There comes a time in every hockey season where fans think, “This is our year.” For many in the Chicago Blackhawks community, Thursday night was the time. In a game that seemed to happen in an alternate reality, the Blackhawks throttled the defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, 10-1.
Yes, the Penguins were on the backend of a back-to-back to open the season after raising the 2017 Stanley Cup banner on Wednesday before going out and losing, in overtime, to the St. Louis Blues.
Yes, the Penguins started former Stanley Cup champion Antti Niemi’s ghost in net.