It seems like recently everything we read about the Blackhawks from outside of Chicago falls into one of two categories: the hype around the prospects or how bad the NHL roster is still going to be around Connor Bedard this season. So when I saw a tweet that had the Blackhawks near the top of the league in a “best teams to watch” list… I was pleasantly surprised. And fascinated to see how they justified saying the Blackhawks are going to be a “better watch” than Connor McDavid’s Oilers.
Get the popcorn ready 🍿
Full post here:
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce)
As you might have assumed, their inclusion of the Blackhawks has everything to do with Bedard.
Bedard’s rookie season would’ve been worth watching no matter what team he ended up on, and it will be interesting to see how much of an impact he can have on a team that was actively tanking months ago and is still swimming in cap space.
The fabulous Sean McIndoe shared a fun, yet painful, piece at this morning. The key thing to keep in mind here is the point was a “fun” playoff run. He went with 2009 for his Blackhawks playoffs that were memorably fun, and I get it.
But the more I think about it, the more I’m pretty sure this has to be 2009. The Hawks had been an afterthought for a decade, with just one playoff appearance (and one game won) in 10 seasons. But they had these two kids named Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews, and it felt like the future was bright. Spoiler alert: It was, and eve𒀰n though this run ended in the conference finals, it launched a great rivalry with the Canucks and all sorts of optimism for a new era.
McIndoe immediately discounted 1992 because of the sweep at the hands of the Penguins in the Stanley Cup Final, but that’s where my brain went to immediately. And you know what, that was a fun playoffs. The Blackhawks won 12 of 14 games on their way to the Cup Final, beating St. Louis, Detroit and Edmonton on their way to face Super Mario and Jagr and the beast from Pittsburgh. Was the end result heartbreaking? Sure. But we’ll always have Dirk Graham’s amazing hat trick and the ride to the Final. If you’re old enough to remember that season and playoffs, 1992 was a fun time to be in Chicago. The Chicago Stadium hosted the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Final.
Let’s go through all 32 teams and remember one playoff run that was legitimately fun, even if it didn’t end in a Stanley Cup championship.— The Athletic (@TheAthletic)
The Chicago Bears are going to get the game started the right way with the hype machine that is Jim Cornelison singing the Star Spangled Banner before the season kicks off against the Packers on Sunday. They will also pay tribute to Rocky Wirtz with a moment of silence. The two longest tenured ownership families in Chicago are the Wirtz and McCaskey/Halas families, so it’s fitting they would show respect.
The plan to pay tribute to late owner Rocky Wirtz with a moment of silence before Sunday's game vs. Green Bay. It will come right before the national anthem performed by Jim Cornelison at what promises to be a raucous, emotional Soldier Field. — David Haugh (@DavidHaugh)
How about some action shots of Bedard and Kevin Korchinski from the NHLPA/Upper Deck Rookie Showcase this week?
How about some exciting, dark headshots of Ethan Del Mastro, Gavin Hayes and Korchinski in their Blackhawks gear? The team posted these on Instagram yesterday.
Yesterday we discussed how/where Taylor Raddysh might settle into a new-look Blackhawks lineup when the season begins. He’s coming off a really nice 20-goal campaign and could build on that with better offensive depth surrounding him this year. Let me know what you think would be the best line for Raddysh this season.
Finally, baseball fans are scoreboard watching. How exciting is it that we could have Bedard and the Blackhawks, Fields and the Bears and meaningful playoff baseball on the North Side in early October?
Scoreboard Watching: How Are the Other NL Playoff Conte𒀰nders Doing Right Now?
Tab Bamford has been writing about the Chicago Blackhawks for almost two decades. He joined Bleacher Nation as the lead Blackhawks writer in May 2022. Tab is a member of the and is the author of three books about the Blackhawks: (Triumph Books),"100 Things Blackhawks Fans Should Know & Doꦆ Before The♓y Die" (Triumph Books) and "Chicago Blackhawks: An Illustrated Timeline" (Reedy Press, 2021). Find him on Twitter/X/ཧInstꦰagram/Threads at @The1Tab
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