There is defeat, and there is defeat with honor.
In Chicago’s jagged sports history, there has been more of the former than the latter. But the Blackhawks needn’t hide.
This wasn’t the Bulls surrendering up the last 14 points to Orlando, or the Bears, just happy to be in San Francisco, getting waxed by the 49ers.
This wasn’t the White Sox pointing fingers while the Toronto Blue Jays grabbed the pennant, or the Cubs going 0-for-California in two different Octobers.
This playoff was better. This was no June swoon. The Hawks were so good at the end, they even came into your home from their home on TV. It’s a league rule that the best teams cannot remain a secret, and no less an authority than Wayne Gretzky issued an early warning in midwinter.
The Blackhawks, he said, will be dangerous.
They can be again, when training camp opens in a few weeks. A few changes must be made, but not in attitude. The roster won’t be frozen, but the Hawks should hold that personality. It’s got definite possibilities.
The Hawks were led to believe, or led themselves to believe, that Bob Probert would be available for the playoffs. Perhaps he could have made a difference against the Red Wings. He can make a difference next year, if he so desires. But the Hawks need size up front beyond Probert, and if that size can score goals, too, so much the better.
General Manager Bob Pulford and his right-hand man, Bob Murray, have retooled the Hawks on the fly. They’ve gotten closer this season by adding players without serious or even noticeable subtractions. How about Murray Craven for Christian Ruuttu? Gerald Diduck also came from Vancouver and fit in well, but the steal of the year was Denis Savard from Tampa Bay for a sixth-round draft choice.
There actually were times during the middle of the winter when Terry Crisp, the Lightning’s coach, couldn’t quite find a place for Savard in that loaded lineup of his. And when asked about Chicago’s reacquisition of Savard for the playoffs, Mike Keenan of St. Louis theorized that it didn’t mean much, and he wasn’t alone.
But Savard was terrific. He’s also on the wrong side of 30, and that’s why the front office must act with dispatch. Jeff Shantz and Eric Daze, who gained valuable playoff experience, are the future. But if the Hawks are to win with this nucleus of veterans, it will have to be soon.
Owner Dollar Bill Wirtz, the alleged cheapskate, attempted to ruin his reputation again by buying Bernie Nicholls in the free-agent market. Wirtz takes a lot of abuse for certain policies, but if you examine the record lately, he has not held too much back in his quest to produce a winner.
Still, if the Red Wings win the Stanley Cup, the Hawks will inherit the problem of having the longest wait of the NHL’s original six franchises between championships. It’s been since 1961, and counting. The Hawks cannot delude themselves. They appear upwardly mobile. With Ed Belfour, the real octopus, they had the hot goalie. And they still lost the series to Detroit 4-1.
The executive branch won’t have a tough decision on the coach, Darryl Sutter. He should be back, with bells on. The Hawks play like he played and that means badges for all.
Jeremy Roenick’s situation is not as clean. More than a year ago, he was promised a lifetime contract. Since then, he and management have sparred with no resolution. Roenick says he might not report to training camp without a deal, and that surely would renew hostilities. These two sides have significant philosophical and financial differences.
Roenick’s knee will heal. His relationship with the Hawks could deteriorate. Remember Bobby Hull.
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Meanwhile, never mind the Red Wings. Will Ed Belfour shake hands with the Blackhawks?