Seeing Double In The Chicago Blackhawks And Chicago Cubs
Just like what the Chicago Cubs accomplished this past November, the Chicago Blackhawks know first-hand the feeling of winning a long-coveted championship for their beloved city. Only this time around, even more pressure will be placed squarely on both teams as they look to capture another championship in their respective leagues.
The Chicago Blackhawks, back in the day, were in a similar position as the Chicago Cubs. They were a prestigious team, as always. Unfortunately, the Blackhawks, much like the Cubs, suffered plenty of losing seasons due to poor management within the organization. Hope for an improbable turnaround at the time was at a bare minimum. Yet somehow, their dire hopeful wishing began coming into fruition just a mere decade ago.
Realizing they had to rebuild their roster from the top-down, the Blackhawks, led by the Wirtz family, struck pure gold in selecting franchise-altering players over recent years through the NHL draft. Drafting cornerstone players such as Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane in back-to-back seasons helped pave the team’s quick turnaround after four consecutive losing seasons.
Much like the Chicago Cubs did when starting their own rebuilding process, the Blackhawks knew their draft picks over the years would become instrumental towards winning a long-coveted championship. The players who’ve remained with the organization throughout the ups and downs are to this day very close to one another.
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Veteran players such as Corey Crawford, Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook helped guide a young Blackhawks’ team that hadn’t been used to winning early on. These players collectively mentored the organization’s young, highly touted players. Just as Cub veterans David Ross, Miguel Montero, John Lackey, and Jon Lester have done with their young star teammates over recent seasons.
Of course, winning a Stanley Cup or a World Series doesn’t happen without an organization making terrific acquisitions over the years. For the Blackhawks, signing Marian Hossa back in 2009 and trading for Patrick Sharp in 2005 proved vital to the up-and-coming team’s future success. Same goes with the Chicago Cubs. Their front office, led by Theo Epstein, made terrific signings out of Jon Lester, Jason Heyward, and John Lackey, while trading for cornerstone players such as Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russell, Jake Arrieta, and Kyle Hendricks.
What often becomes lost in a franchise’s improbable turnaround is who’s managing the youthfully inexperienced, yet star-studded team? For the Blackhawks, that’s Joel Quenneville, who’s been the head coach of the team since 2008. “Coach Q”, much like Joe Maddon in 2015, took on the task of coaching a youthful Chicago Cubs team that was just beginning to come to grips with what “winning” games felt like.
The striking similarities between the two head coaches go beyond just the taste of winning games consistently. Coach Quenneville’s first head coaching season with the Blackhawks was a major success. With his strong leadership affecting the whole team inside out, the Blackhawks made it to the 2009 Western Conference Finals. The following year they won the Stanley Cup. Followed by winning two more Cups in 2013 and 2015.
Joe Maddon’s Chicago Cubs appear to be following a similar path as the once “up-and-coming” Blackhawks. Maddon’s first season with the team in 2015 resulted in a trip to the National League Championship Series. The following year as we all know, the Cubs are World Series Champions.
Both historic Chicago franchises are now used to being on top in their respective leagues. The target is seemingly placed upon both organizations’ backs now. Every other team is chasing what these two have accomplished recently. The Blackhawks yearly success, and what the Cubs have done for the first time in 108 years, certainly goes unnoticed, nor is being taken for granted by fans.
The only problem for the Blackhawks is that expectations to win have never been higher this time around. The players will embrace this immense pressure placed upon their team. After all, winning teams relish to play in pressure-like situations year-after year. It’s what keeps them motivated to play through the daily grind of a long season, whether on ice skates or on a diamond field during a hot summer afternoon.
While the Blackhawks have proven to be immune over the years to caving into pressure, this time around feels different. The team is (as usual) near the top of their standings in the Western Conference. They are seemingly ready to make another strong playoff push.
With the Chicago Cubs winning the World Series this past November though, it’s only expected that the Blackhawks take care of their own business come June. Chicago fans have become, to the delight and despise of many, spoiled over recent years, having watched their beloved teams hoist hard-earned championships. It’s now become “win or bust” mode for these two franchises.
If the Blackhawks don’t win this year’s Stanley Cup, it will be devastating for many fans given what the Cubs have recently done, but ultimately not the end of the world. At least not yet Chicago. Many fans of the Blackhawks after all are also Cub fans. They’ll just be rooting for the Cubs to repeat as World Series champs come November.
Of course, whether the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup this year or not, the pressure for the Cubs repeating as champs is going to be higher than ever as well. If the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup in June, this would only add to the Cubs’ pressure (because what sports’ city doesn’t enjoy the habitual feeling of bringing home another championship to their beloved fans?) The parades after all are a blast.
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That being said, the Chicago Cubs are the favorites to win the 2017 crown. Anything less than them repeating as champs would likely cause an apocalypse to form in the city of Chicago. That’s how much pressure the Cubs are now dealing with.
Especially if the Blackhawks come out empty-handed this season. Fans as of right now, can only look forward to another championship being brought home to Chicago from either the Cubs or the Blackhawks. Sorry Chicago Bulls, White Sox, and Bears’ fans. Your teams’ time to shine will likely happen later, rather than sooner.
Only time will tell how the Blackhawks’ and Cubs’ respective seasons pan out. If there’s one thing we all can agree on though: It’s that both Chicago teams hope to please fans everywhere by seeing their championship pursuit mirror one another’s outcome when it’s all said and done.