Your 2009-2010 Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks (#2-#8)

I'm not ready to close the book on this amazing season just yet. So I figured I'd share my take on each player who contributed something of significance to the run, all 26 of em. I'll throw em up about 5 or 6 guys at a time, going through it numerically - starting with Keith and ending with Kane.

Today: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88

#2 – DUNCAN KEITH (D)
82 GP, 14 G, 55 A, +21, 26:36 ATOI
22 GP, 2 G, 15 A, +2, 28:11 ATOI

I said the title started with Keith because in a lot of ways it did. No Hawk has been with the organization longer (Burish came on in the same draft, but 7 rounds later). No Hawk has been with the big league club longer (not a single player from the pre-lock-out Hawks roster remains now). No Hawk prospect emerged as a star sooner (remember, in 07-08, Keith got the Hawks lone All-Star nod, not the rookies Kane or Toews).

And no Hawk has meant more to this title run than Keith. I’m not gonna fault the voters for going with Toews – his remarkable consistency and all-around play was worthy of accolades. But if you asked the Hawks the very last player they’d want to lose before a hypothetical Game 7, I guarantee they’d all say Keith.

The whole country got a taste of the heart of this guy when he lost 7 teeth but still came back to log team high minutes in the Game 4 comeback against the Sharks. The diehards have long known this guy was the soul of the team, a physical specimen who kills himself in his workouts so that he can kill himself for 30 minutes a night.

John Wiedeman was telling a buddy of mine that most of the time when Coach Q calls a late timeout, it’s main purpose is to get Keith a rest. No one else has been skating as hard for as long, and no one else is as important to closing out the game the way the Hawks want to then Keith.

Need proof of what this guy can do? Check out the Olympics, where Keith led everybody in ice time. Didn’t matter that the Canadian team was loaded with talent, they still were gonna lean on Keith more than anybody else.

And why not – the guy does everything and does it all incredibly. I mistakenly made the point that Pronger had more of an impact on the game than Keith in my last post arguing Pronger’s Conn Smythe case. In hindsight, I don’t think that is true. First off, Pronger doesn’t effect the game on the other end of the ice like Keith does.

That high-powered Hawks offense? It only goes because Keith is out there to fly the puck up the ice, join the fray when necessary, and work the puck in from the point. His 14 G and 55 A gave Keith the second most points on the Hawks – a team chock full of point-getters. Time and again the Hawks offense struggled when their D couldn’t spring their forwards. And no one was better at it then Keith.

But Keith also was a force in his own end, just not as obvious about it as Pronger. Pronger gets the attention because of his size, his impressive career, and the barbaric way he gets the job done. And yes, the guy did the job – until JQ was able to spread his lines, Pronger was able to shut down the top line and do enough to keep the other lines in check.

For some reason Keith didn’t get the same attention, despite the fact that he absolutely murdered the Flyers top line. Mike Richards was viewed as a nastier Toews. Gagne and Carter were both 45-goal scorers. This series? They not only didn’t get anything done, they were major negatives to their squad.

And who do you think was jumping on the ice every time these three were out there? Quietly, Keith just gave these guys absolutely no room to maneuver. Just like he did to the Sedins, a pair which included the NHL’s top scorer this season. Just like he did to the Thornton-Marleau-Heatley – a line that not only was good enough to be Canada’s top line in the Olympics, but one that had come into the series having played well enough to supposedly shake the playoff failure monkey off their backs.

The best part of Keith’s season? It’s just going to be one of many. And I mean many. It was lost in the hoopla a bit, but when Toews, Kane, and Keith signed, Keith actually locked into a 13-year deal. This guy is not going anywhere – he will end his days as a member of the Hawks blue line. After seeing what happened with Cheli, nothing could make me happier. Some day #2 will be raised to the rafters at the UC, after Keith is done giving Chicago 18-20 of the best hockey years any of us will have ever seen.

#4 – NIKLAS HJALMARSSON (D)
77 GP, 2 G, 15 A, +9, 19:40 ATOI
22 GP, 1 G, 7 A, +9, 21:01 ATOI

I absolutely loved the Hawks players this year, top to bottom. But some guys I loved just a bit more. No question The Hammer is one of those. I skate as both a center and a blueliner when I play in adult rec leagues. And when I'm back on D, this is the guy who’s game I aim to emulate. Oh sure, I wish I could fly with the puck like Keith or be a physical presence like Seabrook. But the reality of my skillset is that if all goes right, my game would be like this smallish, unexciting, workmanlike Swede.

The Hammer actually played a bit in 07-08 when the more veteran blueliners got a bit banged up. He wasn’t overly noteworthy, an opinion shared by the Hawks organization, who farmed him out to start 08-09. However, midway through the season Wisniewski was dealt for Pahlsson, and while it’s debatable if that deal was a good one (for either team), the result for the Hawks was more PT for HJ.

Since given that break late last year, this guy has just locked down the #4 blueliner slot. A stay-at-home type who plays much, much bigger than his diminutive size (he is listed at a very respectable 6-3, 194 but looks like one of the smaller guys on the team), the Hammer combines incredible positioning and fundamental play with an impressive ability to sacrifice his body. Whether he’s taking hits in the corner to clear a puck, going at it with feisty forwards to win board battles, or squaring his whole body in front of heavy shots, the Hammer thinks of the team first, his physical well-being later.

While he’s not much for skating the puck up, HJ is fairly steady at controlling and clearing the puck – a crucial skill that constantly relievers pressure in the Hawks zone. And what a penalty killer he has become! Schooled by an expert in Sopel, the Hammer is great at putting his body and stick into the shooting and passing lanes, making sure that nothing gets by him without being effected in some way.

The most telling evidence of the Hammer’s value – the play of his partner, Campbell. For his first half season in Chicago, many viewed Campbell as a bit of a disappointment. Some of that was due to misguided expectations (he was never a goal-scorer), but some of it was that the Hawks didn’t have the necessary complimentary blueliner to pair with him. While Keith had the physical and steady Seabrook to allow him to play his game perfectly, Campbell was paired with a rotating group of subpar defenders.

That is, until the Hammer was promoted – from then on Campbell returned to being the high end blueliner who (mostly) justified his massive deal. HJ’s steady play and surprising physical presence allowed Campbell to get back to sparking the offense with his rushes while quietly getting the job defensively with his speed and veteran awareness. Starting with last post-season, Campbell has been an asset the Hawks could not live without (as evidenced by our iffy play when he was out). And Hjalmarsson is the asset that Campbell could not live without.

#5 – BRENT SOPEL (D)
73 GP, 1 G, 7 A, +3, 14:52 ATOI
22 GP, 1 G, 5 A, +7, 18:30 ATOI

Back in 07-08 I really liked Sopel. First off, I seriously don’t think he was as ugly then as he is now. I’m not sure how an elbow injury makes you uglier, but to my recollection, that’s what happened. Second, he was a step quicker and a reliable veteran blueliner, something the team really needed with so many youngsters out there.

But to start 08-09, he looked terrible. He was slow, out of position, clumsy with the puck – overall just a total negative on the ice. And then he got hurt and we were all thankful. The rest of the D rounded into form and Sopel was shelved for the year. It’s possible he was healthy and ready to play in the playoffs last season, but the call never came.

This year, fully healed and with the blueline thinned out a bit due to some off-season departures, Sopel was back in the regular rotation and again a step slow, again in poor position, and again clumsy with the puck. All year long I called for someone to replace him as the 6th defenseman, anyone would be better.

Yet, as I was pinpointing Sopel as our biggest weakness, all the announcers and commentators were going on and on about what he brought to this team. I didn’t get it – the guy was brutal! Look, I love the old guy who gets by with spit, piss, vinegar, and every trick in the trade, but Sopel was not that guy.

Or so I thought. Turns out he was on his way. Slowly Sopel made himself into a top penalty killer by becoming a puck target. Paired with the more athletic Hjalmarsson on the PK, the two camped out in front of the net and blocked seemingly everything that came their way. It was a thing of beauty to watch the two of them on the 5x3, just take shot after shot and always come back for more.

With this newfound role, Sopel’s overall game also rounded back into form. He still was a bit of an adventure with the puck, but his positioning improved, his decisions improved, and come the playoffs, he was justifiably skating heavy #5 D minutes. Sure, maybe Q overtaxed him a bit when Sopel’s ice time approached 20 minutes, but as a 15+ minute guy, the big ugly brute was very valuable to this club.

There was a point where I would have given away a decent prospect to get out from under the $2M annual salary Sopel draws. Now as we approach the toughest round of cap decisions this club will ever face, I’m actually of the opinion that Sopel is a guy you’ve got to keep. The fact is that reliable blue liners are not easy to find, but you cannot expect to win without them. I don’t love paying Sopel $2M, but I also don’t want a pair of journeymen/prospects filling out our third pairing.

Quite the turnaround, but there’s no question Sopel made himself into a tremendous asset – relative to his role as a 5th blueliner – to these Hawks in this title run.


#6 – JORDAN HENDRY (D)
43 GP, 2 G, 6 A, +5, 11:51 ATOI
15 GP, 0 G, 0 A, -4, 8:09 ATOI

Speaking of why I’m leery of getting rid of Sopel. There was a time I was calling for Hendry to take over Sopel’s minutes, complaining that Sopel was just out there cause he was a vet who made money. When Buff was moved back to D and started in the playoffs over Hendry, I again called for a change.

Well, I got that change, and while it was a boon to have Buff back up front, there was no benefit to the blueline at all. Hendry just wasn’t the capable defenseman I hoped he’d be. Now he’s still young and he did get jerked around a ton this year, getting scratched a bunch, even playing forward for a handful of games. When he did play, he was on the third pairing with Sopel, who had not quite rounded into form yet.

But in the playoffs, the guy just looked a bit shaky. He didn’t do anything particularly well and seemed to be a pretty clear weak spot when he was on the ice. Hendy wasn’t terrible, but he also wasn’t very good. Eventually he’d even lose his job, replaced by a journeyman who had barely skated with the club in the regular season.

Yet, Hendry does deserve credit for the role he played this year. It’s not easy being a regular scratch, especially when you’re young and trying to develop your game. It’s definitely not easy being forced to play as a 4th line wing when you’ve always been a blueliner. And it’s not easy being forced into a playoff situation when you haven’t been skating regularly during the season.

Going forward, I think Hendry could be a decent player. He skates and moves the puck decently. He’s not hugely physical, but he’s not soft either. If the Hawks do commit to Hendry as an everyday 6th blueliner (but no more), I think he could end up a decent compliment to a stay-at-home, grindy vet-type. Certainly all the experience he got this year will only help his cause – I think the Hawks would be smart to see if he can build on that next year.

#7 – BRENT SEABROOK (D)
78 GP, 4 G, 26 A, +20, 23:13 ATOI
22 GP, 4 G, 7 A, +8, 24:11 ATOI

Here’s a guy I went really up and really down with, then back up again. And I wasn’t alone. The powers that be in Canadian hockey chose Seabrook over a litany of highly-talented blueliners to play on Team Canada, with the thought being that he’d join Keith on the top pairing.

Then something went wrong and Seabrook lost a bit of something. It wasn’t clear what, but he got shaky with the puck, shaky with his positioning, and wasn’t the rock that we’ve all come to know. Making matters worse, with Seabrook no longer as confidence-inspiring, Keith’s game suffered.

Finally, things bottomed out when freakin James Wisniewski, a former Hawk and a guy Seabs considered a friend, took a brutal cheap shot and knocked #7 out on his feet. It was one of the scarier things I’ve ever seen – really sickening, actually.

But upon his return, Seabs seemed to find himself. It wasn’t immediate, but he slowly rounded into form down the stretch so that by the playoffs, he was more or less back to what we expected. In fact, for some stretches in the early rounds we were seeing the Seabrook of last year’s playoffs – a physical force who effected the game on both ends of the ice.

Eventually he settled down to be exactly what we hoped – a rock. Physical, capable with the puck, great in his positioning, and the perfect compliment to Keith, allowing the Norris Finalist to play his game unencumbered. The result? Three straight series against three of the most fearsome frontlines in hockey, and three straight “what the hell happened to those guys” end results.

The Sedins, the Team Canada line, and the Richards-Gagne-Carter trio all ended their season with huge questions as to their playoff chops. But is that really fair? Did all three just happen to randomly suck when it mattered most? Or maybe did Keith and Seabrook find their game and in doing so, take all of these guys out of theirs? That’s my theory.

Undiscussed at this point is that Seabrook is up for a large extension sometime in the next year. And he’ll get it – at least, I’d be very shocked if he didn’t. Who knows with this front office and with how much turnover occurs in hockey, but I’d imagine they’ll find money for this guy, such a longtime prospect, the first guy to slap on the A whenever one of the others isn’t suiting up.

And someday, I wouldn’t be surprised if you have a joint number retirement ceremony, a la Pilote and Magnusson, where Seabrook and Cheli see their #7 raised to the UC rafters. At least I hope that’s how it shakes out.

#8 – KIM JOHNSSON (D)
8 GP, 1 G, 2 A, +7, 16:24 ATOI
(DNP)

I included this guy because it’s such a major story that hasn’t gotten much play. Having just gone through the entire grind of Cup title run for the first time in my life, it’s incredibly clear how important your blueliners are – especially veteran ones you can rely on in any situation. No one ever remarked at how big of a loss it was to not have Johnsson, a guy who’s been around forever, who’s still playing great hockey, and who can play in every facet of the game.

Obviously the Hawks were able to play over it, but that’s a real testament to their depth and quality of play. Johnsson’s was a serious loss to this team, one that they should be commended in overcoming.

As for Johnsson, I’m bummed he wasn’t more of a factor because I really like these types – veteran blueliners who quietly do it all, but not really in any overly impressive way. Obviously all of the focus this off-season is on who we’re gonna lose, but if somehow they free up cap space for an acquisition, it’s a guy like Johnsson I’d like to see them get.

But not Johnsson himself. No idea what happened here, but was the concussion really so bad that the guy couldn’t come back three months later? Did he just not care to subject himself to it, given how little he had invested in the team? Whatever happened, it was a weird story – a big trade deadline acquisition gets hurt, but no one really knows when or where, no word is ever given. Slowly over time it becomes clear that he’s not coming back, and eventually, he’s so far removed from the team that he doesn’t even figure in their playoff run as a spectator. Nor even as a token member of the celebration, which included a number of prospects who never came close to suiting up with the team. Weird.


Please read on for more:

Today: #2, #4, #5, #6, #7 and #8
Part 2: #10, #11, #16, #19, and #22
Part 3: #24, #25, #29, #31, and #32
Part 4: #33, #36, #37, #39, and #46
Part 5: #51, #55, #81, #82, and #88