Chicago Blackhawks' Fall From Grace: Defending Champs Down, but Are They Out?

June 9, 2010 is now 244 calendar days ago. It may technically only be two-thirds of a year, but to Blackhawks fans, it might as well be a century ago.

It was that fateful, rainy night in Philadelphia, that the Chicago Blackhawks hoisted Lord Stanley’s cup for the first time in 49 years. It was that night, when Patrick Kane fired the shot of his life into the back of the net, that the Windy City was thrust into a crazed state of pure hockey jubilation.

Now, almost eight months to the date of reaching highest of highs, the team is seemingly free-falling to the lowest depths a defending champion could possibly plummet to.

The Blackhawks have taken the ice 53 times thus far this season. Through those 53 games, they have compiled just 58 points. At this exact point last year, Chicago had 78 points.

Same amount of games played, one year later, 20 fewer points.

No one ever said it would be easy replacing the nine members of last year’s team that were not brought back, growing pains were to be expected.

Not the current position of 11^th in the Western Conference standings. Not the mediocre record at the Madhouse on Madison. Not Kane disappearing some games as if it were his job. Not the once-dominant blue-line duo of Keith and Seabrook being a combined minus-seven on the year. Not the penalty kill dropping from fourth to 26th in the league. Not Jack Skille taking more ill advised shots at the net than the media has done recently with Jay Cutler.

All year long, this team has acknowledged that they realize something’s wrong and something needs to change. However, nothing has changed, with the exception of the number of occupied seats on the Blackhawks bandwagon.

Last night’s lackadaisical loss in Calgary very well may have been the straw to break the camel’s back for this roster.

For the 14th time this season, the Blackhawks lost a game in regulation after entering the final period either tied or with the lead. 14 times. To expect 28 points out of those games is unrealistic and foolish, but none? Zero? That will get a team nowhere in a hurry.

With two games in hand, the Blackhawks currently trail Calgary by three points for the final spot in the Western Conference playoffs. They are by no means out of it. With that said, they are showing little resemblance to a playoff team as of late.

It’s not just the fact they’ve dropped four of their last five, it’s the fashion by which they are losing. The squandered opportunities in the third period, the miserable performance on special teams, and the apparent lack of hustle have led us to this point—the time to sound the alarms.

It’s been wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity.

Brian Bickell has stepped up, Corey Crawford has had a better season than anyone could have imagined, and Patrick Sharp is having a career year.

Yet, all of that is going for not. The likes of Nick Boynton, Niklas Hjalmarsson, Skille and Viktor Stalberg have struggled mightily, constantly finding ways to doom this hockey team.

Boynton excels at pushing people around once the clock has run out, and little else. Hjalmarsson has not lived up to his price tag, and there are times when Skille and Stalberg seemingly couldn’t light the lamp if the net were empty.

Combine those shortcomings with the injury bug that has severely bitten this squad, the free-agent signing gaffe known as Marty Turco, and the struggles of Dave Bolland, and the result is this current team.

This is not simply me bashing the Blackhawks. This is a passionate fan fed up with the current state of affairs of his favorite team.

The team needs life injected into it. Players need to go, and their replacements need to provide a spark large enough to ignite this talented squad.

Their hands may be tied financially, but enough wiggle room exists for moves to be made. Phil Kessel will not be coming to Chicago, but there are plenty of viable options available.

The likes of Chris Higgins, Bryan McCabe, Brent Sopel, Maxime Talbot, Radim Vrbata and Stephen Weiss could be donning the Indianhead sweater in the coming days and weeks.

A trade not only would improve this team from a talent standpoint, it would also likely grab the attention of these ‘Hawks and get them on the right track.

For as pitiful as they’ve played lately, and for as frustrated the fans may be, the team finds itself right in the thick of things.

Yes, they’ve had more than a handful of problems this season, as has been discussed.

Despite those troubles, this team is currently just five points away from being the fourth seed and having home-ice advantage at the United Center in round one.

The West is as deep as it has ever been, but there are no teams that the Blackhawks cannot go toe-to-toe with when on their game.

They currently have their health, one luxury this team certainly has not been afforded this year. Marian Hossa and Kane have not been 100 percent, and it’s been evident on the ice.

Having 81 and 88 at full-strength will be a huge boost.

If a Bryan Bickell or Troy Brouwer catches fire, and the defensemen locate their game, this is a highly competitive team.

The remaining schedule is quite manageable. The Hawks are currently in the midst of their longest remaining road trip; no trips longer than four games are left.

Multiple meetings with each of the Blue Jackets, Panthers and Wild, also remain.

Every game from here on out must be treated as a playoff game. Every last point will be crucial.

The Blackhawks can ill-afford anymore third period mishaps and putrid efforts such as was the case in Calgary last night.

However, with a few lucky bounces and successful transactions made by Stan Bowman, Chicago’s hockey team will be headed back to the postseason.

They will find a way to qualify, and regardless of their potential seed, they are one of the last teams an opponent would want to draw.

Playing the defending champions, a team that boasts the likes of Hossa, Kane, Keith, Sharp and Toews is a daunting task.

Yes, the journey thus far has lacked the luster of last season’s. There have been no storybook moments, such as their comeback after spotting Calgary a five-goal lead, no eight game win streaks to speak of, and no historic consecutive shutouts of Detroit this year.

There likely will be a very different ending to this season as well, but still exists the opportunity for these Blackhawks to turn this around and make some pleasant memories of their own.

Until that happens, this organization’s great success will be nothing more than that—a memory. An all too-distant memory.