Chicago Blackhawks Overview and Overhaul, Epilogue: Best and Worst of Seasons

The Chicago Blackhawks recently completed their 2010-11 campaign.

It was a mixed bag in this season following one of the organization's most memorable seasons.

I am completing my thoughts on the season that was, having addressed the 2010-11 team, the moves that were made and future Blackhawks to get excited about. 

Ultimately, the defense of the Stanley Cup didn't wind up like we wanted. Does that mean the season was a waste of time? Not in my eyes.

Sure, the last eight months held its share of frustration and disappointment. Some additions to the club didn't work out. Players got hurt. Some didn't seem to be able to adjust to life in the bull's eye, as opposed to being the hungry young team on the make.

When the exodus of cup-winning 'Hawks began mere days after the dust settled from the victory parade, we tried to convince ourselves that our front office could replace the departed. The new guys would replace the role players of that championship season.

Or so we thought.

After all, we had a returning core of young stars that are destined for bigger and better things.  The organization took great pains to secure their services for a dynastic run at the top of the NHL. 

They'll be better. They'll be more confident. They'll step up and lead us back up the mountain.

Or so we thought.

As the fall approached and the new cast of characters was being assembled, I set some lofty expectations. I would have been be happy with another appearance in the conference finals.

Was that realistic? Perhaps not. 

It seemed within our reach at times this season, while other moments left me wondering if we could even break into the top eight.

When four points separate five teams like spots 4-8 in the Western Conference, the points left on the table early in the season loom large. So many blown leads. So many close games with no points to show for the effort.

We said all along that those games would come back to bite the 'Hawks. Does the loss to a Devils team that rode into Chicago on fumes still smart? How about a pair of home losses to Edmonton in just over a week's time?

Three points in games like those means a fourth seed and home ice. Would it have done the 'Hawks much good?

We'll never know because you don't get those games back.

There are folks who can't believe we aren't rolling to another cup and are absolutely apoplectic about the dire fate of a first round exit to the conference's best team. 

"How could this team betray us?" goes the cry.

Those people will be fine. The nice thing about riding a bandwagon is that there's always one to hop on when your current ride slows momentarily. The Blackhawks weren't able to repeat, but they remained a team that had their moments in a competitive Western Conference.

Most of you know that it wasn't always that way.

It wasn't quite five years ago that a dwindling fan base was trapped in the malaise of an organization aspiring to reach even mediocrity. The only hope lay in the morbid prospect that a owner stuck in hockey's stone ages would shuffle off this mortal coil and allow anyone else the chance to bring us back to a place of relevance.

Not counting the previous two seasons, you have to go back to 1992-93 to find a 'Hawks team that had a better winning percentage than this season's .591 clip. You'd have to go back to 1995-96 to find a team that won a playoff series.

I'm not satisfied with this past season, but I can understand how it went down. We replaced nine parts of the cup-winning machine with less experienced or cheaper parts. The returning players struggled on the whole with playing as defending champions.

It wasn't pretty, but we got to the playoffs and nearly pulled off a stunner in the first round.

Along the way, we were treated to some good times. We saw the banner-raising. We saw the emergence of some of those young players. We saw the heart of our captain. 

This is still a young group of hockey players. My thought is that the entire organization will learn and grow from the experiences of this season. The new parts gained some experience. The core got a cold splash of reality.

Despite taking a step back in 2010-11, I believe the Chicago Blackhawks are capable of contending next season.

And so the journey back up the mountain begins. 

Hang on for the ride.