In a season of rebirths for the Chicago Blackhawks, perhaps even more so off the ice than on, it only was a matter of time until the organization re-embraced the stars of yesteryear. Friday night was such a time for former greats, Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita.

Few Chicago sports fans under the age of 30 likely recognize their names – certainly not for their respective on-ice achievements. In Hull’s case, he may be better known as Brett Hull’s father or for his various off-ice issues than for his franchise record 604 goals. Meanwhile, Mikita might be remembered more as the namesake of the fictional eatery frequented by Wayne and Garth in Wayne’s World than for his franchise record 1,467 points. Both players largely have been ignored by the Blackhawks organization, creating a lost memory from the team’s last Stanley Cup championship 47 years ago.

On Friday night, the Blackhawks warmly welcomed these past stars back into the family with open arms in the form of a much anticipated pre-game ceremony. To the delight of the nearly 22,000 fans present in the capacity filled United Center, the organization finally gave its fan base an opportunity to show appreciation towards both players after their respective estranged departures.

The ceremony also served as a subtle hint as to what two young, rising stars could accomplish in their early twenties. Hull and Mikita were 23 and 20, respectively, when they led the Blackhawks to the Stanley Cup in 1961. Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are just 19-years-old.

The Week Ahead

A strong start last week with impressive back-to-back wins over Minnesota and Anaheim created a buzz leading into Friday night’s game against the San Jose Sharks. Unfortunately, a 3-2 loss to the Sharks, followed up with a messy 6-5 overtime loss to Edmonton on Sunday afternoon, put the Blackhawks in a bind heading into this week’s schedule. Chicago finds itself in a three-way tie for tenth place, five points behind the next team up in the standings.

The Hawks’ first of four games this week will be in Detroit on Tuesday night. Getting points there is vital to regaining momentum and keeping the playoff hopes alive. The good news is that the Blackhawks have won four of the first five meetings against the Red Wings; the bad news is Detroit’s all-world defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom has returned to the lineup and the Wings now are riding a three-game winning streak after a long losing skid.

The ultimate key for the Blackhawks this week, and certainly beyond, could come down to goaltending. Patrick Lalime and rookie Corey Crawford teamed up to allow six goals in the four games leading up to Sunday’s loss to Edmonton. Lalime gave up six goals just on Sunday alone, and several of those goals were of the weak variety. With regular starter Nikolai Khabibulin still out nursing back spasms, Lalime and the barely tested Crawford will need to find consistency beyond mere four game stretches.