While we continue to wait for more return to play news, the one thing that has kept Chicago Blackhawks fans entertained thus far is reminiscing on Stanley Cup victories. Winning three Cups in six years was nothing short of historic. It’s something that has been celebrated all throughout the month of June. The 2010 championship anniversary was June 9, the 2013 anniversary was June 24, and the 2015 anniversary was June 15.
Besides the memorable dates, we also have No. 1 draft pick possibilities, and dogs as some of the latest updates to come from the Blackhawks.
2013 Championship
First off, last week was the most recent anniversary of the three recent Stanley Cup teams – the 2013 group. 2013 was the year that really solidified the Blackhawks dynasty – they proved how special their roster was and how that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. As a refresher, they were the No. 1 team in the league with a 36-7-5 record during the regular season. Keep in mind that the season was shorted because of the lockout. Their playoff record was 16-7.
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There were 33 players on that roster. Of that group, only seven players remain on the current roster – Corey Crawford, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Andrew Shaw, and Brandon Saad. It’s intriguing to look back and see how much has changed within the team in the span of seven years.
Moreover, there are two major roster updates that stand out from then up until now:
- Sheldon Brookbank – Brookbank was a member of the defense group. He only appeared in one game during the season and one game during the playoffs. Now, he has been one of the assistant coaches for the Blackhawks since 2019.
- Ray Emery– Emery was Crawford’s backup goalie and he was a great asset during the regular season. His regular-season SV% was .922 and he went 17-1. He tragically passed away in 2018, but his play will never be forgotten.
And of course, when looking back on 2013, we can’t forget to mention when left-wing Bryan Bickell and center Dave Bolland scored two goals in 17 seconds to secure the Stanley Cup from the Boston Bruins. It will never get old.
Number One Draft Pick?
In an interesting turn of events, the draft lottery on June 26 laid out two different scenarios for the Blackhawks series against the Edmonton Oilers. If they win, they’ll advance into the playoffs. If not, they have a chance to win the first overall pick in the 2020 Entry Draft as part of the lottery.
Related: Flames GM Brad Treliving’s Draft History
The way the draft format has been laid out for this season, each of the eight teams that lose their qualifying round will have a 12.5% chance of landing that number one pick. That number one pick is expected to be 18-year-old left-wing Alexis Lafrenière. Scott King from NBC Sports Chicago highlighted what that possibility might look like for Chicago in his article:
As with a lot of forward personnel on the Blackhawks, who’s around the No. 1 pick in the lineup could be dictated by where Patrick Kane is penciled in.
If we see a nuclear line with Saad-Toews-Kane and Andrew Shaw is healthy from his latest concussion, the forward groups could look like this:
Saad-Toews-Kane
DeBrincat-Strome-Shaw
Lafrenière-Dach-Kubalik
Caggiula-Carpenter-Nylander
_(from ‘What if Blackhawks get No. 1 pick and select Alexis Lafrenière?’, NBC Sports Chicago – 06/29/2020)_
Seeing that proposition makes you think of all the different ways the Blackhawks would be affected if they got that pick. Of course, we can’t cross that bridge until we get there, but it doesn’t hurt to dream if that becomes a possibility, right? Because that lineup looks not too shabby.
Puppy Love
Lastly, one of the latest feel-good stories from the team came from last week when center Dylan Strome gave an interview to the Chicago Sun-Times about his adventures with his new golden retriever, Wrigley. (from ‘How Hawks center Dylan Strome’s puppy helped him handle a whirlwind pandemic experience,’ Chicago Sun-Times, 06/24/2020).
In the article, Strome highlights how much Wrigley has grown since he got him, their daily activities, and it even includes the Instagram account that he and his girlfriend made for the dog.
What’s Next?
News around the league has started to rev up. As the NHL is getting ready to enter Phase 3 of returning to play, there has been new media interviews with the Blackhawks. Look for some new updates on the players, the team, and better yet, there is even more feel-good content for fans that takes a stroll down memory lane.