Chicago Blackhawks Morning Links- 16

Good morning Chicago Blackhawks fans! It’s finally here, the second most awaited date on the NHL calendar which closely follows opening night.  The Stanley Cup playoffs have arrived and with it heartache, worry, excitement, and just about any other emotion you can possibly show.

The number of course is 16.  The number of wins needed this spring to be able to hoist the Stanley Cup in early June.  After 49 years of wondering if it would ever happen again, the Chicago Blackhawks have won 3 Cups in 6 seasons and now are on the most difficult quest of winning back to back Stanley Cups which hasn’t happened since the late 1990’s by the Detroit Red Wings.

The journey is long if you look at it from the beginning which is why it’s better to think of it in very small portions.  The one thing this team has shown in the Jonathan Toews/Patrick Kane era is that they are one tough out in a 7 game series.  The Chicago Blackhawks may not have been the most consistent team all year, but the core knows what needs to be done this time of year to get to where they want to be which is all you can ask from your favorite team.

The Hawks journey begins in St. Louis tonight and I can’t wait, but while we do here are some morning links to kick off your first playoff gameday of 2016.

More from Blackhawks News

• Blackhawks vs Flames: Date, Time, Lineup, Betting Odds, More
• Three Takeaways from the Blackhawks’ Win vs Vancouver
• Blackhawks: Why Derek King is the Right Coach moving forward
• Marc-Andre Fleury Carries the Blackhawks to a 4-2 Win vs Seattle
• Instant Reaction: Blackhawks top Kraken for first time in history

See and listen to what Joel Quenneville had to say about gearing up for the first game of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the importance of depth on the lineup (Blackhawks)

Chicago Blackhawks prospect and new Rockford Ice Hog Tyler Motte will play for Team USA at the World Championships (Second City)

The United Center Ice is all ready for the Stanley Cup playoffs with some fresh paint (Madhouse Enforcer)

Joel Quenneville knows that the path to another Stanley Cup will not be easy (CSN)

More from Blackhawk Up

• Blackhawks: Three Noticeable Improvements in Comeback Win vs Blues
• Blackhawks: Key Takeaways from 3-2 win over the Blues
• Blackhawks: Grading Connor Murphy and a position comparison
• Blackhawks: Shuffling the lines to try and spark offense at 5 on 5
• These Lineup Changes could Solve the Blackhawks’ Scoring Problem

The Chicago Blackhawks fans base is driving up the price of Stanley Cup playoff tickets on the secondary markets (Chicago Business Journal)

Patrick Kane keeps getting better and maturing on the ice while keeping the opponents guessing what’s next (Bleacher Report)

I must agree with this, the NHL needs to get back to playing games at normal start times no matter where the playoff game is being played (Bleedin Blue)

Next: 50 Things To Know About The Blues

The Dallas Stars season should be labeled a fairy tale (Blackout Dallas)