Patrick Sharp of the Chicago Blackhawks battles for the puck with Kyle Chipchura of the Phoenix Coyotes in Game Six of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at the United Center on April 23, 2012 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
By Jay Zawaski-
When you look back on it, the 2011-2012 Blackhawks season was a pretty forgettable one.
A terrible powerplay…a slightly less terrible penalty kill…a concussed captain, who was abused in a game vs San Jose while teammates looked on and did nothing…a nine game losing streak…9-2 and 8-4 losses to the Oilers…a front office member on the ice coaching…a goaltending roller coaster ride. I can go on…and on…and on, but I won’t.
So, when you take a step back from your Blackhawk fandom, should anyone be shocked that the Phoenix series ended this way?
Pushed around? Check. Raffi Torres destroyed Marian Hossa…and no one did much of anything about it.
Bad powerplay? Check. 1 for 19 qualifies as bad, right?
Bad penalty kill? Check. They killed a whopping 79% of the powerplays against.
Bad goaltending? Check. Two soft, game winning goals played as big a role as anything in the series loss.
For the rest of this column from the Red Light District, click here.
