Are the Blackhawks a Dynasty?

I wrote about this subject over on Inside Hockey. After winning the Western Conference Finals and advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for a third time in six seasons, many are asking the question. Are the Blackhawks a dynasty? Ultimately, history will be the judge. In my humble opinion, no.

Post-2005 – the Blackhawks and the L.A. Kings have both won two Stanley Cups. During that time in question, there were five other teams that have won a single Stanley Cup.

If we’re talking about dynasties, at least for recent history, the Edmonton Oilers are the closest thing we’ve had to a dynasty. The Oilers won five Stanley Cups from 1983-1990. Maybe even more impressive, the New York Islanders won four Stanley Cups in a row from 1980-1983. No NHL team has won back-to-back Stanley Cups since the Detroit Red Wings did it in 1997 and 1998.

So, let’s compare, the Oilers won five Stanley Cups in seven years. The Blackhawks have won two cups in four years. I believe the Oilers streak is more impressive. If the Blackhawks were to win a few more cups in the upcoming years, then I would say yes.

Finally, I think it’s all a matter of personal perception. I also think we need to go further back in time to make any legitimate comparisons. As I mentioned earlier, the Detroit Redwings were the last hockey club to win back-to-back titles. They’ve also won the most Stanley Cups in the last 20 years (1997, 1998, 2002, 2008). So, I think the dynasty label is a bit premature. Maybe the Blackhawks are a mini-dynasty.