55 Comments - unclesam - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:15 am: The Blackhawks are for real! With the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Redwings already eliminated — the Blackhawks are more real than most of the other teams still in the Cup playoffs. Real test comes Sunday at 2 pm. - Anonymous - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:19 am: Last year as the final buzzer sounded on Game 7 of the Cup finals, I predicted that Detroit would make the play-offs but not make the finals. I also predicted Chicago vs. Pittsburgh for the 2010 Cup. So far I’m not completely wrong…but yes, I think they’re real, and should be for a while yet. - OneMan - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:22 am: Yes - near west - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:22 am: Absolutely for real - Campbell’s back and they are working well as a team - there was a great article in the Trib yesterday re:Sharks connections to Chicago…will be an interesting series: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/hockey/blackhawks/ct-spt-0513-haugh-blackhawks-chicago-20100512,0,2443986.column - VanillaMan - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:26 am: Yes, definately! It is nice to see hockey being talked about around the office again. - Six Degrees of Separation - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:27 am: I dunno. This is the first year my wife has ever watched a Blackhawks game on TV, and she dislikes hockey, so that might be a good sign. - Scooby - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:27 am: Very much, but the series they are in right now will be the most difficult. The Blackhawks season has gone according to plan and for the second straight year they are in the Western Conference Finals. However they are playing the top seed in the west in San Jose, who finished one standings point better than the 2nd seeded Blackhawks. Both rosters are full of players that played in the Olympics and this should be a very fun series that the Hawks are probably just slight favorites, but they don’t have home ice advantage. Out East the top 5 seeds have been eliminated while 6th seeded Boston faces 7th seeded Philly in a game 7 tonight, the winner takes on 8th seeded Montreal in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Hawks may not win the Cup this year, but as Hawk Harrelson would say, they’re in the catbird seat. - (Formerly) Angry Republican - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:33 am: The hawks really need to worry about the curse of Hossa; he could be the only player to lose the Stanley Cup three years in a row for three different teams. Chicago being a town the believes in curses and all. - Fire Ron Guenther - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:34 am: Yes. While people are still queasy about Niemi, he has solid defensemen in front of him. You don’t need a world-class goaltender to win the Stanley Cup, just a competent one so long as you have excellent defensemen. - Rudy - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:41 am: The Hawks are the real deal! The Hawks are a tremendous team, with lots and lots of depth. They have four lines who can all contribute, and a young goalie who seems to also be the REAL deal. The Canucks were a great team this season with the gigantic Sedin twins, O’Brien, Kesler, Samuellson, Demitra, Wellwood, AND a great gioaltender in “Bobby Lou” (Roberto Luongo) - these guys are solid - and the Hawks handling of them proves that they got what it takes to make it to the cup finals and just maybe win it all. With Pittsburgh and Prince Sid gone, things look even better… I don’t see the Habs making it the the finals. I am positive that the Hawks can outpace whichever team emerges the winner of that gritty old school lunch pail hockey scrap between Boston and Philly. Here’s to the Hawks! - hawksfan - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:41 am: Yes the Hawks are absolutely for real but face a formidable opponent in San Jose. Luckily home ice advantage hasn’t played a big role in the playoffs so far as the Hawks won all three games in Vancouver. If they can avoid silly turnovers (Brower, Versteeg, Sopel) or dumb penalties then Captain Serious and the boys have a legitimate shot at winning it all. - "Old Timer Dem" - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:41 am: If you mean are they going to win the Stanley cup I will say they are not. The Hawks are not strong enough in goal. A great or hot goaltender is like a great pitcher in baseball. They are the equalizer and can carry a team that may be lacking in other areas. I hope I am wrong though. It is nice to see hockey alive and well in chicago. - hawksfan - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:44 am: *Brouwer - Rudy - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:44 am: As with any other sport…anyone seen the Vegas odds? Usually a good baromiter… - wordslinger - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:44 am: For this year and many more to come with those young legs signed to long-term deals. They make youthful mistakes, especially with lapses of intensity, but the NHL playoffs are a death march, and eventually youth will be served. Niemi has really stepped up, too. Montreal’s the Cinderella story in the East, and the francophones are digging it. They’re selling out their stadium for AWAY games, where their fans gather to watch on the jumbotron. FAR, didn’t know that about Hossa. Groan. - kappa - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:44 am: It’s scary to say because they have hardly been worth watching since the mid-90s (except last year, of course). But I think they are for real. They didn’t make it this far by accident. They’re really good and I’m not sure how I feel about them being this good. It has the potential to be very exciting. Or very disappointing. - Jeff Wartman - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:50 am: Absolutely. - wordslinger - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 9:58 am: –It is nice to see hockey alive and well in chicago.– Three years ago, the Hawks were begging people to come to the United Center. I got talked out of buying a season ticket package then. Could have made a fortune on it this year. - Lefty - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:00 am: Maybe the Blackhawks are for real or maybe not. But it’s hockey; who cares? - Pre - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:03 am: I’m a diehard Blackhawks fan so it hurts to say this. Nope! This team has played inconsistently throughout the first two series. This team is built on young guns who can shoot the puck well. I haven’t seen them “play together” well. Coach Brooks would agree. It’s not the stars you have but how they can play together. Niemi has played amazing but we need more experience in the net. This is a very young team – they need more experience and a lesson or two about how to act off the ice during the playoffs. - Responsa - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:04 am: Yes, the real deal. But I prefer to call them the Hox in honor of that other Chicago team which recently won a championship. - Pre - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:04 am: P.S. Hossa who? - Logical Thinker - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:09 am: Hell yes the Hawks are for real. Niemi has played better than anyone expected and despite their erratic play in the first two series, I was more afraid of the Canuck series than the ones remaining. I think in some ways the pressure is off the Hawks now (no home ice advantage and they’ve been here before) so they can play a bit looser. I think the Hawks take it in 6 games by jumping out to a 3-1 series lead by next weekend. - Obamas' Puppy - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:12 am: Best young talent left in the playoffs. LETS GO HAWKS! - Pre - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:14 am: Rich, A better question might be… Come up with an Illinois comparison to the current playoff standings. Montreal coming out of the Eastern Conference is like having Alexi’s Bank fail. Detroit not in the Western Conference final is like Quinn hiring an out of state campaign manger with little experience. Hawks have a good chance, Republicans have a decent chance. - CircularFiringSquad - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:18 am: Just lit the pilot lite on the pool heater so we think the only ice in the future goes into the blender for the margaritas….let me know how this comes out. We are on the edge of our seats. - Stones - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:25 am: The Hawks have a legit shot at the Stanley Cup this year. - Rudy - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:28 am: I’m looking forward to a resolution honoring the Hawks as Stanley Cup Champions during veto session. Let me know where to be to get my pic taken with the greatest trophy in sports! - JonShibleyFan - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:44 am: I will predicate this by saying they may well not win the Cup, but, Yes. Niemi has showed incredible poise (though Halak, for whom the Hawks failed to trade, has been ridiculous in net for the Habs). Pre, Hossa is +5 with 10 points in the playoffs. He’s probably taken too many penalties, but just because he’s not putting a lot of pucks in the net doesn’t mean he’s not been effective. The Sharks are a very good team, so this will be a real test. But the Hawks have a great nucleus of young talent, they have the second best penalty killing in the playoffs, have the best goals per game and among the best goals against of teams left in the playoffs. But to echo what others are saying, sometimes they play without the needed intensity. But Coach Q has been good about shuffling the lineup, and they really haven’t followed one bad game with another in this playoff run. GO Hawks! - MrJM - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:46 am: They’re as real as springtime in Chicago. – MrJM - wordslinger - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:54 am: The special teams have been the best part of their game. The Hawk penalty kills unhinged the Canucks and drove them to goon it up and take stupid penalties. - BIG R.PH. - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 10:56 am: As a Blues fan Coach Q is a fantastic guy…But with the Blues he had multiple opportunities to take his teams to the Cup and failed to. Also with Colorado the same thing happened. Coach Q Love him to death but their just always seems to be something…… - Wumpus - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:05 am: THey have already proven they are for real. They are playing the number one see in the conference finals. THey are not expected to win if you purely look at seeding. - The 'Dale to HPark - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:19 am: Of course, they’ve been “for real” since Day One of the season… they’re in the Western Conference Finals for crying out loud. Are they going to win the Cup? That’s the question that you should be asking. - siriusly - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:22 am: Never thought I would be saluting a Wirtz, but hat tip to Rocky. They modeled the team after the Red Wings and they are heading down that road. Yes they are for real. I fully expect them to beat San Jose, we’ll see about the finals . . . Trying not to get my hopes up, but it is nice that Pittsburgh is out. That short-handed goal the other night was a very good sign - things are bouncing their way as they say. - bored now - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:23 am: yes. i’ve been more impressed by the adjustments they have made in both the nashville and vancouver series. both teams clearly had a plan to beat the blackhawks — and it worked. once. the blackhawks came back with the necessary adjustments to take the series. doesn’t hurt that detroit has been eliminated. that psychological hurdle is over. and, i agree, the real question is, are they going to win the cup! i hope so… - tom - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:24 am: I don’t believe anything is real i.e. the Matrix, therefore the Blackhawks are not real. If the Bulls get Labron and the White Sox start hitting then I will rethink me denial. - Jake from Elwood - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:32 am: A little worried about the goaltending. But we definitely have the offensive firepower. Go Hawks. I think they will get past the Sharks. - A.B. - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:33 am: I think reaching the Western Conference Finals says they are for real. Can they win the Stanley Cup? That’s a different question, but with their depth and talent, barring injury, they have a damned good shot at it this year. There is not another team in the last four that has more talent or depth. - 47th Ward - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:36 am: Sure, they’re for real and it’s great. I won’t pretend to be on the bandwagon since I’m not really a die-hard fan. I have great memories of listening to the Hawks on the radio in the early 1970s — those were some of the best Hawks teams ever. I blame Bill Wirtz for taking his team away from fans like me for twenty years. A whole generation of Chicagoans who might be rabid fans today but since we couldn’t watch any games on teevee, we moved on to other things. That’s a shame. Two other quick points: the Ryan Dempster-led Cubs outing to game 1 of the Nashville series was met with boos from the crowd. “Don’t bring that bad luck into our house,” was the obvious sentiment. Too funny. John McDonough is a sports marketing genius. If he does for the Hawks what he did for the Cubs, the Hawks will continue to soar in popularity and take over this town. And they might not even have to win the Cup to do so. - Amalia - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 11:52 am: if for real means they will win the Cup, who knows. They do seem to have the tools, although they don’t do as well on the power play as one would like. but the Sharks will not be easy. It does seem to be a magical year…Wings and Penguins gone…and the Hawks have lots of talent to step up, not just the so called stars. But I would like to see more from Hossa and more from the power play. It’s a long way from the years of bad dump and run play from the Hawks, but the Cup quest is difficult. so many rounds of playoffs. - Plutocrat03 - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 12:03 pm: As real as any sports team can be. It is refreshing to be able to have a positive opinion of a team this late in the season. The traditional franchises rarely leave any reason to be happy by mid season. The team is young with a lot of upside as they continue to gain experience. - Robert - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 12:32 pm: yes, they are absolutely for real as a legit contender for the Stanley Cup this year and in years to come with their youth…Vegas agrees - the Stanley Cup goes to whoever wins the blackhawk-shark series - the Sharks are just slightly favored over the Blackhawks, but it is a virtual tossup. - Pete Andrew - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 12:38 pm: No, they are playing way too inconsistent. - Masters Champ Phil - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 12:42 pm: Of course they’re for real. Thing to remember though is, even if they don’t win it all this year, this core is young and will be together for year’s to come with long playoff runs the norm. Sure we probably lose Sharpy and Buff and/or Steeger next year, but the real keys (Kaner-Toewser-Dunk-Seabrook) have at least a decade left together. - Anon - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 12:44 pm: Who? - Scooby - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 1:40 pm: The irony of an Anon typing “Who?” is not lost on me. - RobRoy - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 1:52 pm: Yes indeed, the Hawks are for real. Will Sir Stanley’s Cup make it to Chicago…..well now who’s to say? It’s great however to see so many are paying attention. - Brett - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 1:58 pm: Theyve been for real for two years…Thanks for finally noticing. - TJ - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 2:00 pm: Yeah, the Hawks are definitely for real. The only question is if the Sharks are “realer” than them in the West and if the Habs/Flyers/Bruins are more real than them overall. That being said, when you look at all the Chicago teams, is there any doubt that the Blackhawks are the only team of the bunch that are likely to be at all major contenders anytime in the near future? - Bill - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 2:00 pm: No, the Sharks will eat them raw. - wordslinger - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 2:42 pm: –No, they are playing way too inconsistent.– Dude, they’re the 2 seed, repeat to the conference finals, 8-4 in these playoffs. - dave - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 2:50 pm: That being said, when you look at all the Chicago teams, is there any doubt that the Blackhawks are the only team of the bunch that are likely to be at all major contenders anytime in the near future? You might want to include the Bulls, after the sign Lebron and either Wade or Bosh: http://espn.go.com/blog/TrueHoop/post/_/id/15881/lebron-to-the-bulls-3-gms-think-so - Deep South - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 3:01 pm: What’s a Blackhawk? - cover - Friday, May 14, 10 @ 3:13 pm: The Blackhawks have been inconsistent at home in the playoff, but they really are doing some damage on away ice. Two straight years taking down a solid Vancouver team (much to my daughter’s chagrin) and reaching the conference finals… that’s pretty real in my mind. Hoisting the Cup for the first time since 1961 will still be a formidable challenge, no matter how real the Hawks might be, but that’s what it takes to erase any doubt. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.