Six years ago, a cadre of Blackhawks front-office types convened in a secluded room in the Hilton Chicago.
It was late July. The weather was hot outside, but probably no match for the sticky situation in that room.
Just down the hallway, in a makeshift press room, a few beat reporters camped out. Like a lot of fans, they awaited a decision about restricted free agent goalie Antti Niemi, who’d just backstopped the Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup title in 49 years.
As fans reveled in the 2010 championship a couple floors below, general manager Stan Bowman and the Blackhawks’ brass ultimately hashed out one of the most important decisions they’ve ever made.