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10 Most Important Blackhawks To “The Banner Years”
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- 10 Most Important Blackhawks To “The Banner Years”
On Saturday night, with the Boston Bruins in town, the Chicago Blackhawks will celebrate "The Banner Years." This is the third of four chapters throughout their Centennial Season that will honor the franchise's long history.
This chapter is designed to recognize the teams that won the Stanley Cup in 2010, 2013, and 2015. It was the greatest run of success in franchise history, and it brought the game of hockey back to the front burner in a sports-crazed town like Chicago.
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Over 20 of the players who appeared on one or more of those three teams will be in the house for the celebration, adding to the intrigue of the night.
Of every player that suited up during that stretch, ten players stick out above the rest. Seven of these players won all 3 championships in the new millennium, and the other three won two.
Won Two Championships With Chicago
10. Bryan Bickell
Bryan Bickell might not have been quite as productive during the regular season as other depth forwards on the team through the years, but his importance to two of the three championships can't be overstated.
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He was always a moderately productive bottom-six forward during the regular season, but his game reached a new level in the postseason. He always found a way to score big goals and make amazing plays when the stakes increased.
In 2013 and 2015, Bickell was in the conversation for the Conn Smythe Trophy as a playoff MVP at times. In the playoffs, he usually found himself playing in the top six because of what he brought to the table.
His style of play, a strong physical forward who dominates in front of the net, was incredibly suited for playoff hockey. The Blackhawks were even more dangerous because of his playoff scoring elevation alongside the stars on the team.
9. Johnny Oduya
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When Johnny Oduya is the fourth-best defenseman and the ninth most important player during a modern-day dynasty, it speaks volumes about those higher on the list.
Oduya never made flashy plays or dominated offensively at any point, but he provided a steady, calm defender every time he was on the ice.
He did find a clutch goal now and again, but shutting down stars like Pavel Datsyuk, Patrice Bergeron, Anze Kopitar, and Ryan Getzlaf, amongst many others, along the way was a huge key to the team's overall success.
8. Corey Crawford
Antti Niemi was the main starter for the Blackhawks during the 2010 run to the Stanley Cup, but Corey Crawford took over after that. He was never a top-three goalie in the NHL, but he had times where he was 5-10.
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He was the starting goalie for Chicago in 2013 and 2015, along with many other deep playoff runs around those two incredible years. Whether it was the regular season or the playoffs, Crawford was always there when his team needed him most.
You can't win in the NHL without above-average goaltending, especially in the playoffs. Crawford was as reliable as they come for many years.
Won Three Championships With Chicago
7. Patrick Sharp
Patrick Sharp was one of the best pure goal scorers that the team had during the run. In fact, he's one of the best in franchise history. When his career was in trouble during his time with the Philadelphia Flyers, he found his way to Chicago, where he became a star.
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Sharp knew how to find the back of the net from range. He could score from in tight as well, but nothing like his ability to snipe. He wasn't dancing out there making finess plays, but the playmakers on the team knew that if they found him with some open ice, he was going to get it on net. It went in more often than not.
6. Niklas Hjalmarsson
It's hard to beat a team that has two goalies on the ice. Hjalmarsson didn't wear all of the pads and responsibility that actual goalies do, but he never wavered if he had to block a big shot.
No matter what, he'd throw his body in front of pucks coming off the sticks of the hardest shooters the game had to offer. Whether it was Shea Weber, Drew Doughty, or Zdeno Chara, Hjalmarsson was not afraid.
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Hjalmarsson never failed to have his sticks in the right spot either. He didn't provide very much offense, but teams didn't find much scoring success when he was on the ice as a deterrent to their game.
5. Brent Seabrook
Brent Seabrook was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the first round (14th overall) of the 2003 NHL Draft. He lived up to everything they needed from him and more.
Seabrook dominated the game in all three zones. He had a big shot that played well on a power play, he could make a great breakout pass, and nobody could get anything going against him with much regularity.
He also had a certain clutch gene to his game, which allowed him to come up with some of the biggest goals in franchise history. Seabrook was so good that Team Canada had him on Olympic rosters throughout his career, which speaks to his overall game. On most NHL teams, he would have been a number one, but the Blackhawks had so much depth.
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4. Marian Hossa
Marian Hossa is the greatest free agency signing in the history of Chicago sports. He came to the Blackhawks, and they were a completely different team.
Think of a high-end offensive producer and a Selke Trophy caliber player, and combine that into one. That gives you Marian Hossa. He also came to Chicago incredibly motivated after finishing each of his two previous years as a Stanley Cup runner-up.
Hossa was the perfect complement to the young core that the team had put together. His line was always able to defend and score, no matter who the opponent was. Of every player on this list, Hossa was the first to make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame and have his number retired by the team.
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3. Patrick Kane
If this list were based on talent and overall career production, Patrick Kane would be number one. The truth is, however, that most of his super elite offensive years came after winning Stanley Cups.
Kane was still the third most important player to the three teams that did win. As a winger, Kane drove offense like a center during these times, and everyone on his line was more likely to score due to his presence.
Kane was one of the three players to win a Conn Smythe Trophy during this run. His playoff MVP came during the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
His most shiny moment of them all? Ending a 49-year drought for Chicago with his overtime winner in Game 6 of the 2010 Final. Few forwards in the league were as clutch as the man known as "Showtime".
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2. Duncan Keith
Duncan Keith was a robot on the ice. He could play anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes per game, depending on how long it went with multiple overtimes. He didn't score goals as much as Seabrook from the back-end, but he did make plays as well as any other two-way defenseman in the league.
Keith won two Norris Trophies and was one of the three Conn Smythe Winners. Keith's playoff MVP came in 2015, as he willed the remnants of the previous two Chicago Cup winners to a third with his play.
Keith joined Hossa in the Hall of Fame as a member of the 2025 class, but his number has not yet been retired. That will happen eventually, as he was the second most important player (and number one defenseman) on a team that won multiple championships.
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1. Jonathan Toews
Was Jonathan Toews as flashy as Patrick Kane (or even Marian Hossa)? No. That wasn't his game. His talent was being a great offensive player, but also an elite two-way forward. His play in all three zones was so good that many considered him to be a top-five NHL forward during these Stanley Cup runs.
Eventually, Kane became a more notable player than Toews, but nobody can deny him the title of most important player to "The Banner Years". Every Stanley Cup champion in the last 25 years has that number one center leading the way. For Chicago, it was Toews.
There were also a lot of leaders on these teams, but everyone followed the word of Toews more than anything. From a young age, he was the captain of a winning Original Six team, and that turned him into one of the game's all-time greatest leaders.
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The third and final Conn Smythe Trophy winner of the three Cups was Toews, who took home the hardware in 2010.
It was pure domination from Toews and every teammate on this list, for a very long time. This core must live in the legacy of Chicago sports forever.
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