Blackhawks: Looking back at the longest game in franchise history

We do not know how long our current state of shelter in place is going to last. Right now it just seems like it will never end, so let’s go back to a moment in Chicago Blackhawks history where things seemed like they would never end.

The Chicago Blackhawks have played several playoff games throughout their very historic career. However, only one game stands out in being the longest game in franchise history. May 20th, 2015 saw game two of the western conference finals between the Anaheim Ducks and the Chicago Blackhawks, and it did not disappoint.

While history has the Blackhawks with the win in this series, at the time things were a little different. The Anaheim Ducks held a 1-0 lead at the time in the series and while the Blackhawks going down 2-0 was not going to end their season, it was not going to help.

The Blackhawks started the night relatively strong, with two power-play goals in the first period to help erase the bad performance in game one. Power play goals from Andrew Shaw and Marian Hossa helped give the Blackhawks a two to zero lead, however, it did not last that long.

Andrew Cogliano put the Ducks on the board just a few minutes after Hossa gave the Blackhawks the two-goal lead. It was the perfect answer from the Ducks, as it looked like the Blackhawks were going to run away with the game.

The Blackhawks ended up not scoring again in regulation, so following a Corey Perry goal in the second things were all tied up going into OT. The goalies had been great, with Corey Crawford only faltering twice, and stopping all attempts on the Ducks’ four power-play opportunities.

Crawford is not the only player who deserves credit, as the defense led by Keith, Seabrook, Hjalmarsson, and Oduya were great up to that point. However, that was just after three periods, little did the Blackhawks know they were about to embark on almost an entire other game before a victor would be found.

I wish that NBC would air this game again, It would be a great way to spend um, three or four hours! It was great if you love watching players go through the motions and try to pull out a win into the late hours of the morning. You could see how tired they were towards the end of the game, and you could see the desperation as they fought for a victory.

Just watch how desperate Andrew Shaw was to end the game as he headbutted a puck into the net during the second OT period.

After the goal was scored it did not take long for the league to overturn the call and the game to continue. The Blackhawks thought it would not be long before they did finally end the game, boy was they wrong.

It would take another entire period before the Blackhawks would finally score the goal to end game two, and it would come from the most unlikely of goal scorers. Before we talk about the goal itself, let’s mention some numbers.

Check out the ice time from this game, courtesy of Hockey Reference.  Duncan Keith played almost 50 minutes, while Brent Seabrook Niklas Hjalmarsson and Johnny Oduya were not that far behind. This game was an instant classic, and it showcased just how little the Blackhawks were going to rely on other defensemen outside of their big four.

After 116 minutes and 12 seconds, the game had to end. Marcus Kruger got on a rebound after Brent Seabrook fired a shot from the point. It was a play the Blackhawks would try a lot during this playoff run, and it paid off in a big moment.

I still remember this game, I remember sitting through the intermissions wondering if I was wasting my time, and I remember being so happy when it did finally end. This game will go down in history for not only being the longest in franchise history but also for its great moments like the Shaw headbutt.

Hopefully, we will get to see another postseason performance for the Blackhawks soon. Otherwise, we will be remembering past moments like this a lot more frequently!