Brown: Blackhawks Brass Can’t Allow This Losing To Continue Next Season

Blackhawks forwards Philipp Kurashev and Ryan Donato were asked several questions about all of the losing Chicago has gone through this season. Both had different answers, but they also had very raw, honest takes on what has been a brutal season of one loss after another. It’s six in a row and very likely could be seven with the Hawks set to take on the Avalanche Monday.

But what Donato said stuck with me as I drove home following the game.

“I think you tell them it’s not all right to lose, right? That’s the biggest thing,” Donato said.  “And they’re not comfortable with losing either. I think you’ve just got to learn how to play the game. Learn to play an 80-game season … and keep playing positive because at the end of the day there’s so many things you can learn throughout an entire season. But if you’re negative it’s really hard to harp on those things and grow as a team.”

It took me back to a lesson coaching my daughter’s softball team.

Changing the Conversation With A Loss

My daughter’s softball team had a lot of kids who never played before and it showed. As the head coach, I always try to first remember that they’re developing a love for the game–and that winning follows. After another brutal loss triggered the mercy rule, I had a very blunt conversation with the team.

By the time they were chasing six runs, they lost focus. They booted easy grounders, didn’t listen to our directions, and at one point, my daughter–who hates losing more than she likes winning–asked to sit on the bench instead of play. The last one really ate me alive and it prompted a very direct conversation not only with the team, but with my daughter, too.

The conversation was simple: give everything you have until the final out. With my daughter it was far more direct. In line with what Donato said–we never, ever accept losing. No matter how bad it gets. We learn from it and get better.

But as I reflected more upon it, I realized too, that I had to completely alter how we as a staff were coaching the team. That while we had some talent discrepancy, we had to put them in a spot to succeed so the kids who were talented didn’t regress due to losing.

We ended up winning more than we lost from that point on, and even pushed the best team in the league in close game. Changing the conversation–and our approach–did wonders.

It’s a conversation the Blackhawks now need to have internally.

Blackhawks Rebuild Timeline Needs to Be Organic-but Realistic

I like how Kyle Davidson is building and I applaud his patience. How he is approaching the rebuild with the responsibility of managing the cap shows that he gets it what it takes to have sustained success in the Cap Era.

But the Blackhawks have to seriously consider making a big jump next season that goes beyond bringing up prospects and letting them play around veterans who can mentor them.

They need some difference makers and some talent that will ease the pressure on Connor Bedard, Kevin Korchinski, and Alex Vlasic. Expecting a playoff berth next season might be pushing it, but playing meaningful games beyond New Year’s Day shouldn’t be. The Blackhawks team on the ice Saturday night reminder me of my daughter’s softball team: error prone due to frustration taking over.

This isn’t an easy fix and it’s certainly not something where care should be thrown to the wind. But losing darkens the sports soul–it’s contagious and poisonous. I predicted a floor of 24 wins this season–they’ll be lucky at this rate to hit 20. This latest stretch, since Bedard has returned, is a 1-5-2 slog that enjoyed a minor bump upon the generational player’s return. But it’s been more of the same–and shows that not even Bedard can save this team.

It’s a hell of a lot tougher to remain positive when losses pile up–especially over prolonged time periods. Knowing they’re just 20 games from the end can keep things in perspective. But another season of this could be potentially damaging to what the Blackhawks are trying to build.

Donato is right. So too is Kurashev, when he correctly said “losing sucks.” These last twenty games will help figure out who will stay for next season. But it should also be a reminder that this can’t go on for another year.

They need a major step forward, one where they’re not only in games, but can wrestle away some wins that they would have otherwise lost this season.

Davidson has played things right so far. Now he needs to continue by infusing his team with more talent not only from the pipeline–but from elsewhere around the league.

It’s time to change the conversation.

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