There were a couple comments made after the Blackhawks’ first win of the season last night that stood out to me because they were consistent from different voices, and it’s something I haven’t heard in a few years in the Hawks’ room.
The first came from Blackhawks goaltender Spencer Knight, who picked up his first win of the new year and 50th of his NHL career last night. He was asked about his impressions of new head coach Jeff Blashill.
“I like him as a coach and a person,” Knight said. “I really appreciate his eye for details. [He’s] building a style that is sustainable over time — to win not just one hockey game in October, but…that can win continuously over the course of a season and hopefully into the postseason.”
The second came from Blashill, who earned his first win as the head coach of the Blackhawks.
“We talk in the room, there isn’t a really good team in this league that wins in the playoffs that is not great defensively,” Blashill said. “Every team that wins in the playoffs is great defensively. I’ve seen really, really good offensive teams that gave up a ton and had a decent regular season and they always lose right away. So we want to build this to win long-term.”
Postseason Perspective
When one of the only veteran additions the Blackhawks made this summer was André Burakovsky, it got my interest. Burakovksy is only 30, and he has two Stanley Cup rings at home. This wasn’t the same as bringing in Pat Maroon last year with his championship experience so he could figuratively play the last hole on the course and head to retirement. Burakovsky still has game, and he know how to win big games. He did it in Colorado and Washington.
Playoff experience — especially successful experience — in a young room is important because it brings perspective. Young guys need a voice in the room that’s been there, done that. Hell, older teams need that, too; that’s why Winnipeg, coming off a Presidents’ Trophy season, signed Jonathan Toews.
When the Blackhawks hired Blashill, the default commentary went back to his tenure as the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. Blashill spent seven tough years in Detroit, qualifying for the playoffs in his first year and then suffering through six seasons of avoiding the word “rebuild.”
For many onlookers and fans, his record in Detroit labeled him a “loser.” Context, of course, adds perspective. Those rosters weren’t good at all.
Blashill spent the last three years as an assistant coach on Jon Cooper’s staff in Tampa. The Lightning are one of the model franchises in the NHL right now, seemingly being a legitimate Stanley Cup contender on an annual basis. They’re built to win now, so talking about the playoffs isn’t foreign. Their eyes are on the prize from the moment they arrive to start training camp in September.
The hope was that there were key takeaways from Blashill’s time in Tampa that he would bring to Chicago when he took the Blackhawks’ job. The goal is to get the Blackhawks turned from the tankathon of the past few years into a team that’s back in the conversation for a playoff berth. And, eventually, back into the championship conversation.
So when Knight — who came from Florida, the gold standard in the league right now — and Blashill both talk with the same perspective after the first win of the new year, it resonates. And it got my attention last night.
David Banks-Imagn ImagesThe Blackhawks Long Game
Blackhawks general manager Kyle Davidson has consistently talked about playing the long game with his rebuild. The Blackhawks aren’t going to try to rush anything and potentially compromise their plan. That hasn’t been easy for fans to watch, with the rented veterans the last few years not clicking and helping the team push into playoff position.
And nobody wants to hear that it isn’t about the here and now.
Winning is as much a mindset as it is something that can be accomplished with great skill. The physical traits the Blackhawks have collected — speed, skill — will help the team turn the corner. But there’s more to winning than just having a lot of talented players.
I’ve written a lot over the past few years about some of the traits that the Blackhawks have circled when identifying prospects. Two of the intangibles they’ve collected are leadership and success. I’ve written about how many of the Blackhawks’ prospects have been a captain somewhere before turning pro. And think about how many of the young players in the room have won a gold medal at the World Juniors or been to a Frozen Four with their college programs.
We’re now at the point in the rebuild where enough young players are in the lineup and making an impact every night that turning the corner is an expectation. It’s a mandate. Improvement has to come.
The here and now is brighter than it’s been in a few years in Chicago. And hearing the Blackhawks talking about building process that isn’t focused wholly on trying to win regular season games, but process that’s designed to win into April, May and June is not only refreshing. It’s a breath of fresh air.
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