Rozner: Blackhawks' dynamic works and wins

So many things have to go right in order to win a single Stanley Cup that we don't have room to list them all.

But the number it takes to win three in six years is exponential in nature and too large to contemplate.

One necessity, however, is that an organization function without infighting. Disagreement is healthy and crucial, but strife can kill the dream.

The Blackhawks have been successful with a fascinating dynamic that includes a Hall of Fame coach who has earned the right to be stubborn about which players he wants and which ones he'll play.

The front office has developed, drafted, signed or traded for at least a dozen young players who are playing all over the NHL, like Kevin Hayes and Nick Leddy, to name just a couple who could have really helped the Hawks this postseason.

So it's not like they haven't produced the depth necessary to win.

It's not like they didn't have the players who could have helped at center or on defense this spring when the Hawks were forced to shorten the bench.

But GM Stan Bowman does not force players on his coach. Maybe he could or maybe he wants to, but he also knows that's a recipe for disaster, so he works with his coach and gets him what he wants.

"It's all about winning," Bowman said late Monday night as he looked around at the fans celebrating in the UC. "Not everything you do is gonna work, so you have to be flexible enough to not get stuck in certain situations.

"We just want to win championships and there's a lot of different ways to do that."

Bowman is secure in his own skin and he doesn't feel the need to flex his organizational muscle. It speaks to his character that he has moved on from players that most GMs would feel a personal stake in - Leddy in particular - rather than cause a fight that would be more distraction that production.

"It's not about one player or anything like that," Bowman said. "You have to have flexibility and this is why we do it."

Bowman stopped and looked around again. He noticed fans in the 300 level still sitting at the top of the arena more than an hour after the game. He pointed to them.

"That's why we do this the way we do this," Bowman said. "We want to win.

"It's not about egos or any one person. That's why we do well as an organization. It's all about the team and finding a way to get it done. That's our approach.

"You have to find different ways. If one thing doesn't work, or one player doesn't work for whatever reason, you have to find different ways.

"That's why we spend so much time planning and scouting and thinking ahead. You have to be able to adapt to different situations and work together and find the answers together."

So while so many front offices clash with their coaches - including some right here in Chicago - Bowman works with his head coach.

And he wins championships.

"This is a group effort and there's a lot of people involved and there's a lot of people working very hard to make this happen," Bowman said. "Nobody makes it about themselves personally. It can't work if you do that. That's not what we're about."

Just one more thing that's admirable about the Hawks - and it's just one more reason they're champs again.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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