How Long Can The Blackhawks Keep This Up?!

There are three major sports going on right now in Chicago, and two of the three do not know what they are doing. You have a coach about to get fired, a jump-shooting team that gave away their best jump-shooter in the offseason and a quarterback that keeps throwing to the wrong team.

Yet, as bad as the Bulls and Bears have been this season, the Blackhawks are trying their best to make up for the rest of the city. Heck, you can go back to the baseball season and say those Chicago teams were pretty pathetic as well. The Blackhawks, meanwhile, are 26-9-3 on the season and lead the Central Division by 8 points. In fact, Chicago has the most points of any team in the NHL.

They defeated second-place Nashville on back to back days this weekend, including Sunday's wild 5 to 4 victory which included four Chicago goals in the third period. Patrick Kane may have passed Derrick Rose on the list of Chicago stars, and while you expect Jay Cutler to throw an interception during that final chance to win, the Blackhawks come through with wins in some of the wildest ways.

They have many road games in the second half of the season, and some tough home games as well including New Year's Eve against the Devils. There is still plenty of work left for this team, but they have continued to bring positive energy to an otherwise struggling sports town.

It was just a few years ago that the AHL's Chicago Wolves captured more attention than the Blackhawks, but that team at the Allstate Arena is currently an afterthought. The Blackhawks have gone from a team that just wants to put fans in the stands, to a team that is disappointed if they do not win the Stanley Cup.

In Chicago, the current idea is to expect the worst from your teams no matter how exciting they could be for a certain period of time. There have been a few exceptions lately with the Bulls in the the 1990's and the 2005 White Sox. Yet, for the most part, this city has brought plenty of disappointment to its loyal fan base.

The Blackhawks could break the bad fortunes of Chicago sports, and this is great for the city, especially those fans that remember the glory days with Bobby Hull and Tony Esposito. The glory is back, and Chicago hopes it can continue.

As two other Chicago teams struggle to find wins right now, the Blackhawks keep rolling along in the Windy City. The Stanley Cup is not out of the question, but again, there is plenty of work left in a jam-packed Western Conference race.

The question remains: How Long Can The Blackhawks Keep this Up?!