Emma: Blackhawks' Championship Core Proves Again Why It's Special
By Chris Emma--
(CBS) Within a roller coaster first-round series and see-saw Game 6, the Blackhawks displayed what has made their remarkable run of championship success so special.
Simply put, a championship window opens with elite players in their prime. Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen led the Bulls to six parades. Tom Brady has given the Patriots four titles as quarterback in New England. The Yankees won five World Series with Derek Jeter.
The Blackhawks reminded us of their greatness in Saturday's ugly 4-3 series-clinching win over the Nashville Predators in Game 6. They offered reason as to why Chicago could celebrate a Stanley Cup this summer.
More specifically, the Blackhawks' elite core of Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook did the reminding. Oh, what do they all have in common? Two rings in Chicago and the potential for a third this playoff push.
Game 6 saw poor play from the heavy home favorite Blackhawks. Scott Darling wasn't the problem. Poor defense in front of him led to two goals in the Predators' first period. Yet, Chicago answered back with three scores of its own to even the margin 3-3 at the end of the initial stanza.
These 60 minutes of viewing exhaustion continued an alarming trend of troubling play from the Blackhawks during their first-round series. Defense was the most alarming concern, goaltending wasn't pretty and the offense sputtered at times. But here's where that important reminder comes into play.
As long as the Blackhawks have their elite core, they can win the Cup once again.
Despite a lackluster performance, the Blackhawks prevailed. Chicago had the better team and proved it. It was fitting that the Game 6 goals came from Sharp, Toews, Kane and the game-winner from Keith.
"Our top guys were special tonight," said Chicago coach Joel Quenneville, the future Hall of Famer vying for his third title with the Blackhawks.
In leading the Blackhawks' hockey revival, Quenneville managed to jump-start his own coaching career. Before arriving in Chicago, he was viewed as a regular-season winner who couldn't get the job done in the playoffs, fired from St. Louis and Colorado. Two hoists of the Cup later, Quenneville proved his detractors wrong.
While Quenneville deserves the credit for his remarkable leadership of the Blackhawks' success since he took over in 2008, it all comes back to that core.
The captain, Toews, is a special leader and skilled center. Kane is an elite puck handler and playmaker. Sharp is a sniper with his shot. Hossa is a freak of a 36-year-old. Keith is the reigning Norris Trophy winner, which speaks for itself. Seabrook was a deserving All-Star this season.
Sure, the Blackhawks need the support of players like Brandon Saad, Bryan Bickell, Niklas Hjalmarsson and even the criminally underappreciated Corey Crawford, but Chicago wouldn't enjoy its Cup celebration and refill without the core.
This team has been wildly inconsistent. Its greatest problems persist with a lack of defensive depth and a lack of identity on the third and fourth lines. Goaltending has been a concern at times, too, most notably with the shuffle of Crawford and Darling this series against the pesky Predators.
At times Saturday, it seemed as if the Blackhawks were destined for a decisive Game 7 in Nashville and that their 3-1 lead had potential to evaporate. However, the core prevailed. Even Chicago's "C+" game was good enough to get by.
"We know the ceiling," Toews said. "We're not even close to it yet."
Collectively, this team will find a way to improve its game. Quenneville's recent decisions can be questioned. Kris Versteeg shouldn't be on the second line, Teuvo Teravainen shouldn't be a healthy scratch, Michal Rozsival must be unmatched with Keith, and Darling shouldn't have started Game 6.
These are the issues that hampered the Blackhawks against Nashville. In the end, none of it really mattered.
Sloppy, inconsistent play made the series interesting and gave the Predators a chance, but the Blackhawks move on and Nashville remains a quaint southern city without a real hockey identity.
There will be a Western Conference semifinal at United Center. A Cup Final could well occur on the West Side, too.
This elite core that has spoiled Chicago can carry the Blackhawks to another championship. It's truly a special group.
Follow Chris on Twitter @CEmma670.