Chicago Blackhawks Still Stanley Cup Favorite

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CHICAGO – Are you excited yet? Are you stressed yet? Worried yet? Confused? Confident? Unsure? Timid? Weak? Courageous? Strong? Continuing on, I have to ask, how many goals currently sit on your white board? Cork board? Chalk board? Refrigerator? But honestly though, how many are up there?

Take the wife somewhere? Get a wife? Take the kids somewhere? Have kids? Get a promotion? Don’t get fired? Buy a home? Take a vacation? Throw more Parties? Make more friends? Have a family reunion? I’m guessing the list goes on and on and on and on… depending the time of year and period in each of our lives.

I’ll admit I can only handle five at once, anymore and my brain short circuits. For the Chicago Blackhawks – they have one. And what might’ve began as a promotional sentiment that sounded spectacular in concept – has now become the mantra for not only a hockey club, but also a city.

ONE GOAL – Cup or Bust. It might not be easy, but it’s the only way they’ll have it. Chicago fans won’t hate the players for losing – unless of course, it’s a specific players fault. In a situation like that there’s no beating around the bush, they’ll hate them, oh yes – but also revel in the opportunity to travel the road to redemption with them. Whomever they might be.

“Stuff’s happened before to us… We’ve been able to get through a lot of things… No one was rattled in here. No one was worried. We just kept playing hard. – Corey Crawford

If you’re new to this, allow me to explain something. In the last few years it’s become quite apparent that the city of Chicago isn’t only Hawkeytown anymore – its HOCKEYTOWN in the US. This isn’t to take away from Detroit – who currently don’s said title at center ice of the Joe Lewis Arena. One can’t argue with the success of the Detroit Red Wings, their consistency. But the torch has been passed, there’s a new marker in the league – they reside around three hundred miles south. No other club carries a higher fan base across the continental US.

With so much being said about the Wild and their growth over the past years under head coach Mike Yeo – there’s very little being said about the Chicago Blackhawks. Most importantly, many analyst and insiders have failed to remind the general sports fans, who this team from Chicago really is.

Instead, all we watch when we turn on the television is talk of Devin Dubnyk stifling the struggling offense of the ‘Hawks. Or that we apparently have a goaltending issue – when did that begin? Or my personal favorite, that somehow Dubnyk’s 7 total career post season games stack up to the 100 that Marian Hossa and Duncan Keith have played. Again, no knock to the Minnesota Wild – knock to the analyst. Those that aren’t being, dare I say, realistic.

Let’s talk numbers for a second. 17 – no I’m not talking about 17 seconds – I’m talking about players on this Blackhawks roster. 17 have hoisted the Stanley Cup – there is currently 27 players on the post season roster for the Hawks… of those 27, 20 were on the bench last night in the 4-3 victory over the wild. 15 of those 20 are Stanley Cup Champs and two more have been to the Final. 14 hoisted the cup in a Blackhawks sweater.