The Blackhawks are the NHL’s Central Division Champs and the second seed in the Western Conference.
The Blues are fourth in the Central Division and 10th in the Western Conference. They officially had their playoffs hopes dashed last night, as Colorado clinched a spot with a shootout win in Vancouver.
The Blackhawks are further along in their rebuilding process and thus higher in the standings.
Of course, the Blackhawks had only made the playoffs once since the 1997-98 season until last year. After being playoff regulars for the better part of the previous 40 years, their last appearance in the postseason since a 1996-97 run was in 2001-02, where they lost in the first round to the Blues.
So that absence from postseason play will certainly help put them ahead of schedule of the Blues' rebuilding efforts, who were playoff regulars up until the lockout.
Hey, I couldn’t give the Blackhawks props like this without a backhanded compliment or two.
But the Blackhawks have done a good job with that head start. They have drafted very well. Their top picks have not just turned into quality players on the ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Tim Fitzgerald
Chicago Blackhawks Are Where the St. Louis Blues Want to Be
April 7th, 2010 by Tim Fitzgerald Leave a reply »
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