Blackhawks Streaked At Right Time

Kane and Toews have dominated the lockout-shortened season...

Remember that incredible Chicago Blackhawks streak that kicked off the NHL season? Odds are it's in the back of your mind or you completely forgot about it and that's understandable. After all, streaking seems to be the thing to do in the sports world this year. The Hawks went 24 games without a regulation loss to begin this shortened NHL season before falling to Colorado on March 8th. Now, that streak is in the rear view mirror and the Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets, Pittsburgh Penguins and Anaheim Ducks are the fresh streaks that highlight the late night sports shows. The Blackhawks may not be the hot topic, but that may not be a bad thing when it's all said and done.

Streaks are an odd thing in sports. There are streaks every day for every team, but they are never noticed until they hit double digits. Hockey is played every day all across North America, but is hardly noticed by the greater American public. That's the harsh truth. However, the Blackhawks streak instantly put the sport near the top of the Sportscenter lineup and people started to notice the game. That's good news -- until the streak became larger than life. Look at any historical streak and that's how it goes. It becomes so big that it dominates every game. It's like a dark shadow looming over the ice and it consumes every discussion and topic around the team. It adds extra attention to a team that may not always be good for them.

What starts as fun can become an annoying distraction. The Blackhawks made their history and can now focus solely on the season with minimal distractions. The Ducks (12-game streak without regulation loss) and the Penguins (10-game win streak) are playing their best hockey dangerously close to the playoffs and may suffer from streak hangover a little too close to the playoffs for fans' liking. It's true that hot teams usually perform well in the playoffs, but it's much different when a team is consumed by a distracting streak.

...and it may just mean another victory parade with the Cup.

Chicago streaked at the right time and it will pay off in the end. They are still first in the league and are second in the league in both goals per game and goals against average. The Hawks have just three games remaining against top four seed in the West and 50 percent of their remaining schedule is against Western Conference top eight seeds as of now. That's not exactly a walk in the park and the reality is that Chicago will come back down to earth after such a hot start.

Perhaps a lull in their play could be expected, but then that begs the question: when will they pick it back up? Check the schedule -- right before the playoffs. That's good news if your a Hawks fan. The other good news is that they are playing hockey that almost ensures they will be a one or two seed. Since the NHL expanded in the 1967-68 season 33 of the 43 Stanley Cup champions have been a top two seed. The Hawks themselves were a two seed back in 2010 when they hoisted the Cup.

I don't want to pretend that I'm a hockey expert because that couldn't be further from the truth. However, I think streaks and the surrounding distractions are similar no matter what the sport is. Chicago will enter the playoffs far removed from their historic streak and it will almost be so far in the rear view mirror that it won't garner unattainable expectations. That allows the club to go out and just play the game, and if you haven't noticed, they are pretty darn good at the game. So, while the streak may be over, consider the Blackhawks still the most feared team in the NHL.