It’s the type of a playoff run that turns good players into legends and heroes. Yesterday, the Chicago Blackhawks ended a cup drought since the early 60’ s by beating the Philadelphia Flyers in Philadelphia to win the series in six games.
It was meant to be, in fact it was planned to be. Rocky Wirtz, the Blackhawks head honcho, took over for his father some time ago, and ever since his fingerprints were placed on the Blackhawks, they’ve began to soar. He brought in the right people including Stan Bowman and the champ himself, Scottie Bowman and completely changed the franchise around. The direction the team wanted to go was clear, young, tough and fast. In an age where everyone thinks you need a big name goaltender to do well, the formula for the Blackhawks proved to be a winning one, as they got it done without a household name between the pipes in Niemi.
Ironically enough, the goal to seal the victory was scored by Patrick Kane, a draft pick that was one of the building blocks of Wirtz’s new Blackhawks franchise, which was heading in a completely different direction. Kane was the only person in the arena that new that puck was in the back of the net, so for the first five seconds, Kane got to relish the moment all by himself, it was a great sight to see, he celebrated it just like any kid would. No doubt he wasn’t alone, all the folks in the CHI were going ballistic too. In case you missed it, here it is once more…
Patrick Kane OT Game Winner Wins The Stanley Cup
The leadership of Jonathan Toews, another draft pick, a young but strong headed Canadian captain, was instrumental throughout the playoffs. For his efforts, Toews was awarded the Con Smythe Trophy, but from his reaction, it was the big silver cup that he really wanted to hoist.
The City of Chicago is on fire now, revitalized by their team winning the hardest piece of hardware to win in sports. The Blackhawks did in style too, they’re not only the youngest team in the league, but from all accounts, their fun, loose, carefree attitude made them the coolest team in the league. Now, their just simply the best team in the league and they may be for some time to come. The big names in that Chicago lineup are all signed up for at least the next 4 to 5 years, which means, we just may see these boys hoisting the Stanley Cup one or two more times in the near future. The win has ended the cup drought in Chicago, brought tears to Bobby Hull’s eyes and leaves the Toronto Maple Leafs in a league of their own for the longest Stanley Cup drought.
