I don’t believe there could be a more nightmarish conclusion to any season in Blackhawks history than losing a home-and-home series to the Red Wings and missing the playoffs because of it.
If the defending champs are sent off to cottage early, the colossal disappointment would eclipse those suffered in 1971 and ’73. The Hawks lost seven-game series to the Canadiens in the Stanley Cup finals those years, bruising the egos of Hawks fans my age for a decade.
Ten months after winning Chicago’s first Cup in 49 years, the pill would be more bitter than the first-round exit in ’91 (after winning the Presidents’ Trophy) courtesy of the North Stars. Or getting swept by the Penguins in the ’92 finals.
It would be convenient to pound the Hawks for their effort, for trusting themselves to just flip a switch to burst into overdrive.
That would be inaccurate. Frustrated as you might be, hoping to settle for a mere eighth seed, step back for a moment and appreciate the way the Hawks and their opponents have performed over the past six weeks.
There are no free lunches in the NHL. The league never has had more talent, and the Hawks have had bull’s-eyes on their backs all year. Even teams without playoff plans have brought their “A” games.
The Hawks haven’t stunk. They haven’t played soft.
Sometimes they’ve been careless in their end, and they’ve taken some dumb penalties. Sometimes they don’t play a full period. They’ve had a few slow starts, even at the United Center, where 21,000-plus are always jumping.
More than anything, the Hawks have been stoned by some of the most breathtaking goaltending performances of the season. At a really bad time on the calendar.
The Hawks didn’t lose to the Canadiens on Tuesday night. They lost to Carey Price, who stopped 20 third-period shots and 42 on the night. The Hawks peppered the Blues’ Ty Conklin in Wednesday night’s nail-biting 4-3 overtime win.
Conklin endured a barrage for almost two full minutes of 5-on-3 time. The Hawks passed and shot the puck like grown men during that two-man advantage. Like children, some fans booed after the second power play expired.
The Hawks’ offense lately has been encouraging. That, and goaltender Corey Crawford, are the reasons I don’t expect them to be tripped up by the Red Wings and miss the playoffs.
Hawks apologist? Whatever. Curse ’em if you want. I’m giving the Hawks a mulligan for a bad first period against the Blues because of a tough game in Montreal the night before.
I’m recognizing the stress they endured during the absence of Patrick Sharp and continued unavailability of Dave Bolland.
It hasn’t been pretty all the time lately, but it has been an almost daily reminder of why hockey is a spectacular entertainment option. I believe the Hawks will entertain you more than you’ve been expecting this spring.
That’s not my only conviction:
*I don’t believe Jerry Angelo has the courage to trade the 29th pick to move up and take Florida guard Mike Pouncey.
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*I believe Angelo will trade down for multiple picks and wash his hands of the potential for another first-round miss.
*I don’t believe Starlin Castro made it through a day off Thursday without throwing something, somewhere, a little off target.
*I believe the White Sox made a solid, under-the-radar move this past offseason when they hired Jeffrey Fishbein as team psychologist. Maybe Carlos Quentin will confide in the new shrink and benefit the first time his bat goes cold, instead of injuring himself in a temper tantrum.
*I don’t believe anybody will miss college basketball anytime soon.
*I believe Stacey King enjoys his hot sauce away from the United Center as much as he does at it.
*I don’t believe Pat Hughes and Keith Moreland will sound so awkward next month.
*I believe I’ll pass on all conversations about professional golf after this weekend’s Masters.
Dan McNeil hosts “The Danny Mac Show” weekdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on WSCR-AM 670.