CHICAGO — From the first day of training camp nine months ago, the Chicago Blackhawks felt the expectations. They were everywhere, generated by championship-hungry fans and by the players themselves.
“We want to win the Stanley Cup. I think that’s what a lot of the guys are thinking,” Patrick Kane said after that first practice on a steamy September day.
The Blackhawks, led by the 21-year-old Kane and their 22-year-old captain Jonathan Toews, made it happen.
Now they will parade with their teammates today through a city that is giddy because the Blackhawks have seized the Cup for the first time since 1961.
When Kane was taken with the first pick in the draft three years ago, it started the Blackhawks on their way to a remarkable rebirth. A year earlier they had chosen Toews in the first round, and now they have become the faces of the franchise both on and off the ice.
At such a young age, they have won the Cup and done so in a short amount of time, accomplishing what some never do throughout their careers.
A United Center that four years ago was half empty now rocks and the Blackhawks are one of the hottest tickets in town, a re-emergence that can be attributed to the efforts of owner Rocky Wirtz and his president John McDonough, who was hired away from the Chicago Cubs.
Kane finally ended the championship drought — the longest active one in the NHL — with a game-winning goal in overtime against the Flyers.
What an end to a whirlwind year for Kane and Toews, who signed lucrative contract extensions with the Blackhawks in December — five-year deals worth $31.5 million each.
Kane had a difficult summer. In his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., he and his cousin were arrested following an altercation with a cab driver.
“It didn’t start off very good back in August. But I think sometimes you know you go through those kind of things as a young kid,” Kane said. “You can really learn from them and try to better yourself as a person and as an athlete too. Yeah, there was ups and downs.
“As far as hockey-wise, I can be pretty satisfied. I thought I had a really good year as far as, you know, Olympics, obviously, you win the Stanley Cup, it’s pretty special too. Just really unbelievable to see how things can go from so bad to so good.”
Toews was named the top forward at the Olympics, where he helped Canada win the gold medal by beating Kane and the USA for the championship. He captured the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, even though he didn’t manage a goal in the six games against the Flyers, and finished the playoffs with 29 points.
“We’re going to have fun with it,” said coach Joel Quenneville, who took over four games into last season.
Wednesday night’s clincher of the Stanley Cup Finals was the most-watched and highest-rated NHL game in 36 years. The Blackhawks’ 4-3 overtime victory over the Flyers drew a 4.7 rating and 8 share on NBC.
That’s the best since a 7. 6/27 for Game 6 of the Bruins-Flyers series in 1974. It was 38 percent higher than the 3. 4/6 for last year’s Penguins-Red Wings Game 6 and 9 percent higher than the 4. 3/8 for Game 7 in 2009.
