors are cheap in sports, but today’s Game 5 between the Chicago Blackhawks and Anaheim Ducks serves as a small reminder that civilians can take a day off and simply enjoy the power of sport. The pleasures of freedom come with a price; and perspective is a mandatory prerequisite.
Chicago Blackhawks Chance to be a Dynasty On The Line
Few people know that the origin of the Chicago Blackhawks’ nickname is actually a World War I infantry division named after Native American Chief Blackhawk from Illinois’ Sauk Nation. As the Chicago-Anaheim series enters its fifth game of trench warfare it is time to consider what is at stake for Chicago’s hockey legacy.
Last year, the Blackhawks came within a crazy bounce of standing on the precipice of dynasty. Few people argue that the Rangers would have beaten them. Three Cups in five years in the salary cap era would have sealed their place in hockey history as a legitimate dynasty. It did not happen.
This year, the Anaheim Ducks are making a ferocious run at their own place in history. If they beat Chicago and go on to win the Cup, Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry will seal their places in hockey lore. They could own two Cups of their own. The Blackhawks and Ducks are engaged in a thousand-yard stare over a no-man’s land of forgotten legacy.
No one remembers “great runs” at history. Five Western Conference Finals in seven years is nice. Two cups are grueling exercises in excellence; but very few teams in sports history have a chance to etch their names alongside modern giants like the Islanders, Oilers, or Red Wings. With the salary cap about to become a major issue and the Hawks sure to lose some talent as a result, this might be their last chance at earning that dynasty label.
Owner Rocky Wirtz, President John McDonough, GM Stan Bowman, Joel Quenneville, and superstars Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane remember the aroma of victory cigars and champagne; but is it enough to want more? Is the lure of history, the designation of dynasty enough to push the Blackhawks back into no-man’s land and over the line?
After the Blackhawks drafted Toews and Kane and assembled the core of their roster there were murmurs of dynasty in Chicago. John McDonough tried to back people off in January of 2010:
“I’ve seen it written about how we’re going to be Stanley Cup contenders for years to come. I’ve heard how we’re like the Oilers of the ’80s. I read these things sometimes and go, ‘oh, God.’ Think about where we were a year or two ago. We’re just getting this thing started. The only guarantee is where we are now, which is hungry and grounded. We know what we’ve accomplished so far: nothing. When’s the last time we won a division?”
Five years later the word “dynasty” rolls easier off the tongue than “nothing.”
Jonathan Toews is 27 years old with two Stanley Cups, two Gold Medals, a Conn Smythe Trophy, and a Selke Trophy. More than anyone in the Blackhawks organization Toews embodies the pedigree of a champion. If Chicago goes on to win Game 5 and a third Stanley Cup he will lead the way. After their second Cup in 2013 Toews echoed the sentiment that sends shivers down the spines of playoff opponents’ fans:
“When you go all the way to the top of the mountain, you have that feeling that there’s no reason you can’t do it again,” Toews said. “To get that far and to win a Cup, you have to have that faith that you have that ability. It’s a whole other thing to realize that goal and to win. It gives you a whole new level of confidence to find ways to do it again.
“If we find ourselves in a tough spot in a playoff series next year, that experience will come in handy, no matter what.”
Opponents will not fear the Blackhawks, but players and fans know Chicago will never go quietly in these playoffs – or any other – as long as Toews is bringing thunder to Patrick Kane’s lightning. Game four bared Chicago’s glaring weaknesses on the blue line, but their OT victory underscored their steely resiliency. After losing four straight to Chicago in last year’s playoffs Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock described this identity. “It’s their resolve, that’s what makes them special players,” Hitchcock said. “It’s not their skill. There are lots of people with just as much skill. It’s their ability to stay with it.”
Statistics show that NHL Game 5 winners on the road in the semi-finals have an .800 chance to win the series. The Blackhawks have history on their side. Whowins.com illustrates Chicago’s recent Game 5 dominance:
In the last eighteen best-of-7 NHL playoff series in which the Chicago Blackhawks have been tied 2-games-all (as they now are against the Anaheim Ducks), their Game 5 outcome has determined their series outcome. In the last seven such series, Chicago won Games 5-6 to win the series.
Chicago-Anaheim Game 5 may be both franchises last chances at legacy. The salary cap is looming for Chicago, and age is creeping up on Getzlaf and Perry. Odds are that whoever wins the West wins the Cup. New York and Tampa Bay will have something to say; but this writer says if the Chicago Blackhawks win Game 5 they will go on to win their third Stanley Cup in six years and seal their fate as the next great NHL dynasty. Only the Ducks stand in their way.
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