Through two periods of the NHL Winter Classic, the Blackhawks’ on-ice product couldn’t be much worse. Wrigley Field put on a show, with an impressive visual experience, superstar performers, Hall of Fame appearances and everything in between, but trailing 5-1 after two periods, Chicago’s skating hasn’t matched the event.
While the on-ice product has been brutal to watch, Blackhawks fans were at least able to honor some of the best performers of the 21st century during Tuesday’s Winter Classic. The NHL revealed the Quarter-Century Teams of the Blackhawks and Blues, including two groups of Blackhawks that were mostly expected.
1st Team
Patrick Kane-Jonathan Toews-Patrick Sharp
Duncan Keith-Brent Seabrook
Corey Crawford
2nd Team
Marian Hossa-Alex DeBrincat-Brandon Saad
Brian Campbell-Niklas Hjalmarsson
Jocelyn Thibault
The Blackhawks’ top group was practically a no-brainer, and identical to the one I projected at the beginning of the month. Making up much of Chicago’s Stanley Cup core, the top three forwards combined for 2,640 regular-season points, which doesn’t even include their unbelievable playoff numbers. Keith and Seabrook on the back end made the voters’ job incredibly easy.
Chicago’s second team wasn’t quite as expected, but there’s no question each player is more than deserving. One could make an argument that Hossa could crack the first team, but no one can deny that Kane, Toews and Sharp deserve to be there as well. The voters didn’t factor longevity into their decisions as much as some might have expected – Saad, who is wearing a Blues sweater during the Winter Classic, played six seasons for Chicago and DeBrincat played just five. The Campbell-Hjalmarsson pairing was fairly predictable on the second team as well. In net, Thibault won the second-most games of any Blackhawks goaltender this century, so he was a no-brainer too. Now, can we get these guys on the ice for the third period?
