Blackhawks Look To Build On Strong Bond Entering 2026-27 Season – Hockey Writers – Chicago Blackhawks

The Chicago Blackhawks season ended on April 15 with a 5-2 victory over the San Jose Sharks. That game showed what the team could be: a young, hungry team with talent.

Performance also showed another side. Strength- snapping a four game losing streak. Wanting to win that game for each other and the fans. In the exit interviews, the same message kept coming through – how much the team loves each other and how much they want to win together.

The Blackhawks have been a close team all season, despite the results. This offseason, staying close will be a priority for them.

Blackhawks Bond: Highlights of Their Season

It was only my first season as an accredited reporter, but the Blackhawks locker room felt different. No matter what the results of the game, the energy in the room never felt dampened. Players always came to practice eager to get better, as head coach Jeff Blashill often said. Moreover, they were happy to do so.

André Burakovsky told me in March, “I think that’s what makes us so strong- that we always have fun together. I think it’s important, also, when things didn’t go the way we wanted this year, that you can continue to come to the rink with a smile and be happy. And not just like coming here and angry and angry. I think it’s been one of the good things this year, although our things are going well. with others, and we always depend on each other, and help each other, and have fun with each other, so, I think that is important.

They spent a lot of time on the road, especially in March, when they missed 10 of their 16 games. When talking to Landon Slaggert in February about the positives of the team bond and the journey, “100 percent. Yeah, we’ve got a tight-knit group. A lot of old guys to lean on, too. And it’s fun… just that fun mix of young energy and some experience, and just, you know, a good group of guys at the end of the day.

“So, it’s fun for me when you’re on the road, and it’s funny, we’ll go, like… I think when we were in Anaheim last year, we went to Disneyland, or different things, we’d try to find out. We’d go bowling or go play darts. So, honestly, we get different little games. We’re all very competitive, too. So, even pool…

“Actually, in Washington, we went bowling, and then in Columbus, we went darts. So, we kind of had a little series going with the other guys.”

Now, the players will go their separate ways this summer… but not for long. Burakovsky posted a photo on his Instagram story shortly after he and his Blackhawks teammates started the trip. Something that will likely be one of the many rallies this season.

Connor Bedard said in his exit interviews, “It was great. You know, we have a really close room. Everybody says that, but, you know, like Mooresy (Oliver Moore) was saying that… I think every single one… like, I’ll be like, ‘Guys, you should come to Van (Vancouver).’ And then someone from Toronto is like, ‘You should come to Toronto.’ So, it’s like we have 10 tours lined up for everyone to see. I don’t know if we’ll do them all, but, you know, we’ll definitely get together in the summer and continue to grow that.

But it’s a special group. I don’t think there was a day this year where we (just) went out of the rink and hung out. The boys would live together. Moorsey and I live in the same building. So, I think he has a note on my couch, you know, from all the time he spent there…”

Even on the ice, defenseman Alex Vlasic expressed his excitement at seeing more players wanting to spend more time in Chicago this summer to train. Talking about the benefits of helping build team camaraderie and helping push each other, too.

This side of the Blackhawks is a healthy story.

And there is a second side to this. How will that translate on the ice next season?

Blackhawks Hungry To Start Winning

In the exit talks, while the players expressed confidence going forward, they also expressed their desire to take another step. They want to push for the finals. As Vlasic said last month for the club,

“Yes, there are ups and downs. I think we didn’t do as well as we would have liked to have done. I think we took a lot of steps as a team. I think it was a big thing for us this year that, you know, with a young roster, we learned a lot. We made mistakes, but we learn from those mistakes.

And we will go into the next season. You know, the playoffs are expected. We are here to do this again. And we all know that in the bedroom. We trust our team. So I think going into the summer, you know, we’re all excited to be back here next year and we’re going to really push. “

They had to learn a lot about flying in the NHL all season with their youth, and, as Blashill noted, they wanted to take action now, rather than next year and so on.

We won’t know until the puck drops again how everything will come together at the summit, and a lot can happen between now and the fall. However, the Blackhawks wanted to start building a winning culture, and at a crucial moment, they have already established a pillar of unity.

As Bedard said, “But it’s a lot of fun. Like, every day in the rink, it’s been a blast. So, you know, that’s kind of the first step, I feel like, to being a really good team.”