March 15, 2020: The Canuckleheads

When did it all begin… the rivalry with the Canucks. Was it 1982 when the Canucks beat the Blackhawks 4-1 in the conference finals? Was it 1995 when the Blackhawks beat the Canucks 4-0 in the conference semifinals? Nah, probably too long ago… Was it 2006, when Duncan Keith and Alex Burrows had their first tangle? That was probably a spark… Most likely it was 2009 in a late regular season game between the two teams. When Dustin Byfuglien skated into and punched Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo. As the referees tried to sort things out, Ben Eager would end up knocking Bieksa to the ice with a short left hand. Keith and Burrows would meet again, this time with Alex grabbing a handful of Duncs hair. About 2 months later, these 2 teams would meet in the conference semifinals. The Blackhawks would win that series 4-2, ending the Luongo and the Canucks with a Patrick Kane hat trick; that was a memorable series. Of course, the Hawks would lose to the Wings the next round. Next round with the Canucks… the very next year.

Fresh off the hard fought series win, including magical Game 5 against the Preds, the Hawks hosted Game 1. And…. it went pretty much the same way Game 1 against the Preds went. The Canucks stomped the Blackhawks 5-1, and a 1 game hole had been dug. No worries though. The Blackhawks would come storming back and win the next 3 games, including 2 games in Vancouver. A grand total of 16 goals tallied by the Hawks in this 3 game winning streak. Sharp with his 4th and Kane with his 6th in Game 2. Then there was the Byfuglien hat trick in Game 3 in Vancouver; I remember it well.

I was actually in Charlotte for work. It was Cinco de Mayo. I headed to a bar to watch the game. Did Byfuglien get into Luongo’s head when he punched him in that regular season game in 2009? If he didn’t then, he was in his head now; Big Buff lived in the crease. That big body, distracting, bumping into, blocking Luongo… that was the formula for the whole series, and in Game 3, Dustin cashed in with 3 goals. That was the back breaker in this series. Yes, the Canucks would end up winning Game 5 in Chicago to force a Game 6, but back in Vancouver, the Hawks would take care of business. The series ended with another Byfuglien goal.

So yeah, however strong the hate was between these two teams was, it certainly goes to another level when you lose in the playoffs to that team… two years in a row. The hate was well established before Bolland called them the Sedin sisters. Yes, the Canucks would slay their dragon the following year in the playoffs, beating the Blackhawks… barely. After a 3-0 goal, the yips came back, and the Hawks won 3 straight to tie the series. The Canucks would go on to win on a Burrows goal no less. Only problem was the Canucks, just like in 1982, failed to cash in on their playoff series win over the Hawks, losing in the Stanley Cup finals again. Oh yeah, they still have no Cups…

Meanwhile, the Blackhawks were halfway to their first in my lifetime. With the Predators and the Canuckleheads out of the way, all that stood place between the Hawks and a Stanley Cup appearance was the San Jose Sharks. I had forgotten that it was the Sharks, not the Blackhawks with their franchise best 112 points, that had home ice advantage; the Sharks had tallied 113. But we weren’t in the regular season any more Dorothy… The Blackhawks with their series clinching win against the Canucks would begin a winning streak that would continue against the Sharks. Home ice advantage? No big deal. It’s Blackhawks Sharks next for a chance at the Cup.