Chicago Blackhawks: Modern Dynasty

Chicago Blackhawks: Modern Dynasty

It’s not easy to build a dynasty in the modern NHL. The sheer number of teams makes it statistically unlikely, and the level of talent available league-wide is staggering. Even with the willingness of some stars to take ‘home-town discounts’ or sign a lower contract for a chance to win a Stanley Cup, cap restrictions make it hard for a team to stay competitive in the long-term. Any given year, it’s truly anybody’s game. Despite this, the Chicago Blackhawks have won 3 Stanley Cups in only 6 seasons, making them the first legitimate contenders for the designation of ‘dynasty’ since the Edmonton Oilers of the 1980s.

Any team that’s been around as long as the Blackhawks will have its ups and downs, and the decade before their historic run, from the 1997-98 season to the 2007-08 season, was one of the worst in their history. They played in only a single post-season series in the entire span, a drought the team hadn’t experienced since the 1950s. Before their 2010 Stanley Cup win, you have to go back to 1992 for the last time they made the Cup Finals (when they were swept by the Pittsburgh Penguins) and all the way to the early ‘60s for the last time they won the Cup. Though they’ve been perennial post-season contenders for most of their history, prior to 2010 the Blackhawks had won only three times, in 1934, 1938, and 1961—as many in the rest of their history as they won in the six seasons between 2009-10 and 2014-15. Interestingly, their Stanley Cup victory in 1961 also immediately followed a disappointing decade—the 15 years prior to that win saw the Blackhawks make the post-season only four times, never getting past the first round.

Part of what’s made the modern Blackhawks so dominant is their management. General Manager Stan Bowman has a remarkable ability to construct a team with both star players and a good amount of depth, despite the limitations placed on teams in the salary cap era. They used the high draft picks earned through the lean years to great effect, drafting franchise players Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in consecutive drafts (Toews third overall in 2006, Kane first overall in 2007). Other notable players drafted by Chicago include Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, and Corey Crawford, all of whom played major roles in all three Stanley Cup victories. The Blackhawks organization has also made excellent free agency signings, not only landing major players like Marian Hossa and Patrick Sharp but managing to hang on to them in the long-term. It takes more than a couple good players to achieve sustained success in the NHL, and the Blackhawks management has shown incredible care and patience in putting together a team that can be successful not only for the current season, but for many years to come. Chicago also has the coaching necessary to make these high-level players as good on ice as they are on paper. High skills, good leadership from the top players, and a culture of winning mean Chicago has what it takes to be on top for a long time.

The NHL and Hockey Hall of Fame recognize nine official dynasties that have occurred in the league’s history. Every one of those teams has won at least four championships in a span of no more than eight years. Certainly if the Blackhawks win another Stanley Cup with this same core group no one will argue against their inclusion on this selective list, but their achievements already at least warrant discussion. They are the first team in any of the North American big four sports to win three championships under a hard salary cap. Even the most recent official NHL dynasty—the Edmonton Oilers, from 1983 to 1990—could spend as much as they wanted and didn’t have to think about free agency.

The NHL is overall more competitive than it has ever been. In the most recent year included in an NHL-approved dynasty—the Oilers’ 1989-90 season—there was a 28 point difference between 1st and 16th place. In 2014-15, only 16 points separated the President’s Trophy winner from the last team to squeak into the playoffs. Even in that competitive environment, the Blackhawks have found a way to stay on top, earning the right to call themselves a dynasty.