That said the Hawks will be one of the favorites if Bolland and Burish come back strong and they can all hit April fairly healthy.

As one watches the current Blackhawks progress, and realizing most of them are in their early twenties, one can imagine they will only get better. 

Troy Brouwer is now the player attracting the accolades from NHL pundits. After Keith, Seabrook, Kane and Toews, Brouwer has been added to the ‘list’ of  top notch talent on the club.

Stan Mikita and Bobby Hull were just 20 and 21 when they won their Stanley Cup.

Perhaps these new Hawks are closer than we think to the big prize.

Going back only to 1992 this team is probbaly more skillful but less experienced.

I know there are other very good team out there…But last years Penguins team isn’t as good as the one that beat the Hawks and won two Cups in a row.

‘Fearless’ is as good a word as I can think of.

The marathon NHL season is being played at a frenetic pace this year because of the Olympic break. It’s reasonable to believe that at some point teams have gaps in their game simply because of the mental and physical fatigue.

What I found remarkable about last night’s performance was that while the Hawks were clearly tired in the second period as the well-rested Sharks poured the pressure on, the Blackhawks found the strength to withstand the onslaught.

They never let the Sharks take the lead–though lesser teams would have–and the Hawks, Version 08-09, would have.

The overtime win was pure courage, and desire to vanquish a worthy opponent.

This is a very, very different group of Chicago Blackhawks than the fresh faced one that surprised everyone last year.

They remind me very much of the powerful Hawk teams of the 1960′s and 70′s. Hossa, Toews, Kane and Keith are every inch the superstars to match Hull, Hull, Mikita, and Pilote. They are of course very different as individuals, from those players (though I see Pilote and Keith as startingly similar). There is a mix of energy, skill, and controlled aggression, that evokes those Hawk squads. 

Troy Murray has said he believes this year’s team has the elements to win the Stanley Cup. He has expressed the opinion that their will to win will determine, even more than their talent, how close they will come to realizing that dream.

I agree with that view.

Based on what we saw last night, I think it would be difficult not to agree.

But they have to play their game against all the top team for a majority of the game.

The Ducks know how to win but aren’t deep enough. They appear to be on the cusp of the playoffs and if they fall short…They will be active this summer.

They have Getzlaf and Perry to build around.

A healthy Wings team would be a problem too.