Corey Crawford

The Chicago Blackhawks finished the 2010-11 season with an upsetting first round playoff loss the the Presidents' Trophy winners in the Vancouver Canucks.

After winning the Stanley Cup, the team went 44-29-9 and reached the playoffs. This year, they look keep the same plan, but this time make it back to the finals.

Corey Crawford has become the goaltender of the present for the Chicago Blackhawks last year and was successful in his first full campaign. Entering his second year as starting goalie, the expectations for Crawford will be heightened.

Once my Cincinnati Reds (I'm sorry Cubs fans who will read this, but we really haven't won that much either. I am not sorry for Sox fans for personal reasons.  We will leave it at that.) fell out of the running, I went all in. I started reading about fantasy hockey for the first time. I began surfing the web for the cheapest Niklas Hjarmalsson jersey (my favorite player for two reasons: a. he looks like The Great Gazoo b. he graces the blessed jersey with my number that I wore for high school baseball).

There have been many fan debates about whether the Chicago Blackhawks are a better team than they were last season after the major overhaul of their defense unit.

There's no doubt that the 'Hawks became a tougher team with the addition of Andrew Brunette, Sean O'Donnell and Daniel Carcillo, but does it make up for losing Brian Campbell and Troy Brouwer, two very skilled and prized 'Hawks?

It all depends on how you look at it.

In the National Hockey League, the Vezina Trophy is awarded every year to the goaltender who is "adjudged to be the best at this position."

The playoffs tend to bring out the best in players, separating those who deserve to be called champions and those who aren't quite ready to hold that title.  Champions never show signs of giving up regardless of the given circumstances, and this very fact was on display in Chicago on Sunday night.  The last time the Blackhawks were in their home area, the United Center, they saw themselves down three games to zero.

One of the highlights of the 2010-2011 NHL season has been the influx of ripe talent between the pipes.

This sudden explosion was likely responsible for the Chicago Blackhawks' return to the postseason and the Toronto Maple Leafs' late-season turnaround.

It has given certain franchises, such as the Leafs, the New York Islanders and Ottawa Senators, a glimmer of hope and a sense of stability.

Facing elimination on Tuesday night, the Blackhawks hammered the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 in Chicago to make the series 3-1.

The Canucks and the Vancouver press were quick to downplay the loss, claiming it was simply an "off-game" for the Presidents' trophy winners, pointing to the fact that they're a "new team" as an assurance of a rebound win in game five.

It may seem like Chicago fans have jumped into the Delorean, and put the pedal to 88 miles per hour. The Blackhawks have made the trip back in time (Back to the Future reference) to the past couple seasons, and took care of business in Vancouver in Game 5.

Written off for dead after Game 3, Chicago has come back in dramatic fashion with dominate victories of 7-2 in Game 4, and 5-0 in Game 5.

The Blackhawks are on the cusp of making the playoffs once again and are poised to defend their Stanley Cup title. 

They have been having some moderate success at the goalie position this year, with both Marty Turco and Corey Crawford coming in and out of the lineup on a regular basis and both of them having their good and bad moments. 

But with the playoffs coming, Chicago needs much more good moments from time to time—they need them all of the time.