Chicago Blackhawks Trying To Build Modern-Day NHL Dynasty

The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to become a modern-day NHL dynasty by winning their third Stanley Cup title in six years. They beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, in Game 1 of the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final on June 3.

The Chicago Blackhawks are trying to become a modern-day NHL dynasty. 

According to CBS Sports’ Adam Gretz, the 2015 version of the Blackhawks are capable of doing what the Montreal Canadiens of the 1970s and the Edmonton Oilers and New York Islanders of the 1980s did: Establish a reign of dominance in professional hockey. 

The Blackhawks are competing against the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2015 NHL Stanley Cup Final. Should the former win their third title in six years, Gretz says “it is still a run of excellence that few teams in the modern NHL can match.”

Gretz also stresses winning three titles during a six-year span ought to be a big accomplishment for the Blackhawks, who won three Stanley Cups during the first 82 years of their franchise history.

One more time. @Suntimes #Chicago #BlackHawks pic.twitter.com/zD9TXKq1P7— Chicago History (@Chicago_History) /4/31, 2015

The CBS Sports update also cites just four teams winning three Stanley Cup titles in six years: the Detroit Red Wings (1997-2002), the 1980s Edmonton Oilers (five titles between 1984 and 1990), the 1980s New York Islanders (four straight from 1980 to 1983) and the 1970s Montreal Canadiens (eight championships between 1968 and 1979).

Gretz argues the Blackhawks /4/have not won as many Stanley Cup titles as their predecessors did during a similar span, but what they aim to accomplish is nothing short of remarkable if one considers the era when they did it and the challenges they had to face. 

One point to consider is the number of teams. Gretz says the current 32-team makeup of the NHL is “significantly larger” than it was 25 years ago. More teams translates into stiffer competition.

Gretz also says the 1970s Canadiens and 1980s Islanders and Oilers never would have maintained the kind of competitive cores they had today because of the modern-day salary cap. The Blackhawks have done just that, so they have to be in the running as far as modern-day NHL dynasties are concerned.

Are the @NHLBlackhawks a dynasty? They are definitely in the conversation. http://t.co/t9RaKYyCA3— ESPN NHL coverage (@ESPN_NHL) June 1, 2015

The Blackhawks’ front office deserves plenty of credit for scouting the best players available. Management was able to keep Chicago’s superstars like Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane together for the foreseeable future, per CBS Sports. 

The Blackhawks’ ability to shore up their roster with complementary players and stay relatively healthy have also played a major part in their budding dynasty, per Gretz. 

For these, Gretz credits past and present Chicago general managers Mike Smith, Dale Tallon and Stan Bowman for making the Blackhawks the championship-caliber team they are in the salary-cap era. 

Chicago’s staying power is also magnified by the fact that several NHL championship contenders like the Detroit Red Wings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Boston Bruins and Los Angeles Kings slid backward at some point in time.

Not so the Blackhawks, who, according to Gretz, “just keep coming back, re-tooling, and replacing whatever depth they have lost.”

Great story by @robvollmanNHL on how the Blackhawks have become a modern-day dynasty. http://t.co/2M8ZWLysNl— ESPN Chicago (@ESPNChiHawks) /4/13, 2015

With this, Blackhawks owner Rocky Wirtz gave credit to Bowman for his team’s recent success in a June 3 interview with NHL.com’s Brian Hedger:

“What I would really like to say is I’m proud of (general manager Stan Bowman) to keep re-inventing. He invented the 2010 (championship) team. He invented the 2013 (championship) team, and I think this team is a re-invention, too. So, it’s more of a re-invention and being able to have a process in place to be successful.

“What our goal is, we know we can’t win the Cup every year, but we certainly can be in position to win the Cup every year. And if we’ve done that, I think we earned our paycheck.

“I’m not sure what a dynasty is, but I’ll tell you one thing, we have a very good hockey team and the nice thing is we’re privileged to be here. Years ago, without (the NHL salary cap), you could’ve afforded to keep the players from 2010 to today, and I think then it would be a dynasty.”

The Blackhawks took their first major step in establishing an NHL dynasty when they beat the Lightning, 2-1, in Game 1 of the 2015 Stanley Cup Final on June 3. 

Teuvo Teravainen and Antoine Vermette scored just 1:58 apart in the third period to lift Chicago to a come-from-behind win, per the Blackhawks’ official website. 

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