These Blackhawks may not look like previous versions, but they're not down until they're out.
Coming off of a Stanley Cup, it's hard to ask too much of your team in the following season. Your team has just reached the metaphorical mountain. It's a blissful feeling that can't truly be expressed in words, and one that I'm sure many are familiar with. It almost feels greedy to ask for more.
Naturally, you now expect to experience this every year, even if what you see when you watch now is different. You tell yourself and your family and friends, that you have a gut feeling that leads to the promised land, but can't measure it otherwise.