Filed under: Blackhawks, Western
There are many good reasons why it’s exceptionally tough to repeat as a champion in virtually any sport.
The nature of the Stanley Cup Playoffs — combined with the salary cap in the NHL — conspire to make it even harder in hockey. The Chicago Blackhawks learned that this summer, as close to a dozen players who were a part of their championship in June will be playing elsewhere to start the 2010-11 season.
Despite that high turnover, general manager Stan Bowman was able to keep his team’s core intact. Players like forwards Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, along with defensemen Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook return to aid Chicago’s title defense. There might be a mix of youngsters and strangers around them, but the team kept their unquestioned best players around, and that could be a huge deal going forward.
Most coaches will feed lines about how their team’s “best players have to be our best players” come playoff time. 
CHICAGO — Dave Bolland, known for his trash talk on the ice, did not mince words the day after Game 1. “Yeah, you can say we stole one,” Bolland said on Sunday after a Blackhawks team meeting at the United Center.
CHICAGO — Tomas Kopecky was unable to crack the Chicago Blackhawks’ lineup for the entire Western Conference Final against San Jose, but came out of the press box to score the game-winner in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
CHICAGO — In a stunning display of Madcap Mayhem on Madison, the Chicago Blackhawks out-scored the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-5, in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. The last time 11 goals were scored in a Stanley Cup Final was in Game 4 of the 1992 Final, when Pittsburgh completed its sweep of Chicago with a 6-5 win.
