Ranking the Top Moments of 2014 for the Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks are preparing to open the new year in grand fashion when they meet the Washington Capitals in the Winter Classic on New Year's Day at Nationals Park.

The NHL likes to put the Blackhawks front and center in its big events because they are a popular TV draw and regularly play exciting, high-scoring hockey. 

As they get set for their big event, it's an appropriate time to look back at 2014 and rank the biggest and most important events of this significant year. While the Blackhawks fell short of winning their third Stanley Cup since 2010, they proved to be a formidable opponent nearly every time they took the ice.

The Blackhawks depend largely on their core of superstars—Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook—but their supporting cast played a key role in several events during the calendar year.

5. Kris Versteeg Rediscovers His Scoring Touch

Mark Humphrey/Associated Press

One of the reasons the Blackhawks have been winning consistently in November and December is the play of forward Kris Versteeg.

While Versteeg was a disappointment after being acquired from the Florida Panthers last season, he came to training camp in excellent shape and has been skating well this year. Versteeg has raised his level of play to the point where he is skating on the team's No. 2 line with Kane and Brad Richards.

Versteeg has been producing consistently this season. He has scored nine goals and 18 assists, making him the third-leading scorer on the team behind Kane and Toews. Additionally, Versteeg has a team-high plus-15 rating, which is an indication that he is playing hard in all three zones and consistently playing well on defense.

Versteeg has a chance to break his career high of 54 points if he can stay on his current pace. This would give the Blackhawks much more than they had a right to think he would give them after he scored 29 points for them in 63 games last year. 

When strong contenders like the Blackhawks get key contributions from role players like Versteeg, they have a much better chance of fulfilling their expectations.

4. Circus Road Trip Gets Blackhawks Back on Track

Jae C. Hong/Associated Press

The Blackhawks had not yet hit their stride when they went on their annual Circus Trip in late November. They had a 10-7-1 record at the time and were starting to play decent hockey, but the six-game road trip was going to provide a major test.

With the Blackhawks (and the NBA's Bulls) booted out of the United Center in favor of the circus, they had to prove themselves in a trip that took them to Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Colorado, Los Angeles and Anaheim. 

They opened the trip with a tough 4-3 victory Nov. 20 over the upstart Flames before rolling past the Oilers 7-1. They had little in the tank Nov. 23 when they took on the Canucks and dropped a 4-1 decision.

The Blackhawks quickly put that defeat behind them and closed the trip with victories over the Avalanche, Kings and Ducks. The final two victories over Los Angeles and Anaheim were impressive 4-1 triumphs, as they clearly outplayed those two Pacific Division powers.

The Blackhawks could have stumbled or even fallen apart on the trip, but they found their stride and have remained on track since then.

3. Duncan Keith Wins Norris Trophy

John Locher/Associated Press

Duncan Keith was up against formidable competition at the end of the 2013-14 season when he was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy as the NHL's best defenseman.

He was in a battle with Boston behemoth Zdeno Chara and longtime Nashville superstar Shea Weber. Keith, perhaps the best skating defenseman in the league, came away with 68 first-place votes and easily outdistanced both of his rivals. 

Keith had a marvelous season skating with defense partner Brent Seabrook. He scored six goals and 55 assists, and his 61 points was second in defense scoring behind the 74 points put up by Ottawa's offensive-minded Erik Karlsson. Keith also had a plus-22 rating in winning the second Norris Trophy in his career. He also won the award following the 2009-10 season.

Los Angeles Kings forward Dustin Brown explained why playing against Keith is such a tough assignment. "For me, it's just his skating ability," Brown told Shawn Roarke of NHL.com. "He's a guy that likes to get in on the forecheck and get physical and for guys like that it is very hard to get hits on them. He has the ability to get himself out of trouble. He's a real big part of that team from the back end."

2. Blackhawks Rally from 3-1 Deficit to Tie Kings

Chris Carlson/Associated Press

The defending Stanley Cup champion Blackhawks were in a deep hole as they returned to Chicago for Game 5 of the 2014 Western Conference Final against the Los Angeles Kings. They had dropped both games at Staples Center and were trailing in the series 3-1 as they prepared to play the fifth game at the United Center.

The Blackhawks took a 3-1 first-period lead, but the Kings had plenty of drive and rebounded to take a 4-3 advantage into the third period. Feisty forward Ben Smith tied the game for the Blackhawks early in the third period before defensive guru Michal Handzus scored the game-winner in double overtime that earned the Blackhawks a trip back to Los Angeles.

The Kings were determined to end the series on home ice, and it appeared they would after Alec Martinez scored the go-ahead goal on the power play at the 7:38 mark of the third period. While many teams would have wilted, the Blackhawks got the tying goal from Keith and the winning goal from Kane in the third period.

The Blackhawks certainly had momentum as they returned to Chicago for the seventh game, but their hopes to repeat as Stanley Cup champions were dashed when Martinez scored in overtime (46-second mark) to give the Kings the 5-4 win.

1. Toews and Kane Sign Contract Extensions

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

Much as Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita were the faces of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise during the 1960s and early '70s, Toews and Kane have taken on the same role with the current Blackhawks.

They have already led the team to two Stanley Cups—one more than the Blackhawks won with Hull and Mikita—and the future looks bright.

The Blackhawks took steps to ensure that the pair would remain with the team for the foreseeable future when they signed them to extensions in July.

Each player signed an eight-year, $84 million contract that should keep them in Chicago through the 2022-23 season.

Owner Rocky Wirtz was determined to make sure both players would remain with the Blackhawks throughout their respective careers. His father, the late Bill Wirtz, allowed Hull to go to the World Hockey Association's Winnipeg Jets in 1972, and that caused a long rift between the superstar and the Blackhawks.

“When we started our journey we made a commitment to our fans to be relevant and to see the Chicago Blackhawks become the best professional hockey organization,” Wirtz said in a statement quoted by Chris Kuc the Chicago Tribune. “There are not two finer symbols of that than Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane.”