The Chicago Blackhawks fell to the Avalanche 5-1 at the United Center Tuesday night, officially eliminating them from playoff contention. Chicago's playoff hopes were dashed months ago when goaltender Corey Crawford went down and the team went through a free-fall which has put them five games under .500 and only 69 points with only eight games left in the season. Sub-par defense, AHL goaltending and lack of scoring consistency this season created enough problems to prevent the Blackhawks from keeping their playoff streak alive.

This will be the first time since 2008 that they have not made the playoffs and the first time under coach Joel Quenneville.

The last time they missed a shot at the Stanley Cup, Dennis Savard was the head coach, both Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were rookies and it had been since 1961 when they last won it all. For nine years they went on a Run that was considered by many, a hockey dynasty.

A look back at the run

There are many things to remember during their run of playoff appearances from 2009-2017, obviously, the biggest ones that stand out are the three Stanley Cup championships. They won their first cup since 1961 in 2010, then added two more in 2013 and 2015. Hard to forget the Patrick Kane overtime goal in game six of the 2010 finals to win it all, the two goals in 17 seconds in game six of the 2013 finals to win it again or the 2-0 shutout of the Lighting at the United Center to win their latest cup.

There is much more to the story though.

From the 2008-2009 season through to the 2016-2017, the Blackhawks won 414 regular season games along with 76 playoff games and 16 playoff series total. Overall, they participated in 22 playoff series and 128 playoff games. Their record in the playoffs in that span is 76-52, losing only six of 16 series.

Among those three cup wins were five trips to the conference finals, three of which they won. They never lost a final series or a second-round series.

Along the way, they have made some new rivals in teams they saw multiple times in the playoffs. The Blackhawks have met the Canucks, Wild, and Predators three times while seeing the Kings, Blues and Red Wings twice.

They've also played the Flames, Sharks, Ducks, and Coyotes once in the western conference playoffs while facing the Bruins, Flyers, and Lighting in the Finals. Out of all those teams, the Coyotes are the only team the Blackhawks did not beat, even once, in the playoffs during their run.

Can it come back?

This will be the longest offseason the Blackhawks have had in a while. Even though they were eliminated pretty early last year, it felt like they were never really there. There will be holes to fill while having aging defensemen, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook, stuck on the squad because of their contracts, who were both once star players before Father Time caught up to them. Goaltending depth needs addressing as does the health of Crawford.

Yet, Toews and Kane will still remain with young budding stars in Alex DeBrincat and Nick Schmaltz.

The future is a bit difficult to predict. It may take a lot of retooling to get back to the playoffs, or a few key moves. Only time will tell to see how long it will take to get the Blackhawks back in the playoffs.
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