[A] Streak History

[Ton]

The Blackhawks have gone 1-8-1 in their last ten games, and hope for another Cup in Chicago has found itself in a near-death situation among fans and media. Rightfully so.



Any type of losing streak is considered a red flag for the stability of a team. But, where does it stand among recent history Stanley Cup winners?

[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'11 Cup winner Bruins lost 7 out of 10 and 6 out of 10 twice last season[/font]



[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'09 Cup winner Penguins lost 8 of 10 (5 in a row), 7 of 10[/font]



[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'08 Cup winner RedWings lost 6 in a row as part of losing 10 of 11[/font]



[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'07 Cup winner Ducks lost 7 of 10, 8 of 10, won 9 of 23 games during JAN\FEB[/font]



[font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]'04 Cup winner Lightning went 1-7-2 (ties)[/font][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]

[/font]



This isn't the first time a Cup contending team has gone through adversity, and it certainly won't be the last.



The question is, will this type of adversity bring the Blackhawks together for a solid run? Or will they falter?



My dad always told me something that stuck with me: "All that matters is who is hot at the end of the season." Something so simple couldn't be more true for the NHL.



Seeing teams like the 8th seed Edmonton Oilers fight their way into a Stanley Cup Finals appearance, and surges from every team on the list above to fight through their adversity in order to win the Stanley Cup is proof that every team suffers rough patches throughout the season in order to become a champion. We saw similar struggles with the 2010 Stanley Cup winning Blackhawks team, who suffered their own set of losses through the month of March.



Hockey is a game reliant on momentum, it can carry from shift to shift, game to game, week to week, month to month. The fact is, the potential that the Blackhawks have shown over the course of the season is more important than what they have shown lately. But talk is cheap, time for results.



Click here to view the article

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

My dad always told me something that stuck with me: "All that matters is who is hot at the end of the season." Something so simple couldn't be more true for the NHL.

This is true in just about any sport, but in hockey it is imperative. Great determination to win tends to lead to team being "hot".

 

[Ton]

I think most teams have a determination to win in the playoffs (some exceptions). Every team has effort, but there is an x-factor somewhere in there. To me, it's about how a team comes together.



Either way, I don't think there is a wrong answer to that. There are a lot of things that need to come together, it's hard to pinpoint one quality IMO. But in hockey, one quality that could be overcome is talent to a certain degree if the rest of the pieces (one of them being determination) are in place.

 

[Chief Walking Stick]

TCD has a long streak of being an asshole... no pun intended!!



I dunno... I hope they go on a tear now, but that goaltending SUCKS.

 

[R K]

More like who's healthy in April. Of those teams with Cup aspirations and talent enough to get there.

 

[Mach29]

Take Vancouver: they think they can put it on cruise control and end up in the final again, everythings solved and players are veterans, smarter. That's the easy road - The Hawks are taking the hard road, the one that prepares you for adversity, that develops character and mental toughness. We need some wins now, and minimal injury issues and we can be there - still sitting with a big cap reserve.

 

[equator180]

The guys can get hot and score a lot of goals but until the fix the problem between the pipes, as a team they will not be hot. In rating of GAA and SV% there are few in the NHL with wost stats than Crawford and Emry, time to stop making excuses or wait for whatever....get someone who resembles a goaltender!

 

[Ton]

The guys can get hot and score a lot of goals but until the fix the problem between the pipes, as a team they will not be hot. In rating of GAA and SV% there are few in the NHL with wost stats than Crawford and Emry, time to stop making excuses or wait for whatever....get someone who resembles a goaltender!

You don't think Emery or Crawford are the types of players that can get "hot" at any time?



They've shown it in the past... take Niemi for example, he's doing terrible with the Sharks right now, but I'm sure they haven't lost hope in him.



Ask "real" goalies like Henrik Lundqvist, Ilya Bryzgalov, Jonathan Quick, and Pekka Rinne if they have a Cup ring... the best goaltenders don't win the Cup every year.



We'll see what happens but despite what Crawford has shown this year, I still believe he can play the big game.

 

[BiscuitintheBasket]

The guys can get hot and score a lot of goals but until the fix the problem between the pipes, as a team they will not be hot. In rating of GAA and SV% there are few in the NHL with wost stats than Crawford and Emry, time to stop making excuses or wait for whatever....get someone who resembles a goaltender!

Eh, Osgood and Hasek were not exactly stellar during the regular season for that Wings last cup run. The issue is more team d was a whole than the goalies.

 

[R K]

The guys can get hot and score a lot of goals but until the fix the problem between the pipes, as a team they will not be hot. In rating of GAA and SV% there are few in the NHL with wost stats than Crawford and Emry, time to stop making excuses or wait for whatever....get someone who resembles a goaltender!

You think Niemi was hot during the Finals? Go check out his numbers. I'm pretty sure he was under .900, and over or close to 3.

 

[Rex]

The guys can get hot and score a lot of goals but until the fix the problem between the pipes, as a team they will not be hot. In rating of GAA and SV% there are few in the NHL with wost stats than Crawford and Emry, time to stop making excuses or wait for whatever....get someone who resembles a goaltender!

please leave.

 

[Rex]

You think Niemi was hot during the Finals? Go check out his numbers. I'm pretty sure he was under .900, and over or close to 3.

I remember him letting in at least 4 in a few of those games! He went from god against the Sharks, to almost losing a goaltending duo with Michael Leighton!