Oh, how things have changed for some Hawks

Patrick Sharp sat at his locker stall in the Blackhawks' dressing room late Sunday afternoon, looking as if it was all too much for him to take in.

The Hawks were going to the Stanley Cup Finals, and there were reporters and cameras everywhere trying to capture the moment.

It was only a few short years ago that Sharp, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook were part of an organization ESPN the Magazine named the worst in all professional sports.

But that was then and this is now with the Hawks only 4 victories from winning their first Stanley Cup since 1961, when John F. Kennedy was in the White House.

"This means a lot, that's for sure," Sharp said. "I remember playing my first game here coming from a first-place team (in Philadelphia) to an Original Six matchup against the Rangers with 9,000 people in the stands.

"I could have never predicted five years later we'd be playing like this. I challenge anyone to find a better place to play in the league than Chicago right now. It's so fun; the atmosphere is unbelievable and we're playing great.

"There's a lot of people to thank for the hard work and a lot of reasons why we're here. It definitely means a lot for everybody, but especially for Duncs, Seabs and myself."

The Hawks will go into the Finals against either Philadelphia or Montreal a more experienced team than the one that lost in the Western Conference finals last spring thanks to the additions of John Madden and Marian Hossa.

The levelheaded Madden was as content as anyone in the room following Sunday's 4-2 win that swept away San Jose.

"It's a process," Madden said. "It's not about looking towards the end. Every day is going to be a new challenge and just keep moving forward every day, no matter what happens, good or bad, just clear the slate the next day.

For Hawks coach Joel Quenneville this will be his first trip to the Finals after coming close with Colorado and St. Louis.

"We should all be fortunate about the opportunity we have here, being in Chicago with the Blackhawks organization," Quenneville said. "The team, the foundation, is in a great spot. You know, some core young players that are going to have special careers.

"But I think over the last two years, trying to get better as a team has been the objective, and as individuals we think there's room to grow as well.

"I think our same course of development this year was basically on the same path as last year's was, and I think we gained some experience of knowing what it took to get to this round, using that to our advantage throughout this series particularly."