Chicago Blackhawks named ‘Franchise of the Decade’

The Chicago Blackhawks were named ‘Franchise of the Decade’ today by the (NHLdotcom) staff on Twitter. After three Stanley Cups in six seasons, it’s fair to say there’s no debating who the best team was.

The Chicago Blackhawks haven’t been a playoff team since 2017. Even though it’s been two long seasons, we can’t forget how great that team was from 2009-2017. That nine-year playoff streak saw three Stanley Cups, five Western Conference Finals series, and three first-round exits. Did you know under Joel Quenneville, the Blackhawks never lost a second-round series?

The previous decade saw stars Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith bring home the Conn Smythe Trophy. Kane also won league MVP and lead the league in points throughout the whole decade. Goalies Corey Crawford, Ray Emery, and Scott Darling all brought home the William M. Jennings Trophy. Even Artemi Panarin joined in on the fun winning Rookie of the Year in 2016.

As mentioned before, three different groups of players, coaches, and staff had their names put on the best trophy in sports, the Stanley Cup. For a while, the cup could have been considered the Blackhawks’ Cup.

They were a threat to win the Stanley Cup each season they were in the playoffs. That sounds cliché because of how all 16 playoff teams have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. It always seemed like the winning team would have to go through the Blackhawks if they wanted a chance.

In 2010, the team broke their 49-year drought without a Stanley Cup when Kane scored the game-winning goal in overtime. That game was just the start of how crazy this team would get. The signs were shown when no one but Kane knew the puck went in the net.

They started off the 2013 ‘shortened’ season without losing a game in regulation in their first 24 games. The team won the Stanley Cup in one of the most shocking, rememberable ways. They scored two goals in 17 seconds to win the Stanley Cup. That was the only way to cap off the amazing 36-7-5 regular season the team had.

In 2015, they won their third and final Stanley Cup of the decade. As a Blackhawks fan, I wish I could go back and really soak those moments up. We all thought there would be a lot more.

Besides that, the team set NHL records. They were the first team to win three Stanley Cups in a decade since the 1980s. Like mentioned earlier, they were the first team to go 24 games without a regulation loss. Kane and Toews became the highest-paid players in NHL history, which would be broken a few seasons later by multiple players.

What’s best to be said is this, the 2010s were a special time for the Blackhawks. The last two seasons have been a rebuild and things are looking up. They have the pieces to be a playoff team again. It’s all about performing on the ice now.