Chicago Blackhawks blame weak goaltending for early playoff exit -NHL Update
Chicago was hoping for another Stanley Cup repeat in three seasons coming into the 2012 National Hockey League (NHL) Western Conference Playoff Quarterfinals, but left with the exact opposite as Phoenix Coyotes eliminated them in six games.
It was the second straight year in which Blackhawks had to face first-round elimination, with the previous one being against Vancouver Canucks. Last year, Chicago fought till the last moment as they nearly eliminated Stanley Cup finalists, Vancouver, but
now, going up against Phoenix, even six games were more than enough.
General Manager, Stan Bowman, of the Chicago Blackhawks, came out into the media to put forth his views after the team was eliminated, and blamed their early exit on the lack of solid goaltending along with the failure of special teams.
"Our goaltending in general was not our strength," Bowman said on Wednesday, April 25, 2012. "I don't think it's fair to lay the blame on one player. You win as a team, you lose as a team. I think we need to be stronger defensively and that includes our
team commitment to defense, not simply the goaltending and not simply the defensemen."
One thing GM Bowman was certainly proud of was that some of his younger players came forward and put on a great show. Andrew Shaw showed some great potential along with Jimmy Hayes.
"It's not something we're fixating on," Bowman added. "It's really difficult to remove one of those pieces, unless you have somebody that can fill that person's spot."
Chicago also played a number of games without captain, Jonathan Toews, who went out due to a concussion, pressurising the Blackhawks team even further with Marian Hossa also out after a huge hit by Phoenix’s Raffi Torres.
Bowman is hoping to play the upcoming free agency in the offseason and focus on how his team could be made better either by acquiring or trading players. Having some upcoming young talent on the team also allowed him to breathe easier as it now depends solely
on strategy.
The GM also confirmed to an extent that Joel Quenneville, would not be fired this year, and would have total control of the coaching staff.
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