Chicago Blackhawks Season Outlook

Sean Brown
Chicago Blackhawks Season Outlook    
     

          The Chicago Blackhawks are what many would consider a dynasty. They have five Stanley Cups, a deep and talented roster and a rich history and tradition. The Blackhawks, fresh off a Stanley Cup victory in 2013, are looking to make another appearance after losing in the playoffs last season.  They return a talented team with names like Crawford, Kane and of course team captain Toews.
Chicago has had a rough going in the beginning of this year’s season. They are on a sixaway game road trip. This is taxing for any team in any sport. They are playing teams at their home stadiums, with few days of rest in between each game.
The Blackhawks traveled to Anaheim to play the Ducks and then to Los Angeles to play the Kings. They managed to survive the test and proved themselves to be road warriors according to Bleacher Report:


“He{Toews} also knew the biggest test was coming at the tail end of the trip, when the Blackhawks would face the defending Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings at the Staples Center. The Kings, as every Blackhawks fan knows, ended Chicago's season last year with a seventh-game overtime victory in the Western Conference Final at the United Center.
The challenge of playing the Kings appeared to be a difficult one because it was coming just one day after facing the Ducks. While the travel from Anaheim to Los Angeles was not a problem—unless you look at freeway traffic as an issue—the lack of preparation and recovery time was something Quenneville and his player had to overcome.”
       


                The Blackhawks were not what many fans expected last season. They finished fifth5th in the division last season and barely made the play-offs. Once in the play-offs, many picked them as the team to win the Stanley Cup. This was not the case. In a seventh7th game thriller, the Los Angeles Kings knocked the Black Hawks out of the pPlay-oOffs and went on to win the Stanley Cup against the New York Rangers. This was hard to accept for many fans, but Chicago has retooled and is back for a second attempt. The Blackhawks overcame a tough challenge with grace and ease. Chicago crushed the Ducks and the Kings 4-1 with only a day of rest in between both games. They went on to send an even more powerful message to the rest of the NHL by shutting out the Minnesota Wild in a decisive 5-0 victory.
       
              The Blackhawks are 15-8-1 and have 58 games left in the season. The squad is as talented as ever. Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Jonathan Toews, and Corey Crawford are the weapons Chicago needs to win them a sixth6th Stanley Cup Championship.  It is a long road to playoffs but if any team has a shot it’s the Chicago Blackhawks.