Along with our Pens, the Chicago Blackhawks were the team of the 2010s. The Hawks won three Stanley Cups within a six-season span, an incredibly impressive feat in the salary cap era. (FYI: during their last Cup season in 2014-15, a fellow by the name of Mike Sullivan was their player development coach.)
Then the wheels gradually fell off the Blackhawks’ wagon. While our Pens were capturing back-to-back Cups, the Hawks…still loaded with top-end talent…endured consecutive first-round exits, followed by two non-playoff seasons.
The Hawks response should sound familiar. They remained committed to their superstar core of Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and Duncan Keith…the Windy City version of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.