Rozner: Blackhawks' desire to win never in question

Jonathan Toews is heavy on the forecheck and below the circles as the puck turns and goes the wrong way.

The Blackhawks trail by a goal past the halfway mark of the third period of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, and the Hawks are pressing hard.

Toews can't have much left at this point, after a brutal seven-game series with Anaheim and nearing the end of another game.

Five players are south of Toews as he gets on his horse. He beats them all back to the Hawks' zone and blows by Duncan Keith — the fastest player on the team — and nearly catches Ryan Callahan between the circles as Callahan gets in alone on Corey Crawford.

Callahan feels Toews coming and can't get himself to the middle of ice, where he can survey all his options on the break. Crawford sees the back pressure and comes out aggressively on Callahan.

Callahan is out of time and must fire. Crawford has the angle and Callahan rushes the shot from the off-wing. Crawford makes the save of the game and the Hawks are still alive, down only a goal.

Less than 2 minutes later, Teuvo Teravainen scores to tie the game. Antoine Vermette adds the game-winner 2 minutes after that and the Hawks steal Game 1 in Tampa.

The Hawks probably can't come back if they're down a pair. Crawford can't be aggressive on the break if there's no back pressure. Callahan gets to the slot if he doesn't feel the backcheck. And it's all because Toews goes full speed for 180 feet to make a play that few forwards in the NHL would try to make.

Naturally, it speaks to Toews' character that the captain plays this way, but players on both teams in June are playing with this kind of responsibility.

The desire to win the Stanley Cup has to come from a place where money isn't a reward and glory isn't an option.

It comes from deep down. It comes from the heart. That is why a team has a chance to win three Stanley Cups in six seasons.

It's how a team responds to adversity over and over again, constantly trailing in games and series, but never feeling like they don't have a chance to come back and win.

“I think maybe it's part knowing what we're up against, part just us raising our game, getting better and better as the series go along,” Toews said. “Obviously, we don't draw it up to get down in a series. It's not part of the plan.

“But I think we have confidence when we get in those situations that we can take it one game at a time, focus on the next game and continue to put pressure on the other team.

“It happens sometimes. You're up against good teams that are working hard, doing all the right things. You're not always going to be in complete control of a series. We've been up in series. We've been down in some series, especially this year.

“We're confident we can go out there and find a way.”

As one of the longest tenured Hawks at 10 years, Patrick Sharp has seen it all and he really believes the Hawks are never out when they're down.

“It's not necessarily a situation you want to be in,” Sharp admitted. “The fact that this group of players and this organization has been down that road a few times and has been able to persevere has been good for us.

“We try to draw from that experience and play better games going forward.”

Toews said the experience of coming from behind is like any you learn in the NHL over the years.

“The emotions are so high, so low,” Toews said. “One day you win a game in the first round, you get that feeling you're going all the way to the Cup, that nothing can stop you.

“The next day you lose, and all of a sudden that thought crosses your mind, 'Better luck next year.'

“That's the way it's going to go. I think now you have that experience, you've played a lot of those games, you realize you don't have to ride the roller coaster that way.

“You can dig deep and find a way to bounce back after tough games when the feeling isn't so good. You realize you don't have to waste any of that emotional or mental energy off the ice in between games.

“You shut it off and make sure you're ready for the next one.”

So the Hawks prepare for Game 6, knowing they can win the Stanley Cup at home for the first time since 1938.

It will not be easy. The Bolts will bring all they have, and they have displayed character this postseason that belies their age.

But the Hawks don't expect easy. They expect hard. And they expect to win.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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