Overwhelmed? Not Niemi

Thirty-five minutes after Kris Versteeg's empty-net goal ensured the Blackhawks' first trip to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, former Hawks great Doug Wilson showed up outside the Hawks coaching staff's door.

Wilson, San Jose's general manager, wanted to extend his congratulations to Hawks counterpart Stan Bowman.

As they shook hands, suddenly the hallway filled with each team's head coach, some assistants and some front-office officials wishing each other the best.

Over the din, one voice could be heard saying, "If you flip the goalies -"

In other words, if the Sharks had Antti Niemi and the Hawks had Evgeni Nabokov, then the Western Conference finals might have been a much different tale.

Does that tell you how much the 26-year-old rookie from Finland meant to the Hawks' sweep?

Niemi saved 16 of 18 shots in Sunday's 4-2 victory. While those numbers paled in comparison to his efforts in Games 1 and 3, teammate Dave Bolland acknowledged Niemi's effort by rewarding him with the mock championship belt that goes to the Hawk of the game.

Obviously, Niemi will be playing for much bigger stakes the next time he takes the ice.

Unlike so many other Hawks, Niemi didn't spend his youth dreaming of playing for the Stanley Cup.

"Maybe as a little kid it was more the world championships, which is huge back in Europe," Niemi said. "It was more making it to the national team. It was more winning a world championship. It was winning an Olympics."

As Niemi keeps leading the Hawks past Western Conference foes, he keeps learning this NHL playoffs thing matters a little bit, too.

"I've known a long, long time," Niemi said. "But, yeah, it's huge. It's a little bit overwhelming for me, too."

If that's the case, Niemi continues to fool Hawks coach Joel Quenneville.

"You've got to commend him how well he's handled the situation," Quenneville said. "One thing that makes him keep moving on is he's a very relaxed guy. Very comfortable and confident as he approaches the games or during games. He just moves ahead to the next shot."

That steadiness has the Hawks on the precipice of history.

"They seem very destined right now," said San Jose coach Todd McLennan. "They have a goaltender that's on fire."