CHICAGO-Never a doubt. Never a doubt! The Chicago Blackhawks, defending Stanley Cup champs, worried about not making it to the playoffs? Just because they were on the final day of the regular season and hadn't clinched a spot yet?
Hah!
"I can't even believe we're here," Jonathan Toews said Sunday afternoon, dazed a few minutes after the �Hawks lost to Detroit 4-3.
"We're completely at another team's mercy right now. I can't believe it."
OK, so maybe there was doubt. Briefly.
"I never thought this would happen," Toews said. "Never does it enter your mind."
Like I said, a little doubt.
"I always thought we'd find a way."
Let's face it, this was a wildly emotional day from start to finish. It was anticipation beforehand, and the always chills-inducing National Anthem at the United Center. Each goal, each penalty, another direction and twist.
Throw in the NHL's ridiculous system for breaking playoff ties (an overtime loss is better than a regular loss, and a shootout win isn't as good as an overtime win?) and everyone was on edge. In the end, the Blackhawks lost when everything was in their hands. Then at night, Dallas, the team the Blackhawks were trying to beat out for the last playoff spot, lost too.
So the 'Hawks were great. The 'Hawks were chokers. The 'Hawks were big babies, blaming, believe it or not, bad ice.
And then, the 'Hawks were in the playoffs, thanks to Minnesota beating Dallas.
"I've never been more excited after a hockey game in my life that I didn't participate in," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I was acting like a 2-year old celebrating his first birthday (party)."
This is the fine line between success and failure. The Blackhawks danced on it all day.
The season was almost a colossal failure for Chicago. Only four teams had ever won the Stanley Cup and then failed to make the playoffs the next year.
After last year, 'Hawks fans thought they had finished nearly a half-century drought and would start a dynasty behind a young team with young stars. Chicago's path to this moment was the story of how a team could be so horrible with such rotten management that it leads to a championship.
Then, success forced it to tear much of it down.
Start with an owner who thought modern salaries were an insult, and a yes-man at GM. The 'Hawks were awful for years, leading to lots of early star draft choices, such at Toews and Patrick Kane. Just as they were ready to play, owner Bill Wirtz died. The team was turned over to his son, Rocky Wirtz, who had the idea to spend and try to, gulp, win.
Everything came together. Unfortunately, previous general manager Dale Tallon had signed some players to bigger contracts than were needed, and much sooner than needed.
Meanwhile, Rocky Wirtz, and his new management team (Tallon was out) saw that contracts of some of the young stars would be up by the end of last year. The team would be well over the league's salary cap, needing to dump players.
So what did the 'Hawks do? Sign Marian Hossa to a 12-year, $63.2 million deal.
They swung for the fences, much in the way the Chicago Cubs did across town. And they won! The 'Hawks, that is. The Cubs never win, and now are stuck with a team that is part torn-down, part overpaid players they can't get rid of.
Chicago gave new, big deals to Toews, Kane and Duncan Keith and then had to start unloading.
Ten new players and an early-season hangover led to an awful start and, for the most part, a bad season. Playoff chances Sunday came down to this:
The 'Hawks needed a win or a loss in overtime. If they lost in regulation, then they needed Dallas to lose or to win in a shootout. Well, the 'Hawks scored first Sunday, in the second period. And it was happening! It was all going to work out!
One-hundred-and-sixty seconds later, they were down 2-1. And everything wrong seemed to come up. Chicago, trying to clear the zone, kept throwing the puck up the middle, leaving Detroit with scoring chances in front of the net.
Goalie Corey Crawford didn't bother to cover the post as a pass came from behind him, between his skate and the net. That led to an easy goal.
And then it ended. Season over, barring a miracle in Minnesota.
Someone asked Kane if the suddenly warm Chicago weather made the ice soft.
"It was definitely choppy," he said. "The puck was bouncing around out there. It's definitely different from Montreal and Detroit."
You'd think Chicago could have nice ice, he said. But it doesn't.
Boo-hoo. Really? Bad ice was to blame? Was the ice smooth for Detroit, but not Chicago?
"We're certainly not where we wanted to be," Quenneville said before he left. "Too many games where we should have gotten something but got nothing."
Where would he watch the Dallas game? He didn't know. Toews said he couldn't do it.
Five hours later, the 'Hawks were in.
"Getting in was everything, and now the fun begins," Quenneville said.
"Anything can happen. Everybody�s close."
Anything? The No. 8 seed 'Hawks can beat No. 1 Vancouver and start another run?
Toews said he always thought they'd find a way.
Never a doubt.
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