Last season, the Chicago Blackhawks had a lot to overcome as Stanley Cup champions. The roster turnover, injuries and poor play by Duncan Keith (until he decided to turn it on in the playoffs against the Vancouver Canucks) turned out to be too much.
Still, they gave the Canucks all they could handle, even after falling to a 0-3 deficit. If Patrick Sharp makes that wide-open, open-net goal in Game 7, we might be talking about a three-peat in Chicagoland.
The Blackhawks really came alive in that series against the Canucks. Dave Bolland's return in Game 4 of the series proved how invaluable he is to the team. He wreaked havoc on the Sedin twins. The Sedins didn't do much of anything once he returned. This is a good sign heading into the 2011-12 season for the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks are loaded in terms of talent, both on their regular roster and in the minors. What is even more amazing about this team's talent is that all of the core players, besides Marian Hossa, are still very young. While I was disappointed in losing Antti Niemi last year to the rival San Jose Sharks, Corey Crawford proved more than capable of being a fixture at the goalie positi ...
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Article written by Kevin OBrien
Chicago Blackhawks: Why They Will Win the Stanley Cup This Year
October 1st, 2011 by Kevin OBrien Leave a reply »
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