Seeing "The Banner Years" being celebrated motivates young Chicago Blackhawks players.
The Chicago Blackhawks are a team loaded with young players trying to make their way in the National Hockey League. For a lot of them, the 2025-26 season has been a resounding success so far. For all of them, there is a long way to go.
Over the last two games, these young players have had the opportunity to witness something special. On Saturday night, the organization honored “The Banner Years”. There were over 25 alumni in attendance, all of whom had won at least one Stanley Cup with Chicago in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
On Monday night, one of the greatest alumni in franchise history came back to the United Center as a visitor for the first time. That would be Jonathan Toews as a member of the Winnipeg Jets. Both of these events were highly motivating for the young players on the active Blackhawks roster.
"They accomplished a lot when they were here," Ryan Greene said. "It's inspiring for a young group like us to see what they were able to do."
A young player like him is learning what it takes to be a winning pro. He has had winning-success in college. Now, he is looking for that feeling in the NHL. When you win in a sports-crazed town like Chicago, you will be celebrated forever.
"That's the ultimate goal for us in here," Greene continued on the fan's reception of the championship-winning Blackhawks teams. "The crowd went pretty crazy for them, so it's cool to see."
When Jonathan Toews came in as a visitor, he was given an ovation that players only dream of receiving when they return to their old teams.
Even Jeff Blashill, who is highly focused on getting the modern-day team ready to compete and win, had thoughts on Toews and what he means to the current players.
“Winning matters so much,” head coach Jeff Blashill said when talking about the former Chicago superstar. “Jonathan Toews has great statistics, but you know why he’s revered? Because he was the captain of three Cup teams.”
A lot of players are capable of producing big offensive numbers. Not a lot of players are obsessed with playing the game the way Toews played it, which is why he was able to lead so many teams to glory.
“Tons of respect for him as a player," Connor Bedard said of Toews. "What he did here throughout his career is amazing. The fact that he's back playing is awesome."
Every player in the NHL is motivated to be there, and all of them want to win. However, it was impactful for these young Hawks to see what their career can look like at the end if they find a way to be champions. These back-to-back celebrations of "The Banner Years" were great for everyone involved.
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