On April 8, 2007, the Chicago Blackhawks might as well have been left for dead.
The 3-2 loss to the Dallas Stars capped a 31-42 season for the Hawks. It was a year that started with Trent Yawney on the bench and ended with Denis Savard directing the Indianhead for the displaced Yawney.
For Chicago, the season-ending defeat wrapped up a four-year stretch where the team won 107 games and lost 161 games.
In that time span, things just never clicked. Guys like Eric Daze and Tuomo Ruutu never panned out. The much-heralded A-B-C line of Tyler Arnason, Mark Bell and Kyle Calder never fully lived up to the hype. Theo Fluery was a flat-out bust.
For four years, the Chicago Blackhawks were a doormat for NHL teams. They were a punchline in their own city. Tickets were too expensive for a product that averaged 25 wins per season.
And for the casual fan, a generation was left in the dark with home games not shown on local television.
On September 26, 2007, owner Bill Wirtz died — sparking...
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