CHICAGO — This is why we watch sports. Why onlookers see us on the couch and say, “What the heck are you yelling about?!?”
If what happened in Chicago Saturday night happened in the movies, we’d shrug at a tired script. But when the Blackhawks reach back into their seven years of championship history, having been down 3-1 in a series and then trailing 3-1 in Game 6, and flex their muscle memory like this?
Well, it’s simply magic.
“It’s an unwavering confidence,” said newcomer Dale Weise, who only a few days ago had spoken in frustrated tones about how hard it was to maintain his timing and self belief as a healthy scratch under head coach Joel Quenneville.
Weise stepped out of the press box in Game 5, got his legs under him, and in Game 6 he made two lovely passes that were not converted, then scored the game-winning goal in a 6-3 Hawks win. They haven’t called Weise “The Dutch Gretzky” in some time, but here he is in Chicago, Mr. 99 Windmills again.
“It’s a testament to our experience,” said Hawks heart-and-soul captain Jonathan Toews, “and to the guys who haven’t been here too long to really buy in and play the right way when we’ve been in this do-or-die position these last two games. You see what can happen when we all buy in…
“We’ve got a great chance … to find a way to survive in Game 7 here.”
I know. We’ve said in this space over the past few days that St. Louis was bigger and deeper — that the Blues are better — and we’re not backing off of that.
But as it turns out, the formula is a lethal one: St. Louis’s historic affinity for choking, and the Blackhawks’ regal quality of delivering in big-game hockey. It is truly the intangible metaphor for fire and gas, and as we speak, the Blues are dressed for Game 7 in a paper suit, acrylic shirt, and a tie made of match heads.
“All the leaders had something to say [after the game],” said defenceman and keeper of the Blues tempo Alex Pietrangelo.
What was the message?
“They said just flip that switch, get ready for Game 7,” he said. “If you keep dwelling on this game, it’s not going to do you any favors on Monday. It’s going to be fun. This building was rocking tonight. It’s going to be rocking in St. Louis.”
Saturday night at the United Center.
What a special, memorable place in the hockey world. You had 22,260 fans, many of whom had spent the late afternoon on a sunny, sudsy Chicago patio somewhere, raising the roof to anthem singer Jim Cornelison’s “Star Spangled Banner”, one of hockey’s truly unique experiences.
Andrew Ladd scored just 3:47 in, a good sign for Chicago with their deadline pick-up having done little thus far. Moments later, plugger Andrew Desjardins whiffed on an empty net chance that would have made it 2-0, the puck went down to the other end and St. Louis scored.
Then the Blues scored again, and again, and it was 3-1 for St. Louis after one period. The Windy City gasped for air, but inside the Hawks’ room, Toews’s boys just reached for the Secret Sauce.
Artem Anisimov scored at 4:13 of Period 2. Trevor van Riemsdyk, who seldom goes to the net, followed Toews’s powerful stride to the pipes and banged home his pass. Weise set up at the left of the net and banged one in.
They crushed St. Louis in the second period. Took hold of the game and never gave it back.
“It’s just an unwavering confidence,” Weise said. “No matter what the score is, we come in there, we get down and it just doesn’t seem to matter to this team. We know if we continue to defend, we’ve got enough offence here that we’re going to get our chances and we’re going to score goals.”
Here’s the only stat you really need to know about the Blackhawks nearing the end of a playoff series: They are 14-1 in their last 15 Game 6’s.
Fourteen and one!
Meanwhile, the Blues have had a 3-2 series lead going into Game 6 nine times. They’re a tentative 4-6 in those games.
Andrew Shaw finished the Blues off on the power play late in the third, and at that moment, the fat lady grabbed the mic. St. Louis lost to the Blackhawks players, to their experience and history, and to a will stronger than whatever guides an elephant back to its birth place to die.
Whatever it is, it’s mighty, mighty powerful.
Game 7 goes Monday. I’d clear your schedule.
