The Chicago Blackhawks need to embrace the underdog role

In just a few days the Chicago Blackhawks are going to take the ice against the Edmonton Oilers for the best of five series to determine who makes it to the Stanley Cup playoffs. Just the fact that it is happening is amazing, but there is so much more to it.

The Chicago Blackhawks did not really earn a playoff spot this year. They are at the bottom of the standings and are the last team to make the playoffs from the west. One of the only reasons we are here is because the NHL decided to have the top 12 teams in each conference instead of the top 6 teams from each division.

Brent Seabrook and Andrew Shaw are both out, there are people debating whether Corey Crawford is ‘the guy’ for the Blackhawks in this series, and whether or not Jonathan Toews wanted to be playing was talked about this past week. Basically the point I am trying to make is there are a lot of different narratives with the Blackhawks right now, and none are really pointing towards victory.

We are the underdogs in this series, many different hockey minds have already written the Blackhawks off. Everyone says this will be a fun series, but they end up saying it is going to end with Edmonton moving on to the playoffs.

While the Oilers might be talented and they might be an up and coming team, at the end of the day they are going to have to show up on the ice and win three games. Everything is even right now, and I hope no one writes this team off before puck drop.

The Blackhawks still have Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, and Duncan Keith leading them on the ice. They have Brandon Saad with experience ready to take a big role in the depth of this team, and they have one of the youngest rosters that can make people turn their heads.

The past five years we have seen so many different teams win the cup, but almost every time no one is expecting it to happen. Whether or not its Vegas’s run to the final or Nashville going to the final after being the last wild card, anything can happen. So while I know the Blackhawks’ new motto is all for one, I think a better one would be why not us?

Why can’t this team go play hard and remind fans why Chicago is the top hockey town. Why can’t Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane have their own last dance and take back the Cup, and why can’t Corey Crawford prove everyone wrong AGAIN and show that he is an elite NHL goalie?

I am excited and I think the Blackhawks are too. Moving into this series I think the Blackhawks already know nothing is going to be handed to them, let’s just wait and see what kind of noise they can make this postseason. I would much rather walk away with a cup than a number one draft pick!