Rear-view Mirror:
The Blackhawks went all-in during the last year of rookie contracts for cornerstones Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, and Duncan Keith.
The gamble paid off for Stan Bowman in the cities first Stanley Cup Championship in 49 years. Led by the 21-year-old Kane (30G-58A-88P), and Toews (25-43-68), along with big free agent pickup Marian Hossa (57GP,24-27-51), the offense was the deepest in the NHL, finishing third in the league in goals per game (3.20) and first in shots per game (34.1).
Defensively they were led by Norris Trophy-winning defenseman Duncan Keith. The 26-year-old was second in defensive scoring (14G-55A-69P), led the entire league with 2,180:24 of ice time, and is a plus-84 over the last three seasons.
Goaltending was a hot topic throughout the season, as Chritobal Huet was unseated by first year netminder Antii Niemi. The 26-year-old Fin was third in the league in GAA (2.25) and won 26 of his 39 regular season starts.
A lot went right in the postseason for the Blackhawks. They survived a first rou ...
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Article written by Matt Sitkoff