But the days of witnessing the ’Hawks blow out the Dallas Stars 8-1 or having Viktor Stalberg put up a hat trick on the Columbus Blue Jackets are in the rear-view mirror. The Blackhawks have been the measuring stick for how many teams around the league are rebuilding their franchises, and some are catching up.
Wednesday night, the ’Hawks opened the season hosting the St. Louis Blues, the same team that knocked them out of the playoffs in a brutal seven-game series last year. Over the offseason, the Blues lost key contributors in former captain David Backes, Troy Brouwer and Steve Ott.