What the reunions with former Blackhawks says about the organization

The Chicago Blackhawks have brought a number of players back for second runs with the team after they left, and honestly, it says a lot about how good of a team they truly are.

Being a good team is not just about how many games you win in a season. It also has to do with how you treat your players and the atmosphere in the room. The Chicago Blackhawks players have never had anything negative to say about the team when it comes to how they are treated by the organization and fans.

When players talk about Chicago it is a destination anyone would like to end up, and in large part that might be because of the culture that John McDonough built. Players are treated with class by the team and the fans, and because of that, it has become a big stopping point for former players.

Patrick Sharp and Brian Campbell both re-signed with the Blackhawks after being traded away. Brandon Saad and Andrew Shaw spoke with excitement when they were traded for after being given up in the draft a few years prior. You very rarely see a Blackhawks player choose to walk in free agency. While that might just be because Stan Bowman would never let that happen, I would also argue it is because no Blackhawk ever really wants to leave.

Do not just take my word for it, check out what a few former players had to say after they were traded from the Blackhawks. When Andrew Shaw was traded to Montreal, he spoke about all the good memories he had with the team when he first came back for a game at the United Center. Patrick Sharp spoke about how much Chicago meant to him when he re-signed with the team in 2017.

I know we usually speak with negativity when it comes to reunions with former players. Stan Bowman has made it a tradition during the start of free agency the past few years. While it rarely makes the team better on the ice, it does go to show how much the Blackhawks organization means to some players.