Droughts

Here is the obvious similarity between these two title runs, as both teams ended a decades long drought. However, the cubs 108-year drought was far longer and harsher than the 49 years the Blackhawks endured without a Stanley Cup.

Year Prior

Neither of these teams won their leagues respective championship out of the blue, but came very close in the year immediately before. The Cubs reached the National League Championship Series in 2015 where they were swept by the New York Mets. The Blackhawks reached the Western Conference finals in 2009 where they lost to Detroit in five games.

Losing Years Prior

While both teams nearly made it to the final series of the playoffs before eventually winning it, both teams also hadn’t even reached the playoffs for over half a decade. Before 2015, the Cubs had failed to reach the playoffs since 2008, and recorded only one winning season during that 6-year stretch. The Blackhawks had not made the playoffs for 5 seasons (six years due to the lockout) before reaching the Western Conference Finals, and posted only 1 winning season during that span. These losing seasons made it tough for the fans to endure, but were incredibly important to the future of the organizations as they allowed both teams to stockpile draft picks.

Roster Makeup by Genius GM

A large portion of the Blackhawks and Cubs success can be attributed to a single person within the organization responsible for constructing the roster. I’m talking about Stan Bowman and Theo Epstein. Stan Bowman had been in the Blackhawks organization since 2002 as his role continually increased until he became general manager in 2009. Theo Epstein joined the Cubs in a much grander fashion. Theo Epstein broke into the mainstream in 2002 when he was hired as the youngest GM ever by the Boston Red Sox. Within 2 years, he built a World Series winning team that broke an 86 year and curse filled drought for the Red Sox. After bringing another title to the Red Sox, he made the jump to Cubs, being hired as the President of Baseball operations in 2011, where he would further add to his legend as a curse breaker. Both guys used a similar method to build a championship team; build a youthful core and add talented veterans.

The Blackhawks built their core primarily through the draft, selecting Toews 3^rd overall in 2006 and then Kane 1^st overall in 2007. Keith, Hjalmarsson, and Seabrook were also all acquired through the draft. Seabrook joins Kane in Toews in being selected in the first round, while Keith was selected in the second round, and Hjalmarsson was the 108^th player picked in the 2005 draft. What all five of these players have in common is that they were not only instrumental in the 2010 Stanley Cup run, but also the years of success following. The Cubs have built a youthful core similar to what the Blackhawks had in 2010 through the draft, as well as trading for young prospects. Players acquired this way include Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Addison Russel, Javier Baez, Kyle Schwarber, the list goes on and on. Baez, Bryant, and Schwarber were all drafted in the first round of the Cubs in 2011, 2013, and 2014 respectively. Rizzo was acquired as prospect from the Padres in 2012, and burst onto the scene as a rookie for the Cubs that year. Russel, the 3^rd best MLB prospect at the time, was dealt to the Cubs along with other prospects in return for Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel.

The next moves made by Bowman and Epstein were to add some veteran talent to complement the youthful core of the team. First, both the Hawks and Cubs were able to acquire a veteran on the cheap through trade that would become a huge part of their success. While the hawks stole Patrick Sharp from the Flyers for Matt Ellison (who?) and a 3^rd round pick, while the Cubs stole Jake Arrieta and Pedro Strop away from the Orioles for Steve Clevenger (who?) and Scott Feldman (who?). Arrieta is clearly the greater robbery, as he has become a dominant young pitcher who already has a Cy Young award under his belt, although Patrick Sharp’s contribution to the Hawks was also huge. Both teams then signed a star, or star players via free agency. Where the Blackhawks signed Marian Hossa, the Cubs signed John Lackey, Jon Lester, and Jason Heyward through free agency. Where the veterans add instant talent, building a young core is what allowed the Blackhawks to form a dynasty, which the Cubs will look to establish in the next few years.

Coaching

While both Stan Bowman and Theo Epstein were able to build teams ready for success, it took the guidance of a great coach to help these teams reach their potential. Both Joe Maddon and Joel Quenneville were considered elite coaches before joining the Cubs and Hawks respectively. Neither of them had won a championship as head coach/manager before reaching their teams. But, neither of them were strangers to success, as Joe Maddon had brought the Tampa Bay Rays to the World Series before arriving in Chicago, and Joel Quenneville was an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche in 1996 when they won the Cup.

Resiliency

No matter the talent a team has, there will always be obstacles standing in the way of winning a championship. If it weren’t for the resiliency of these two teams, I would be unable to write this article. There have been countless times in the playoffs when the Blackhawks stormed back in a game that seemed all but lost to steal an important victory. Under Joel Quenneville, the Blackhawks are 43-14 in games 4-7 in playoff series. That record is astounding, and demonstrates the resiliency that has allowed them to capture three Stanley Cups. The Cubs 2016 World Series run allowed them to show everyone that they too are a resilient bunch. In each series throughout the playoffs, there seemed to be a time where everyone had written off the Cubs, only for them to battle back and win it. No series exemplified this more than when playing the Indians. After falling down 3 games to 1, and losing 2 straight games in Wrigley, it seemed that Cubs fans would have to endure another year before ending that World Series drought. However, the Cubs did not fold and give up, but responded mightily, and roared back to win the series and capture their first World Series since 1908. Even in game 7, the Cubs appeared as if they were going to lose the game after allowing the Indians to tie it up in the 8^th inning during a 2 out rally, only to hang on and win it in the 10^th inning, a seriously impressive feat. The Blackhawks haven’t even displayed this caliber of resiliency, as they have pushed game 7 after being down 3-1 four times, but only won the series once, in 2013 in route to reaching and ultimately capturing a second Stanly Cup in 4 years.

The future in Wrigley looks extremely bright. With the Cubs having so many key players tied up for years to come, many of those being rookie contracts, an elite manager, and proven resiliency, the Cubs are primed to establish a Dynasty which could capture many World Series’ in the near future.