Jonathan Toews

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.

(Note to fans: I am from Indiana.  All times are in Eastern Standard Time.)

8:30: CSN coverage shows a girl with a beer.  Nice.  We are off to a hot start.

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).

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.

On the heels of an impressive 5-0 victory over the Canucks in Vancouver, the Chicago Blackhawks return home with hope of winning a series that once saw them down 3-0 to the Western Conference's top seed.

In the last two games alone, the Blackhawks have scored 12 goals and have chased Roberto Luongo from net both times.

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.

Finally, 10 months after winning Lord Stanley’s Cup, the Chicago Blackhawks once again resembled a championship-caliber team. With their backs against the wall and defensive stalwart Brent Seabrook scratched due to an “upper-body” injury suffered in Game 3, the defending champs rose up and pounded the Canucks. Relentlessly. For 60 minutes.

Hockey days are numbered for the Blackhawks in Chicago, and if something isn't done quickly, their right to call themselves the "Defending Champions" will be convincingly revoked.  

Third line production

The hockey gods certainly have a twisted sense of humor. There was only one scenario that would result in the Chicago Blackhawks playing the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the playoffs.

And it was the most unlikely scenario because both Chicago and Dallas had to lose.