The Chicago Blackhawks Were Just One Goal Away
The Chicago Blackhawks played a lot of hockey during their dynasty from 2010 to 2015 when they won three Stanley Cups. As the Tampa Bay Lightning close in on winning their third championship in a row, I think it is important to look at a team who almost won three consecutive championships.
The Blackhawks did a little more than just win three championships in six seasons. They also went to five western conference finals over the course of seven years and won a Presidents’ Trophy during that time. They were one of the top teams in the league for a long time, just like the Lightning are today.
The Hawks won the 2013 Stanley Cup and they also won the 2015 Stanley Cup, but it is that year in between when they lost in 2014 that still stings for a lot of Blackhawks fans.
Down 3-1 against the Los Angeles Kings, the Blackhawks battled back to force a game seven at home, a game seven that saw the Hawks carry a lead 4-3 lead into the third period. The team ended up giving up a goal sending the game to overtime but few thought the game would end with Los Angeles celebrating a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
The Kings and Hawks Conference Final was the Stanley Cup Final in 2014. Whoever won that series was destined to win the 2014 Stanley Cup as New York was not a better team than either the Hawks or Kings.
Chicago ended up losing game seven on a crazy Martinez shot that was deflected in front of the net to get behind Crawford. If you want to relive the moment go for it below:
Chicago was one goal away from a championship in 2014, one goal away from winning three Championships in five seasons, and if things play out the way they did in 2015 they were just one goal away from winning three championships in a row.
What the Tampa Bay Lightning have done and are still doing is very impressive, but for Hawks fans, watching the Lightning play might sting a bit considering they were almost the first team in the Salary Cap era to win three in a row.
Winning the Stanley Cup is hard, and the Lightning still have a very tough challenge ahead in the Colorado Avalanche. Let us know in the comments if you think Tampa Bay is going to pull off the three-peat.
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