CHICAGO -- What was left of the United Center crowd was mostly quiet while the final seconds of an era ticked off Tuesday night. There was no big rally for the Chicago Blackhawks. No final charge.
It's over.
The NHL playoffs will go on without Chicago for the first time in a decade after the Blackhawks were eliminated from contention with a 5-1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Injuries, aging stars and inexperience combined to sink Chicago after a wildly successful run that included three Stanley Cup titles.
"It's been a tough, tough stretch here," coach Joel Quenneville said.
Quenneville was coaching Colorado the last time Chicago missed the playoffs. The former NHL defenceman and the Avalanche decided to part ways after the team was swept by Detroit in the second round of the 2008 post-season, and he replaced Denis Savard after the Blackhawks fired the Hall of Famer four games into the following season.
What followed was the most successful decade in franchise history. Led by a core group of stars that included Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith, Chicago won three Stanley Cups and reached the conference finals two more times while appearing in the playoffs for nine straight seasons.
But it looks as if age and an annual dance with the salary cap might have finally caught up to the Blackhawks (30-35-9), who are last in the Central Division with eight games left on their schedule.
"We've had some terrific players and some really good teams, real good depth," Quenneville said. "We didn't always have good starts to the season, but had a lot of options to work with as a staff. The building was rocking and we're good at home, and we're successful on the road, real consistent.
"This has been the one year we've been unpredictable in our game, and our possession game has been the one area that we've nailed. This year, we didn't get to that level we needed to get to."
An injury to two-time All-Star goaltender Corey Crawford also contributed to Chicago's rapid decline. The 33-year-old Crawford hasn't played since Dec. 23 due to an upper-body injury, and it has been a steep drop-off to backups Anton Forsberg, Jean-Francois Berube and Jeff Glass.
The Blackhawks also have been without top forward Marian Hossa all season due to severe side effects from medication to treat a progressive skin disorder. It's unclear if he will ever play again.
"You're always going to have key injuries," Quenneville said. "Always going to have significant injuries, have some things go against you. But we've always been able to overcome them and find ways rectify some tough situations and get back on track. This year we've been unable to do it."
Chicago still might have been able to make a playoff run if not for its other issues. Toews, Keith and key defenceman Brent Seabrook are showing signs of age after years of long playoff runs and international play. The Blackhawks' young defencemen have experienced some growing pains, and Brandon Saad has struggled in his return to Chicago after an off-season trade with Columbus.
But the Blackhawks just got a closer look at a possible roadmap for a return to contention.
The Avalanche are in prime position to return to the playoffs after going 22-56-4 last season. Top goaltender Semyon Varlamov is healthy again after playing in just 24 games a year ago. Mikko Rantanen has developed into an offensive presence at age 21, and rookie Alexander Kerfoot scored twice against Chicago to get to 17 goals on the season.
"There's a great example in the team we played today, and in how far out you can be, and how quickly you can recapture that winning attitude and that feeling and get right back in the race," Quenneville said after the Blackhawks' sixth loss in seven games.
"The playoff picture's probably completely different than a lot of people anticipated. That's how close teams are when they begin a year, and things can go right from goaltending to special teams to top players. There's a number of ways where you can make a difference and new young players are certainly a part of that equation."
