Kukla's Korner Hockey
Are The Blackhawks Real Cup Contenders?
by Paul on 04/08/09 at 04:07 PM ET
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from Mike Brophy of Sportsnet,
The trick now, as I see it, is managing expectations. Are the Blackhawks bona fide Stanley Cup contenders?
Nope.
That is not to say they won’t win it; at this stage of the game I don’t feel confident pointing to any team as a sure bet. Who would have guessed the Carolina Hurricanes would win the Cup in 2006?
Win or lose, the Blackhawks are no flash in the pan. They have been built to be good not only now, but for a long time to come. Chicago’s young one-two punch of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane is as exciting a young duo as you will find in the league—and that includes Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry of the Anaheim Ducks.
Kane, 20, was the NHL’s rookie of the year last season and has already bettered his goal total of 21 by four. He needs five more points to surpass his rookie total of 72. Although he looks like he might snap in half in a strong windstorm, Kane has proven to be decidedly durable through his first two seasons and he drives to the net with the reckless abandon of a power forward.
Filed in: NHL Teams, Chicago Blackhawks | KK Hockey | Permalink
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