Chicago Blackhawks: Sharp’s Retirement Shows Nothing Lasts Forever

When the final buzzer sounds in Winnipeg tonight, it will mark the official end of Patrick Sharp’s career. After 11 years with the Chicago Blackhawks, Sharp is finally hanging up the skates and teaching us a lesson that nothing lasts forever.

Patrick Sharp’s impending retirement, which he announced after Friday’s Chicago Blackhawks loss to the St. Louis Blues, hits hard. For those who watched the Blackhawks before their Stanley Cup victories, he was an idol. He was one of those key franchise players who would complement any star player on the team, ultimately creating monstrous scoring depth.

When Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews joined the party, it was set in stone that this team was destined for greatness.

It’s obvious that Sharp built a legacy in Chicago with this team. He was a four-time 30-goal scorer, and even had eight seasons in which he scored 20 or more goals. Not to mention, he also aided the Blackhawks tremendously in each Stanley Cup run, scoring 10 or more playoff goals in two of the winning seasons.

Ultimately, the Blackhawks possibly would have never won those Cups if he hadn’t been there.

It all ends sometime

However, with Sharp’s departure, it makes you think that someday all of this is going to end; the eras, the dynamic between Kane and Toews, the defensive abilities of Duncan Keith and the goaltending greatness behind Corey Crawford. Hell, Kane and Toews have already played through 11 seasons in their career, and they’ll reach 900 games played next season.

We’re reaching the point where the road starts crashing into the ocean. We’re not there yet, but it’s certainly in the horizon. If there’s one thing we can take away from this era coming to a close, it’s that we’ve had a lot of great memories and tremendous success that hide in the shadows of the team’s flaws today.

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This season may be doomed, there might be problems throughout the lineup, but the Blackhawks still have great times ahead. Nothing lasts forever. So fans should make the most of the greatness they have left in Chicago’s hockey atmosphere, because it’ll be gone sooner than you think. Just like Sharp’s career.