Blackhawks: The fans brought the roar back to the United Center

Despite missing the playoffs for the third time in four years and being eliminated from the playoffs, there was a lot to celebrate at the United Center on Sunday night. The Chicago Blackhawks had a home game with fans for the first time in a long time.

Ten rookies skated for the Blackhawks against Dallas. Honestly, if there is ever a game with ten rookies you can expect them to lose, but not tonight. The Hawks had a burst of energy that lasted all night, and it probably was the couple thousand visitors they added to their home stadium.

Chicago Blackhawks fans have a lot to cheer on right now.

Alex DeBrincat went into the night with 29 goals, and he is leaving with 31. The young forward is on pace for 50 goals during a normal season, and he has been incredible with the Hawks. Chicago also entered the game with a handful of rookies ready to play in front of the Hawks crowd for the first time.

From March 2020 to May 2021 this team looks a lot different. A LOT of fan favorites are gone, but while that hurts to see, that also opens the door for new fan favorites to form. I think people are already rallying behind Brandon Hagel, who did manage to score a pretty nice goal last night, and it is only a matter of time before we start seeing these young players’ jerseys in the crowd.

There are a handful of videos I wanted to share in this article, but I think the number one I will go with is having three stars with fans there actually to cheer them on. All season we have seen the Hawks salute a fake crowd and skate around the ice, but now they can actually have that moment after the game. It was a well-deserved moment for Kevin Lankinen too!

Tonight’s game was a victory but it was a victory before the puck even dropped. This was the first real opportunity for fans to cheer on the Hawks since they upset Edmonton in the qualifiers, battled all season long despite missing key pieces,  and never gave up despite what fans were saying about their chances.

While tonight’s game is going to be their last game for a while, the Hawks have another opportunity to play in front of fans, and for some that could be the determining factor in getting a contract or starting training camp higher up within the organization’s mind. There is a lot to play for.