Quick update, in case you didn’t know, the Blackhawks season ended quietly this past Friday night in Buffalo with a 3-2 loss; hey they did win 2 of their last 3 games! Yeah, well, that was not nearly enough in this season to forget. The Blackhawks finished 28-42-12 which was good for 3rd worst in the Western Conference, and 6th worst in the NHL. My how the mighty have fallen.
7 years ago, the Blackhawks were starting a playoff run which would result in their 3rd Stanley Cup in 6 years; I remember those days fondly, especially because I was robbed of watching Blackhawks hockey growing up by Dollar Bill. I never felt that closeness to them, like I do for the Cubs, Bears, and Bulls. Still, it didn’t take long to ramp that up. Now, I guess I kind of feel the same way about the Hawks’ Cups like I do about the Bulls dynasty. I was alive for that glorious Cup run; some folks will never see 3 Cups in their lifetime, let alone in a 6 year period. It cheers me up, especially after a season like this one. I certainly don’t want to just roll over and die now, not caring if the Hawks win another Cup, but when I think about that run… it always warms my heart; that will never change.
Will the Hawks future change any time soon? How many more years of 19 & 88 do we have to look forward to? Certainly their best days are behind them, although Kane certainly still plays at a very high level. I was hoping for one more Cup run with the dynamic duo center stage; feels like we’re so far from that now. Nothing against DeBrincat, who had a fine year, and Dach, who had a disappointing year; hoping they can be the faces of the future for us. There are other nice pieces, no doubt, but overall, the Hawks feel like a long way from competing.
If the on-ice stuff wasn’t bad enough this year, the off-ice stuff really took its toll. The first part of the season included the major scandal, the exit of Bowman, the firing of Colliton, and a horrific 1-9-2 start; are we having fun yet? The combination of it all dug a hole so deep that the Hawks could never recover. Then there was the whole Foley leaving thing, and the cavalcade of announcers they marched in front of us all year. They weren’t all bad, but nobody was nearly as good as the guy that was leaving the booth; forced out, right? Seeing Keith play in another sweater and trading Fleury later in the season was just piling it on frankly. I feel like I’m missing something… yeah, it was that bad of a season. And now, the Hawks have a new GM, will most likely have a new coach, and have sent a couple assistant coaches packing. The hits just keep on coming…
I’m glad the season is over. I’d like to say I’m looking forward to next season, and really mean it. Truth is, not a whole lot of confidence right now, although there is plenty of time between now and then, and I don’t think any season could be as bad as the one we just lived through. Good riddance 2021-2022 Hawks. Nowhere to go but up from here…
Leave a Reply