I'm going to return to writing about hockey by talking about Australian Football, as is the standard process for this sort of thing.
Back in 2012, the AFL's Richmond Tigers were in the midst of their third decade of league irrelevance - a proud, founding club that hadn't hoisted a title since Olivia Newton-John dazzled moviegoers, critics, and awards voters alike with her unparalleled performance in Xanadu. But for the first time in awhile, there were genuine signs of things being on the upswing, with young talent and veterans alike showing development around one true star player. And then the club started out of the gate 1-4, albeit with three of those losses coming by just a few points against teams that were considered top contenders that year. Some in the press nearly treated these as wins - Hey, the Tigers can finally hang with the big boys for most of a game! - and referred to them with a term that has stuck with me ever since: "Honourable losses." In other words, yes, you still lost, but you didn't get your dicks kicked in for four quarters and bring shame upon the sport with your presence, which is more than we were expecting!
Tigers Head Coach Damien Hardwick was not having it.
"They're learning that we're getting better and the great thing I love to see in their faces is that after that game it's bitter disappointment.
"It's not like, 'Oh we're not good enough' ... you saw Chris after the game and he was very demoralised. I've no doubt it's a spur and they'll come out all guns blazing.
"I think in previous years we would have been quite happy with the effort we'd given. It's no longer acceptable for us to have those honourable losses and that's the sign of a footy club maturing and demanding that we've got to get better and start winning those games.
The Tigers ripped off four wins in their next five matches, but still were not quite there in 2012, finishing out of the postseason at 10-11-1. Hardwick stayed on, the core talent developed further and was bolstered by sharp drafting and signings, and the losses were never considered honorable, whether in the regular season or postseason. By 2020, the Richmond Tigers were holding the Premiership Trophy high for all to see, for the third time in four seasons.
Which brings us to this week for the Chicago Blackhawks.
I saw and heard some praise for the Hawks last night near the end of their 6-4 loss to the Avalanche - their second in five nights to that particular Western Conference demolition unit. After all, they got stonewalled by a hot hand in goal Monday, and very nearly took the Avs to OT at home on Friday, until Cale Makar killed any hope of a Gary Bettman Loser Point™ with an empty-net goal from behind the opposing blue line that hit the back of the net on the fly, a thing that I did not think was possible unless the puck had built-in drone controls. Sure, Nathan MacKinnon wasn't playing, and both of the losses were against Colorado's backup goalie, whose name I will never be able to pronounce correctly on the first try. But still, the Hawks were almost there for almost the whole game against the best team in the conference - and twice in one week! Aren't those some honorable losses, something on which the team can hang its collective hat?
If you're reading this, you probably remember that playoff series against the Red Wings in 2009 - that feeling of a team on the rise, almost, but not quite there. That feeling, of course, proved out. What's important to note now, and what's different from those 2009 Hawks or those 2012 Tigers, is that these Hawks are on the other side of the apex. The "good losses" come as a passing reminder of a not-so-distant time when the team could hang with the best the league had to offer, because they were also among the elite. Remember when it used to be like this every night? Please hold on to that, and pretend last weekend against Minnesota never happened.
On this side of the hill, the honorable losses become fewer and farther between, with an occasional sprinkling of "surprise wins." The two remaining cornerstones of the franchise are both on the wrong side of thirty, and both starting to show it. The captain, clearly frustrated and on the decline, still coming to terms and adjusting to what a new disease has done to his body and mind. The elite scorer sometimes just... can't anymore. For a month. And in his parting gift to his employer, Stan Bowman took these two $10-million, no-move contracts, and threw on another albatross: a defenseman who, if he does not decline, will sometimes be a legitimate first-pairing player. He provides a $9.5 million cap hit for eight seasons after the current one.
This could be a milepost on the way toward bottoming out and building toward a successful next chapter. Unfortunately, the Hawks are much more likely headed toward limbo, that dreadful spot between false hope and fire sale, where management and ownership believe they are just one offseason and a couple of signings away from turning this whole thing around. Or, possibly, given the financial constraints brought on by the three players listed above, just presenting as such and hoping not too many season ticket holders catch on to the long, slow decline.
Given the past year, the losses may end up being the only honorable thing left about the organization.
