Skip to main content

Chicago Blackhawks (2016-17, NHL)

2016-17 Regular Season: Blackhawks vs. Carolina Hurricanes
     The Chicago Blackhawks were near the end of a long stretch of dominance. Since 2008, the Hawks had made the postseason 8 straight years and won three Stanley Cups. The Hawks, led by Head Coach Joel Quenneville, had another dominant season in 2016-17. Chicago finished with the second-best record in the NHL, with a 50-23-7 mark, seven points back of President's Trophy-winning Washington. The Hawks were three points ahead of second place Minnesota in the race for the Central Division crown.
     The Hawks had the ninth-best offense in the NHL in 2016-17, lighting the lamp 244 times. Patrick Kane led the attack, with 34 goals and 89 points. Artemi Panarin was the other Hawk with 30+ goals, as he potted 31. Four other players had at least twenty goals on the season: Jonathan Toews (21), Marian Hossa (26), Artem Anisimov (22) and Richard Panik (22).
     Defense was about the same for Chicago, as the Blackhawks allowed 213 goals, tenth-fewest in the NHL. Chicago used two different goaltenders that year: Scott Darling and Corey Crawford. Crawford was the #1 netminder that year, starting in 55 games, with a 32-18-4 mark, 2.55 GAA and 2 shutouts. Darling made it into 32 games, finishing with a 18-5-5 record and a 2.38 GAA to go with 2 shutouts. Crawford, as usual, drew the nod in the playoffs.
     Per usual, the Blackhawks were expected to have another deep run in the postseason. However, they ran into a buzzsaw in the Nashville Predators. With a tough defense, led by PK Subban and goaltender Pekka Rinne, the Predators scored a huge upset by sweeping Chicago in four straight, outscoring the Hawks 13-3 in the process. Nashville would make it to the Stanley Cup Finals before falling to Pittsburgh in 6 games.
     Not surprisingly, this is a great-looking program for the Hawks that year. It's 120 pages, all on glossy paper and in color. Plenty of articles, including one about the Blackhawks' emergency goaltender and emergency goalies of the past. Each player has their own full-page bio. I got this program from my brother, who went to a Blackhawks game that year with a college friend. The opponent that night was the Carolina Hurricanes, but there is no roster sheet. Local advertisements include Bettenhausen Dodge/Jeep/Chrysler, Lakeside Bank and the Chicago Dental Society.

Aftermath: The Blackhawks have gone into "Salary Cap Hell" the past couple seasons, as they have had to deal away several players to keep under the salary cap ceiling. Age, injuries and inconsistent play have derailed the Hawks, as they have missed the playoffs the past two seasons. Looks like it's time to rebuild.

References:

National Hockey League Statistics: 2016-17 (from hockeydb.com)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Port Huron Hockey: Flags/Wings (1962-81)

Now, on to Port Huron.      Port Huron has had a long, yet checkered, history of pro hockey. The most successful franchise, by far, was the Port Huron Flags (also called Wings for a few years) of the IHL. The Flags were, for the most part, a competitve team on the ice, making the Turner Cup Finals seven times and winning the Cup on three occasions. For three years, (1971-74), the franchise was a farm team of the Detroit Red Wings, and sent numerous players on to the NHL in it's existence. However, the team had problems drawing big enough crowds. While the Flags lasted for nearly 20 years, former GM Morris Snider later admitted that the franchise could have folded three years before it actually did, due to declining attendance. I've found some Flags/Wings programs online over the years, and here's what I have. 1963-64 Regular Season--Flags vs. Windsor       1963-64 was the second year of existence for the Flags. After missing the...

Indianapolis Checkers (IHL, 1985-86)

1985-86 Regular Season Checkers vs. Flint Spirits      The Indianapolis Checkers were back for their second season in the IHL after five seasons in the defunct Central Hockey League. The Checkers remained a secondary affiliate of both the New York Islanders and Minnesota North Stars. Larry Woods purchased the Checkers after the 1984-85 season and moved the team to the 15,900-seat Market Square Arena, home of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. The team kept their Islanders-styled uniforms, but changed the logo.      Former Port Huron Flags coach Ron Ullyot was named Coach/GM of the Checkers, and his team greatly improved on their first IHL season. Indy finished with a 41-35-6 mark. They finished last in the very competitive West Division, which had all the teams win at least 40 games. The Checkers' 88 points would have easily taken fourth place in the East.     Indy scored just 296 goals that year, better than only Flint and Toledo. Longtime minor lea...

Muskegon Mohawks (IHL, 1965-84)

I know, I said earlier I was going to look at Detroit's minor league teams. That would mean the Vipers would be next, but I decided to cover them later when I had time (I have a TON of programs from that team). Instead, I'm going to look briefly at Muskegon.  Muskegon has had a long, colorful past in professional hockey. It all started in 1960 with the expansion Muskegon Zephyrs of the IHL. Five seasons later, 1965-66, the Zephyrs became the Mohawks, and remain so until 1984-85, when they became the Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks would remain in town through the 1992-93 season. After that season, the franchise would relocate to Cleveland, Ohio. Here are the Mohawks programs I have, along with a couple bonus scans.        The Mohawks existed from 1965-84, about 20 seasons, and had two vastly different eras of success. From 1965-76, the Mohawks finished above .500 10 times, winning the Huber Trophy (Regular Season Championship) six times and the ...