Rozner: Blackhawks' HOF core greatest of cap era

It's really hard to get this far.

Really hard.

Just winning a series in the postseason is difficult, let alone winning three series and advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.

It's part of what makes the journey so emotional for the players, and losing last year in Game 7 of the conference finals played a big role in why the Blackhawks were able to come back against Anaheim while trailing in the series after one game, after three games and after five games.

"We know how rare this is and how much hard work goes into the long season, getting to this point, and how many little things have to go right to get to this point," said Hawks captain Jonathan Toews. "It is a tremendous opportunity."

Chicago might expect it now, might take for granted this incredible seven years for the Blackhawks - with five conference finals appearances - but Joel Quenneville never underestimates what the Hawks have accomplished and he hasn't forgotten last year's loss to Los Angeles.

"It was a tough thing to visit. A real negative moment," Quenneville said. "It's a real hard thing to accomplish. Last year, getting that far, it's an amazing journey.

"It's a tough battle. There's a lot of tough ones. Then you have to get ready in training camp and think, 'Wow, do you know how long it is to get to where we got today?' It's an eternity."

In the end, it came down to leadership against the Ducks and the desire of the Hawks' best players to want to play more hockey, to want to win with this group one more time before some might become cap casualties.

All you have to do is look at Anaheim's best player, Ryan Getzlaf, and see how he performed the last few games. Getzlaf is a great player, but he was not very good the last few games.

At the same time, Toews, Patrick Kane, Patrick Sharp, Marian Hossa, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook seized the moment and refused to lose. They refused to let this opportunity get away from them again.

They overcame a fast and physical team that beat them up from start to finish, and though they had plenty of opportunities to give in, they absolutely would not.

This is a special group of highly-skilled athletes and it should not be taken for granted.

Quenneville, to his credit, does not.

"We commend the guys' perseverance, finding different ways," Quenneville said. "Making the playoffs in today's game is a great accomplishment, especially when teams are excited about playing you.

"That's just a testament to the consistency and the way they prepare. I commend the guys that have been through it."

From the 2010 team remains the core of Toews, Kane, Sharp, Hossa, Keith, Seabrook and Niklas Hjalmarsson. Bryan Bickell played in 4 playoff games in 2010.

That group is going for its third Stanley Cup in six seasons, as close to a dynasty as you will see again as long as the NHL has a salary cap, and Quenneville, Toews, Kane and Keith are already ticketed for the Hall of Fame, barring some shocking obstacle or development.

It speaks to the incredible commitment of those core players that they are still playing this hard, this late in the season, this deep into their careers, and that winning means so much to them after all the winning they've experienced.

It speaks to the commitment they've made to one another that they are still throwing their faces in front of shots for one another because it might be the difference between winning and losing.

Chicago might not know how lucky it is, but Quenneville certainly does.

Asked if he could have ever imagined this kind of success, Quenneville admitted, "That's dreaming in color times 10.

"I think you try to win a game, you try to get in the playoffs, you try to win some rounds," Quenneville said. "We got a lesson in 2009 against Detroit, playing in a conference finals. We had some different type of teams here.

"But the core has been through a lot of the challenges and battles. It was still a very young group at that time. I was very fortunate to come in here with a team that was sitting on go.

"They keep going."

Indeed they do - and Chicago hockey fans should appreciate every minute of it.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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