Stanley Cup Final 2015: Historical Feats from Blackhawks vs. Lightning Series

The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning to capture the 2015 Stanley Cup on Monday evening. Now the term "dynasty" and phrase "historically great" are being used to describe the team's run.

Chicago's win at the United Center marked the first time the team clinched a Stanley Cup on home ice since 1938. This year's Cup was the Blackhawks' third since 2010, and the team had to battle back from a 2-1 deficit and reel off three consecutive wins in order to earn it.

As the Blackhawks celebrate a Stanley Cup championship season, it's important to look back at their accomplishment to determine how fitting "dynasty" and "historically great" are for this year's team and its run over the past six years.

Chicago Clinches at Home for the First Time Since '38

It had been 77 years since the Blackhawks last clinched a Stanley Cup in front of their home crowd, a feat Chicago hockey fans had longed to witness for quite some time.

The last time the Blackhawks clinched the Cup on their home ice was on April 12, 1938. Since then, the team won in 1961, 2010 and 2013, all on the road, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Chicago's trio of Stanley Cup victories since 2010 has not been matched in an extended period of time. The last time an NHL team won three Stanley Cups in the span of six years came in 1997, 1998 and 2002 by the Detroit Red Wings, a team many consider to be one of hockey's dynasties.

The Blackhawks' third title makes them the most decorated team in the NHL's post-salary-cap era, according to Kevin Allen of USA Today, a feat that gets that much more difficult to achieve given major front-office restrictions.

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But the Blackhawks are now in the conversation to be called one of the great teams because they have won three titles at a time when the league is in a period of undeniable competitive balance. The statistical difference between the No. 1 team in the league and the No. 16 isn't as pronounced as it once was.

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The Toast of the Town

Chicago is one of America's most storied sports towns. Between Michael Jordan's Bulls, the lovable losers that are the Cubs and the 2005 World Series champion White Sox, the Blackhawks have a strong argument they are the best the Windy City has to offer.

Since 2010—the Blackhawks' first Stanley Cup victory in this six-year run—the rest of Chicago's professional sports teams in the four major sports have totaled 25 playoff victories.

Twenty-four of those wins belong to the Bulls, who own a .429 winning percentage in the postseason since 2010, according to ESPN Stats & Info. In contrast, the Blackhawks have a .640 winning percentage in the playoffs during that time.

Remember that Chicago actually trailed in the 2015 Stanley Cup Final, too. And in nontraditional fashion, the team did not turn to its superstars for immediate contributions. Instead, the rest of the team proved how deep it was in the timeliest of moments.

Chicago's top four goal scorers—Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp and Marian Hossa—combined for only three goals in the Stanley Cup Final. However, Corey Crawford, Antoine Vermette, Teuvo Teravainen and Kris Versteeg came through when the moment was biggest.

According to Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times, that's the recipe for a Stanley Cup victory.

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The Blackhawks aren't a juggernaut that leaves you wishing you were never born. Perhaps worse, they leave you kicking yourself all summer over missed opportunities that could have made a difference. That's what separates the Hawks from the rest of the NHL. They defy probability to win coin flips.

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Astonishing, against the odds, but impressive.

Using the Term 'Dynasty' in Context

There will inevitably be debate as to whether the term "dynasty" is appropriate for the Blackhawks' run since 2010, which now includes a trio of Stanley Cup triumphs. Of course, there is evidence on both sides and convincing reasons as to why it makes sense.

Since the 2009-10 season, the Blackhawks have the highest points percentage in the NHL (.649), according to ESPN Stats & Info. That includes the postseason.

When you put that in perspective with the three major professional sports leagues that have a regular season and multiple playoff series—MLB, NBA and NHL—only the San Antonio Spurs have sustained more postseason success than the Blackhawks since the 2009-10 season, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Spurs' win percentage is .693.

To do what the Spurs or Blackhawks have done, it requires precise engineering from the owner down to the front office to execution on the court or the ice.

What the Spurs have done, from the drafting of Tim Duncan and adding Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard, is comparable to the Blackhawks building their core of Toews, Kane and Duncan Keith.

That trio of Toews, Kane and Keith has been around for Chicago's three Stanley Cup wins. In addition, Brent Seabrook, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Sharp and Hossa fit that criteria.

It is no surprise that smart front-office execution has translated into on-ice success in Chicago.