May 2009 Archive

Saying goodbye to the 'Hawks

by Ricky O'Donnell on May 29 at 12:22PM

It was brought to my attention that the last post I did here on Wednesday didn't even mention the biggest thing going on that day, Game 5 for the 'Hawks and Red Wings. By now you know what happened, but we can't let the 'Hawks go away for the summer without giving them the proper send off.

I think pretty much everyone is in agreement that this season was a wild success for the 'Hawks. I would have liked to see them put up more of a fight against Detroit, but it's probably a testament to how powerful the 'Wings are more than anything else.

It seemed like this season made anyone under 30 develop a new love for hockey. For anyone older - especially the diehards - it seemed to bring back a time when Chicago hockey used to mean something.

The 'Hawks were down for so long because they were so poorly run. They were like the Pirates, the Clippers, or the (gasp!) Raiders of their sport. But after Rocky Wirtz took over, good momentum started to snowball. The home games went on TV, John McDonough revamped the team's image, and suddenly everything started to go the 'Hawks' way.

Case in point: the 2007 draft lottery compared to the 2004 draft lottery. 2004 was typical Blackhawks. Two franchise players - Ovechkin and Malkin - topped the draft board. Now, they are probably two of the five best players in the world. But back then, the 'Hawks just couldn't catch a break like that. They ended up with the third pick that year and took Cam Barker, who looks like he could be a nice player, but.....he'll never be close to the two guys drafted ahead of him.

When the 'Hawks won the 2007 lotto and got Kane, it was sort of a sign that maybe the entire world wasn't working against the organization.

The obvious parallel for the way this season ended is the Bulls and Pistons from the late 80's. The Pistons were one of the team's of the decade - experienced, tough as nails, and owners of multiple titles. The Bulls were young and up and coming. Sound familiar? That's not to say the 'Hawks are on course to become a dynasty - and, of course, it took the Bulls three times to get past Detroit - but the comparison is about as dead on as you can get.

I feel like the 'Hawks are set up for success for a long time. Good teams can't be built entirely of top ten draft picks, and the 'Hawks really seemed to develop their secondary lines this past season. Guys like Dave Bolland, Brent Seabrook, and the immortal Dustin Byfuglien proved to be legit NHL players. Their core runs deeper than Kane and Toews. I think that's something a lot of people don't realize.

There are concerns for next year, of course. Marty Havlat is a free agent. I thought he was probably the 'Hawks' best player this year, but do you really want to give a guy with an injury history like Havlat's an eight year contract, which he is reportedly seeking? And what to do at goalie? It looks like Nikolai Khabibulin will be free to walk as a free agent. Can Cristobal Huet handle being the top dog all year long?

There are questions marks, but that's something every team has. The important thing is the 'Hawks are back, relevant both on and off the ice.

*
To anyone that didn't hear already, it looks like TopTenChicagoSports is on life support. Remember when I told you about the ChicagoNow network? Yeah, well apparently blogging for the Tribune and working in the newsroom of the Sun-Times doesn't fly. So Phil, Danny, Eli and I can't write the site anymore. I think Matt's planning on writing every day at this point, so be sure to still check in and leave comments. It sucks, but there doesn't seem like there is anything we can do about it.

May 2009 Archive

Search

Follow Me

Blogs In The Network

Network Partners

Recent Comments

Latest Posts

From The Network

Monthly Archives

Test Your Potential